A dear student of mine sent me an email with some concerns regarding his decision to move towards work in the area of healing. He feels he’s made for such work and I agree with him. He is highly empathic and has a deep aching to help relieve people’s suffering. I’ve...
There is a lovely acronym that’s been sprouting up in the lexicon of self-care and self-healing that I’ve found very useful. That acronym is RAIN. Tara Brach, a distinctive voice in Western Buddhism, is a terrific resource for exploring the RAIN process. Hmm....
In so many ways, following through on a creative project teaches a radical level of mindfulness and self-compassion, as well as the grace of ruthless, unconditional forgiveness. The creative process instills a remarkable ability to not only tolerate ambiguity and...
Mindfulness. Compassion. Self-Compassion. Yeah nice stuff! I was at at the Department of Motor Vehicles acting a bit spacey and muddled by the time I got to the counter. The nice lady with the camera smiled at me and said, “Take your time. Be mindful.” I...
I was having a conversation this morning with one of my meditation students, and we got onto the question of action and emptiness. It’s often confusing when to back off from activity and take a break. The worried mind wonders, “Am I copping out?” Shouldn’t I keep...
For the sake of this article, I’m using the label ”non-violent self-improvement” to talk about an approach of intentionally directed self-care that respects our humanity, our fears and hurts, while patiently, gently, focusing our attention towards the good....
