♠ Use druid practices to honor fall in your own way. The druid tradition is a path of nature-based spirituality that focuses on building connection with the living earth and honors the cycles and seasons of nature. In the druid tradition, a special emphasis is placed on the two...
Read More♠ In this excerpt from Mirrors in the Earth, an herbalist and flower essence practitioner offers her guidance on cultivating a mental garden—with yourself as the center. When we set boundaries in our lives, we reclaim our lifeforce. We say to the world that we deserve to be here...
Read MoreFeeling overwhelmed by the depths of loss? One of these meditation techniques (and 10-minute guided meditation) may prove supportive. Grief demands our attention. It consumes us in a way no other feeling does. The only emotion I can compare its intensity to is, I suppose, love. As...
Read More♠ I recently attended a four-day mediation certification course. It was an eye-opening experience. In class, I studied the historic context of conflict resolution, learned mediator skills, and focused on the ethical use of those skills. The 15 other students were counselors, human resources professionals, law...
Read More♠ Navigating negative, anxious thoughts is hard. It’s hard when your mind ruminates on rigid thoughts: I should do things quickly. I should be more productive. I should never say things like that. I shouldn’t make mistakes like that. I should know better. It’s hard when your...
Read More♠ Meditation can assist us with depression by reminding us to tune into a higher energy. “Move back to Source, pick up the larger signal, and live with that energy for a greater portion of our lives.” Q: I’ve been meditating for years, but I still live...
Read More◊ Dive into the Buddha’s advice for being a better friend. While on an early morning walk, the Buddha encountered a young man named Sigala. The two men engaged in a conversation that became a Buddhist text called the Sigalovada Sutta. During their talk, the Buddha stressed the importance...
Read More◊ The raisin meditation focuses all your senses to calm anxious thoughts. Fear, anxiety, worry, and dread are all shiny objects to a frenetic mind. And sometimes the mind latches on to an anxiety and won’t let go, leaving us with repetitive thoughts and outsized worries about things...
Read MoreRacing thoughts can be overwhelming, confusing, and distressing. Racing thoughts may be a daily reality for you or an occasional annoyance. Racing thoughts are common for people with anxiety when they’re facing a stressor. They’re also common in bipolar disorder, ADHD and other medical conditions, according...
Read MoreJust move with this intuitive motion meditation for healing, stress relief, and pleasure. We all know exercise is good for us. It helps prevent health problems like cancer, diabetes, and heart conditions. It boosts mood and immunity, improves skin, and it’s probably the number-one way to extend our...
Read MoreEvery time your mind wanders, use your breath to bring your focus back. The idea behind following the breath is that you have this web of thoughts which you are working with at the same time. They are these models that underlie our behavior and there...
Read More↓ Savor the flavors of frothy cherry moon milk while you visualize being bathed in a peaceful pink light. Our world is a truly fascinating place full of tiny, everyday magicks. Personally, my favorite everyday magick is food. Everything we consume from the natural world not only provides...
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Whether you prefer a visual, auditory, or somatic approach, open awareness involves expanding your awareness and then intentionally observing everything inside it. In our fast-paced and exponentially evolving technological environment, more and more people suffer from anxiety, stress, and burnout. These states are often triggered by...
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Here are some strategies that will help you stay steady on the path of a regular meditation practice. “Everything else can wait, but the search for God cannot wait.” George Harrison It’s the New Year. You make a vow to yourself: This is going to be the year...
Read MoreLooking for a new practice to calm the mind and connect with others? Try writing an old-fashioned letter. Every day our senses and brains endure a digital onslaught—not just from being held captive by smartphones but also email conversation purgatory, inbox overwhelm, and screen fatigue. Think back to...
Read MoreInfinite bliss and enlightenment may be just a breath away. But what does that really mean? Many years ago a stage hypnotist came to my high school for a routine performance in which the finale involved telling a wispy teenage girl that she was as strong...
Read More↓ Reclaim rest with a rest guided meditation that will take you on a journey of self-exploration. I’ve witnessed something pretty special over the past couple months. There has been a collective shift recently away from frustration and fear toward peace and healing. Within this shift has...
Read MoreResearch shows that meditating benefits everyone around you—whether you're in the same household or connecting virtually. A great meditation teacher once described the frightening scene in the refugee boats floating adrift after the end of the Vietnam war. Overcrowded with children and elderly people,...
Read MoreHaving a hard time meditating because of anxious thoughts? Try saying your worries out loud. Q: I’m 54 and I’ve struggled with anxiety most of my life. I’ve tried meditating but I have trouble getting past all my anxious thoughts. My mind is such a noisy tangle!...
Read MoreTurn your smartphone into a tiny health coach with these apps for better nutrition, mindfulness, and gratitude. Often, you only hear about the negatives of smartphone use (distracting, time-consuming, blue-light emitting ...
Read More↓ Eating has turned from the basic need to fuel the body to something completely different. People use food as an emotional crutch — giving allowance to eat take-out because you had a stressful day at work or delving into ice cream after a breakup. After...
Read MoreNo matter what kind of storm life whips up for you, a simple notice-allow-breathe practice can help you find your calm. ♣ It’s hard to breathe; the air enveloping us is hot, stagnant. I look around a bit frantically at the other passengers packed tightly in the...
Read More↓ The skills we cultivate by playing tennis can also help us be more mindful—even if you've never before picked up a racket. Success in tennis is based on a simple principle: The present is all that matters. It sounds easy, except it’s not. A Harvard study showed that...
Read More↓ These tools will help you keep your cool through the chaos of the holidays. The holidays can be exciting times, full of celebration, love, and joy. But they can also bring stress and anxiety to the surface—even if you love spending time with your family, the holidays...
Read MoreExplore this mindfulness practice to witness and let go of bad habits, instead of becoming trapped by them ↓ ↓ When it comes to the universally-not-so-fun experience of craving, it goes something like this: my old job gave me an iPhone to keep me in the loop,...
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