Bear's Blog

Everyone needs a spring break, and if you live in Montana, you need to go somewhere else for spring in March! I was in San Francisco and Salt Lake City, and both were blooming. Hopefully, you are feeling a renewal in your own life as we shift into the seasons of growth and liveliness.

This spring break centered around my meditation practice. I have meditated and hung out in Zen temples since I was a teenager, but I was never interested in any formal study of Buddhism. I’m big on direct experience – it’s what I emphasize in my classes – and I was happy “just sitting” zazen all those years. I decided to bring more balance to the equation and study the forms; there’s the Four Noble Truths, the Three Jewels, the Eightfold Path, the Three Doors of Liberation, the Five Aggregates, and – well, you get the picture.

My studies are rich, and I have also come to appreciate the vital importance of “sangha”, a like-minded community to practice with. In fact, I have enjoyed the companionship and support of several sanghas – The Bozeman Zen Group, Two Arrows Zen in Salt Lake City, Upaya in Santa Fe, and in the Bay area, San Francisco Zen Center, Green Gulch, and the Berkeley Zen Center. I heard some wonderful dharma talks on my trip, and wandered from the Green Dragon Temple down thru the gardens to arrive at the ocean at Muir Beach. That, and a massage and soak at Kabuki Hot Springs in San Francisco’s Japantown followed by some sushi, was a perfect day for me.

Seeing friends and sharing insights was also an energizing aspect of my travels. I visited with Kathi Joy (2012 graduate of The McKay Method^®) who balances her corporate work with a community art project called “Letters to the Universe” (theuniversecares.org); Lori who is doing a Buddhist chaplaincy stint at Alta Bates Hospital; LiPing, a Zen practitioner and Qigong and Tai chi master (qidragon.com); and checked in with Patty L., a student doing a McKay Method Monopoly board for her graduate project (fun!). And wherever I travel, I usually do sessions with old and new clients, which is always a pleasure.

This spring break I was accompanied by my daughter, who made it even more special. We saw her preschool teacher “Miss Joyce” for lunch, who I still go to yoga with at The Mindful Body. We always stay with our “San Francisco” family; we initially met in the Duboce Triangle dog park, because our puppies were best buds! Since that time I helped them with energy healing to conceive my godson, J.P., and they are godparents to my children as well.

My spring break was invigorating and inspiring. Cultivating new connections and deepening others, I come back refreshed and ready for – the next thing! I hope you take the opportunity for fresh breath, to notice the green auras around the plants as they get ready to pop, and are dreaming seeds of your next thing.

Peace, love and healing -

Bear