For leading a more mindful lifestyle, I am a big advocate that a formal mindfulness practice feeds informal, everyday mindfulness. There are many ways to formally practice mindfulness (sitting meditation, yoga, chanting, walking meditation, contemplative prayer…and hundreds more) and you are training yourself to focus your attention on something and releasing the habit of getting [...]
There are several red flags that my heart has moved from loving and soft to harsh and hard. For me a hardened heart manifests itself in critical thoughts, quick judgements of myself or others, negative perspective on the day ahead, strong reactions, cursing and impatience. There is just an overall quality of edginess that arises [...]
A Simplified (and less costly ) Personal Renewal Group starting mid-October! The more I have the opportunity to speak with women about what is really going on in their lives… I mean beneath the surface, what is really going in… the more I am drawn to serve people with the gift of having some space, [...]
“I don’t stop short of the red gate.” These words rang through my head as I was contemplating stopping my run about half a mile short of the end of the loop. A friend had said this one morning while we were running — emphatically staked her ground with a rod of discipline. This is [...]
As summer winds down, it is time to start thinking about what gifts you can give yourself this fall… Re-focus on living your life based on what is most important to you and gain a more nurturing balance by joining my 2011-12 Personal Renewal Group for Mothers (starts September 20th). Actively address the stress in your life [...]
What perfect timing! A friend just passed this along: www.winterfeastforthesoul.com. It is a commitment of 40 minutes of spiritual practice each day for 40 days. A “retreat” to deepen in one’s spiritual practice and it begins tomorrow. I am in…! I have been craving some rhythm to life (after the holidays, snow days, sick kids…) [...]
What does it mean to live with intention? What are my intentions? How do I know if I am living out my intentions — daily? weekly? yearly? How do I take the abstract concept of living with intention and making it real — day in, day out? Are you constantly reacting to whatever life throws [...]
A little piece of my heart rode on the bumper on bus #119 to school one morning last week. I stood bundled for the cold weather and waved as my eyes connected with my daughter’s soulful eyes through the bus window. She looked so happy. She was at ease. “Let go, let be…let go, let HER be” [...]
Tara Brach speaks of it as a trance — that mental place we go where we play the story lines over and over as if they are a tape set to keep repeating. We ruminate. We let the thoughts spin and pick up speed. We start off by feeling a little unhealthy and before we [...]
I am gratefully a part of a wonderful group of women — deeply exploring life and helping one another cultivate wisdom to walk a life of truth — a wisdom group. I had an “ah-ha” from our gathering this week that didn’t just slightly shift my perspective on peace. It blew away my current understanding [...]