Heather Sundberg has taught insight meditation since 1999 and completed the Spirit Rock/IMS Teacher Training. Beginning her own meditation practice in her late teens, for the last 25 years, Heather has studied with senior teachers in the Insight Meditation (Vipassana) and Tibetan (Vajrayana) traditions and has sat 1-3 months of retreat a year for almost 20 years. She was the Spirit Rock Family & Teen Program Teacher & Manager for a decade. Between 2010- 2015 she spent a cumulative one-year in study, practice, and pilgrimage in Asia. Since 2011, she has been a Teacher at Mountain Stream Meditation Center and sister communities in the Sierra Foothills, and also teaches nationally, especially at Spirit Rock Meditation Center. Her teaching emphasizes embodiment, compassion and practical wisdom.
Dedicated in memory of Ruth Denison, the Talk explores traditional and innovative applications of the First Foundation of Mindfulness, including
Calming the Bodily Formations and nervous system, the wisdom aspects of mindfulness of the body, and mindfulness in all the postures and activities.
- How metta is a practice of intention and concentration
- How to work with metta difficulties and cycles of purification
- How to develop authentic metta phrases
- Introduction of the metta muses (categories)
Filled with anecdotes, singing and practical advice, this talk covers the second half of the Metta Sutta, including Metta for All Beings, the Difficult Person, How to Cherish Beings By not Holding to Fixed Views
Drawing from various commentaries and translations of the Metta Sutta, the talk explores this important teaching from the perspective of practice and how to live it in our lives. Explores the qualities of Trust, Wise Speech, Humility, Contentment, Peace and Integrity.
This talk brings together the awakened states of metta, compassion, joy and equanimity into our Four Foundations of Mindfulness practice. Filled with stories, laughter and song.
