Walking Mindfully : The Journey in Parshat Masei

Parshat Masei and Mindful Walking Meditation

This week’s Torah portion, Masei, mentions 42 places where B'nei Yisrael, the children of Israel, encamped in their forty years in the wilderness. We are not told the names of all the places.

Just imagine the logistics of hundreds of thousands of people journeying through the wilderness and stopping to rest from their wanderings and setting up camp!

Why is this mentioned?

Sometimes we recall places that we visited fondly or nostalgically. Sometimes the memories are negative, and we remember them because of how frightened or unhappy we were there.

The people encamped in each place on average for two years (according to Torah commentator Rashi), and according to our sages, each stop was meant to teach them something, and perhaps to help them strengthen their faith in G-d, who was their protector and provided them with all their basic needs. The people often complained and were impatient to move on to the next stop. Is mentioning these 42 places a rebuke to B'nei Yisrael for their grumbling and rebellious behavior during their journey?

What is the purpose of the Torah's detailed description of all these stops just as the people get ready to enter the Land of Israel?

The journey between Egypt and Israel is not very far -- it's much less than a 40

year trek -- so it’s unlikely that the emphasis is on the physical journey.

R. Jonathan Sacks explains that this journey was a mental and spiritual one.

There were so many challenges along the way. G-d was with the people, but they lacked faith and clung to their slave mentality.

Slowly they got stronger and built up their endurance, but it takes time, and apparently many stages.

Actually, their journey was just starting, as they would soon enter the Promised Land and continue to grow individually, and as a nation.

We are not so different from these former slaves. Most of us know how to get from A to B pretty easily, but we too often become impatient and ungrateful during the journey.

Do we remember how we got there? Do we remember all the points along the way?

In everyday life, we lose touch with the present moment as we run around multi-tasking and checking things off of our to-do list.

We are not really “there” a lot of the time. Our mind is caught up in worries and fears about the future or regrets about the past. That state of being is called forgetfulness—you are there but you are not there.

Mindfulness can help us be more present in the everyday tasks that we do.

Mindful breathing meditation helps us to focus, sharpens our attention, and helps us to be more aware of our surroundings. There is another practice that we can do for this purpose: mindful walking meditation.

Taking an everyday activity that we give very little thought to, and bringing our awareness to it.

Meditation master Thich Nhat Hanh teaches:

In our daily lives, we have the habit of running. We seek peace, success, and love—we are always on the run—and our steps are one means by which we run away from the present moment. But life is available only in the present moment; peace is available only in the present moment. Taking a step means to stop running. For those of us who are used to always running, it is a revolution to make a step, and stop running. We make a step, and if we know how to make it, peace becomes available in that moment of touching the earth with our feet.

It would be a pity to let a whole day pass without enjoying walking on the earth.

Walking meditation is a form of meditation in action.

In walking meditation, we use the experience of walking as our focus. We become mindful of our experience while walking and aware of the movements of the body and its physical sensations

Let’s practice walking meditation together-

Choose a quiet place where you can walk comfortably back and forth, indoors or out, about the length of an exercise mat. Begin by standing at one end of your mat or space, becoming aware of the weight of your body and the contact with the ground.

We take our ability to be balanced for granted, so take a minute to notice the work that it takes for us to stand upright and keep our balance. Let your hands rest easily, wherever they are comfortable.

Close your eyes for a moment, noticing the contact your feet are making with the ground while letting the ground support you.

Begin to walk slowly. Let yourself walk with a sense of ease while allowing yourself to be alert.

Pay attention to your body. With each step, feel the sensations of lifting your foot and leg off the ground and be aware as you place your foot down.

Notice the back heel maybe lifting off the ground as you take a step with the other foot.

Let your walking be easy and natural. Feel each step mindfully as you walk.

You might want to say to yourself, “lifting, moving, placing” as you lift up your foot to take a step. Or breathe in as you lift your foot, and breathe out as you place your foot down. When you reach the end of your path, stop for a moment. Before you turn around, notice the intention to do so. Slowly turn around and notice what it takes, all the parts of your body involved in turning around, starting with the feet, legs, torso, neck and head. Turn around carefully so that you can be aware of the first step as you walk back.

You can experiment with the speed, walking at whatever pace keeps you most present. Continue to walk back and forth for ten minutes or longer.

As with the breath in sitting meditation, your mind will wander. As soon as you notice this, acknowledge it and return to feeling the next step. After some practice with walking meditation, you may be able to calm yourself and live more wakefully in your body.

Walking meditation can easily be integrated into our schedules since walking is something most of us do every day. Even walking from the car into the supermarket can be an opportunity for a minute’s walking meditation.

Each one of us can bring more awareness to our own journey. We might occasionally complain and get antsy, like B'nei Yisrael, but ultimately, we do have some control over the speed and direction of where we’re going, and we can be truly present as we move through our life.

Listen on Insight Timer (On the app): https://insig.ht/aU6xAnNy1rb

Or from your PC:

https://insighttimer.com/skeinon/guided-meditations/mindfully-walking-parshat-masei

Mindfully Listening and Parshat Matot: What Do Vows Have To Do With It

Mindfully Listening: Mindfulness and Parshat Matot

The beginning of the weekly Torah portion, Matot, opens with Moses’ instructions to the tribes about vows and oaths– how they should be honored and what are the rules if they need to be annulled. “When a man makes a vow or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word and must do everything he said.”

What does this have to do with the preparation of entering the Land of Israel after a 40 year sojourn in the wilderness?

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks explains that as the Children of Israel are getting ready to enter the Promised Land, they are preparing to build a society– a just and orderly society with Torah laws as the basis.

Besides law and order, for a society to function people need to trust each other, as well as the leaders and those who enforce the laws. We need to trust the leaders and the enforcers of the laws.

One cardinal way to foster trust is by keeping your word, keeping your promises.

Words are important.

Rabbi Sacks notes that the world was created with words– “And G-d said, let there be…. and there was.”

G-d can do that. G-d, through words, can create entire worlds.

For people to create reality with words, someone has to hear those words. If I want to delegate a task at work or home, someone needs to hear what I’m saying to make it happen. For people, words are impactful when someone hears them- when there is a listener. Listening is key in human relations.

Through mindfulness practice, we can work on skills such as listening, hearing, accepting, and paying attention to the conditions that have been established at this very moment.

Mindfulness practice allows us to first and foremost listen to ourselves—and not just our ideas, but also our feelings, our impulses, and our bodies. When we can listen to ourselves, we can then better listen to others: If people feel heard, then they are more likely to trust. Mindful listening is a way of listening without judgment, criticism, or interruption while being aware of internal thoughts and reactions that may get in the way of people communicating with you effectively.

If your mind and attention are not engaged, you may miss everything the speaker said. This is the difference between hearing what is said versus listening to what is said. Hearing is the physical ability to hear sound, but listening is actively processing what you’re receiving and responding appropriately.

Tips for Mindful Listening

• Eliminate distractions during the conversation, such as cell phones, noises, and anything else that will hinder your ability to focus on the person and make them feel valued. (important)

• Focus on what is true for the speaker at the moment

• Suspend judgment and listen openly

• Listen to the words & the underlying perceptions, beliefs and assumptions

• Attentive body language through soft eye contact, leaning forward slightly, open body stance

• Non-verbal encouragers such as head nods, concerned / responsive facial expressions

• Express empathy when appropriate

• Paraphrase what the speaker has said when they are done

• Focus our attention on the speaker’s experiences or ideas, noticing yourself referencing your own experiences that might arise and letting that go

• Notice how you’re listening to someone, and whether you’re already formulating your response while the other person is speaking, rather than processing what is being said. A successful outcome can depend on a couple of things: how you are and what you say. How you are, meaning supportive, curious, or problem-solving– will greatly influence what you say. Don’t assume others can see things from your point of view. Ask yourself if you have personal trigger points with the person you’re listening to such as an earlier argument or sensitivity in your relationship.

Any of these factors could impact how you listen, and will require an extra layer of reflectivity to keep the space open for good listening.

Practice being aware of your body language while you’re in a conversation. While listening, do you nod a lot? Do you allow your gaze to wander, or stare at the speaker too much? Becoming aware of what your body language communicates to others helps you become not only a more effective communicator but also a more effective listener. By helping the speaker feel that you’re truly listening and engaged, you facilitate trust and better communication. Listening is not passive.

Try this mindful listening exercise with another person:

-Set a timer for 3 minutes:

-Person one speaks for 3 mins while person two listens

You can share something on your mind or something that happened to you recently.

You don’t have to fill the entire 3 minutes. If you run out of things to say, just stop speaking and sit in silence until you feel like talking again. Your turn is over when 3 minutes are up

-Person one starts with ” I want to share with you ……….”

This can be anything, positive, negative or neutral.

-Person two practices mindful listening, which means listening, without responding,

and noticing when thoughts or a response comes up in the mind.

-When number one finishes, number two says “Thank you for sharing”. Nothing more.

-Switch roles, with person two now as the mindful speaker and one as a mindful listener.

-Reset the timer for 3 minutes.

When you listen mindfully, you are fully present in the moment, which means you can absorb the speaker's whole message, and he can feel heard and respected. By being present, cultivating empathy, and listening to your own cues, you can learn to let go of reactions and other distractions that block your understanding, so that you can be open to the ideas of others. Just as taking and fulfilling vows in the parsha was a way of building up trust needed for a healthy society, so too can mindful listening help build stronger and healthier relationships, and that could have a ripple effect with far-reaching societal impact.

*Listen on Insight Timer: https://insighttimer.com/skeinon/guided-meditations/mindful-listening-mindfulness-and-parshat-matot

Unleashing Our Potential: Mindfulness & Parshat Pinchas

Unleashing Our Potential: Mindfulness & Parshat Pinchas

In Pinchas, this week’s Torah portion, we learn about two situations where people come forward to passionately act on their beliefs: Pinchas the high priest and grandson of Aharon, and the daughters of Tzelolfhad.

Pinchas sees Bnei Yisrael, the children of Israel, consorting with foreign women and engaging in idol worship. One such person, Zimri, was a prince of the tribe of Shimon -- a dignitary of sorts -- and was flaunting his immoral behavior in public. Pinchas dares

to be the judge and executioner and kills Zimri on the spot. Because of his action,

the punishment of a plague is stayed and the people are saved.

But for our sages, it is not so simple, as they are divided and conflicted about his move since it was effectively executed without a trial. Pinchas acted on his own out of his zealotry. The rabbis teach that this was a one time situation, and that we should not contemplate taking similar action into our own hands.

Later on in the parsha, we read another story, about the courageous and idealistic daughters of Tzelofhad. Their father died, and they went to Moses to ask for their inheritance in the Land of Israel, something that up until that time was assumed would only go to sons, not daughters.

"Let not our father’s name be lost to his tribe just because he had no son!" they said. The daughters stood up for what they knew to be right and mustered the courage to advocate for themselves and for others.

Both Pinchas and the daughters of Tzelofhad were passionate and took action based on their beliefs. In so doing, they fulfilled their potential despite the risks.

We all have potential. How can we cultivate this potential?

What are you passionate about? What is important to you?

First of all, clarifying your values is a good place to start.

As you clarify what is important to you and what you are passionate about, here are a few suggestions to keep in mind :

1) Know Yourself

When you truly know yourself, when you honestly recognize your strengths and weaknesses, you can see what you want to improve in yourself and move in that direction. But it always begins with honestly knowing yourself.

For example, if you wish to become more efficient in your work, you have to be transparent with what’s holding you back — perhaps you put things off or need help to organize your time.

2) Let Go of Perfectionism

Perfectionism is not healthy and does not help us achieve what we want; it’s not the same as trying to be our best. The perfect is the enemy of the good. We should strive to improve ourselves, not by being overly self-critical, but rather from a place of looking at ourselves in a non-judgemental, calm and level-headed manner.

3) Push Yourself Outside of Your Comfort Zone

To grow and reach your potential, it’s important to take on challenges that push you outside of your comfort zone. Over time, you might feel confident in taking on even bigger challenges.

To quote Brene Brown, “you can choose courage or you can choose comfort. You cannot have both.” Stepping outside of your comfort zone, into what is referred to as the “growth zone,” isn’t comfortable! This doesn’t necessarily mean diving into the deep end, but rather finding a healthy balance.

In what areas of life do you choose to stay in your comfort zone?

Where could you push yourself more?

4) Think of What really Matters to You

What do you believe in? What brings you the most joy or gets you excited?

It could, for example, be exploring new places, relationships, learning a new skill, or volunteering in your community.

How do you figure out what really matters to you?

Try “meditating on it!"

Let’s try this Mindfulness Practice for exploring what’s important to you

Start by defining your core values by asking yourself what you must have in your life to feel fulfilled. Some examples of core values are family, creativity, prosperity, wellness, adventure, knowledge, justice, and gratitude.

Here are a few questions to help you define your core values:

* If you had to immediately evacuate your home, what important objects would you pack?

*What values are indispensable to your life?

*What values are crucial to supporting your inner self?

Mirabai Bush, a fellow at the Center for the Contemplative Mind and mindfulness teacher, teaches this mindful practice:

Sit quietly, breathing in and out.

Think of the values that matter most to you and how they might be utilized in a job or hobby. Taking a moment and holding this image in your mind, and see what arises.

Don’t push things aside because they don’t make sense.

Be open to what arises. Allow its story to unfold without judgment.

Does this story point to a new activity or direction for you?

Allow yourself to pause and take a deep breath.

Try to adopt a beginner’s mind while you are contemplating these questions, in other words, approaching them like you’re seeing them for the first time with no preconceived ideas of what you’re thinking about. This may help give you access to the answers that your conscious mind might not be aware of yet.

Bring awareness of your breath. Remember that your mind doesn’t have all the answers. Create a space for new insights and revelations to emerge.

Don’t be discouraged if your first answers don’t reveal a strong passion.

Not all of us have a fiery passion inside us like Pinchas and the daughters of Tzelolfhad.

We can continue to ask ourselves what is important to us, and listen gently to the answers. And then we can truly start living by our values to fulfill our potential.

*Listen to this on Insight Timer:

https://insighttimer.com/skeinon/home

For more information about the next mindfulness course with Susie: https://www.mindfulnesswithsusie.com/he/mindfulness-course-with-susie-lp