Valentine’s Day is the designated push for sweethearts. It's a day for heart-shaped boxes, long-stemmed roses, and cute cards. Every February 14th, we flock to florists and chocolatiers like ducks to water in order to engage in what has become the almost ritualistic practice of honoring an individual (or individuals) we romantically admire. But what [...]
The integration of The Twelve Steps with Buddhism has become increasingly popular, as mindfulness continues to cross over from "spiritual philosophy" to practical, every day self-care. This morning, it dawned on me that the words Buddha spoke upon his awakening were very much like those of people in 12 Step programs who have taken the 2nd [...]
I know you have heard that we meditate to improve cognitive functioning, to bring peace, to cope with anxiety, and for myriad other reasons — just fill in the blanks. Bottom line: the consensus is that meditating is good for you. Kind of like broccoli. And yet, most of us quit. Eventually. And still, many [...]
I could never “successfully” meditate until finding my Jizo. Maybe I was too young, maybe my ego could not surrender to the process (likely it really hasn’t even now but there has been some progress). What I have found is that the grounding aspect of Jizo, whose Sanskrit name – Ksitigarbha – means Earth Womb, [...]
First, I wonder if anyone is reading this. I just spent half an hour Googling “Does Anyone Read My Blog?” and wandering around inside WordPress trying to find the stats page. I couldn’t. Next week, I will talk with my tech goddess and she will teach me. I am sure someone has figured out how [...]
Teaching children to meditate is easier than teaching adults. Children like consistency. We are the ones who usually introduce inconsistency to them at a very early age. Nobody is perfect, right? Rather than sitting and breathing in a circle, start the meditation process with a child by walking back and forth through a hallway or [...]
