Posted by Melina Bondy on Tuesday, June 22, 2010
dear friends, after many years of thinking about it, i've finally decided to go back to plum village (in france) for an extended stay with the intention of ordaining as a buddhist nun in the lineage of ven. thich nhat hanh. it means huge changes, and it will be very sad to leave guelph, but my heart has made it very clear that this is the only thing that i truly want in life. it will be challenging - living in a large community, lots of work, little time for silence. and lots of support, in... Continue reading...
Posted by Melina Bondy on Wednesday, September 2, 2009
dear friends, the summer came for a brief visit and now september is here again. it was such a delight to get to practice with everyone who came to the summer retreats and i am filled with inspiration from the retreat that i attended with my dear teacher, thich nhat hanh. one thing that i practiced while on retreat and shared with the retreatants was the use of gathas. gathas are short mindfulness poems that we can repeat to ourselves to help us in being fully present in everything that we ... Continue reading...
Posted by Melina Bondy on Monday, July 20, 2009
dear friends, thank you so much to those of you who came out to the retreat last week! it was such a deep joy to share in sadhana - spiritual practice - through meditation, chanting, hatha yoga, hugging meditation and more. gathering every morning and evening to nourish ourselves in silence, reflection and expansion. i couldn't imagine a better way to come together! i am so inspired and grateful to have the opportunity to be in community and practice with you all. blessed be! i'm organizin... Continue reading...
Posted by Melina Bondy on Friday, May 22, 2009
dear friends, happy spring! somehow, every year i am amazed that it happens. the flowers are blooming, the trees are filled with leaves, the birds are singing their little hearts out. what a miracle! i just found this wonderful website today that i want to share with you. it's called conversations - are we listening? (arewelistening.net) it is filled with wonderful recorded interviews with fascinating people in the realms of spirituality, the environment, activism and healing. i... Continue reading...
Posted by Melina Bondy on Tuesday, May 5, 2009
i'm so excited for this concert. if you've never heard brenda's music, you can go to her myspace page to listen. it's an amazing line-up for my favourite type of music - kirtan. kirtan refers to any practice where people come together to sing devotional songs, joyful songs, songs that open the heart and free the mind. kirtan has been a big part of my practice even since i started practicing yoga. i started singing just because i loved singing, a little leery of the words. i didn't under... Continue reading...
Posted by Melina Bondy on Tuesday, April 28, 2009
the first thing that i want to share is a mindfulness bell website. when practicing with thich nhat hanh, while on retreat or living at plum village, a large temple bell is struck every hour. whenever the bell rings, we stop and take three deep breaths to come back to the present moment. now, i love all bells because of this wonderful practice. when i'm walking around guelph, i love to hear the church bells. even if i don't stop my walking, i can come back to my breathing and enjoy the p... Continue reading...
| |
