New at the Center: a mailbox and a need help button

 

The Center is an immersive experience that allows you to take a step back from all the stress and strains in your daily life, the soft ambient sounds and hazy colors allow you to focus on your meditation or just relax to regain your balance and spiritual well-being. We are here to support and inspire you therefor we placed the mailbox at the landing spot, (ctrl drag your notecard to the box) we want to hear your story, comments, suggestions and questions ♥

However we are not professionals so if you find yourself in a crisis situation and need rl help or support we added the need help button, on touch it will give you a notecard with useful links to sites, information, chat, phone numbers for your region. 

Mindful Thought: Side Note

On Friday late I had a conversation with someone who asked me if Mindfulness makes you a better person and if that means she had to 

transform in a Sister Theresa like personality.

I have two answers for this question. Mindfulness makes you a better person and no, you do not transform into a saint.

In our Western world Mindfulness has evolved to a wellness type movement focused on being better, working better, feeling better etc. 

In Buddhism the Pali word for "mindfulness" is sati. Sati can also mean 'retention, recollection, or alertness. Mindfulness is a whole-body-and-mind awareness of the present moment. To be mindful is to be fully present, not lost in daydreams, anticipation, indulgences, or worry.

Mindfulness also means observing and releasing habits of mind that maintain the illusion of a separate self. This includes dropping the mental habit of judging everything according to whether we like it or not. Being fully mindful means being fully attentive to everything as-it-is, not filtering everything through our subjective opinions.

Here the big difference is we completely let go of the ego and therefor feel no judgment towards others as we see them not separate from ourselves 

therefor love and kindness for everyone becomes possible. What you perceive as yourself you can not harm.

This state of enlightenment is hard to achieve for most of us as we run the treadmill of our Western society and are bombarded with so many things constantly fighting for our attention. That does not mean we can't adopt and integrate the beginnings of these teachings in our lives. 

The reason why I share this with all of you is that even those small beginnings do change our life. And no, not to turn us into saints. 

Human life is suffering, on top of all things most of us have to go through there is the awareness of our own inevitable death. 

This death anxiety subconscious influences our behaviors on a psychological, spiritual, and cultural level. 

There is a relation between human violence and death.

Yet in our society aging and death are almost a taboo and we all join the race to ignore it and not talk about it. Infinite youth is a relic and worshiped 

as the ultimate goal. And this while facing and/or discussing death can actually be a meditation for living fuller lives.

Mindfulness can not cure any of the challenges we face as human beings but it can help us how to perceive them and how deeply we let them affect us.

If you have a car accident today and your car is wrecked, this can be an example human suffering. In Buddhism the car accident is not the suffering, the car accident

is an experience, what the mind does with the experience is the suffering. You can feel depressed and lost in negative thoughts for a week about your car or

the trained mind would be grateful to be alive, that it was not worse and learned from the experience. 

This is two perspectives of the same event.

Most of us do not have the trained minds of Buddhist monks so we will probably feel the more negative experience. Mindfulness can make it less worse, because

we are in the moment and aware of our thoughts and get faster out of that state of mind and at the end perhaps come to the conclusion we are grateful we are healthy and no one got hurt.

This example goes for almost everything in our lives. You will still feel sad, angry and disappointed even if you meditate every day and practice being in the present moment a few times a day. The same misfortune and negative events will still happen to you. Mindfulness will help you perceive them from another angle, 

be aware of the thoughts you have and adjust those thoughts to what is helpful.

So this does make you a better person over time and those around you will benefit from it and notice the change in you. It is however a process of win and fail and learning every time. The good thing is every day is a new day to start over ♥ 

Mindful Thoughts: Gratitude pt5

 

I start with this quote I found on a blog I linked at the bottom of this notecard, no idea who wrote it but it is a great quote to share with you ♥

“If you do not respect your whole, you cannot expect to be respected as well. Don’t let your partner love a lie, an expectation. Trust yourself. Bet on yourself. If you do this, you will be opening yourself to be really loved. It’s the only way to find real, solid love in your life.”

Self Love is not about putting yourself first in a manner it hurts those around you, nor is it posting 10 pictures on Instagram a day, that is the self-love we act out to get validation from others. 

Treating yourself to expensive meals, spending a night with someone regardless the consequences, procrastinate and delay everything to later, rejecting things that take effort, reject challenges, seeking validation and approval from others, believing it's all about you...

This may seam about self-love but it is actually not, it takes the idea of self-love too personally, while self-love is a journey that is primarily focused on the self, it doesn’t mean that you must become obnoxiously selfish, thinking of no one but yourself.

Every time you don’t get exactly what you want, you might become frustrated or annoyed, leading to a mental state that is the opposite of what self-love is supposed to achieve.

While a temporary happiness comes in the form of direct benefits – if your goals and wishes becoming fulfilled as clearly and quickly as possible- the satisfaction and happiness is short term and makes place for more disappointment, frustration and wishing things were different and total lack of gratitude.

Nothing of that will stop the nagging 'voice' or thoughts, this internalized dialog is at the root of much of our self-destructive and maladaptive behavior.

This critical inner voice is experienced as thoughts within our head. The stream of destructive thoughts forms an anti-self that discourages us from acting in our best interest.

Most common thoughts like “You’re stupid,” “You’re not attractive,” or “You’re not like other people.”

Or about your career, like “You’ll never be successful,” “No one appreciates how hard you work,” or “You are under too much pressure, you can’t handle this stress.”

Or about your relationship, such as “He doesn’t really care about you,” “You’re better off on your own,” or “Don’t be vulnerable, you’ll just get hurt.”

So what do I mean then with self-love???

Time is your most important currency, live mindfully, truthfully, and intentionally. Try to train your mind to no longer get lost in thoughts, stop jumping on the train of association. Help yourself by leaving little reminders everywhere to call yourself to the present moment.

Things to do: Hang little Post-its or Stickers in the bathroom, your office, your car, the kitchen... to remind you to be in the present moment. 

Treat yourself well; physically, emotionally. Listen to your body and your mind at the most basic level – if something doesn’t feel good, then it is probably bad for you. Protect yourself, from the dangers of both greasy food and toxic friends.

Eat healthy, exercise regularly even taking walks, sleep enough hours, and surround yourself with people that help you grow and not pull you down.

Don’t limit yourself, but don’t confuse self-love with hedonism. Moderation is good for the soul.

Treat yourself with the same respect, kindness, and mindfulness that you would offer the people who matter most to you in your life.

Love yourself with the same patience and tenderness you would give your own child, partner, sibling, or parent.

Be kind but be stern; learn to discipline, but learn to forgive. You are your own greatest fan, your own greatest rival, and your own greatest love.

Learn to see yourself in ways you have never considered.

Things to do: make a reminder to be kind to yourself. Draw a heart on your wrist, on your water bottle,

hang little smile and heart stickers on your mirror, smile at yourself. 

Most important one: stop identifying with your nagging, critical inner voice

You can take power over your critical inner voice. When you become aware of what it is telling you, you can stop it from running your life. The challenge is to identify it and ‘flush it out’. To do this, when you slip into a bad mood or become upset. Investigate: what caused the shift? What happened and, most importantly, what did you start telling yourself?

 The fact that your mood shifted from feeling good or relaxed to feeling down or irritable is probably a sign that you perceive through your critical inner voice.

When you have identified that your critical inner voice is advising you, what is it trying to get you to do? 

When you pinpoint the actions it wants you to take, take control over your critical inner voice, decide to take action against it and acting solely in your own interest.

Things to do: every time you become aware your critical inner voice is telling you negative things

answer no, not taking it and shush the voice giving it no importance.

And here we come to the most important part for self-love

Self acceptance and gratefulness for who you are right now.

You set the standards for your self-acceptance. You decide to stop grading yourself, or keeping score with yourself, you can adopt an attitude of forgiveness. In fact, once you stop your lifelong habit of assessing, and reassessing yourselves and compassionately understand your past, you'll find that there's really nothing to forgive. Of course, you can vow to do better in the future, but you can nonetheless accept yourself precisely as you are today, regardless of our shortcomings.

We don't have to actually do anything to self-accept. Only change the way we look at ourselves. Changing our behavior is a matter of personal preference but not a prerequisite for acceptance.

Focus on our positives, practice self-compassion, forgive our self for our faults.

As soon as we can give our self approval and be grateful for who we are at this moment we stop needing other's approval. 

Finally, there's no reason at all to not change the sense of your self. And we may need to remind ourselves that our various weaknesses are part of what makes us human. So in the pursuit of unconditional self-acceptance, we might even want to take a certain pride in our imperfections. After all, were we beyond criticism in the first place, we'd never have the opportunity to rise to this uniquely human challenge.

Things to do: every morning before getting out of bed take a minute to think about something you are grateful for, can be something little or the sun shining through your window, the smell of coffee or happy you woke up in time...

Great article and tips for self love

Eckhart Tolle Teachings 

Quote by Mizu: What i like to think about past/future is.. that it's like a book that is still being written... no point in thinking about past, the pages are already filled - and you can't change them anymore... and future, is empty pages... no point in thinking "wonder what will be written here", if there's still pages to be filled before it , today

Mindful Thoughts: Gratitude pt 4

 

Gratitude and Self-Love

Today we look at gratefulness and how it is intertwined with self-love.

When you take a minute to look at how much you have accomplished, for yourself or others, you feel empowered, efficient. Often, we tend to focus on the failures, or negative experiences in our lives. 

When you were little, you may have been led to believe things about yourself by your parents, family members, school, friends, religion, culture, …and you may have decided to adopt those things as truth. Some of those things may be have been positive; others were negative.

And so, you have gathered evidence that affects your ability to show gratitude and self-love. That evidence may be real. It may be false.

Often, we feel guilt, shame–and think about what we should have done. We dwell on what’s missing, or what could have been, or how we should look, or what we should have said…

Learning how to be grateful for the good things in your life can help reverse that trend and put you on a path toward self-love and a more positive outlook on life. 

Gratitude is a huge help with any stress in your life. You may be five minutes late for work every day, no matter how hard you try, but you can be thankful for the fact that your boss values your contributions to your job enough to overlook something that might be grounds for dismissal for someone else. And in times of trauma, gratitude is a huge coping method. Even though you may have just suffered a mighty blow to your life, being grateful that things could have been worse, and that you are still alive to see another day, is an effective way to draw your focus away from the negative, and eventually adjust and move on.

Be thankful for yourself!

Being happy with who you are is something to be thankful for in and of itself. So many people walk around every day, upset with themselves because of something arbitrary, and it is usually something they could change. Being grateful for yourself is the cornerstone of self-love; the more you are able to develop your sense of self-love, the more you will be able to be grateful for what is around you, and vice versa.

If you have a people-pleasing personality, you may find it hard at first to put your own thoughts and feelings before others, but the more you make yourself aware of yourself, the easier it will be to learn self-love, and to be thankful for it.

Appreciating yourself helps you build your self-esteem and self-worth as well. And all of these things combine to help you create a positive body image, as well as a positive inner sense of self. Being grateful for your body can really help when you’re sick or injured. It might also just give you the added jolt you need to appreciate your life, despite facing a current downturn.

Naming the things about ourselves that we’re grateful for, or choosing to do things differently because we have the power to see ourselves as perfect, innocent, and capable of change is a good choice. You are worthy. You are good enough, You are perfect. Curious about how to get to a place where you can say all those things to yourself and believe them? 

Tomorrow I will teach you little tasks to help you feel acceptance, appreciation and gratefulness for yourself ♥

Spring Forest Qigong Wednesday at 3pm led by Cythe

It started more than 4,000 years ago when Chinese scholars, studying the workings of the universe, discovered and established the Eastern scientific principle that everything is energy.

One of the best ways to help yourself maintain a healthy lifestyle is to practice Qigong. Qi means  “energy" and Gong means "to work with" so simply put Qigong means working with the body's energy.

Spring Forest Qigong is a modernized form of qigong developed by International Qigong Master Chunyi Lin after years of qigong, tai chi, martial arts practice and intensive meditation.

Spring Forest Qigong is a simple, effective system of movements and meditations that can be done anywhere, anytime, and by anyone.

Spring Forest Qigong can help you increase your energy and improve your physical, mental, and spiritual health.

SFQ empowers you to:

● Discover your natural ability to help heal yourself

● Acquire the power to help protect yourself from ill health; mentally, physically, and spiritually

● Learn knowledge and skills to continually strengthen your health, well-being, and mental outlook throughout your lifetime

● Develop your natural capability for helping others to heal

Spring Forest Qigong is an integrated form of healing, helping us to heal on all levels – physically, mentally/emotionally, and spiritually. Although each person and situation is unique, the benefits of practicing SFQ can include:

● Pain-free movement and greater flexibility

● A sense of happiness, contentment and peace

● Reduced stress and tension

● Improved metabolism, digestion, and elimination

● Balanced energy

● A more youthful appearance

● Increased awareness and mental acuity

● Increased strength and vitality

● Restore organs to their healthy, optimal functioning by giving them an “inner massage” and thus slowing the aging process

 

Qigong is the science of the body. Many people also consider it a “healing art” or “energy art.” There have been many medical studies done on qigong. Qigong has been found to be beneficial to helping improve health and wellness, and researchers often recommend further research.

https://www.springforestqigong.com/qigong-and-science

 

The Wishing Tree

 

New at the Center, The Wishing Tree, on touch you can type your own wish in local chat to add to the tree and you can also take a peek at other's wishes ♥

Mindful Thought: Gratitude part 3

 

Practicing gratitude can be a game-changer: it has far reaching effects, from improving our mental health to boosting our relationships with others. And that is what I want to bring to your attention today: gratitude towards others, lovers, partners, family and friends. 

Living your life with gratitude helps you notice the little wins — like the bus showing up right on time, a stranger holding the door for you, or the sun shining through your window when you wake up in the morning. Each of these small moments string together to create a web of well-being that, over time, strengthens our ability to notice the good.

Hydonic Adaptation (fancy term for getting used to something) and negativity bias undermine our lives but also our long term relationships, we take each other for granted, we get bored, complacency.  We focus on the negative events in our lives and relationships.

Gratitude is the antidote.

Moments of gratitude help us recognize the value in our partners and friends—and a valuable partner is worth holding onto. In a number of studies researchers found this to be true, when we feel more appreciative than usual of our partners, they also report more feelings of commitment.

Gratitude has long-term consequences: The more grateful we are, the more committed we are over time. Feelings of gratitude are tied to the motivation to maintain a relationship.

Being motivated to stay in a relationship is only part of the story. We also need to act on that motivation. And gratitude is valuable here as well: experiencing gratitude also promotes behaviors that help us hold onto our relationships.

We are more thoughtful and responsive to others’ needs on days when we feel grateful for them.

We are more caring and attentive listeners during discussions—a key for promoting intimacy in relationships.  Gratitude helps us gain and maintain that intimacy. 

When we work to maintain the relationship our partner feels appreciated and 

this is where the good stuff happens. Recognizing you have a valuable partner and acting accordingly can help your partner feel more valued. 

We  signal those feelings through more caring and attentive behavior—for instance, by asking clarifying questions of our partner when he or she is discussing a problem. This has profound effects.

Now to complete the circle, an appreciated partner is a grateful partner

On days when they feel more appreciated by us, they experience increases in their own feelings of gratitude. And this makes sense: What partner is more valuable than one who clearly values you?

And this is where the benefits of gratitude really take off. So now, both partners are focused on maintaining the relationship. In this way, that first moment of gratitude can spark an ongoing cycle of gratitude and generosity ♥

One to watch: Saying "Thank You" Improves Relationships

Mindful Thought: Gratitude pt2

 

This week is about gratefulness, one important pillar of Mindfulness.

There is no doubt that personal happiness is directly correlated to gratefulness, it’s the driving force of true happiness. Becoming thankful doesn’t just make you a happier person, it literally boosts your immune system, lowers blood pressure, decreases depression, improves your love life, and gives you more patience in enduring times. And you will spark joy in the lives of those around you. 

Gratitude confirms your loved ones importance for you. 

I do not want to ramble a lot of scientific facts (and there are a lot) so we focus on little exercises. Yesterday I gave you the Thank you texture to share, I added it in the notecard I will give you so you have always access to it to use and share it.

I had some really sweet reactions and comments sending it out to my Second Life friends. Bet you had the same experience?

Let's make this a once a week schedule to let those important to us we are grateful for their love and friendship 

A little task to do: when you wake up in the morning, before getting out of bed take a minute to think of something you are grateful

for. Something little or something big. It puts you in the right state of mind to start your day and it is a very easy practice that quickly becomes a habit.

I want to share with you this Ted talk from David Steindl-Rast

Dan Harris wrote this book 10% Happier and in a podcast coined this idea The ABC of gratefulness

The practice is simple and soothing, and a great thing to do when you’re tossing and turning in bed. As you go to sleep, go through the alphabet and say one thing for each letter that you’re grateful for. It can be something or someone big and powerful, or something as simple and stupid as the coffee you had in the morning. I especially enjoy the little ones because it reminds us how important and overlooked the little things are.

A — Thank you for Alexander, my husband, who loves and care for me.

B — Thank you for my Brother, always there to support me.

C — Thank you for my Car, getting me from point A to point B

Z — I’d be shocked if you make it to Z before falling asleep 😴

Mindful Thought: Gratitude pt 1

 “Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.”

Marcel Proust

Gratitude sharpens our attention for the good and the positive in our lives, which helps us appreciate things that we tend to take for granted. 

We express gratitude by saying “thank you” to someone who has helped us or given us a gift. 

From a scientific perspective gratitude is not just an action: it is also a positive emotion that serves a biological purpose. We acknowledge the care of others. 

Scientists can actually measure the effect that gratitude is more than feeling thankful: it is a deeper appreciation for someone (or something) that produces a longer lasting positivity.  It increases the level of happiness and improves our well being. In other words it is good for us to be grateful.

Think of someone with whom you have shared happy moments or someone who has supported you and been there for you. Send them this Thank You card, you can change the name of the texture to make it personal and you can send it to as many people as you want. You can even save it to your harddisk and send to people in your rl.

Thank you for reading this! Thank you for being you!

Netflix’s ‘The Social Dilemma’: The unfair fight of The People vs The Algorithm

 Making waves online for its subliminal messaging, ‘The Social Dilemma’ features whistle blowers who worked for the greedy Internet companies accused of ‘tech-xploitation of bio-power’

There is a ‘now you see it, now you don’t’ scene in The Social Dilemma, where former Google design ethicist and product philosopher Tristan Harris does a vanishing coin trick. It comes about 20 minutes into the film but it is quite a metaphor for the entire arc of the documentary. Social media is always going to be a dozen steps ahead of you, even when you think you may have cracked the formula for social networking.

As most of the world continues to be home-bound, Netflix has placed audiences in the ultimate social dilemma by streaming The Social Dilemma, the latest documentary from Jeff Orlowski. In the past six months, the OTT giant has put out a plethora of documentaries on the Internet problem, so what is so different with this one that people all over the world are hyperventilating? Answer: All those swirling facts about surveillance, data collection, algorithmic power and addiction have solid corroboration straight from the people who not only worked at these companies but even helped start them or catalyse their growth. In the roughly 90-minute film, a handful of former employees of Twitter, Google, Apple, Facebook, Uber, Instagram and more recount their ethical concerns over the shifting tides of social media and power. As expected, audiences share in the discomfort of these confessionals which appear to be PSAs of sorts.

The Social Dilemma stresses that we have subverted to a lifetime of voluntary servitude online, because — especially now — it is our primary means of connection. It confronts audiences with the reality that future generations are essentially born to only be sent down a rabbit hole that is both addictive and isolating, thanks to features such as ‘doom scrolling’ — formerly known as the euphemistic ‘infinite scrolling.’ continue reading...

-Divya Kala Bhavani for The Hindu

Mindful Thought: Thoughts pt4

 

“Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habit. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.” 

Very famous words of Lao Tzu, a Chinese philosopher and the founder of Taoism

An average person has about 15,000 to 70,000 thoughts per day. Of those, 80% are negative and 95% are repetitive thoughts.

If we repeat those negative thoughts, we think negative way more than we think positive thoughts.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapists have a term for it — ANTs (Automatic Negative Thoughts).

All negative thoughts are not bad. Being alert can help you survive but most negative thoughts are useless. They only create imaginary drama in your mind.

Today I will give you an exercise to break these thinking patterns.

1. Get yourself a notebook or a writing software on your pc or smartphone

2. Make one column with:

 - your fears

 - your insecurities

 - your losses

 - things that stress you out regularly 

 - things that irritate you about other people

 

 3. Make another column or a separate list:

 

 Now, for every negative thought, write at least one positive thought:

 

- Write about what you are proud of or grateful for 

- If you’re insecure about your skills, write how much you’ve improved since you started.

- If you’ve lost a relationship in the past, write about the beautiful time you spent with each other.

- If you stress about work, write how your work is bringing positive things to other people.

- If you don’t like your coworker’s behavior, write one positive thing about that person.

Writing these thoughts down will make it become part of your thinking process. Whenever you think of a negative thought, counter it with a positive one.

Shifting perspective sounds easy. But it’s not.

It takes practice.

Make it a habit. Give yourself this challenge to balance your thoughts.

The aim is to make this habit part of your subconscious. Once it has become part of your thinking process, you will shift your perspective.

We live in either of the two mental states — A beautiful state or a suffering state.

A beautiful state is when you feel love, joy, gratitude, awe, playfulness, ease, creativity, drive, caring, growth, curiosity or appreciation.

A suffering state is when you feel stressed out, worried, frustrated, angry, depressed, irritable, overwhelmed, resentful or fearful.

To become aware you have negative thoughts set an alarm on your smartphone a few times a day or hang up post-its in your work space, mirror, car etc. So you get reminded to check your thinking patterns. 

We can practice being optimistic, make the effort and better the quality of our life that way ♥

♥ Connect with Us ♥

In life, we make all sorts of connections, and in these unusal times, we have all had to get more creative with how we connect with our communities - whether those be family, friends or those in our virtual world. What a privilege that our modern society already had in place all the wonderful technology of social media, video conferencing, text messaging, phones, and emails so that we can still connect while isolating and distancing for safety. 

The Center for Mindfulness invites you to connect with us! Here are some ways: 

1. Join our inworld group if you haven't already done so!

 

2. Attend our classes and programs, and stay afterwards to meet new people. 

Landmark for Center.

3. Chat with us anytime from anywhere by joining our Discord channel.

4.  Join us on Facebook!  Center for Mindfulness SL and feel free to share our posts with all your friends :)

5.  Check our blog posts every day!  Keep up to date with new classes, events, our favorite videos and happy ramblings ♥

6.  Post a pic to our Flickr group!

7.  Add our calendar to yours!  

Thank you for your kind support. It means so much to all of us.  

New Class Coming! Qigong Small Universe Meditation

 The Center for Mindfulness SL is happy to announce a new class on Tuesdays from1-2pm (beginning September 22nd) called Qigong Small Universe Meditation.  We welcome the return of our good friend and former mentor, Cythe who has graciously agreed to teach this class.  Cythe has been practicing and leading qigong for over ten years and we are happy to have her onboard!

Cythe explains Qigong Small Universe Meditation:

Qigong is a modernized form of qigong with simple, effective movements and meditations developed by Qigong Master Chunyi Lin. It can help you increase your energy and improve your physical, mental, and spiritual health. 

Qigong teaches that the underlying cause of any health problem is an energy blockage; remove the blockage and healing can occur. Using effective breathing, healing sounds and visualizations as you move energy, this mediation helps to clear energy blockages along the two most important channels in the body, the front and back channels. These sounds are powerful because their vibrations can reach every corner of the body to clear blockages. 

We have many energy channels and energy centers in our bodies. When energy starts at one point, visits all the channels and centers in the body, and comes back to the starting point, we have what is translated from Chinese ancient wisdom as a “big universe.” 

The most important channels are the back and front channels in the torso. When energy starts at one point on those channels, visits all the parts of the system, and comes back to the starting point we have what is called a “small universe.”

The back governing channel of yang male energy channels in the body starts at the lower dantian area, which is deep behind the navel. It goes down to the bottom of the torso, travels up along the spine to the top of the head, and comes down from the middle of the forehead stopping at the roof of the mouth. The front channel of yin female energy channels also starts from the lower dantian area, goes down to the bottom of the torso, travels up the body passing through the heart and throat stopping under the tongue.

These two channels control and influence the other channels in the body. Nearly all of the important energy centers are arranged along the back and front channels. As a result, energy blockages in the heart energy center could cause heart, lung, breast, chest or intelligence problems. A blockage in the tailbone could cause reproductive organ problems, low sexual energy, and headaches. A blockage in the cervical bone #7 of the spinal cord could cause headaches, fever, diabetes, and lung and heart problems.

The small universe mediation is the easiest mediation technique to open these two important channels.

Qigong has been found to be beneficial to helping improve health and wellness, and researchers often recommend further research.

The Kindness Club: Breaking the Spell of Negative Emotions

Today we enjoyed a video called, "Breaking the Spell of Negative Emotions," by Sam Harris.  Anna has been talking to us about thoughts and mindfulness recently, and this fit nicely into that program.  

Sam Harris is a well-known author with a degree in philosophy from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in neuroscience from UCLA. He has practiced meditation for more than 30 years and has studied with many Tibetan, Indian, Burmese, and Western meditation teachers, both in the United States and abroad.

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WEEKEND ZEN: Foster Connection and Compassion with Yourself and Others

 Some narrations from within the video:  

 “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle.” ― Plato 

    In a world where sometimes we suffer in isolation, make the choice to cultivate kindness, connection, and compassion. Today, make this choice to connect with and build the qualities of compassion and kindness during your meditation so it will carry over into all the activities of your day. Every moment, every behavior, we have the choice, so choose kindness. 

    While we are not personally in each other's presence, know I am sending my loving energy your way. Know that you are not alone. I am here for you and others all over the world are practicing with you and supporting you on your journey as you are doing for them as well. As I am writing and recording this meditation, I am thinking of each one of you and sending you positive energy with the intention of connecting.