Moving into Stillness
As a college student, in my twenties, I studied Modern Dance and Buddhism. I learned to meditate in a classroom on the third floor of the oldest building on campus in old rickety wooden desks. In that stale classroom, I learned to follow my breath and cultivate loving kindness. Even though both of these meditations are as old as the forests the Buddha taught them in, they both felt like
How to Awaken your Gratitude Circuitry
There I was, having another nightly talk on the phone with my Dad. Out of nowhere, he said, “I can’t wait for 2021 to be over. This was a really bad one. How was it for you?” I didn’t even really take a pause. I just reactively said, “I thought it was great.” “Well,” he said. “I’m glad it was good for you.” And I suddenly felt guilty. And we
3 Meditations for The Holiday Season
Christmas is nearly here. For a few of us, this might be a purely joyous occasion. But for most of us, this is a time with at least some difficulty. Family dynamics can be complicated. Even painful. Consumerism threatens even the simple joy of offering gifts. Chaotic weather brings foreboding about the realities of climate change. How can we best navigate all of this? Some meditation and some shifts of
Teaching my Child to Meditate – Sunflower Counseling
When I was in my 20s and in graduate school in England, one of the other students was a single mother of two young daughters. I was amazed by how much my colleague, Heather, was able to get done. Once, I asked what her schedule was. She detailed everything from before dusk to after dark. She had just 7 hours left over to sleep. Amazing. One of the tricks she
7 Benefits of Loving-Kindness Meditation
Loving-kindness has long been one of my favorite types of meditation. At times it was all I practiced. It helped turn around an unhappy break-up. It helped soften my encounters with people ever since. Most importantly, loving-kindness has strengthened my self-compassion. This is a trait we can all benefit from. Yet it is something that many people lack these days. Our society pushes us to be tough in ways that
How to Quit Sugar Once and For All – Read Daily for Big Results
The Craving It suddenly occurred to me this morning that I’m back to my old tricks. And today I can either write about kids’ crafts, or the dangers of pigging out on sugar during Xmas. The latter is a much harder choice. This is because of the associations to just “letting it all go” during Christmas. Plus, the cravings ... Those evil cravings. Where do they come from? It’s 6