Drifting Clouds

Visit the new blog!

2011-11-01T10:14:00.000-07:00

This is the final post on this blog. We have consolidated our activity to our website DriftingClouds.org. Check out our new blog by clicking here.

While you're there sign-up for our email newsletter to find out about our events as well as an awesome seasonal emailto inspire your meditation practice and renew your connection to nature.

Thanks for being a part of this blog. Have a great day!

A Light-Hearted Zen-Style Meditation Instruction

2011-02-24T22:00:00.000-08:00

How to do Zazen - Seated Meditation

Wide-open Heart and Mind

2010-11-10T05:42:00.000-08:00

In the morning when you wake up, you reflect on the day ahead and aspire to use it to keep a wide-open heart and mind. At the end of the day, before going to sleep, you think over what you have done. If you fulfilled your aspiration, even once, rejoice in that.

--Pema Chodron

On Being: With the Dalai Lama

2010-10-31T00:58:00.000-07:00

Pursuing Happiness with the Dalai Lama from Being on Vimeo.

Reducing Waste in School Lunches Video

2010-10-22T10:29:00.001-07:00

I've been on a video kick lately, I think in part because they are easy to post, and such great fun. This one is especially fun.

"A Good Day" With Brother David Steindl-Rast

2010-10-20T21:45:00.000-07:00

This message is of gratitude and appreciation by one of this world's wise inhabitants.

Breathing Water

2010-10-16T18:37:00.000-07:00

Be Like Water

2010-09-29T11:20:00.000-07:00

I thought this would be a great way to start a new topic theme. "Inspired by Nature". I loved Bruce Lee growing up, and remembered that he talked about being like water. What other aspects of nature can we learn from?

September Outdoor Meditation Gathering

2010-09-11T19:55:00.000-07:00

Seaplane Basin Park, Tampa Fl (New Location):
Where: Seaplane Basin Park
When: Saturday, September, 25 2010
8:30 am (Come a few minutes early if you can)

Location:
Severn Avenue
Davis Island - Tampa
Tampa, FL 33606 :
Click for Map

Let's try a new location! This small park at the tip of Davis Island is a unique place to visit. It's a fairly dynamic environment with a small airport near the park, a marina right next door, the powerplant is seen in the distance and it's right on the bay in a small neighborhood. Our meditation spot is a bit funky too (I think in a good way), we can either sit on the grass, or down on the 'rocks'. These rocks are actually broken up concrete slabs, but they are a nice place to meditate. There's even a bent palm tree that can be used as a bench to sit on.

Let's see if this place will work for us.

We'll meet in the parking lot area, and walk together to the sitting area. We'll decide on how long we all want to sit, usually between 20 and 40 minutes, then have a short informal discussion about whatever comes up.

Bring your own cushions to sit on. Bring a blanket or mat to put on the ground, and a pillow or meditation cushion, to sit on. Any kind of pillow that will raise you up a little off the ground. A rolled up blanket will work ok, if you don't have a cushion.

If it's raining we'll reschedule.

So you think you can't meditate?

2010-09-04T02:09:00.001-07:00

"Saying that you can’t meditate because you have a distracted and cluttered mind is like saying you can’t do yoga because you are not flexible. "

Here is a light-hearted, slightly irreverent, great article for those who say they can't meditate because their minds are too wild and cluttered. It comes from a blog called the Mystical World. I ran across it the other night, and thought it was one of the simplest take on the question of thinking and meditation.

http://magickalworld.wordpress.com/2007/10/18/so-you-think-you-cant-meditate/

Enjoy!

Interesting Look at Empathy

2010-08-31T11:20:00.000-07:00

These animations are pretty cool. And empathy is a great topic. Enjoy!

And keep an eye out for the next gathering.

Meditation on the River at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park

2010-08-08T20:09:00.000-07:00

Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, Tampa Fl:
Where: Curtis Hixon Park
When: Saturday, August, 21 2010
8:00 am (Come a few minutes early if you can)

Location:
Behind the Tampa Art Museum at 600 Ashley Dr. :
Click for Map

This park is a nice urban meditation spot nestled between the high-rises and in the backyard of the art museum. In the morning, the docks are a quiet place to sit if there aren't any boats docked. If you just want to sit on a bench or in the grass, there are plenty of spaces for that.

You can park in the Poe Garage off of Cass St. Park on level 1 and walk toward the river and take a left on the riverwalk. Our meeting location will be between the playground and the dog park. We'll sit on the dock if it's available, if not there is plenty of grassy area in the park.

As always, brink your own blanket/mat and cushion if desired. If it's raining we'll reschedule.

August

2010-07-24T21:25:00.000-07:00

Drifting Clouds Gatherings will resume in August. Our family took a summer vacation up to Maine in July. The photo above is the backyard of the friend's house we stayed at. It was a very beautiful place. Check the schedule again in the coming weeks.

July

2010-06-28T21:44:00.001-07:00

The next meditation will take place closer to the end of the month. We may only have one this month. Keep an eye out in the middle of the month for a time and location.

Have a great 4th of July!!!

Mesmerizing Video

2010-06-14T14:33:00.000-07:00

Hayaku: A Time Lapse Journey Through Japan from Brad Kremer on Vimeo.

This video is quite amazing. It's a nice appreciation of the movement of nature (including the human part of nature).

Fred Ball and Ballast Point

2010-05-22T11:24:00.001-07:00

I sat this morning at Fred Ball park. The usual crew wasn't around today, so I meditated for a short but sweet 20 minutes then decided to go check out Ballast Point park right down the road. I found a really nice spot on a couple of old cement platforms that were right on the water (photo above). It is secluded enough to feel out of the way, and the view is great. I sat for 15 minutes here while birds few overhead, fish leaped out of the water and the gentle sound of waves was quite soothing. This will probably be the next meditation spot, so keep an eye out for the next gathering.

Don't Try Too Hard

2010-05-19T19:11:00.000-07:00

Since focusing on outdoor meditation, I have really been inspired by the Thai Forest tradition of Buddhism. Here is a very fresh faced monk giving some nice advice.

Lightweight Living

2010-05-13T07:53:00.000-07:00

I've always been inspired by the idea of simplicity in possessions and in thoughts and activity. Even so, I seem to accumulate much more than I could ever need. Still, I have this great respect for those who go and accomplish simple living. Drifting Clouds is based on simplification in this way. We don't need the burden of an expensive building, or formal artifacts to be collected. All we need is a spot in a field or under a tree to remember and connect with our inner most simplicity.

(Here's a great article) that is inspiring to folks like me who respect those who strive for simplicity.

Enjoy!

Human biases set to music

2010-05-08T14:48:00.001-07:00

Human biases set to music

Posted using ShareThis

Found some old illustrations.

2010-04-28T20:04:00.001-07:00

I found some old illustrations that I did a while back. This one seemed appropriate for a meditation site. Isn't it true that in all of our dreaming and thinking, we often times miss the real thing? Lucky for the worm this time.

There's a few more illustrations in the mix that I'll post other times. This might even inspire me to create others. I'll only post meditation (ish) related ones here. Hope you enjoy them.

Drifting Clouds Outdoor Meditation Gathering #2

2010-04-23T13:31:00.001-07:00

Morning Meditation Gathering
at Fred Ball Park:
Saturday, May 1 2010

Let's wake up the weekend with a morning meditation at Fred Ball Park. This small park on the bay is small and quaint. It isn't a secluded forest retreat, but it has a very nice atmosphere. In this simple park we can do the simplest activity of sitting still in the midst of activity. We'll do a 30 or 40 minute meditation depending on schedules, then have a discussion. The topic this week will be 'Simplicity and Contentment'.

As always, bring a blanket and cushion.

If you arrive late, no problem. Just have a seat near us and enjoy the morning.

(If it rains, we'll sit in the gazebo. If there's thunder and lightning we'll reschedule.)

Where?

2621 Bayshore Blvd
Tampa, FL 33629
Click here for a map.

Drifting Clouds is One Month Old

2010-04-17T13:20:00.000-07:00

This blog and the website are a month old. We had our first gathering a couple of weeks ago, and even though it was just Tim and I, it was a great sitting. It solidified this idea of an outdoor meditation gathering. Even one other person to sit with seems to add a dedication and focus to the meditation.

So what's next now that the threshold has been breached and there's no turning back? I think the next couple of months will be a relaxed schedule. We'll try to meet at least once a month. More if it works out. But once a month will do. On the weeks we don't meet, I'll scope out some more parks, and gradually build our list of 'sacred sitting spots'. The next spot on the radar is Palma Ceia Spring Park off of Bayshore. I'll let you know how it is. I'll even bring my camera this time.

What about people? I am not pushing the participation aspect of the group very hard. I did my initial work and put a website up, got on meetup.com, and started this blog, but honestly I'm not looking for tons of people to be part of a group. What I do hope for these gatherings are nice folks who want to explore simple meditation outdoors and incorporate some aspect of it into their lives. I would think the gatherings would be a total success if we had 3 or 4 nice folks who regularly attended and sparked great ideas and encouragement during the discussion period. That's why I'm not pushing participation, I want those who are drawn to this idea to find it.

We're a month into this adventure, and I'm very happy that it's forming. We've gotten many great suggestions for meditation locations, and a nice bunch of people who are interested in the idea of outdoor meditation in a group.

Next month we'll try another location and maybe we'll have two on our list.

Have a great day!

On the Docks at Curtis Hixon Park

2010-04-03T12:54:00.000-07:00

Tim and I went to meditate at Curtis Hixon Park in Downtown Tampa. This is our urban-outdoor place to sit. We went around 9am, and it was a bit busy, but we found a nice place on the dock behind the museum. The weather was very pleasant, and the activity at the park was vibrant. We watched the river flow by while the sun climbed overhead. It was a nice time being aware of the activity that was happening all around. We both commented on how much you actually notice in a short half hour meditation. We left refreshed and awake. Next time we might try to get there a bit earlier closer to sunrise time.

Morris Bridge Park Location Scouting

2010-04-01T21:11:00.000-07:00

My friend Tim and I went to Morris Bridge park to check out a place to meditate. The spot we found was beautiful. But it seemed to be right in the middle of an alligator nesting area. We may have to search around a bit more. I forgot my camera, so no photos this time. Next post will have pictures.

We're now on Meetup.com

2010-03-31T08:15:00.001-07:00

I just created a page on meetup.com for the group. Check it out and join. Meetup is a great place to connect with others as well as RSVP for gatherings.

Here's the link:
http://www.meetup.com/driftingclouds/

Scouting out Places to Gather

2010-03-27T14:11:00.000-07:00

We are looking into a few places to gather to meditate and have discussion. When we select some possible locations, they'll be posted here and on the site. If you have any suggestions, or have a private outdoor space that would accomodate a small group, let us know. You can comment at the bottom of this post, or contact us on the main site: driftingclouds.org

A Cloud is Formed

2010-03-27T07:20:00.001-07:00

Welcome to the Drifting Clouds outdoor meditation gathering blog. This is a brand new site and blog. Check out our new website driftingclouds.org and join us for an outdoor meditation.