Shared by Grande
Photo by our friend Sue from Seattle
Speaking after our sitting today, I thought how wonderful it would be to meditate before a work presentation or a speech! Although it might seem unusual to your work colleagues to sit silently together before a presentation. The title of my share today is “Back to the Present”. Shout out to any “Back to the Future” or Michael J. Fox fans out there. We all have our individual journeys to mediation and mindfulness and I will be sharing mine today.
Kaz spoke last week about “beginner’s mind,” I began to think about my own path to meditation. It wasn’t a straight road. Like many, my gateway was unexpected. Years ago, when I was 27 while in Toronto, I was presenting and on my feet for three days straight. Midway, my back seized up with sciatica— I had a sharp, crippling pain every time I stood up. I tried everything: heat, ice, ibuprofen, even Bengay. The pain would go away briefly and then could return at a moment’s notice. Months later, someone suggested yoga.
Initially, I was skeptical. Yoga seemed a world away from my typical, more “masculine” activities like basketball. I became aware of the wisdom of my body for the first time. Yoga became a revelation—a profound awakening of the mind-body connection. Through the breath, I discovered I could relax parts of my body previously tense with stress and pain. I learned how pain in my back was related to tightness in my hamstrings and lack of core engagement. Yoga united me—my body, mind, and spirit—in ways I hadn’t anticipated.
What began as a means to heal my back evolved into a deeper understanding and acceptance of myself. The origin of the word yoga has a Sanskrit root meaning “unite.” Yoga is a means to uniting body, mind, and spirit. Yoga was developed as preparation for meditation. Yoga was meant as a way to still the body to still the mind.
Yoga led me to meditation. I found that being in my body led to being in my breath and kept me in the now, rather than my mind’s desire to be regretful about past actions or anxious about future decisions. Being in my body led me to being in my breath and helped me find my balance, re-find my balance, and refine my balance, rather than running away from back pain, emotional pain, or spiritual pain. Or clinging to desires like coffee ice cream, an amber ale, or the latest Netflix K-drama.
Each of us has a unique pathway to meditation. So for all of us revisiting our own stories can bring us back to that discovery; bring us back to the body and the breath whether on the mat, on the cushion, driving, or talking with a friend; brings us back to the harmony of our bodies, minds, and spirit; and brings us “Back to the Present”.
Thank you for sharing this journey with me
Hakone Zendo 