Moth Metamorphosis
“We are always in transition. If you can just relax with that, you’ll have no problem”. -Trungpa Rinpoche My house has been infested with small white moths. They are harmless, yet frustrating because we cannot figure out where they are coming from. I spent the weekend cleaning cupboards and making sure all my dry […]
What really makes us happy?
A former student of mine emailed this week to share an amazing Ted Talk by Robert Waldinger, a Harvard professor who studies what keeps us healthy and happy. Waldinger is a researcher, yet a unique one, in that he is looking at data that has followed the same men for 75 years. It is the […]
Be More Awake for Your Life
The cold, gray days of January in Iowa are always challenging for me. It sometimes feels impossible to practice contentment, keep my heart open, and my attitude positive. Yet the hum of dissatisfaction certainly distracts me from accepting the reality of my life and creates distance from the present moment, which right now happens to […]
My Meditation Journey (thus far…)
It was 20 years ago I was first introduced to meditation while on internship at the University of Miami cancer center. I was required to attend daily meditation over the noon hour. At first, all I noticed was my racing mind, impatience, and annoyance that I wasn’t spending my lunch break in the warm sun. […]
Meeting Life with Full Presence
“Life is not meant to be a long series of unfelt and undirected experiences. We are not to be zombies and slaves, unconscious animals trapped in dumbness to the moment, leading mindless and powerless lives. We are not intended to be inattentive to our loved ones and the duties of life or the dreams in […]
Dark Night of the Soul
“The feeling of being overwhelmed and torn apart, prepares you for new ideas and a fresh start. Your dark night may provide you with an opportunity to discover your toughness. You can see the point of staying in the dark is not to trick it into making you brilliant or germ free, but to make […]
Soften into Your Life
We are all incredibly practiced at working harder, pushing though, going the extra mile, and in the words of the famous Nike slogan, just doing it. We also receive kudos, praise, promotions, and pats on the back for these things. Taking action and working hard is absolutely necessary and essential for engaging in the world, […]
5 Tips Every Yoga Teacher Needs to Know: Reflections from a Psychologist (and Yoga Teacher)
This blog post is one in a series on a blog tour for yoga teachers who want to get more impact from their private yoga teaching and find ways to generate a sustainable income. We are so very grateful to be a part of Kate Connell’s Yoga Teacher Blog Tour. Follow along on social […]
Getting Hooked and Practicing Detachment
I have watched myself get “hooked” a lot in the past week. Hooked by certain people, certain words directed my way, certain slow moving children when we are already running late, certain tense environments where I literally feel the anger and unspoken words. I am sensitive, and tend to feel everything, including the emotions of […]
Balance Amidst Change
We all face change on a regular basis, in fact, impermanence is one of the principal characteristics of human existence. It is an ordinary state of affairs to which we can all relate. Yet when it is change in our OWN lives or personal experience, we seem to resist the basic fact that change is […]
