The Long Darkness of Winter

The Long Darkness of Winter

Confession: I’m not a huge fan of winter. I live in a temperate rainforest, which is gorgeous and lush and one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen on this planet. It also, by definition, requires abundant rain. Like, six months of rain. Yes, I know rain...
How Gratitude Changes the Brain

How Gratitude Changes the Brain

The thing about living in Canada is that we have (sort of) two Thanksgivings. Americans probably don’t notice ours, which comes in early October, but it’s impossible to miss the cascade of Facebook posts, news articles and—if nothing else—the onslaught of...
Finding Calm Through Fierce Presence

Finding Calm Through Fierce Presence

Different teachers define presence in different ways–Dr. Dan Siegel says it’s “being aware of what you’re doing while you’re doing it.” Eckhart Tolle calls it “rising above thought.”  To me, it means being present in my...
Getting from Resistance to Acceptance

Getting from Resistance to Acceptance

(For the first part of this post, see Acceptance) Resistance, the opposite of acceptance, is a blockage of energy. Think about how we experience tension, anger and worry on a physical level: the stomach feels like it’s in knots; our throats clench; there’s a heaviness...
Creativity and Mindfulness

Creativity and Mindfulness

Novels, J.D. Salinger wrote, grow in the dark. By that, he meant that true creativity comes from the subconscious mind, from allowing ideas time to percolate below our conscious awareness. It’s not just novels, though, that spring forth from the subconscious mind. So...

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