What are your intentions for this year? New year, new you? Good luck with that. My intentions are a little closer to where I am right now. New year, same me, different focus. I've learned that it is much easier to make incremental changes than it is to attempt an entire re-creation of myself. Maybe you're … Continue reading Intentions for 2018
Category: Mindfulness & Peacefulness
I’ll Be Happy When…
I'll be happy when I'm 25. Then I will be out of college, married, and have a stable career. That seems crazy, right? Well, in my 17-year-old mind, it seemed like a logical conclusion. I thought that adults had it all figured out. The age of 25 came and went. I achieved those goals, but … Continue reading I’ll Be Happy When…
Shadow Boxing
In the previous post, Shifting Shadows, I wrote about how we can identify and work with our own shadows. In essence, the shadow is composed of those parts of our personality that we hide from the world and possibly from ourselves.For some people, the shadow has characteristics of extreme anger, jealousy, greed, neediness, ignorance, etc. … Continue reading Shadow Boxing
Shifting Shadows
What if the doorway to lasting freedom, peace, and happiness was at the end of a long, dimly lit hallway? You can't see the door, but you've heard that it's there. All you can see are strange, shifting shadows. Some of these shadows are familiar, but others are not. You look around and notice that there … Continue reading Shifting Shadows
Guided Meditation: Progressive Muscle Relaxation
When I teach yoga, I always end the practice with progressive muscle relaxation. People usually love progressive muscle relaxation, even if they have a hard time with other forms of meditation. This technique is so powerful that one of the softball players asked me to come home with her and do this every night as she's … Continue reading Guided Meditation: Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Being Gentle with Emotions
Is "sangry" a word? It depends on who you ask. My Gordon students and I decided that if "hangry" could be an adjective and "Google" could be a verb, then "sangry" should have a place at the table too. I needed this word a few days ago. I just could not figure out how I … Continue reading Being Gentle with Emotions
We all Miss the Mark
Do you know anyone who constantly criticizes themselves for not being perfect? You know, that person who always has to do everything right. If they make one mistake, they spend the next few days beating themselves up. I used to be one of those people. I began to realize that perfect was unattainable when I … Continue reading We all Miss the Mark
Balancing Self-Care and Serving Others
Anytime you fly on an airplane, you hear the same safety speech from the flight attendants. During one part of the message, the flight attendant tells you that in the event of an emergency you are to put your own oxygen mask on first. If you think about it in the context of daily life, … Continue reading Balancing Self-Care and Serving Others
If You Are Breathing, You Can Meditate
Do you meditate? Have you tried? It's much simpler than you might think. As with many things, people tend to see obstacles in their way. Some people say they have tried and "failed." Other people say they don't know how to meditate. Then other people say they don't have time to meditate. Do any of … Continue reading If You Are Breathing, You Can Meditate