A little bit challenging for me getting in touch on Sunday: our power was out! But I got on Zoom with the group via cell phone and had enough power to get through the meditations and discussions.
I talked about our difficulties in dealing with obsessive thoughts in particular: it may seem contradictory to home in on obsessive thinking when we’re sitting. Our teachers generally instruct us to go back to the body and the breath to calm down and basically get rid of the constant onslaught of unwelcome thoughts and emotions. But Jason Siff, in the book: “Thoughts are Not the Enemy” suggests a different technique: stay receptive to the thoughts and emotions and don’t necessarily shut them out. If you fear discomfort and even fear acknowledge the fear. “Be kind to the fear. It is all right to have these feelings in meditation.”