Two of the most common questions I hear, or hurdles people seem to anticipate, center around time. The first challenge is finding the time. There is no question about it, I’m fortunate in the sense that I have space and I have opportunities for...
OK, I’m going to get just a little mystical again here, but maybe I can take the edge off it. You know how a lot of people think that there’s something lucky about a pair of socks, or a favorite hat, or some kind of ritual. Seems like a lot of...
Even up north in Chicago, where we ping-ponged between eighty degree days and snowfall in April, you can feel the energy stirring. We had a great road trip this month down to Atlanta. Actually I was tagging along as the “trailing spouse”, a role...
More than once the narrative in my mind while I try to find peace in my sitting meditation is a critique of my failure to find peace. That’s not the best path to satisfaction. Most of the advice I’ve ever seen says maybe the most important thing...
I’ve been aware of Arthur Brooks as a “think tank” guy, and more recently as someone who writes for The Atlantic magazine. Recently, my husband came across an interview he did on the 10% Happier podcast for his new book From Strength to Strength,...
One of the new things I started in February, mid-February to be exact, is working with an on-line community through the 12 week Artist Way program. This one is organized by Meredith Hite-Estevez who works under the Lumina Arts Foundation brand and...
I've meditated in lots of different places - more hotel rooms than I can count - but my favorite nest ever is the place where I sit most days at home in Chicago. My husband and I have kind of an unusual living situation - we have two condos in the...
I get great creative insights when I meditate. That sounds like a good thing, and for the most part it is, but the challenge is what to do with them when they come around. Meditation wisdom says don’t hang on to your thoughts, let them pass by...
When sitting doesn’t work, and lying down seems too much like a nap, there is always walking meditation. Here’s the idea – you walk, usually back and forth, not trying to get anywhere, taking each step deliberately. If there is a labyrinth near...
After all the talk you can find about how to sit, that is hardly the only option. Do you want to lie down? Then lie down. The only real reason not to do it is that you might find it harder to stay awake. Well, there is one other thing, at least...