Dalai Lama Foundation Study Circle Montreal

I want to let you know about an upcoming opportunity to work directly with the teachings in my new book Emotional Chaos to Clarity. I will be leading an intensive weekend retreat at Esalen Institute that will explore how mindfulness and intention can empower you to live more skillfully and provide a sense of purpose in your life. Here is a description of the retreat:

Emotional Chaos to Clarity Weekend Retreat
Esalen Institute
Big Sur, California
June 8-10, 2012

Do you lack clarity about your life’s direction? Do you feel that you’re unable to cope with difficulty when it arises? Does emotional chaos get in the way of making good decisions and acting wisely? If so, you’re not alone. Most people have one or more areas of their lives that are impacted by the emotional chaos of reactive mind.

You don’t have to be caught in emotional chaos. Imagine feeling a sense of ease and well-being each day of your life regardless of whether life is pleasant or difficult. This is possible when we learn to apply mindfulness and intention to our daily experience. Through cultivating responsive mind, we free ourselves from the turmoil that emotional chaos causes.

In this weekend workshop, you will be guided through a process of personal inquiry to identify where emotional chaos is adversely affecting your life. Through an exploration of the components of skillful living, you will be shown how to recognize and act from your core vales, gain wisdom from pleasant and unpleasant experiences, and cultivate an inner life in which love can flourish, even if your outer life is filled with challenges. Through teachings, small-group discussions, and participatory exercises, you will be introduced to a set of life skills that can profoundly improve your ability to respond to difficult situations and help you discover renewed enthusiasm for life.

To register for this weekend retreat, visit the Esalen Web site.

I hope to see you there!

Phillip Moffitt

SELF-SOOTHING DURING DIFFICULT TIMES — A sample of the life skills that you will learn in this weekend retreat:

When a difficult situation of memory arises, it is essential that you be able to self soothe in order to respond skillfully.
1. Go someplace quiet where you won’t be interrupted and sit comfortably.
2. Notice the unpleasant sensations and feeling that are present in your body and mind.
3. State to yourself, "This difficulty feels like this." For instance, "Having a broken heart feels like this."
4. Recognize that in this moment you are suffering, and have compassion for your suffering.
5. Notice if you are adding to your suffering by criticizing or judging yourself or making up a story about what is happening.
6. To calm yourself, focus your attention on your breath.
7. Observe that you are not only this difficulty and that you have other thoughts and body sensations.
8. Finally, notice that these thoughts and body sensation are always changing. Seeing that this is true, the feeling of difficulty you are experiencing must also be subject to change and is not permanent.

Copyright (C) 2012 Life Balance Institute. All rights reserved.