Step back Take a breath Observe Proceed with… It is taking this time to simply reflect on one’s situation before moving forward with either one’s words or actions. It is in this momentary space of simply being that we may discover a new pattern for responding rather than reacting to each new situation.

Part of our ‘human condition’ is our innate tendency to avoid pain. It is often desire for ‘avoidance’ that prevents us from starting or sustaining new habits in life. The energy behind our desire to avoid pain tends to be stronger than the motivational force underlying our intention to make positive changes in our lives. […]

A curious mind helps us to search “outside of the box”… to explore outside of our ‘comfort zone’… to stretch ourselves… and to be flexible with thinking & doing in new ways…

The mind is like a garden… and ‘home’ to many different kinds of seeds. It knows no discretion as to what is seeded, rooted, and to what may ultimately flourish in its ‘soil’. The mind is receptive to whatever we ‘plant’ in it- ‘flowers’ & ‘weeds’- whether we are aware of it or not. Left […]

Gemmelsmerch is the power of a given object, person, event, etc, to distract one from one’s purpose (coined by US psychiatrist Edward Hallowell) It’s like the gravitational force behind what draws away our focused attention… the energy behind all the various activities swirling & tempting the discursive & busy mind. Can we control the numerous […]

Suffering= Pain x Resistance Resilience= Pain x Acceptance Our ability to work with our pain can diminish our suffering while enhancing our resilience. This ‘heartfulness’ may help us to embrace what we may not be able to change. It may also give us the insight and resource to transform the emotions and ‘storyline’ that often […]

‘Awake’, we come to remember to take pause to be in this moment- to routinely allow a calm and relaxed composure to wash over our entire being as we simply witness our own accessibility to be fully present. In this space of awareness we come to notice things as they are- as they are arising […]

Not everything is about us. We don’t have to take others, our own experiences, or ourselves too personally. Life is all a matter of interpretation, and we are all part of a much bigger picture interdependent upon causes and conditions that transcend us individually.

In practice, we learn to deliberately ‘stay with it’ or to ‘stay the course’ regardless of what is presently happening before us. With the diligence of a judgment-free awareness, we may cultivate a firmness of mind and spirit- a habit of forbearance to become less reactive- and an unyielding courage to simply observe and acknowledge […]

Sitting on the cushion each day can help us to realize the sometimes ‘toxic’ nature of our habitual minds- the afflictions and aversions of mind that drive our reactive tendencies. To sit with our own ‘rawness’ of just being allows space to arise for a detoxifying & transforming dose of reality.