Category: Meditation Techniques

  • Take These 3 Steps To Freedom

    Take These 3 Steps To Freedom

    Freedom is a state of mind – where’s your head at? Not that long ago, my life was like a prison. Toxic relationships, road rage, no time for myself, plus the stress of working as a 911 operator all added up to “no fun!”. Tension headaches, acid indigestion, a short temper, and a generally bad…

  • Working Too Hard? Try Something Else

    Working Too Hard? Try Something Else

    Greetings, dear friend! Today, see if you can walk the middle way. In the midst of our busy lives, we have a tendency to overwork, play too little, and, as a result, get very serious about things! I’m sure you know the feeling. It’s been one of those weeks that feels like it might never…

  • If There’s Fear, Roll With It

    If There’s Fear, Roll With It

    Today is a great day to check-in with your fear and see it for what it is. Tell-tale anxieties? Limiting beliefs? They’re no match for present moment awareness. You’ve decided to make a change, pursue a new endeavor, reinvent an aspect of your life. The vision for this new way of being inspires you. Maybe…

  • How Can Nature Help You?

    How Can Nature Help You?

    Have you gotten your dose of nature this week? The benefits of being outdoors are so many, but us city-dwellers tend to spend most of our time in the office, in the car, at home, rarely venturing off the beaten path and into the woods. In fact, a 2009 report from the Environmental Protection Agency…

  • Relax, And Let The Truth Arrive

    Relax, And Let The Truth Arrive

    Over the past blog posts, we’ve been looking at our tendency to grasp at pleasurable thoughts and push away the painful. If we are attached to either pleasure or pain, we set ourselves up for inevitable disappointment. When the pleasure passes, discontentment arises (“Aw! I wanted more of that!”). Wallowing in pain, discontentment is just…

  • The Feelings That Colors Everything

    The Feelings That Colors Everything

    How do you feel today? Where did this feeling come from? Today we’ll continue our exploration of the second foundation of mindfulness, the contemplation of feeling as feeling. We talked about how when we initially perceive an experience, there is an instantaneous feeling tone of pleasant, unpleasant or neutral. This feeling arises pre-thought. Without even…

  • What Does Feeling Have To Do With It?

    What Does Feeling Have To Do With It?

    Two days ago I mentioned how nice it was to have some downtime while on vacation, and how we all need to take this time for ourselves. The last week of my vacation was spent on a 7-day meditation retreat at Spirit Rock. Talk about contrast! The retreat was organized around the Four Foundations of Mindfulness.…

  • The Importance Of Downtime

    The Importance Of Downtime

    The first thing I came to understand while traveling in Northern California was the importance of creating downtime. Taking time to really unplug from the routine and enjoy some contrast. Contrast highlights the differences of our surroundings. Without contrast, things can begin to look and feel a bit dull. The edges of our daily experience…

  • What Are You Waiting For?

    What Are You Waiting For?

    Today is as good a day as any to step fully into Now, don’t you think? Relaxing at the beach on Sunday, I realized something: I wasn’t at the beach. I mean, I was physically there, but I wasn’t actually there. As I lay on the sand atop my blanket, with the waves crashing melodically,…

  • Balance And Freedom ?! Yes Way!

    Balance And Freedom ?! Yes Way!

    Wouldn’t you agree that feeling good is more than just a state of mind? This past week of running around, traveling, preparing for a speaking engagement, and working with clients, showed me how important balance is to staying positive. I saw how, when I didn’t get enough rest, the feelings of fatigue colored my outlook.…