I spent several days between Christmas and New Year's Day at Deer Park Monastery along with nearly 300 other people. It was a beautiful way to end 2011 and start 2012. People came from all over the United States and even from South America for this holiday retreat. The sense of community was strong and I made several new friends.
I did a little mindful knitting during lazy afternoons while at the monastery - started a pair of cabled fingerless mitts which I will show you in my next posting. So what is mindful knitting, exactly? Well, mindfulness is simply a quality of attention that is focused, relaxed, alert and also friendly and caring, even affectionate. One sees and experiences clearly what is happening right now in the present moment. So when I am knitting mindfully, my knitting has my full, clear, relaxed and alert attention. I am aware of my breathing and of my whole body and at the same time fully enjoy the feel of the yarn and needles in my hands, the colors and textures of the yarn, the patterns of the knitted piece, even the smell of the yarn. The joy and pleasure are immense.
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