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“We think that the point is to pass the test or overcome the problem, but the truth is that things don't really get solved. They come together and they fall apart. Then they come together again and fall apart again. It's just like that.The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen: room for grief,...[ read more ]

“The main affliction of our modern civilization is that we don’t know how to handle the suffering inside us and we try to cover it up with all kinds of consumption.” ― Thích Nhất Hạnh, No Mud, No Lotus: The Art of Transforming Suffering     The lotus is symbolic of awakening. It's what Thich Nhat Hanh talks about when he says...[ read more ]

“The great gift of a spiritual path is coming to trust that you can find a way to true refuge. You realize that you can start right where you are, in the midst of your life, and find peace in any circumstance. Even at those moments when the ground shakes terribly beneath you—when there’s a loss that will alter your...[ read more ]

'For someone deeply trapped in a prison of thought, how good it can feel to meet a mind that hears, a heart that reassures.' Ram Dass and Paul Gorman Going away on a spiritual retreat is an act of courage and kindness.  When we enter Noble Silence, we take a vow to keep silent for a certain period of time....[ read more ]

"It’s not life that causes suffering, it’s our story about life—our interpretation—that causes so much distress." Pema Chodron The practice of Mindfulness helps us wake up out of our stories about life. As Pema Chodron, an American Buddhist Nun, tells us, it's not life/what is happening in life that creates suffering, it's our interpretation about it. This is great news! It means...[ read more ]

“The cry we hear from deep in our hearts, says Thich Nhat Hanh, comes from the wounded child within. Healing this inner child’s pain will transform negative emotions.” Compassion can help us heal emotional pain… Meeting emotional pain with compassion heals. However, it isn't our first response. When emotional pain arises, we usually try to avoid it, distract ourselves or soothe...[ read more ]

Let go of doing and focus on your most important resource...you! [box] When we leave busyness, worries aside and retreat to a place that is supportive and peaceful we are taking care of our body, mind and heart...this is the power of retreat..[/box] Take a moment to pause and notice what you feel in your body. What is the state...[ read more ]

Acts of Kindness help us open our hearts... In the midst of chaos, suffering, confusion or life in general what I find most healing is when we can be kind towards others and ourselves. Kindness is often overlooked, especially when we are going through a hard time or an overwhelming experience. The act of Kindness has the power to heal...[ read more ]

How easily do you get triggered? We are so easily triggered by our environment. It could be something said, a gesture, a look or a behavior. It doesn't even have to be a person! We can get triggered by the weather or by traffic and we're off and running into a full blown reaction! I experienced that today and I...[ read more ]

What is Mindfulness? “Mindfulness is the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose and non-judgmentally to the unfolding of moment to moment experience. We train in mindfulness by establishing an embodied presence and learning to see clearly and feel fully the changing flow of sensations, feelings (pleasantness and unpleasantness), emotions and sounds. Imagine your awareness as a great wheel....[ read more ]