2020 will definitely go down in the history books as the year that turned our lives upside down. The pandemic has changed the way we work, the way we go to school, the way we socialize, the way we drive, the way we shop, and so much more. Over 200,000 people have died from COVID.
Grief is a funny thing. It knows no time or boundaries. We have little control over when it decides to come up inside us. It’s like a wave that builds in the ocean and then crashes in to the shore. Each expression of grief ebbs and flows in amazing synchronicity with select moments of life
Whatever you practice, you get better at. So, think for a moment. What are you practicing every day? This includes the thoughts you entertain, the emotions you focus on, and the behaviors you repeat. Sometimes the things we practice make us feel better and some of them definitely don’t. Let’s take it one at a
When I was asked in 2007 to develop a program for people who struggled with how to eat and with the relationship they had to their bodies, I had some research to do. At the time, I worked at the University of Missouri for the wellness program for faculty and staff. A survey we conducted
Practicing mindfulness of the body can happen in many ways. We practice when we move, eat, sleep, rest, and play. Moving the body mindfully is just one of the lens that we practice mindfulness and it enhances and improves our relationship to the body when we eat. Being aware of the body, in general, translates
Every summer for many years, alleyCat Yoga practitioners have embarked upon an early morning ritual of practice at sunrise (6:00 – 7:15 a.m.) for 21 days straight. And this year anyone from around the world can take the class LIVE ONLINE over Zoom. Why on earth would someone do that, you might ask? Answer: Because
In the past few days I have noticed myself stopping to just sit and look out the window to watch the flowers grow. This pause has felt strange at times, even slightly uncomfortable. But, when I give myself over to the pause, I feel like there is something being born in that space of stillness.
In every spiritual tradition that I’ve encountered and studied, the litmus test for me is whether or not I can experience the truth of the teachings in my own life and in the world around me. So, it was a relief when I read the Buddha’s instruction to “come and see for yourself” whether the
A well-known Buddhist teaching says “When you open your heart, you get life’s ten thousand sorrows, and ten thousand joys.” However, for many, it may seem like the balance has tipped to sorrow rather than joy. This teaching asks us to be open and grateful for both the sorrows and the joys–acknowledging that the sorrows
Dear Friends, I hope you are all staying safe and staying home as much as possible. We are living in uncertain times and now, more than ever, the practice of mindfulness is the most profound way for me to ground myself and open my heart to what’s happening in and around me. Because of the
