Category: Mindfulness

Ouch! We’ve all said it. We’ve all felt it. Hurting is part of being human. But that doesn’t mean any of us like it; in fact, we often do everything we can to avoid pain. It’s hardwired, part of our survival programming. But avoiding pain, or avoiding feeling or examining it, can cause more harm, to […]

We know regular practice is good for us, but knowing doesn’t always lead to doing. Earlier this month Anne Phyfe Palmer shared an insight from one her teachers, that if  “practice is a magnet, you’ll always be drawn to it.” How can we magnetize our practices as a way to nurture regular practice? Here are […]

Even the idea of sitting in meditation can spark discomfort – imaginations of an achy body, restless mind, challenging emotions… Thich Nhat Hahn  offers an alternative. Just taking our seat, he posits, is an opportunity to arrive into joy. “When you sit, sit in such a way that you feel you have already arrived. To […]

We all possess powers and gifts that, when expressed, have a positive impact on more than just ourselves – an ease in appreciating beauty or tenderness, an ability to speak out against hurtful acts, the capacity to see a project through, etc. Earlier this month Anne Phyfe Palmer wrote about the yogic concept tapas, energy […]

As I write this I’m looking out into my yard and seeing a lot of weeds. Considering what to do about this I’m reminded, weeds are a lot like stress – they’re most effectively managed through regular tending. Tending that may or may not spark dramatic results in the moment, but over time does foster […]

“I want to do with you what spring does with cherry trees.” – Pablo Neruda Yoga in its full expression is a lifestyle. It invites us to fully express our being by nurturing our bodies and minds, in the context of an interconnected and natural world. Ayurveda (Yoga’s sister science), offers a wonderful tool to […]

Whether you’re in the home stretch of your 28-day commitment, in the midst of a busy week or not quite sure if your head is fully aligned with your heart, it can be helpful to feel into where you stand, so that you may then respond in kind. Here are four ways to skillfully and […]

A couple years back, during a guided meditation on retreat, I was given the prompt, “Why are you here?” I don’t remember exactly how I silently answered that question but I think it was something along the lines of, to deepen my meditation practice. Whatever it was, it was a pretty standard response for the setting. And […]

As 2019 gets underway we’ve been exploring the theme Ditch Your Distractions. Sometimes though, the easiest and most compassionate path to not doing something is to consciously turn one’s attention towards something. Here are five ideas for doing just that, including a 5-minute audio sound meditation. Create an opening practice ritual. Consistently rolling your mat […]

Despite what many headlines imply, mindfulness doesn’t fix us. Mindfulness is a translation of the Pali term sati, to remember. It relates to a particular type of remembering, one that is compassionate, contactful and clear seeing. It calls us to drop beneath the stories we tell and look beyond conditioning that may have kept us […]