This fall's MBSR course in Aarhus with Hanneli Ågotsdatter and Peter Høeg has just ended.
For eight weeks we have met one evening a week and – supported by the community – sought ways inward towards a deeper connection. In addition, we have spent a whole day together in meditation.
The participants had different motivations for participating in the course, but we shared the desire for a contemplative practice of presence. And for this, a number of tools have been presented: various forms of meditation, body scans, yoga, dialogue and contact exercises, movement and dance, writing and play.
Again and again we have turned our attention to the five gates inward; the body, the heart space, the breath, the consciousness space and basic creativity (the fact that we and the entire universe are a process, constantly changing). With them, the participants have audio files with various guided meditations recorded by both Hanneli and Peter. And then they have the experience from our joint training and their own practice. What has ceased is the valuable support of the teaching and the community; to meet and know that you are on a journey with people who want you well.
In a way, the community extends beyond the end of the physical meetings, because there will be words that follow and along with the words of those who spoke them. What a team member said that touched one's heart. Or what Hanneli said that gave one new clarity. Or what Peter pointed out that brought renewed courage. And there will be images and moods that have been stored in the body and mind. And in this way, one may remember that one has traveling companions, even if they are not physically with one.
In another and more visible way, you are now on your own. Eight weeks of mindfulness training is enough to gain enough experience to continue the journey. But a daily meditation practice is still not deeply rooted in people's lives after eight weeks. It takes both discipline and courage to continue without the support of the group.
Immersion costs money. Our society is not designed for people to set aside time for mindfulness training every day. So there are external constraints.
And then there are the internal barriers you will inevitably encounter when you choose to shine light on what has been in darkness.
But perhaps you have learned that it is worth the full price? Or even that the price of not doing so is much higher?
Perhaps it is possible to ease your path if you also remember to play with the training. Be curious about what might happen if you continue to delve inward, if you remember the ability to empathize with yourself as well.
Perhaps it makes the journey easier if you remember the dance, the moment of freedom at the discovery of an inner neutral space, the joy of the brief eye contact in the middle of the walking meditation?
Regardless, life's journey continues. And every moment is an opportunity to be present along the way.
Photo: Susanne Dencker
Jeanette Lykkegaard is a cand.scient.anth. specializing in the shamanistic population group, the Chukchi, who live in eastern Siberia. She is currently writing a PhD at Aarhus University about their culture, life issues and relationship to death. As an anthropologist, Jeanette has followed the Education in Relationship Competence, a collaborative project between Kontemplation, the Children's Life Science Association and Ikast Brande Municipality. She has written a number of texts about this process, which can be read at Kontemplation's blog.
She receives teaching and practical guidance from Hanneli Ågotsdatter and Peter Høeg.
She attends an annual retreat. Last year, she brought her daughter Zoey, who was born in January 2018, with her on retreat.
