Liana Merrill
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For me, it feels like there are two main pillars to supporting discovery. The first is in the meditation instruction. Providing simple, clear, and consistent instruction creates the container for discovery. I believe this because I have seen it for myself. Over the past almost 11 years that I have been meditating, I have received the same simple, clear, and consistent instruction from Susan. And through this I have made my own discoveries (which continue on a daily, sometimes hourly, basis). I practice plenty on my own without instruction, but I find coming back to the instruction every so often, whether it’s daily, weekly, monthly, and so on, furthers my discovery. I know what to expect from the instruction, and yet I hear it anew and hear something different each time that aids in my discovery.
The second pillar, to me, is listening. Specifically, active listening. I have seen firsthand the magic (aka, discovery) that can come from being able to contemplate and speak thoughts aloud to someone who is practicing active listening. I have experienced this personally, as the talker/processor, thanks to my husband and other close friends who have given me the gift of active listening in my lifetime. And I’ve also experienced this as a witness to others’ experiences of discovery, when I’ve served as the active listener. The discovery that can happen in a person when one is allowed to speak from the heart, free from judgment, and then have those thoughts bounced back to them like a sounding board from someone who is invested, in that moment, in their discovery, is nothing short of profound.Hi everyone! I’m so excited to start this journey with you all tomorrow. My name is Liana Merrill and I live in Middlebury, Vermont with my husband. I started meditating in 2015, when a therapist recommended one of Susan’s books. It wasn’t until about 8 years later that I even had the thought that maybe I wanted to teach meditation myself, to others in my community. And now here I am, almost 3 years after that, finally listening to that calling and signing up for the training.
Looking forward to learning with all of you at my virtual side!