Practices for Recovering Resilience
Energy v. Entropy – Another Pandemic Paradox
I consider myself a rather vibrant, eager to engage, passionate about life kind of person. And yet…as it becomes possible to cautiously re-emerge from a year-long shutdown from the pandemic, (see the Emerging S-l-o-w-l-y post), I find myself navigating yet another paradox: energy v. entropy: yes! v. no way. I notice energy and joy quickening […]
Accept Difficulty
A client forwarded me this post from Rick Hanson earlier this week. Timely enough to pass on; generous of Rick to allow me to do so. May it be useful to you and yours. ******************************* ACCEPT DIFFICULTY WHY? Sometimes things are difficult. Your legs are tired and you still have to stay on your feet […]
Holding Heartache and Hope
I’m offering a very simple practice for holding both heartache and hope, or any of the paradoxes common in these still challenging times. Grief and gratitude. Sorrow and serenity. It’s a variation of The ABC’s of Working with Difficult Emotions that I offered nearly a year ago at the beginning of the pandemic shutdown. Applied […]
Emerging S-l-o-w-l-y from the Pandemic
I’ve just read the manuscript for Deb Dana’s forthcoming Anchored: How to Befriend Your Nervous System Using Polyvagal Theory. Deb is currently the world’s leading expert in using practices of safety in connection to recover our inner home base of ease and calm in our troubled world. In Anchored she offers the metaphor of a […]
The Myth of Sisyphus Revisited
When meeting with a client a few weeks ago, the myth of Sisyphus seemed an apt metaphor. The ancient Greek myth of Sisyphus condemned to roll a huge boulder up a steep mountain every day, only to have the boulder roll back down every night and having to start over again the next morning. As […]
Postponing Grief during the Pandemic
If there are 9,000 ways to be a plant during climate change, there are at least 900 ways to be resilient during a pandemic. I’ve had several nudges in the last week to help me realize that, while I’ve been practicing gratitude, and calming my nervous system, and discerning options, one essential practice of resilience […]
Tara Brach’s Radical Self-Compassion Program
I have learned to practice self-compassion from some of the best teachers in the world – Kristin Neff, Chris Germer, Jack Kornfield, and just a few days ago from Gabor Mate. And the most reliably powerful teacher for my clients, and very often for myself, is the skillful and eloquent meditation teacher Tara Brach. Tara’s […]
Emerging from the Pandemic – The Prevalence of Paradox
I’ve shared here before that I went to college in the Midwest; long, cold, snowy winters. When the crocuses began poking up through the snow, it was such a welcome herald of springtime coming – soon? – to those of us who were winter-weary. Everyone is weary beyond words from the ongoing pandemic. The accelerated […]
Enduring Difficulties: Stillness and Awakening
In an age of speed, I began to think, nothing could be more invigorating than going slow. In an age of distraction, nothing could feel more luxurious than paying attention. And in an age of constant movement, nothing is more urgent than sitting still. – Pico Iyer Renowned world traveler, journalist, and long-time friend of […]
Tara Brach’s Latest Program to Transform Judgment through Compassion
Judgment has the ability to trap us in many ways. By judging ourselves, we think it will help us improve. And with judgment and resentment of others, we often imagine it will help the other person better themselves. Somehow, it never quite works out that way. You probably know first-hand how self-judgment and blame can […]