…continued from Becoming Aware 1:6 – Your Quiet Voice Just Sitting While much of what we do to be in tune with our own true voice involves action, the most important activity appears on the surface to be one of nonaction. Yet it is the key that unlocks our hearts and minds and awakens our [...]
Morning Early morning is the perfect time to begin looking for your quiet corner meditation. Getting up fifteen minutes to a half hour earlier than usual will give you plenty of time to spend on this new journey. And being awake before the rest of your world will add a new and peaceful dimension to [...]
There is a grave misconception that serenity can only be had while meditating and that meditation can only be done in a quiet room with no distractions. Many people think that meditation is a break from life, a mind vacation, a time-out from the usual, and that if we do this, if we take these [...]
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 [...]
Trust in the Process Whenever you are stuck, breathe. If you find yourself moving too fast, breathe. As you face an important decision, breathe. Breathing is crucial to your emotional and spiritual health. Whenever there is a question in your mind about what to do next or how to do it, just breathe. Sooner or [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
As our society has become so enthralled with narcissism, many of us have come to believe that self-love is bad and selfish. We have done ourselves wrong here. There is nothing wrong with loving ourselves. In fact, this is necessary before we can truly love another. Let’s try to put aside the old myths and [...]
I’ve always been drawn to the simplicity, elegance and beauty of Asian ink painting. There is a calmness and serenity that seems to radiate from the delicate nature of each work of art. Earlier this year, with absolutely no training, and just for fun, I began to play with a brush and some sumi-e ink. [...]
