April 22nd, 2016

On the way back from from painting pottery, we drove past City Park and it was a glorious spring day. I felt so blessed to have glimpsed the fleeting spring (what with global warming underway at breakneck speed). The glistening blue lake, reflecting silver rivulets in the warm, golden sunshine. The lush, earthy emerald grass. The immense, towering, sinewy trees, reaching their arms towards the glistening cerulean sky above. The ambrosial flower bushes dotted with buds the color of wine and cherries.

Everything was verdant, blossoming, flourishing, exalted and self-actualized in their respective remarkable and brief lives.

Our life is like that. Yet, we usually spend our time walking around the lake of true living. Some of us dip toes and ankles in, but few of us dive in head first.


Mantra:

PS Articles roundup:

U.S. Suicide Rate Surges to a 30-Year High

Why Do Girls Tend to Have More Anxiety Than Boys?

Should Moms Manage the Money?

Gap Year May Have Benefits Long After College

Three words we love just got added to the dictionary.

These Are the Most Polluted Cities in the U.S.

Scientists say 93 percent of the Great Barrier Reef now bleached

Global snapshot of indigenous peoples health released



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April 20th, 2016

Being Like Water

"Be like water making its way through the cracks. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves." - Bruce Lee

In the winter, many rivers freeze over and turn into rigid, stagnant sheets of ice. When branches break and fall into these river, they thrash and crash upon them breaking the ice upon impact, penetrating the unsuspecting water underneath, the water freezing back over the branch, trapping it like a splinter.

So, too, are the winters of our own lives. When we stay rigid, all of life's debris hits us violently and becomes trapped and stuck within us. What we resist persists. In situations such as these, we must try to remain as water and not as ice. We must let the contents of life flow through us, the way a running river welcomes falling branches and carries them through rather than getting stuck and stagnant, holding and resisting at the same time.

Human emotions can also be likened to flowing water. There is nothing wrong with anger, for example, when we allow it to flow. Yet when we harden ourselves to anger or deny ourselves the freedom to feel it and let it flow through, we are faced with stagnant resentment, bitterness, and hate.

Thus we must allow life and everything that it presents us with to flow through us without clinging or pushing away or resisting.

The life in us is like the water in a river.

• Bring to mind a challenge that you are currently facing. See this challenge as a tree brand in your mind's eye.
• Visualize a river that is frozen solid in the midst of winter. Tense your muscles as you inhale and picture yourself as the ice Consider how your "branch" might hit you in this stance.
• Exhale slowly and allow your "ice" to thaw and melt into a flowing current that is not disturbed by debris. Now imagine receiving whatever branch is coming your way and moving it through.
• Contemplate upon how you might soften and flow to become like flowing water. 

Mantra: I allow life - and whatever the day brings me - to flow through me.


PS Article Roundup

More Than Half Of Americans Are Breathing Polluted Air Right Now

Target Just Took A Strong Stand On The Transgender Bathroom Controversy

'Pee Power' Turns Urine into Sustainable Power Source for Electronic Devices

Doctors Issue Call to Combat Climate Change

Floating urban forest coming to New York this summer

PPS

April 19th, 2016

Leaning Into Our Pain

"Something hurts, lean in. You just lean into that point until it loses its power over you. There's a certain amount of suffering that you have to be willing to sustain if you want to have a good life. And the real trick is to be able to sustain it with your heart open and still be loving." - Will Smith

I have spent much of my life resisting and trying to outrun, outsmart, and outperform my pain by trying to make thing in my life certain and definite. Categorizing things as black or white, good or bad, and all or nothing made me feel safer and more in control. However, my inability to lean into the discomfort restricted my ability to experience love, fulfillment, belonging, trust, joy, and creativity to the fullest. Resisting my pain helped me realize that while pain is inevitable, suffering is optional. 


Trying to avoid the inevitable pain, messiness, and unpredictability that comes with life only serves to prevent learning. Indeed, suffering is the result of trying to avoid life. Life cannot be avoided because you are life and no matter how much you try to perform, perfect, please, or prove, you cannot escape yourself. 


Life patiently and continually presents us with opportunities for learning. We often fall into the  trap of believing that we need to "pass the test" or "overcome the problem" but life is not meant to be solved. Things come together and fall apart again and again like waves in the ocean. 


Healing, hope, and strength come from allowing ourselves to be with the now. By allowing ourselves to lean into what is. By allowing ourselves to be affected. By growing our capacity to be human. By experiencing life in its full expression. 
In the words of Pema Chodron:


"Instead of blaming our discomfort on outer circumstances or on our own weakness, we can choose to stay present and awake to our experience, not rejecting it, not grasping it, not buying the stories that we relentlessly tell ourselves. This is priceless advice that addresses the true cause of suffering - yours, mine, and that of all living beings."

•    Bring to mind a conversation or encounter that you know you will face in the next week that challenges you. Pick something that gets you off balance just thinking about it.

•    Let yourself all the thoughts and feelings that come up that are associated with this conversation or encounter. 

•    In the privacy of your own brain, work to develop new and creative responses to the circumstance.  

•    In your creative imagination, explore what it would look like for you to show up in this conversation or encounter with just a bit more courage and compassion. 

•    A couple of times a day, practice leaning into your discomfort in the privacy of your own mind. Do not resist your brain's natural impulses as they come up. By leaning into your discomfort intentionally and mindfully, you stimulate your brain in ways that develop greater flexibility and open avenues for greater behavioral choice.

•    Remember that you transform your life, breath by breath. "By leaning into your discomfort not by leaping over it."

Mantra: Today, I resist nothing. I lean into the experience of life.

PS Article roundup:

US consumption of bottled water has finally caught up to soda

Boston Marathon Bombing Survivor Crosses The Finish Line

Americans say they care about the environment but aren't willing to pay for it

Scientists Find The Skin Cell That Makes Us Itch, Paving The Way For Treatments

PPS

April 17th, 2016

Self-Care

“Nourishing yourself in a way that helps you blossom in the direction you want to go is attainable, and you are worth the effort.” - Deborah Day

There is nobody who should care more about you than you do. There is also nobody better equipped to take care of you than yourself. Self-care has a lot of stigma and shame associated with it. We often liken self-care to self-indulgence, narcissism, and hedonism. Self-care is not selfish, nor is it a product of an ego-centric or conceited generation.

Self-care is simply any deliberate thought, word, or action of the Self for the Self. Self-care is the source from which self-confidence, self-esteem, and selflessness are fed. Without caring for our Selves, we have no reservoir from which to draw from in caring for others or pursuing those things in the world that make us come alive. 

Taking care of our Selves means letting go of obsessively care taking others. Self-care means letting go of perfectionism, self-deprecation, and self-hatred. Self-care means letting go of unrealistic standards - both for ourselves and for others. Self-care means taking full responsibility for ourselves and letting go of feeling overly responsible for others. When we are responsible to ourselves, we are able to better tend to our responsibilities to others.

We shift away from victimhood to empowerment when we able to care for the person we will be with and live with at all times - ourselves. Caring for ourselves can mean "me first"on occasion. But more often than not, caring for ourselves means, "me too." 

Caring for our Selves is not an excuse to avoid our problems or the world or to isolate in a cocoon of distraction. Rather self-care is the fertile earth from which we can sow the seeds of healthy and sustainable relationships with others and ourselves. 

It is enough to be taken care of yourself. In the words of Melody Beatty, "Nurtured, nourished people, who love themselves, are the delight of the Universe." 

• Take out a piece of paper and answer the following questions:
• What do I need to do in order to take care of myself today or in this very moment?
• What is and has gotten in the way of taking care of myself in the past? 
• What false beliefs do I have about self-care that I need to let go of?
• What people and circumstances in my life do I need to stop feeling overly responsible for?
• To what people and things in my life do I need to say "no" and "yes" to today?

Mantra: I am aware of and practice what I need to do to take care of myself. 


PS

April 16th, 2016

Paying Attention

"“The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, to match your nature with Nature.” - Joseph Campbell

When pain or panic appear to tighten their grip around possibility, when despair or desperation constricts your sense of life, when anxiety or agitation draws the peace right out of you, try placing your attention on your breath and observe the nearest thing. 

Try watching a single leaf as it rustles softly in the wind. Watch the way the sole indentations inside a worn pair of shoes turn into the imprints of a soul, when stared at long enough. Watch how an object - once so treasured and loved - is calling for you to let it go. Watch each little thing, and after a while, notice how every thing and everything is yet another symbol and portal into the center we all share. 

A vital and indispensable relationship exists between all things. If we are to observe anything with our whole Self - be it animals, plans, the human heart, hunger, or even a musical instrument - we will find that we share a core with these things that can only be described by a language that resides beneath words. The world - whether natural or manmade - is a boundless source of unique teachings, each formed of the same essence that is camouflaged in the open, patiently awaiting our total attention to show itself. By drinking from this source, the profound and united center within all things has revealed itself to me time and time again.

We so easily forget this common way of things and are guided by our insatiability and by universal providence back to the source so that we may once again experience and live in the space of being One with All. 

We must learn to let in the Universe or be crushed by it. We must grow strong enough to love the world yet empty enough to come face to face with its worst horrors. Our destines and our being are bound inextricably with the beings and destinies of all things.

• Observe an object in motion - water trickling from thawing ice on a rooftop; the gentle back and forth rocking of a swing in a playground; the spinning of a top or a turbine. 
• Place your attention on your breath. Once centered, be aware of your heart beating. 
• Slowly merge the beat of your own heart with the beat of what is before you until you see and feel your shared truth.

Mantra: I am one with all things. I am one with the Universe. 

PS

April 15th, 2016

When We Want to Pretend

“Oh, what a tangled web we weave...when first we practice to deceive.” – Walter Scott

Once upon a time, an old and childless king nearing the end of his days began to look for an heir. He gathered all the children from his kingdom and invited them to the castle one afternoon.

Upon their arrival, the king gave each child a single seed and charged them with the task of planting, watering, and taking good care of their seeds. He asked them all to return to the castle in exactly one year where the child with the most beautiful plant would be crowned the next king or queen.

One of these children, a girl named Sage, carefully planted her seed in a put full of nutrient-rich soul, made sure that it was well-watered, and given adequate sunshine. She cared for her seed every day for week after week and month after month. At school, the other children bragged about the beautiful, lush plants that had grown from their seeds. Yet, no plant sprouted from Sage’s pot.

After a year had passed, the children congregated once again in the palace, anxiously awaiting the king’s decision. Dispirited and ashamed, Sage stood in the back of the room with her pot staring longingly at the other children who held verdant, exotic plants.

The king entered the room and looked surprised to see all of the beautiful plants in the room. He walked up and down the rows of children nodding and not saying much until he finally came to Sage at the very end.

“What is your name, child?” asked the king.

“Sage,” Sage replied meekly.

“Where is your plant, Sage?” the king asked gently.

“Your highness, I planted the seed you gave me and gave it plenty of water, sun, and love each and every day for the past year. I tried my best, your highness, but I have failed. I am sorry,” replied Sage.

The king turned to face the crowd of children and their parents and announced in a booming voice, “Behold, my people, your future queen, Sage! This girl is my successor!”

Befuddlement and consternation swept over the crowd as the king went on to explain, “One year ago, I gave each child a boiled seed that could not grow into a plant. Only Sage had the integrity, humility, and honor to stand with us all in truth today. Surely, she will lead our kingdom with these traits.”

Indeed, when we lead with honesty and openness, we attract relationships and opportunities based upon these elements and we invite those that we are in relationship with to show up in kind.

·      When you feel the urge to pretend to be bigger, better, or anything that you are not, take a deep breath and pause.

·      Ask yourself whether you want to cultivate a relationship based upon deceit or a relationship based upon honestly and integrity with the person you are trying to pretend with. Ask yourself whether you want to cultivate a relationship based upon deceit or a relationship based upon honestly and integrity with yourself.

·      Breathing into whatever fear or discomfort or shame you might experience, let your values and your intuition guide you

Mantra: I speak with integrity.


PS Article Roundup

Scientific consensus: Earth's climate is warming

Zika causes microcephaly and other birth defects, CDC concludes

In almost half of the US, daycare can be more expensive than college

Americans Spent More on Drugs Last Year: Report

Brain Implant Helps Restore Movement for Paralyzed Patient

Wind energy overtaking the competition


PPS

April 14th, 2016

Hearing Others

"Somewhere we know that without silence words lose their meaning, that without listening speaking no longer heals, that without distance closeness cannot cure." - Henri Nouwen

Being in relationship involves really seeing and hearing the other person without judgment and with total acceptance. To this end, we can practice the H.E.A.R approach in our relationships: 

H- Hold all assumptions. Put your ego, personal beliefs, and assumptions to the side and listen openly and objectively with interest and curiosity.

E- Empathy to engage, not enrage. Being empathetic does not mean pitying the other person. Empathy involves putting yourself in someone else's shoes in order to better understand them and feel with them.

A- Absorb and accept. Allow the other person's ideas sink in and be open to what they have to say without reacting. Accepting someone's ideas doesn't mean that you like them or agree with them; rather, accepting means that your accept that they believe what they believe.  

R- Reflect, then respect. Be thoughtful and take your time before responding. Step back from the situation and evaluate it without getting caught in the details and emotions involved. When you are ready to respond, do so with kindness and respect. 

We so often hear one another without actually listening. We so often formulate our replies while the other person is still talking. We so often make up our minds and take stances before a conversation has even begun. We so often react  without slowing down and respond from a place of heightened emotions, preconceived notions, and judgment. 

All these things serve to erode - truly eat at - our relationships and our sense of self. We have the power and the choice to show up the way we want to in relationships.

We have the power to be the kind of people we want to be - in relationships and in life.

• Today, practice listening using the H.E.A.R steps.
• Pick one interaction that isn't contentious or conflicted to begin with and allow yourself to truly listen in the moment - with all of your senses.
• Reflect on how that interaction might have been different had you reacted automatically or with judgment or resistance. 

Mantra: I will listen to myself and others with empathy, acceptance, and respect.
PS Articles Roundup

Nestlé Develops Foods to Treat Diseases

Major hotel chain to grow vegetables at 1000 properties to cut food waste

How coal titan Peabody, the world’s largest, fell into bankruptcy

How Urban Farms Are Changing the Way We Eat

Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg steps into political fray

Greenland's Melt Season Begins Almost 2 Months Early



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