Habit is the opposite of mindfulness.
Structure and routine are your friends.
If you accept either of these as true, take a moment to think about how they work together. Take meditation, for example – how do you find a balance between having a steady meditation routine and not letting your spiritual practice stagnate?
Even when I can stay focused, there’s often a background nervous energy vibration that distracts me…This all speaks to a big area of my life, because I seem to need to burn off a certain amount of energy every day.
Later, with some space and having heard the input of others, I was able to reflect more objectively. I saw some of my underlying fears and motivations, and the emotional states that had been triggered…
For five years I lived close to Clear Sky while I studied and worked in the local area. I would spend weekends or sometimes do longer stays there. Aside from meditation and my teachers’ guidance, what has really changed my life is the practice of Karma Yoga. In Karma Yoga, we work closely with others,
When I had no energy to spare, it was so clear how draining any thoughts of worry or doubt were. So, as I watched the truck towing away my car,
Although I was in an incredible environment and doing work that aligned with my values, I still felt a sleepy, heavy fog around career direction. And then the clouds parted. How?..
One thing that can happen when you think there’s an unacknowledged stink in the room is that doubt can creep in. Nobody else is mentioning it, after all! Although I want to say something, I’m questioning whether it’s just my reaction and maybe there’s nothing going on at all.
I have a way of dealing with this.
When was the last time you had a day when everything was perfect? When whatever you set your mind to just seemed to take care of itself? I’ve had days like that. I remember one where I seemed to be in sync with everything: getting out of bed, brushing my teeth, my clothes felt just
Some moments move in fast forward. You blink, and it’s gone. Some moments move more like car accidents, and time seems to stop. When I smashed my roommate’s vase, it was one of those slow moments. A shift in the being Things had started changing a year prior, when I discovered meditation. A friend told
When it’s scary to bring up what’s going on for you, yet you see the suffering of the voices in your head. Four suggestions you can try to get things moving.
Suddenly I was wide awake. With dread, I looked over at the clock on the nightstand, hoping I wouldn’t see what I knew I would…1:30 a.m.! I’d been asleep for less than three hours, and if this night was like all the nights of the past six months, it meant I was awake for the
“I’m sleeping somewhere else tonight.” As I spoke those words, my eyes locked on the road and my mind scrambled to figure out where I was going to stay. Knowing where I’d sleep didn’t matter in the moment though, what mattered was proving to my partner that they couldn’t hurt me. For months, my partner
What we learned from people coming here to do meditation retreats People often come here for a few days or a week to do a meditation retreat in a cabin. Over time, we heard many of them say how they struggled to simply meditate all day, suddenly. And it’s not surprising. Often, retreatants book meditation
You can find Part 1 of this blog here. [Quick Recap – we’re looking at areas that can make our whole life into a supportive container that helps our fluency, in whatever we’re trying to learn. We need this container, whether we’re talking about the Russian language, spiritual growth, a meditation practice, or living more
(Part 1) I don’t know about you, but I’d say my spiritual progress has had both ups and, well I won’t say downs, I’ll say plateaus. Now that I think about it, just when I’ve felt like I’m struggling most, that’s often when my teachers have commented how well I’m doing. So who am I
Cooking for yourself seems like a lot of energy out sometimes. I mean, a meal’s over just like that, and then you’re back at the sink, washing up. Personally, I get way more motivated cooking for a group. I might not be your average person, mind you, because I did live at a retreat center
As we draw near the end of the year we’d like to take this opportunity to wish you the very best for 2018. If you’re a spiritual explorer looking forward to 2018 and you want to bring your daily life more into line with your spiritual life, we think you’ll very much enjoy what we’ve
Lately, you’ve been hearing from us about our online course and Five Principles, and we have a question for you: Do our five principles sound like they’re going to “Ignite Your Spiritual Life?” After all, the second principle talks about structure and routine, and how embracing them actually creates more freedom. Then, the fourth one
It’s not always easy to know what compassion looks like I got an opportunity to practice compassionate speech when I was in a little shop in a village in England several years ago. It was the kind of shop I’d call a “newsagent” – think “corner store” if you don’t know what I’m talking about.
Concentration vs Awareness Awareness and concentration are key to mindfulness and meditation. So what’s the difference between awareness and concentration, and can you have too much of one over the other? Focusing Concentration Surely focusing all our attention on what we’re doing is a good thing. Getting those dishes clean, hitting that nail in straight,
My first meditation retreat was going really well. The whole space – a complex below a temple – was set up to support new meditators. Each day we enjoyed two meals, a short morning class, and the use of two meditation halls. We were in silent retreat except for a daily interview with a teacher,
* Personal Retreat Cabins:
OPEN during COVID. We’ve redesigned our personal retreat packages. Check out our Practice and Integrate Retreat, which offers a supportive balance of formal meditation and mindful activity.
* Integrating Mindfulness: Tools for Holistic Living (Online or In-Person)
September 11 – October 16, 2021
In order to maintain a sense of purpose and connection, we have to learn how to embody mindfulness while navigating the pressures of daily life. Integrating Mindfulness helps you cultivate a supportive container for personal sustainability.
Sign up to our mailing list to receive a link to our guided meditations page.
© 2021 All rights reserved
