Yesterday I shared how I finally discovered what comes after ambition, and promised to unpack the admittedly elliptical answer that it was “peace.” One of the things I find most interesting about this peace is that it isn’t in the detached sense of “it’s all good, man, whatever happens, happens,” and I’m just being carried willy-nilly on this river of life. That had been my assumption for some years, and probably why I kept myself Read more…
You might recall how I’ve been sitting with the question “What comes after ambition?” At the time of asking, I honestly had no idea. I was simply befuddled by its absence and wondering at my so-called indifference to all the things that used to preoccupy me, some of which I was happy to lose, others which made me wonder if I had somehow lost the fire of passion. As with all big questions I ask Read more…
When a friend mentioned the other day that we were coming to the end of a decade my jaw virtually dropped. I obviously knew we were approaching a new year, and I had been looking back on this year doing the sort of reflection we are all prone to doing at this time. But how on earth did I miss the fact that we were also marking the end of a decade?? The answer is Read more…
Yesterday I spent much of my day scraping off paint, a rather monotonous task that nevertheless gives me occasion for mindfulness practice. As I worked through several layers of paint, I was noticing various thoughts and feelings pass in and out of awareness. One such thought was how this year I had repeatedly gotten the message not to seek out a new teacher because for now it was up to me to get myself to Read more…
As we close in on Thanksgiving and the holiday season, my yoga instructors are starting to send out the message of the importance of self care and carving out time for oneself, especially in class. One teacher went on about how family and community can be great but challenging. As she wore on for over a minute, I felt the room fill with what I call “ramen noodle energy,” and thought, Why are you projecting Read more…
If you’ve been reading along, we’ve been practicing some of the things that can happen when you take a conscious breath. Yesterday I shared how to find the steady energy of self trust so you can go deeper into your exploration of the Self while sitting in uncertainty. Today I will share a snapshot of how we can dialogue with our somatic and affective signals to go even deeper. In my last Mystery & Mastery Read more…
Continuing with our investigation and experiencing of what it really means to “take a conscious breath,” today we’re practicing how to work with the mind so we can begin tapping into our other centers of knowing. After we take our first conscious breaths, turning inward, really holding (not rushing to release) what triggers us in our expansiveness, getting to know the energetic pattern of that disharmonious flow on a subtle, energetic level (ie, not jumping Read more…
If you’ve been following along, we’ve been going into the visceral experience of mindfulness practice to see what the big deal is with “taking a breath.” Why do we do this and what “actually” happens? A couple days ago I invited you to see if you could hold the experience of being triggered right along with the natural spaciousness of your being. This gives you a chance to settle into experiencing WHAT IS with neutrality, Read more…
Last week I posted a nudge to find something that triggers you and to take a conscious breath around it in order to notice what you notice. This is to give you a direct, visceral experience of why “taking a breath” is such a common piece of advice, and also to give you a little training in your perception of subtle energy. So what did you notice? When I do this with others the very Read more…
A couple weeks ago a piece of guidance dropped into my consciousness as I was washing dishes (there is something about water that facilitates this for me). “For your next gathering, why not look into the energetics of mindfulness?” Now there was an interesting idea. And as the download began to unfold in my consciousness, I got a sense of everyone coming to a deeper understanding of why it’s become common wisdom to “pause and Read more…