In today’s journey, Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh speaks to us about dealing with overwhelming emotions. We all have those moments where emotions feel like a tidal wave, threatening to engulf us. Thich Nhat Hanh suggests a simple, yet powerful way to weather the storm. "Every time you have an energy that needs to be … Continue reading Whenever you stop and breathe, you have the energy of a mother.
In today’s message Jiddu Krishnamurti reminds us that meditation is not about trying to prevent this brain from thinking thoughts, but about watching the thoughts dance. To get involved in a battle with your mind will only turn into a futile fight with your own brain. Instead, shift your focus. Become the observer, watching the … Continue reading It always starts with breath…
Pema Chödrön's words lead us into today's meditation, igniting a spark of liberation within us. Growth, she whispers, isn't a grand escape, but a homecoming - a rediscovery of the infinite wellspring within. "Meditation practice isn’t about trying to throw ourselves away and become something better. It’s about befriending who we are already." - Pema … Continue reading Unveil your inner sky and befriend yourself.
Today's meditation is called "I am the mountain" and I specifically wanted to find a poem about a mountain to share with you. And WOW! I found "The Mountain Poem" by Laura Ding-Edwards. While the poem doesn't exactly reflect the nature of today's meditation, I do feel that it reflects almost everything I stand for. … Continue reading If the mountain seems too big today, then climb a hill instead.
Have you paid attention to the moments when you go through life on autopilot, living through life's challenges by a series of knee-jerk reactions? As if an invisible force takes over, dictating your responses and leaving you feeling powerless. Whatever is on autopilot is in survival mode, and in survival mode we are under the … Continue reading When I can experience the reaction in my body without being overwhelmed, this is when I do have a choice over how I want to respond.
(image credit: Sanmarie Schlebusch) Life, in its infinite wisdom, often presents us with challenges that test our resilience and push us to our limits. These challenges, though often painful, are opportunities for growth and transformation. "As events beyond my control unfold. I go within to find peace.” – Renae Sauter "If you truly want the … Continue reading Your soul is timeless and not threatened by the momentary fears of your human body.
Letting go... or hearing the words, "just let it go" is one of those disservices we do to ourselves and others while we're trying to be really well meaning. It feels like the right thing to say, but we all have our own moments of struggling with our own personal example of not being able … Continue reading Just let it go…
Don't run, stay. Don't turn away, BE here. Our need to run is an old inner message that's trying to find safety, but it's going to run forever until the wiser part of you makes the firm decision that, "we will run no more". "You can't do anything as long as you are afraid of … Continue reading Don’t run, stay.
The world around us is in a constant state of change, and if our "being happy" is dependent upon things always being the way we like it, then it is likely that we will never actually be happy. If happiness is something that is waiting for you around some distant corner somewhere in the future … Continue reading Let your inner-being be your grounding and your guidance.
In biology, the definition of environment is the place where organisms live or occupy. Thus, the environment includes all the elements surrounding the organism. Living organisms constantly interact with their environment and adapt to all environmental conditions in order to survive. Today’s meditation is a recognition of the fact that we all live in an … Continue reading A gem cannot be polished without friction.
Being a living, breathing organism on Earth means that we will be in constant contact with an ever changing environment around us. And what sets us clearly apart from all other organisms is how we have access to a lot more choice in our ability to respond to our environment, but only if we actually … Continue reading First find the calm-clarity within you before choosing how you will respond.
Have you ever witnessed the profound impact of simple human kindness? A small gesture, a compassionate word, or even just a silent presence can illuminate another's world in the darkest of times. It's a reminder of our inherent capacity to offer love and support without expectation of return. There is a profound beauty in this … Continue reading Look what happens with a love like that, it lights the whole sky…
Whether it's the thoughts and feelings of your inner-world, or the things taking place in your outer-world, there will always be so much happening over which you have absolutely no control - "I love the thoughts that my mind thinks, and also, I'm never tempted to believe them. Thoughts are like the wind or the … Continue reading The war is over.
Imagine - for a moment - a mountain. Immovable, steadfast, and grounded. This is the powerful image evoked by today's meditation, "I am the mountain." It's a concept that invites us to tap into our inner strength and resilience, allowing us to weather life's challenges with grace and equanimity. We’re kicking off today’s message with … Continue reading Are you running about like a frightened ghost?
What an amazing time to be alive! In the annals of human history, often thousands of years have passed by without much changing in the human story. We know well that it is completely different in our lifetime, where from one year to the next, change feels like it’s happening at the speed of light. … Continue reading When we are un-centred, we become easy targets.
Our minds can sometimes seem a bit like a chaotic weather system, with thoughts swirling like storm clouds and emotions crashing like thunder. Have you ever stood outside during an actual storm and looked upwards to realise that in that very moment, there are clear blue skies just on the other side of those clouds? … Continue reading Don’t mistake the weather of your mind, for the sky of your BEING.
There's a powerful truth that meditation helps us rediscover: within each of us lies a core essence as enduring as the sun itself. This timeless part of you isn't swayed by fleeting emotions or the ever-changing circumstances of life. It's a constant source of peace and clarity, waiting to be reconnected with. "Our mind is … Continue reading There is a deeper part of you that is as timeless as the sun.
We’ve all experienced the kind of storms that life brings. Sometimes the storm is in the world around us and it seems our very existence is threatened - and sometimes the storm is within and it feels like our own being has turned against us, tearing us apart from the inside. Time, experience and wisdom … Continue reading Storms get tired too.
Letting go... or hearing the words, "just let it go" is one of those disservices we do to ourselves and others while meaning really well. It feels like the right thing to say but we all have our own moments of struggling with our own personal example of not being able to let something go … Continue reading How the f#@k do we let go?
As you may already know, this week’s teachings come from the book “The Tao of Pooh”. An adaptation of the original Winnie the Pooh that recognizes the Zen-like qualities of this yellow bear. Here is the next excerpt from the book - Tigger is the bouncy one, always on the move! No time for a … Continue reading How will we know when to do and when to don’t?
Have you ever felt like the harder you try to "let go" of something, the more it sticks? We hear the term "letting go" regularly. We understand what is implied - not holding on to old emotions or emotional attachments - but in practice our "effort" to let go is so often not helpful as … Continue reading Peace requires us to surrender our illusions of control.
"There are no problems, only situations. It is all in how you approach them." - Sadhguru This thought by Sadhguru reminds me of a line in the poem "If" by Rudyard Kipling that mentions "treating triumph and disaster just the same". It speaks of the possibility of having the kind of peace that is unaffected by circumstance, … Continue reading Peace is not the highest goal in life, it is the most fundamental requirement.
Have you ever found yourself spending way too much energy fighting a reality that is not going to change, or trying to keep control over what is ultimately beyond your control? It is like trying to push a boulder up a hill. You pour on the effort, muscles straining, but the darn thing barely budges. … Continue reading No more energy wasted on resistance.
Today’s wisdom comes from great teachers on the topic of meditation. And the central message for today is that, "of course you have thoughts and feelings, but your thoughts and feelings are not who you are." This becomes increasingly clear as you find that there is a space within you from where you are able … Continue reading Becoming better at feeling…
Being human, we have an ever changing flow in our emotional landscape. The thoughts we think and the emotions we feel flow in and out very much like clouds in the sky. Yet, often we view our emotions with apprehension, fearing the discomfort they might bring. Jaiya John reminds us today that by acknowledging and … Continue reading All the world’s wonder is a song. The notes and the singer are YOU!
Take a moment to create in your mind the image of a majestic mountain towering over the landscape around it. See it standing resolute against the ever-changing elements. This mountain, battered yet unyielding, represents an essential truth about ourselves: we possess an eternal constant within, capable of holding all of life's experiences without becoming a … Continue reading I am the eternal constant that can hold it all, without being victim to any of it.
"Self-awareness is the ability to take an honest look at your life without any attachment to it being right or wrong, good or bad." - Debbie Ford "Take an honest look at yourself!" There’s a lot to unpack here, this statement could be loaded with a lot of judgement. Have these words ever been spoken … Continue reading Take an honest look at yourself!
