Other Preparatory Instructions:
- Highly recommended: no sugar or chocolate for as many days prior as possible, (2 weeks would be ideal, but good even if
for 2 days prior). This will benefit your ability to more clearly work in the subtler aspects of the meditations.
-Do what is necessary to be well rested with extra hydration for the 2 days prior to the retreat

LOCATION;  This will be sent to you 3 weeks prior to the retreat along with other preparatory instructions.
You will also need to purchase a set of yoga blocks for the retreat.  
The 24hrs of the retreat is a relatively very short and precious time together, considering what will happen that weekend
and beyond.  I am committed to make use of every ounce of momentum we can create together.  I am also committed to this
event being one of the most valuable of your life time.  It takes both of us. Also, I recognize that there are a lot of demands
on our lives in our busy and changing times.  I appreciate the potential stress put upon you by asking all the things below.  
Please know that IT IS ALL WORTH IT!
I only ask you do the best you can to incorporate these things, and not get hard on yourself if things don't happen they way I
suggested.  But do make the effort, that alone will have benefit that will reward you in the results of the retreat. So here are  
few things ......
STEP ONE  Email Lawrence Immediately that you have received this letter/form   
STEP TWO write down the answers to 2 questions and email them to Lawrence within 2
days of your payment completion:
    a)  What is your reason for taking this retreat?  Please make it about what you      want to
gain, rather than get rid of .(please note that it is ok to change your intention at anytime.  You are not locking yourself
into what you write down now.  However it is very helpful to create an intention now).
     b)  What type of meditation practice do you have, if any, and how is it going for you?
EMAIL RESPONSES TO LAWRENCE within 2 days of your payment registration you have       
    completed already. Lawrence@NetworkSpinalAwakening.com                         
STEP THREE  Immediately Begin 2 Meditations .  
                                           a) One on waking each morning, before getting out of                         
                                                bed for 5-10 minutes
                                           b) The other at any time during the day for about 10-20                       
                                                minutes, about a week after you have started the first                    
                                                meditation. Continue doing the first meditation after                       
                                                beginning the second one.
Please note that you may not have ever been able to meditate, or even hate meditaton, and
still like these.  For those of you who are advanced meditators,  the second one is at the
same time the most advanced, and the most basic; as it deconstructs meditation altogether.
It will serve to fine tune your current practices.

Both meditations specifically prepare you for the tools we will use in the retreat.
This form is a required part of your retreat application.  In
order to support the results available to you and the other
participants, everyone needs to follow the guidelines and go
through the process of answering the questions, while
discovering and claiming the results you are wanting from the
retreat. (It is ok to refine or change your intentions afterwards)


-Begin a very simple 5 minute morning  practice before you get out of bed: with your eyes still closed, scan your
body with your awareness.  You may experiment with going from one part to the next or blanketing your entire
body with your awareness.  As you do this, breath the part or area into your heart on a gentle in breath, and extend
your kindness or an inner smile of greeting toward the part or area from your heart on the out breath.  If you like,
continue with the same part or area for 3-5 breaths and move on.  OR just one breath and move on. It is normal to
fall asleep, so be sure to use the snooze button on alarm clock.  This practice is very useful even if you fall asleep.
 If you have time when you wake up again to do at least one more scan..Great!

-After 3 days..Do the same thing as above , but note any aliveness in the area or it lack.  Either is fine and if lacking,
then it is very helpful to offer this place your embrace of unconditional acceptance with your awareness. You are
just noticing and not trying to change anything.  Once AGAIN.. You are just noticing and not trying to change
anything          

-Some suggestions if you use an alarm clock.. Set the alarm to 10 minutes earlier than usual as you may fall back
asleep during the process.  Hit the snooze button when you wake up rather than turn it off. ( I use the  Zen Alarm
Clock that is very conducive to timing this, but any alarm clock is fine)

         

          Begin 1 week after doing Meditation 1, (continue doing Meditation 1 as well) If you are an advanced
practitoner or you have a long standing meditation practice, then do this after your regular meditation
practice for another 5-10 minutes.  ( I am happy to discuss why if you need that).  If you are meditatating
infrequently then use this at the beginning and end of each meditation for 5 minutes each. (However,
PLEASE do this everday now until the retreat..even if it becomes the only practice in addition to the
Meditation 1 above)

A stable contemplative practice consists of:

§ disengaging from high-level external stimulation, such as other people, television, books,
and computer screens,
§ sitting in a relatively still position,
§ being silent and awake,
§ doing whatever you’re doing,
§ sitting for around 10- 20 minutes each day.

We’ll call this practice “just sitting” or simply “sitting.”

THE PRACTICE ( PLEASE PRINT THE FOLLOWING 4 PARAGRAPHS & READ this at each sitting just
before you begin this practice)

For this practice you can sit on a chair, couch, or meditation cushion. The only requirement is that you
stay in one place for around 10-20 minutes. You don’t need to be rigid. If you’re uncomfortable, you can
shift your position, move your legs or your hands, scratch an itch, stretch your neck, and so on, but don’t
get up and move around or relocate your body. Remain comfortable, quiet, and awake.

Within these parameters, simply do whatever you’re doing. Think what you’re thinking, feel what you’re
feeling, experience what you’re experiencing. There’s no right or wrong way to meditate. If you’re following
your breath, follow your breath. If you’re reciting a mantra, recite your mantra. If you’re doing nothing in
particular, do nothing in particular. There’s no need to follow your thoughts, nothing to concentrate on,
nothing you need to do. If you’re captivated by a particular line of thought, a feeling, or a physical
sensation, that’s fine. If you observe this process, you do; if you don’t, you don’t. There’s nothing to
correct or adjust, no guidelines about what you’re supposed to be concentrating on, such as breathing,
thoughts, feelings, or sensations.

If your eyes are open, let them be open. If they’re closed let them be closed. If you open them, close them,
then open them again and let them wander around, let all this happen. If you need to distract yourself,
then, within the parameters of this practice, distract yourself. It doesn’t matter whether you’re concentrated
or distracted. In fact, because there’s no object of meditation and no need to meditate, there are no
distractions. You don’t need to do anything other than what you’re doing. You can’t go wrong. If you enjoy
a session, you enjoy it; if you don’t, you don’t.  Enjoying your contemplation is no better than enduring it.

Because it consists of doing whatever you’re doing when you’re sitting, this practice incorporates any
other meditation practice you may be engaged in. To begin this practice, you don’t need to know how it
relates to this course or even why you’re doing it.

The timing of this practice
To give yourself the opportunity to experience what you’re thinking and feel what you’re feeling, you need
to minimize external stimuli. For this purpose, it’s important to choose an optimal time for your practice
when there are minimum actual and potential interruptions. For example, if you have children, you might
like to choose a time when they’re cared for by someone else, involved in their own activities, or asleep. It’
s also sensible to choose a 10- 20-minute period in your daily schedule that doesn’t fall too close to a time
when you need to be somewhere or do something else that you deem important. As much as possible,
choose a time when there are minimal demands on your attention, and factor into your practice a little
“transition time” on either side of your session. Finally, it can be helpful to allow some flexibility in your
schedule in case you need to move the time of your sitting because urgent matters unexpectedly demand
your attention.

Preparing the physical environment
Just as you organize your kitchen before cooking a meal—first cleaning it, then gathering the ingredients
and utensils—you need to take care of the physical environment before you sit in order to avoid possible
interruptions. For example, if you have an answering machine within hearing range, you can turn down the
volume or put it on mute. If you don’t have a voice mail or answering machine, you can take the phone off
the hook or turn off the ringer.

Also, you need to choose a private space for your sitting. If you don’t have one, you can create a space
where you won’t be disturbed for the duration of your practice by posting a note on the door or just telling
the people around you that you’ll be meditating for the next 20 minutes or so. Most people find that they
can quickly establish a special place they can return to each day that signals and supports their inner
reflection. There’s no need to get too formal: for example, you don’t have to set up a shrine unless you find
it supports your intention.

Wear comfortable clothes, and adjust the temperature, if necessary, to make sure you aren’t too cool or
too warm. It’s also a good idea to have an alarm clock set for the period of your contemplation so you don’
t need to think about the time.

Support from family, partners and friends
In addition to preparing the physical environment, you might also need to make sure that the people who
share your home environment understand and support what you’re doing. For example, you may want to
explain that this practice forms part of a course you’re enrolled in, that it takes 20 minutes, and that it isn’t
complicated or mysterious. If the practice of just sitting quietly for 20 minutes or so doesn’t make
immediate sense to your spouse, partner, or children, you can reassure them by telling them just a little
about what you’re doing and where it fits into the course. The type and level of explanation will be
influenced by their own relationship to meditation, reflection, or prayer. By explaining what you’re doing,
you put their minds at rest.
Then you don’t have to think about what they’re thinking about you. You might invite them to join you or
quietly watch what you’re doing for five minutes or so. Be sure to communicate in a loving, gentle and
respectful manner, without putting any demands on them.

The people around you should also know that you shouldn’t be interrupted during your practice period—
unless, of course, there’s an emergency. It’s unreasonable, however, to expect them to be totally quiet
while you sit. Noise happens! If sounds penetrate into your environment, they’re simply part of your
meditation. Of course, as we said earlier, timing can address most of the interruptions that may occur.
Typically, for example, there isn’t much happening in most households after 10 pm or before 6.30 am.

If you push the message that what you’re doing is very important and you don’t want do be interrupted or
disturbed, you risk creating a rigid boundary or “hard edge” between you and the people around you that
ends up provoking anger, resentment, and envy. In response, they may feel inclined to destroy your inner
peace rather than respect and support it. Instead of producing serenity, your meditation then just adds to
your agitation and the agitation of those around you.
The important point here is to notice your inner attitude—if you’re attempting to control others or impose
your will on them, or you’re feeling self-righteous or aversive in some way, you’re likely to alienate the
people around you.

You might say that going on a retreat creates a hard edge between practice and everyday life. Again, it
depends on your attitude and your responsiveness to others. For example, if your family strongly objects
to your going on a retreat but you insist, you’re creating a hard edge. Or if you run the risk of seriously
jeopardizing an important work opportunity, then your retreat clearly
undermines your everyday life situation. Optimally, you want to organize your life so that your practice of
contemplation, including retreat, is integrated and coordinated with your other activities and commitments.

Adjusting your practice
Generally, sitting practice is neither too comfortable nor too uncomfortable. In fact, too much comfort can
make you sleepy, and too much discomfort can make you so edgy that you can’t sit quietly for the allotted
time. If you find your sitting difficult or impossible, you need to make some changes at an environmental,
physical, or mental level that will allow you to sit with some degree of ease. The particular changes are
unique to each person’s situation. If you feel you’re about to give up sitting because you find it too painful
or unrewarding, it’s best not to continue doing it the way you’ve been doing it. You may want to bring your
practice back a notch, for example, by sitting for a shorter time or playing some soothing music while you
sit. Or, if the weather is suitable, you can find some pleasant spot outside where you can quietly sit and
enjoy nature. Whatever we do in the area of a contemplative practice, it needs to be generally gratifying.
                                                                 TOP                                                                                                                   .
Meditation 1
Meditation 2