The Six R’s – My Old Style

I have been focusing on the Six R’s as a way to bring ease into our practice. The Six R’s are:

Recognize – Release – Relax – Re-Smile – Return – Repeat

What I have realized working with the Six R practice from Doug Kraft is that I was actually practicing my own version of the Six R’s all along. Here is the version I have been using:

Recognize: Oh shit, I am off the breath (or other object of meditation).

React: How can I still be thinking about that and feeling that way?

Rush Back: Got to get back to the breath before I lose any more points.

Regret: I feel bad that I got distracted again.

Rehash: What is wrong with me that I get distracted so much?

Repeat: I realize that I am still distracted!

You can see the tension, anxiety, self-denigration, and contracted view of self with what I had been doing in my practice. There is no openness, no ease, no joy, in that style of practice.

Is that what we want? No!

So, how do we bring the openness, ease, and joy back into our practice?
Use the real, verified Six R’s! [or the downsized Three R’s]

Recognize: Turning toward what arises.

Release: Letting go of storylines and let go of controlling, managing, fixing or changing our experience, just leaving it as it is.

Relax: Relaxing in the felt sense of mind and body releasing any tension without turning away.

Re-Smile: Smiling and savoring any uplifted qualities present.

Return: Gently coming back the home base of meditation, radiating uplifted qualities. This deepens equanimity and encourages us to expand out of our seemingly small containers.

Repeat: Building patience and equanimity.

I encourage you to do whatever you need to do to bring openness, ease, and joy into your practice and into your life. There really is no other way to eliminate stress and suffering.

Relax…