Why Retreats Matter: Simplicity, Space & Time for Practice When I first attended a weekend retreat back in 1998, it was an unusual thing to do. Perhaps due to the ever faster pace of the world since then, interest in retreats has grown a lot. They are now more...
Healing from Loneliness through Mindfulness and Compassion Loneliness, a widespread yet deeply personal experience, can weigh heavily on our hearts and minds. It often feels like an insurmountable barrier between us and the vibrant world around us. With mindfulness...
Insights from Buddhism, Science & Yoga As context for the below ways of practicing non-violence, it may help to understand that many wisdom traditions see non-violence, or ahiṃsā in Sanskrit, as a cornerstone of both ethical living and personal happiness. Rooted...
What is Equanimity? Have you ever experienced a moment when you were happily surprised at your capacity to stay present and clear in a challenging situation? If so, that was equanimity. This amazing human capacity for mental balance also helps us be present with...
Unraveling the Why Behind Human Meanness Lately, I find myself deeply pondering the phenomena of harshness and unkindness, both between humans and within my own mind (toward myself). I notice wondering why all this cruelty exists and questioning how we, indeed, how I,...
A Challenge of Contemporary Times The graphic above is a sketch of how I work with someone who asks me for private instruction. Recently such a person, who has been using apps only to practice both meditation and yoga, approached me. They were seeking clarification,...
Because of where I live and work, in the (fortunately protected) woods surrounding the Quabbin Reservoir, I drive a car a lot. To get to pretty-much-anywhere requires traveling at least a few miles, often much more. I have lived in this area for many years. It's the...
Practicing mindfulness and compassion makes an invisible, but nonetheless very powerful, heart-path for we humans who earnestly wish to directly connect with and understand what is happening within and around us. While the path may wend through both bright and dark...
In a world increasingly defined by the noise and rapid pace of mainstream culture, a growing number of people are choosing to forge their own paths and embrace simpler, more ethical lifestyles that diverge from societal norms. I call this contemporary wayfaring, and...
Recently, in the weekly online sitting group, we've been exploring a series of ordinary words - words we use all the time - and contemplating how they may relate to or describe aspects of our practice, both on and off the cushion, chair or mat. The list of words was...