A Peace Offering
Dear Friends,
In July, I shared with you my reflections around the practice of Shamatha, “Calm Abiding.” I spoke about it as the simple act of taking our seat, of pausing, connecting with our deeper motivation and befriending our experience. The second video we recorded at my retreat in Purple Valley last winter is a guided meditation – a way of entering into this practice together.
The instructions remain disarmingly simple. We take our seat, we check in, we set our motivation and we follow our breath. There is nothing more simple and ordinary than the practice of meditation – and there is nothing more extraordinary and profound than the practice of meditation.
“By simply letting yourself be as you are, you develop genuine sympathy towards yourself.”
This softening toward ourselves becomes a softening toward others – we begin to feel others in our hearts. When we pause in this way, we breed an inner sanctuary, a calm resting place from where we can experience life more fully. This ability to remain intimate with our reality is known as The Lion’s Roar of Confidence and it is a source of profound courage and compassion.
You can now sit with me in this guided Shamatha practice. If you wish, you can re-connect with the preparatory teaching video first.
May this offering serve as a small anchor of calm in your own day, and may the peace you discover within become a gift to extend outward, in whatever ways possible.
With love and blessings,
x kia, Paris September 2025