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

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

Missoula counselors often hear from people who have decided to go down this road of life: "Now that we have started meditating, how do we keep it up?" This is the difficult part. A wise friend of mine once said, “meditation gives us much that we don’t want. And it doesn’t always give us what we want. Seeing this, most people give up.” What does this mean? First, meditation shows

I have been meditating for over 20 years. I credit meditation for helping me through a lot in life. But it hasn’t always been easy. In many ways, it’s like having a healthy diet. Or going to the gym or on runs. It is something I know is good for me, but it is also something that gets pushed to the side when life gets busy. So how do I