sometimes our deeply held beliefs about ourselves don’t hold up to scrutiny. For years, I’d been sure that I was not getting enough sleep. I would wake up in the morning feeling tired, often disturbed by the vivid dreams I experienced. If I woke up in the middle of the night, I’d anxiously count theContinue reading “taking control of the narrative”
Category Archives: Buddhism
sympathetic joy: learning to celebrate others’ good fortune
You’re probably familiar with the concepts of lovingkindness (metta), compassion (karuna), and equanimity (upekkha). When we wish, pray or chant, “May all beings be happy and free from suffering,” we have a clear understanding of what is being offered. Even equanimity feels pretty clear: we wish that all beings be unbothered by the ups andContinue reading “sympathetic joy: learning to celebrate others’ good fortune”
you & your wandering mind
“My experience is what I agree to attend to.” -philosopher and psychologist William James What does it mean to agree to attend to experience? We have choice around what we will pay attention to; how we pay attention will shape our experience. The Buddha said, All experience is preceded by mind, Led by mind,Made by mind.SpeakContinue reading “you & your wandering mind”
The Yoga of Self-Expression
“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will notContinue reading “The Yoga of Self-Expression”
Presence in Yoga, Presence in Love
I love to teach yoga to newbies. There’s an almost palpable sense of coming alive in those first few classes. As students learn to move in new ways, it’s not unlike a toddler explore her range of motion- testing out a foot here, or the gaze here, or marveling at what her body can do and how itContinue reading “Presence in Yoga, Presence in Love”
Who the heck do I think I am, anyway?
Dear Whomever, The other night I dreamt of an orchestra. It was an odd dream (aren’t they all?)- it had nothing to do with how the music sounded. Instead it was sort of a broad overview of an orchestra as a unit. I saw my dream-orchestra clearly as a collection of people, musicians with instruments, a conductor,Continue reading “Who the heck do I think I am, anyway?”
Creating New Karmic Patterns, & Some Crazy Good Ginger Chocolate Chip Cookies
In last week’s post, I talked about the self-sustaining karmic energy of recurring habitual patterns. I mentioned that meditation has been helpful in creating the space to identify the pattern and then to create a new pattern. How exactly, though, does the new pattern get created? In the past year, I was lucky* enough to find myself facingContinue reading “Creating New Karmic Patterns, & Some Crazy Good Ginger Chocolate Chip Cookies”
Staccato is a Rhythm- Confessions of a Color-Coded Calendar
“I used to be so consistent with my (yoga practice, meditation, eating plan), and then (my job changed, the kids were off school for the summer, I broke my toe)…” “I can’t seem to get into the swing of things.” “I wish I could just get into a good rhythm.” “I lost my groove.” Does this soundContinue reading “Staccato is a Rhythm- Confessions of a Color-Coded Calendar”
My Big Brother: On the Gift of Compassion and Love
In the back of my closet, under a mountain of dust bunnies, there’s a packet of letters. Not, as you might imagine, letters from an old lover, or anything so romantic. These are letters that I wrote over 20 years ago to my older brother. I was in middle school, or high school, and he wasContinue reading “My Big Brother: On the Gift of Compassion and Love”
Indulging & Impermanence
A self-inulgent sorrow selfie. Embarrassing but true* I used to wrap myself up in nostalgia. Not happy nostalgia, like “Remember when we all wore acid-washed jeans,” but more like… hm, deep grey clouds of melancholy nostalgia. I was secretly proud of my ability to nurse a bittersweet memory. I made regret an art form,Continue reading “Indulging & Impermanence”