PICK UP ONE SMALL STONE

The Buddhist story of "The Second Arrow" is a metaphor for the way in which we add on to our own suffering by piling assumptions and stories on top of whatever actually happened. Listen to the (short) story and then practice it for yourself. If you want to skip the story, go to 3:27 and you'll get right to the meditation.

Meditation is a practice of non-judgment. Meditation is also a practice that leads to discernment, which is defined as "the ability to judge well." How does the practice of non-judgment lead to "the ability to judge well"? An analogy that is often used in meditation can help to square these two, seemingly opposing concepts of non-judgment and discernment: A cup of water is scooped up from the edge of a pond. The water is muddy, containing sediment, twigs, leaves, maybe a bott

“When you walk, arrive with every step. That is walking meditation. There’s nothing else to it.” - Thich Nhat Hanh This walking meditation can be done indoors or outdoors. Pick a spot where you can walk in a straight line for roughly 20 to 30 feet -- it's also okay if the distance is shorter and/or curvy. Go to 4:30 to skip the instructions and get right into the practice. https://youtu.be/iwfkrbhT4-k

"Lighthouses don't go running all over an island looking for boats to save; they just stand their shining." - Anne Lamott // Can we be like the lighthouse Anne Lamott references? Grounded and of benefit? This meditation uses a traditional Tibetan Buddhist practice to encourage us to embody the lighthouse.

Thich Nhat Hanh tells the story of a rider galloping by on a horse. A person standing at the side of the road yells out "where are you...

"You can't stop the waves, but you can learn how to surf." - Jon Kabat-Zinn // This blog posts includes 3 different meditations around...

Meditation builds the habit of being present. The practice of noticing our thoughts and then returning to the present moment literally...

Danusha Laméris' poem "Nothing Wants to Suffer" is a beautiful introduction to the Loving-Kindness practice. Loving-Kindess is a...

Meditation helps us to see more clearly - to clean the metaphorical glasses through which we see the world. In both Buddhist meditation...

The "Alternate Sense Meditation" is a good tool to have in your toolbox for times of anxiety or overthinking. I recorded two variations...

Danusha Laméris' poem "Night Bird," provides a beautiful entry to a mindfulness meditation, inviting us to see clearly with warmth. Go to...

We meditate not to get better at meditation but to get better at being present in our lives.

This meditation uess on a concept (bodhichitta) that is practiced during Loving-Kindness. If you're not familiar with Loving-Kindness meditations, you may want to do another meditation. Go to 2:02 to skip the intro and get right into the practice.

This is an open awareness practice. We act as an observer, watching and narrating where our awareness goes. This has two potential...

We meditate not to get better at meditation, but to make the other 23.5 hours of the day more peaceful, loving, compassionate - "better," in whatever way that means to you. The practice of Loving-Kindness for Ourselves is a targeted practice for shifting our post-meditation experience. With regular practice, it starts to soften the way we interact with ourselves...and the whole world. Go to 4:23 to skip the intro and get right into the meditation.

As Rebecca Solnit defines Mutual Aid: “It’s a deep belief in and commitment to inseparability: that my well-being is inseparable from yours and that, in caring for yours, I care for myself and, more than that, for the larger whole that is us, because we are in this together.” This definition of mutual aid is similar to the Zen concept of "interbeing" and to the idea that no one is an island (to paraphrase John Donne) and that we are all better, stronger, richer together.  Go

This meditation uses the Buddhist concept of "bardo," or transition, as an invitation to rest in the liminal moment of possibility -- recognizing that the liminal is often an uncomfortable place. As humans, we sometimes balk at uncertainty. So, as we rest in the transition of spring to summer, and of one breath to the next, this meditation also invites us to notice how we're doing and to give ourselves a little love. Go to 2:02 to skip the intro and get right into the meditat

Meditations from 5/30, 6/3 and 6/4 offer encouragement for finding balance between exertion and ease. If you practice one, let me know in the comments!

"Noting" is a tool for meditation, taught by Sharon Salzberg among others. The technique of "noting" invites us to give our thoughts a...

Relieving Some of Our Pain