Fall for a Joyful Season – Musings in Missoula
Here in Missoula, Montana, fall is in the air. We’ve had another record-setting summer of heat and thus far a mild entry to the new season, but the leaves are changing and a chill is definitely in the morning air. For many mindfulness and other wellness practitioners, the changing of seasons provides a welcome time to pause and reflect. How has our year been going thus far? What do we
Exercise, purpose, and task lists: habits for happiness – Musings in Missoula
One of the greatest insights from both ancient philosophy and modern psychology is that the happiness that is most important in our lives is not a matter of just how we feel in any particular moment. The happiness of a Missoula gathering with friends or pizza and an exciting movie is great - but always fleeting. Marketing agencies, with their endless budgets and many smart people, try to convince us
The Gift of Slowing Down – Musings in Missoula
Seeing as this is a blog in the realm of Missoula therapists, I write a lot about slowing down, savoring, meditating, and letting go of our busy lives. Mostly I write as a reminder to myself to do this. Usually, I do this when I find myself muttering quietly about how busy I am. This happened again this week. After a few good weeks coasting on a well-balanced schedule, I
Gestalt Therapy and the Empty Chair Technique – Musings in Missoula
Gestalt therapy is a type of psychotherapy that emphasizes integrating the mind, body, and spirit to achieve balance and harmony. The goal of gestalt therapy is to help people become more aware of their thoughts, feelings, and actions in the present moment so that they can make more mindful choices going forward. When we are not living in alignment with our true selves, we can end up feeling disconnected, lost,
Weekends for Better Health – Musings in Missoula
You might know that the idea of the weekend, a couple days every week when we are free to relax, clean, travel, read books, do lawn work, and so on, evolved from the idea of the sabbath. The sabbath comes from the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Book of Genesis. There, the sabbath is described as the seventh day of creation on which God rested. For Jews, the rest day is
The Dao of Parenting: Impulse Control – Musings in Missoula
Today I want to share with you another adventure in what I call “the Dao of parenting.” As I’ve stated before, I’m a first-time parent raising a toddler (now almost 3 years old). So I’m no expert on raising kids. I am, however, an expert on Buddhist moral practice, and that is relatively close to Daoism. And while I think Buddhism has abundant wisdom for living our lives, I’ve found