Category: basic mindfulness
the simplicity of mindfulness
One clear thread weaves through our practice: the simplicity of mindfulness. We are acquainted with complication. We know the feeling of being tangled, knee-deep in old resentments or lost in anxiety, listening to the compelling arguments…
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7 rough spots on the meditative path
Here are some common rough spots on the meditative path and how to deal with them. What makes it so hard to stick with a simple meditation we do every day? What gets in our way,…
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sit quietly and observe your thoughts
This simple practice helps release unhelpful preoccupations that creep into your mind space as you sit quietly and observe your thoughts. As we release these unhelpful preoccupations, we find less craving for distraction hits like the…
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meeting your edge
The mind throws up resistance to the process of liberation- but we can metabolize this, allowing deep change and a graceful opening into a timeless presence. The American Buddhist nun Pema Chödrön tells a story about…
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Buddhist insight in our day to day life
We can experience deep Buddhist insight by examining our present moment experience of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, and thinking. This mind of our is pretty amazing. Our cognitive power propels us to the top of…
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the essence of mindfulness practice
What a marvel, what a special thing it is to be conscious, to be aware, and to know that we’re aware- this is the essence of mindfulness practice. The other day I read this haiku by…
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not a caravan of despair
Do you have a fear of missing out on a more spiritual experience doing a mountain of laundry, washing a sinkful of dishes, or raking leaves till kingdom come? The meditation teacher Karen Maezen Miller, in…
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be happy, meditate
Mindfulness meditation is not just another way to fix what we feel might be broken in our lives. It really helps us be happy. Maybe you struggle with low moods, motivation, or existential malaise. Maybe you…
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no non-judgemental zombies here
One of the most frequent misunderstandings I hear about meditation practice is it will turn us into non-judgemental zombies. It’s easy to see why one would think this, since mindfulness teaches us to pay attention to…
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curiosity, mindfulness and anxiety
Mindfulness meditation helps us develop a mental-emotional “check engine light” that flashes in our awareness when we get reactive or anxious. There’s a song that’s been banging around in my head for a couple of weeks.…
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hijacked by my news feed, again
My news feed can incline my mind toward fear, confusion and anger. But I can also re-frame my news feed to spark compassion for the suffering of others. The news. OMG, how to deal with the…
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how to meditate every day when it seems impossible
The suffering in the world is overwhelming, but the whole mess looks differently when we when know how to meditate every day. Everyone is frazzled. Shootings, politics, racial and economic disparities, climate catastrophies. That’s why it’s really…
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mindful dishwashing
When I do catch the mind moment, in mindful dishwashing, the most ordinary things take on inexpressible beauty. A few folks have asked me if I am feeling any lingering effects from my recent Covid-19 illness.…
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simple, clear and delicious
Our simple practice of sustaining mindful attention on the most ordinary happenings in our everyday life, can bring this feeling of really being alive. We meditate for many different reasons. Often, our original motivations morph…
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no self help
Mindfulness meditation leaves the self-help mindset in the dust by challenging the existence of the very thing we are setting out to improve, the self. In an article on the self-help movement in New York Magazine…
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focusing the mind
With mindfulness we learn how to single-task, leading to focusing the mind, bringing clarity, ease and contentment in our lives. There is a Zen story and the power of focus told by the Vietnamese monk Thich…
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meditation changes your brain–for the better
Meditation changes your brain. The you meditate, the more you respond to life from the place of calm, compassion, and awareness. I often hear folks, when in a conversation about how they wish to improve…
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Guided equanimity meditation
The main work of equanimity meditation is a kind of radical, open and healing acceptance. We have come to the fourth of the four immeasurables: meditation on equanimity. It might be the most important of the…
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the church of what's happening now
This is our true home. We must live here, for it is only there that we are fully alive, in the church of what’s happening now. Our son Kupai started Kindergarten last week. When I woke…
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