On 05/26/12, I had a session with Beth. Can't remember what other meditation I did; perhaps none.
On 05/27/12, I was sick. I sat with the intention to meditate for 90 minutes, but after 7 minutes, decided to nap instead.
Today:
8:30 a.m. 55 minutes whispered noting in bed.
Lay in bed with Eric, at first feeling very anxious, then finally allowing myself to receive his loving attention with trust.
Did stuff around the house, visited with Sooja. Pleasant.
5:00 p.m. About 15 minutes mahamudra noting followed by 45 minutes vipassana noting (noting whatever sensation is predominant). Beth taught me mahamudra noting on Saturday; she said it could have a similar effect to metta meditation (not sure which effect she meant) while also allowing noting practice.
I intended to do 30 minutes mahamudra, but found myself resisting it after a while. I listened for the sound of the ships in the harbor (in my case, I listened for the horns of the boats in the Montlake cut). The idea is to listen for something that can't be heard. Initially I found this calming but later I found it somewhat agitating.
So I switched to vipassana noting, the practice I've been doing for several weeks. Beth suggested I allow myself to relax while doing it, to not try to note every sensation or to investigate sensations. So I made only one note per breath. I did feel more relaxed than usual. About a dozen times I slipped into sleep and dreams. After a while it felt like too much effort to vocalize the noting, so I did it silently.
During both this morning's and this afternoon's sitting, there was not much unpleasantness to be noted, and almost no aversion.
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