In this post: Meditation goes mainstream for a reason, The person is more important than the practice, Benefits of Meditation, Working with the ‘uncomfortable’, The 2 Wings of Mindfulness plus the Body, Are we supposed to stop thinking during meditation?, The Nuts & Bolts of Getting Started, Let’s Meditate! (step by step guidance included), Video of 25 Minute Guided Meditation featuring a Body Scan

Nose breathing lets us breathe slower, allowing us to access our body’s natural destressing system. We can also take in more oxygen, which reduces inflammation and improves all of our body’s internal systems. These are no small things, in a time when we can be stressed & fatigued from a challenging year.

While we may have bid 2020 a firm ‘adieu’, we have not been able to say goodbye to all that it has brought us. BUT, instead of focusing on what we can’t do, can we focus on what we can actually do better NOW?

Please enjoy this simple relaxation practice designed to reduce stress and increase connection to our inner resources of resilience, refuge, and self-compassion.

While the heart’s sweeter qualities tend to be focused on in movies and love songs, now is a good time to remember & cultivate its more fierce aspects. While we cannot control many of our outer circumstances, we can control our relationship with our own hearts.

When we feel good - meaning safe, nurtured, belonging - we are able to see reality more clearly, make better decisions, respond to what’s happening in the world around us from a place of insight, instead of reacting from fear. 

Connecting with each other is more important than ever in these challenging times. With mindfulness, we can better learn how to ‘use our words’, increase our attunement to our dear ones, and bring these skills with us into the future.

Courage is many things, including the ability to meet intensity with honesty, compassion, & spaciousness. Now is a good time to remind our hearts, minds & bodies of their natural capacity to stay spacious in all circumstances.

If someone had told me at the start of this year that I would be spending many months totally alone, while still living in a big city, I would have said: #1 I don’t believe it, and #2 I can’t do it… It is amazing what we CAN do.