No matter how quickly we want things to change or how much we want things, people, or situations to be different than they are or how much we want, period, the wisest choice is usually to do nothing. This is the ultimate being-still practice. Doing nothing seems like just that: nothing. Perhaps on the surface [...]
Waiting—we all do it. We wait for the movie to start, the train to come, the weekend, our vacation. We can’t wait until we meet the “right” partner, we’re in the perfect job, or we have more money. What we’re really doing in all these situations is waiting for our life to happen. We’re waiting [...]
Become the Person You Already Are If you have children or have been around children, you’ll notice that they are often quite content and satisfied to exist in their own little world, fascinated with the particular project that at any given moment absorbs them. Whether they are playing with building blocks or digging in the [...]
Although we may find ourselves sitting down through much of the day, how many of us ever make a conscious decision just to sit? Usually, when we’re sitting, we are also driving or eating or working or watching a movie or relaxing. Sitting is usually about something other than just sitting. And if we’ve ever [...]
Situating Yourself: Mind Noise ...continued from Becoming Aware 1:2 - Busy Mind Once you start to become aware and take note of what your mind is doing, create a Quiet Corner bank (some call it a God box—if that works better for you) in which to store all your questions, self-judgments, and self-criticisms. Perhaps you [...]
Standing still is anathema to so many these days. Our lives are about movement, about doing, about getting someplace. We so rarely are where we are. Instead, we’re into the next thing, place, thought, or action, before we even get there. And then when we do get there, we hardly take the time to be [...]
At the recent day of mindfulness on September 28, I gave a dharma talk about opening our hearts to another, to ourselves, to love... and how terrifying that can be. I thought about it for days before. Then I spent Friday and Saturday preparing for the day, searching through notes, books, and my heart to [...]
This is where it all begins—and ends. The foundation of any quiet corner is breathing. If you breathe into your quiet corner and allow your breathing to direct you in your search, it will create space and quiet for your corner. As I concentrate on breathing slowly, my focus shifts and I welcome the ensuing [...]
We can be moving at a furious pace even when we’re not in motion. This activity is usually our mind working overtime, which can cause stress, distress, anxiety, and health problems. The solution then is simple: Slow down the movement of our mind. But when our mind continues to move, even after our body is [...]
September always feels like a new beginning, a slightly larger and grander new beginning than the one I experience each time I sit on my meditation cushion. But that’s just my history. I now take each day, no matter the season, as a new beginning. Just back from a month in the Vermont countryside, I [...]
