Tag: Mindfulness
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Why Meditate When I Can Pray?
When I was young, a friend invited me to meditate with her. It was something her family practiced regularly, and she made it sound as natural as brushing your teeth. Curious, I mentioned it to my church youth pastor and was quickly warned that I was “opening myself up to the enemy.” At the time,…
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What if Beatles sang ‘Let it Go’ instead of ‘Let it Be’?
How different would the world feel if the Beatles had written Let It Go instead of Let It Be? Picture it: Paul at the piano, eyes closed, singing earnestly,“Let it go, let it go, let it go…” The song still tops the charts, but the message shifts.A generation grows up believing peace requires action, that…
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Zen and the Art of the Scroll
Slow Your Scroll – Wise Social Media Habits You open Instagram for inspiration. Just a quick look, you tell yourself. Ten minutes later, you’ve compared your writing, your breakfast, and possibly your entire life to three strangers with better headlines and a cat who somehow has better engagement. You’re not angry at yourself, just amused…
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The Science of Staying Awake While Trying to Sleep.
Or, “I Thought I Was Practicing Self-Care. Turns Out, I Was Practicing Insomnia.” For years, I believed I had the perfect bedtime ritual. TV until 10. Phone until 11. Fireplace blazing like a luxury lodge. Weighted blankets, flannel sheets, and a room warm enough to grow orchids. Two dogs, two cats, one husband, and a…
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Are Your Habits a Kind Way of Maintaining Your Addictions?
What if the routines we call healthy habits are simply a kind way of maintaining addiction? Questioning the Question There is no shortage of best-selling titles encouraging us to build better habits. Wake early, journal, meditate, work out, repeat. These routines can be helpful. But ask yourself: Can you easily say no to one of…
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Mindfulness in the Digital Age: Finding Balance, Not Escape
Digital communication is here to stay. Phones, tablets, and laptops keep us connected, informed, and often inspired. Yet they also compete for our most precious resource: attention. If mindfulness is the art of being present, what does that mean in a world built to distract? What the Research Says Studies increasingly show that how we…
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🌿 May All Beings Be Happy
A Practice of Radical Kindness So easy to say. Sometimes so difficult to do. Why does such a simple intention, wishing happiness for all beings, feel so distant in our daily lives? What stops us from extending it beyond our circle of comfort? Often it is the quiet walls we build: fear, judgment, pain, and…
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Painted Tigers: Meeting Fear with Mindfulness
When Joseph Goldstein speaks about fear, he often invokes a vivid image from Zen lore, the painted tiger. A monk once painted a tiger so lifelike that when he stepped back to admire his work, he became terrified of it. Goldstein says, “We paint pictures in our minds of what will be, and then become…
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When the World Feels Divided: How to Thrive – Plus a Free 30-Day “Thrive Through Turmoil” Guide
These days, it’s hard to escape the weight of division. Political anger, polarized news, social media shouting, and the sense that common ground is shrinking can take a toll on our emotional and physical well-being. The human mind and heart are not built for constant conflict. Prolonged exposure to divisive content raises stress, anxiety, and…
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Five Simple Ways to Begin a Mindfulness Practice
Starting a mindfulness practice doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, the most powerful practices are often the simplest. Below are five ways you can bring mindfulness into your everyday life, each connected to a common challenge many of us face. 1. Mindfulness for Pain When discomfort arises, our instinct is often to resist or…
