Friends gather at the Centre. There’s a peace here surrounded by the quiet beauty of nature. The group sit outside, buoyed by the hillside view. Linda Longmire opens the session by introducing the concept of mindfulness. The aim is to access depths that lead to wholeness, healing and joy. The means to this wholeness and joy is through the cultivation of a healthy interior life.
A pediatric physiotherapist, committed to contemplative practices in her personal life, Linda began leading groups after training with the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation.
The group share meditations, silences and insights, then break to walk the wooded trails under cloudy skies that break into a blaze of sunlight. As participants move through the forest and along the shore, some find a much sought after solitude—a solitude experienced in the comfortable non-demands of others–with a saying by the poet Rumi (provided by Linda), an idea that feels like a gift: “The eyes are here for seeing; yet the soul is here for its own joy. “
Linda is a writer; it’s a central feature of her practice. She ends the session with a journaling process and asks each participant to recall a moment of joy. What do you write when you write about joy? Does the practice of mindfulness change the exercise? In recalling joy, are you able to find a place within yourself that feels true and satisfying? Is it a first step that may need further practice?
Linda also brought copies of one of her own books. I flip it open and immediately find something to like. I like it so much that I create my own version of the poem. Lines 1 and 2 are Linda`s; lines 3 and 4 are my own:
If all my weaknesses were windows, If all my doubts were doors, My house would be drenched with sunlight, With visitors on every floor.
Thanks Linda for a wonderful day and for helping us seek joy in unexpected windows.