“Earthing…” You’ve heard of it, right? It’s a way we crunchy granola types refer to walking barefoot outdoors. It’s a wonderful practice that connects you bodily to the earth. Through the soles of your feet, the earth that gives you life, that nourishes you, interacts with your body directly. By walking mindfully this way, we […]
Earthing in Autumn…at Night Read More »
Healing Energy Gatha Breathing in, I bring healing energy to my mind. Breathing out, I expel mental toxins. Breathing in, I bring healing energy to my lungs. Breathing out, I expel physical toxins. Breathing in, I bring healing energy to my heart. Breathing out, I cleanse my heart of lingering resentment. Breathing in, I bring
New Gathas for a Another New Year Read More »
I believe that meditating is good for me. I have read many blog posts and books about it. I have written papers on the brain and meditation. I have done Deepak and Oprah’s 21-day meditation courses. I’ve taken workshops at my local yoga studio and tried different meditation practices during yoga teacher training. But I
Starting a Meditation Practice Read More »
Got five minutes tomorrow morning? You can make a profound difference in the flow of your day with this simple, timesaving meditation technique. Before you eat breakfast, splash your face with tepid water to wake up; follow that with a couple of good stretches. Once you’re feeling awake and the blood is flowing throughout your
A Simple, Five-Minute Meditation to Get Your Day Off to a Chill, Centered Start Read More »
Partisan political wrangling, hegemonic religious claims, and exclusive ideologies of all kinds are often invitations to psychic or even physical violence. Based often on faulty reasoning and misperceptions, their exclusivity and the tribalism this encourages tend to foster “us versus them” thinking; sometimes this takes extreme and virulent forms. The yoga mat, the meditation cushion,
Watering the Seeds of Enlightenment Read More »
The single unit made up of your body and mind — your body/mind — knows what it needs at any given moment. If you listen to it, it will let you know what you should do and not do. If you get the notion that smoking a cigarette would feel great, don’t be merely reactive;
Let Your Body/Mind Decide Read More »
(And a few thoughts of my own!) Breathing in, I know I am breathing in. Breathing out, I know I am breathing out. Breathing in, I know this is my in-breath. Breathing out, I know this is my out-breath. Breathing in, I notice my in-breath is becoming deeper. Breathing out, I notice my out-breath is
Useful Gathas for Meditation Practice, Freely Adapted from Thich Nhat Hahn Read More »
Be gentle with yourself and other selves. Do not engage with those who are at war with themselves. Learn to accept and smile at your many states of mind. Acknowledge your own imperfection, and that of everyone else, remembering that it’s the acceptance of our flaws that makes us genuine.
Seven Meditative Thoughts & Images Read More »
Which Method Is Best for You? Focusing is about reducing the number of things in our field of view and concentrating on a single topic. It’s essential for emotional balance; these days we all have countless things all clamoring for our attention at the same time. As a result, we can wind up feeling scattered
Nostalgia, Deja vu and Mindfulness (Part One) What is it about an encounter with the past that make the strongest woman or man weep? A scent, a sound, a song, a sight — they take you back to decades earlier, and a tsunami of nostalgia knocks you over. The memories are bittersweet; almost without fail, they
