I was on a padded table, head on a pillow, a cushion beneath my knees. Soothing music played in the background, and the lights were dim. The woman with smiling eyes began by lifting my ankles and holding them gently. After a few moments she moved up to my spine, placing her hands underneath my backbone, making very subtle movements. …
The Triggers In Your Environment
Last week I wrote about how easy it was to meditate in the temples and gardens of Bhutan and Nepal, and how challenging it was to maintain a practice at home with all the distractions and triggers. Creating change in our behavior is difficult at best and nearly impossible if we aren’t aware of the environment and its impact. You …
How Does the Environment Affect You?
I entered the garden through a metal gate within a gray concrete brick wall. Straight ahead was a walkway and a three-story chorten (stupa) that looked like a large white and gold vase. Instead of flowers, there was a pyramid-like pillar topped by a crescent moon and sun. Each tier was encompassed by a white wrought-iron fence that looked like …
The Importance of Self-Gratitude
I’ve been reading about self-compassion lately, and wondering why it is so much easier to feel compassion for others and not ourselves. Why is it easier to forgive others for their missteps, but so hard to give ourselves grace? Those questions led me to ponder the nature of gratitude. Why is it difficult to recognize all the things in the …
Who Do You Want To Be?
This week I’ve been struggling with doubt. Self-doubt. I was sitting in a meeting a few days ago and I wondered, “am I really contributing here?” “Am I the right person with the right skills to help? There is so much this organization needs and I feel so inadequate to help it move forward. Am I the right person? …
Assumptions to Mindsets…..What are your Assumptions?
Someone asked me a few weeks ago, “Were you a cheerleader in high school, someone who was popular?” “No” I replied. “Well, I just can’t figure you out” she said. That exchange keeps wafting through my mind. At the time, I was astounded that someone could think I was a cheerleader or one of the “in crowd.” Upon reflection, the …
New Year Questions, Not Resolutions!
At this time of year there is a myriad of articles, blog posts, and advice columns providing guidance on how to set goals and resolutions for the New Year to make 2017 the best year yet! And there are as many articles on why we don’t keep our New Year’s resolutions to avoid sugar, fats and simple carbohydrates. We will …
Questions or Answers?
How often have you gotten so caught up in finding (or defending) the “right” answer that you’ve forgotten that the power is in the question? Or, even more challenging, you’ve become so sure of the answer that you don’t even question the question? What happens when we become so focused on answers that we no longer even ask questions? I …