~An insightful poem by Jelaluddin Rumi, translation by Coleman Barks This being human is a guest house. Every morning a new arrival. A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor. Welcome and entertain them all! Even if they are a crowd of sorrows, who violently sweep your house empty […]

According to MIT researchers, the power of habit starts with a simple neurological loop consisting of a ‘cue’… following with a ‘routine’… while reinforced with some kind of ‘reward’ or ‘benefit’. Underlying the reward or benefit, there is often a strong belief or conviction that is fueled by a craving & yearning to sustain a […]

The ‘truth’ about our own purpose in life may be closer than we think- a ‘voice’ from within that calls out to us to wake up and pay attention to something deeply visceral. Perhaps, we are too busy searching outside of ourselves… the ‘truth’ obscured as we tend to be consumed by what we have […]

The hippocampus is like our brain’s ‘memory muscle’. It accounts for our ‘working memory’- or what many psychologists refer to as our ‘fluid intelligence’… helping us to learn, reason, comprehend, and problem-solve in novel situations. We use our working memory to monitor, regulate & discern the information we receive, retrieve, process, and dispose. It bridges […]

Self-awareness helps the emotional (limbic) & thinking (prefrontal cortex) parts of our brain communicate more clearly with each other. The neurological signals sent to regulate our stimulus-response system can become more efficient, appropriate & context-sensitive when we allow them space in awareness for observation. It’s this volitional act of observation that lights up the activity […]

‘Smile!’ How does it feel? ‘Smile again!’ Feel any different? Practice smiling throughout your day. See & feel its impact on you & others…

It is in this field of ‘open awareness’ and ‘free attention’ where insight and unexpected or accidental discoveries become possible…  a small ‘space’ with powerful possibilities.

As practitioners, we may have different motivations “to sit”. However, to sustain our practice, we need to clarify our intention… especially as “sitting” on a regular basis can offer both subtle and explicit challenges to our dedication and self-discipline. To overcome our difficulties in practice, our aspirations need to be honest, relevant, realistic, and purposeful. […]

We’re all on the same path as human beings simply allowing our ‘big questions’ to unfold with the spontaneity and uncertainty of life itself. Open-minded & curious, we’re free to ask- to experience- and to live the questions each and every moment of our lives…

The breath is not only an ‘anchor’ for our attention, it can be used skillfully to short-circuit our unconscious impulses to behave on ‘automatic pilot’- and to give in to our mind’s undercurrent of conditioning to act without pause, notice & reflection. REMEMBER to breathe into your habitual moments and to take notice of your […]