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This week Lezlie begins a series of conversations and meditations on the essays of Ezra Bayda in his book Skating on Thin Ice.

Here is what Parabola Magazine says about Bayda’s book:
Humans try to maintain an illusion of control over their lives. Instead of facing difficult situations or circumstances, we prefer to indulge in diversions or busy ourselves. So how do we overcome the struggles and rigors of daily life? In Skating on Thin Ice, Zen teacher Ezra Bayda offers readers the tools and practices to discover what life is about and sets readers on a Self-Realization journey. According to Bayda, we have a self-limiting belief system that fills us with doubt, anxiety, and fear. But Self Observation helps overcome negative habits.Try occupying space without an agenda, avoid indulging pain and grief, and practice gratitude, generosity, kindness, and conscious living.
It is not necessary to have read the book to participate in this session, but for those following along in the Bayda book, Lezlie will discuss chapter 2 on “Self Observation.” As she has often told us, developing a clear-minded inner observer is key to creating a rewarding contemplative practice.

6:15 Welcoming and questions
6:30 Lezlie’s talk
7:10 Q&A
7:30 sign off

LifeArt Meditation offers teachings on contemporary teachers, scholars, and thought leaders. In each session we discuss techniques and attitudes necessary for a robust contemplative practice. We explore ways of making our daily practice more enjoyable and more fruitful. In addition, we discuss how the effects of the practice are showing up in our daily encounters.

In other words, we seek to see how a contemplative practice really does begin to shape the tone and tenor of our moments, and our lives. While tone focuses on the specific attitude or emotion conveyed (e.g., optimistic, harsh), tenor represents the broader, underlying character, theme, or general course of thought. We want to examine just how meditation is making life better, more interesting, and maybe even more challenging.
Each session is comprised of three parts:

  • a short “lifestyle” talk
  • a 20 minute meditation
  • a 20 minute Q&A

We invite you to spend a few sessions with each of the three teachers of LifeArt Meditation. We bring different styles, topics, and influences to each session. Lezlie Laws will lead the second Monday session, April Koester will lead the third Monday session, and Susan Baxter is on for the fourth Monday of each month.

Logistics:
Online only, 6:30-7:30 pm ET on the second, third, and fourth Mondays of the month.

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