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| sisters leading walking meditation outside |
In the morning, we come to the Universidad Mayor. About 500 university students from different faculties (mostly pedagogy, psychopedagogy and medicine) have shown interest in mindfulness practice. We all gather in the gymnasium to practice singing, guided meditation, breathing, walking meditation, tangerine meditation. We learn about how to deal with strong emotions. At the end we divide in small groups for sharings and questions and answers. They like asking about our life in the monastery, about how to continue the practice outside and how to help others benefit from the practice.
This evening’s Wake Up event takes place in La Reina and is attended by some 200 young people. We are once again happily surprised to see how much Chilean friends enjoy singing along and applausing in the Plum Village way. Today, we take more time to guide pebble meditation. As each of the participants takes refuge in his or her breath and follows the exercises (flower-fresh, mountain-solid, still water-reflecting, space-free), the energy of the room settles into peace and concentration. Then Brother Phap The introduces walking meditation : how to focus on our breath and steps. ‘Since we are all beginners in mindfulness, we may feel solid not so much as a mountain yet but rather as a volcano...and it’s fine, we just keep on training from where we are.’ After the walk, we share a vegetarian meal in silence, at the end of which, two friends speak about their impressions on mindful eating and their aspiration to incorporate the practice in their everyday life. Aurora offers everyone a session of deep relaxation.
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| enjoying total relaxation :-) |
And before parting, an enthusiastic discussion takes place in order to initiate the first Wake Up Sangha in Chile.
