The Qualities of Nature

On Tuesday, January 23, while onstage at Madison Square Garden, Madonna spoke about, and to, two nurses who had been on the frontlines during the HIV/AIDS epidemic in New York City in the 1980's and 1990's. Her words paid homage to these unsung heroes, and Valery Hughes and Ellen Matzer sat down with me for today's episode of the podcast to talk about their experiences, their bond and their shared history, among other things. 

After heading to Costa Rica for a yoga, meditation and mindfulness retreat in the jungle that elicited zero emotions or feelings leading up to it, I found myself with my heart blown open in a land of enchantment and wonder. Enjoy the contents of my heart and my mind as I felt compelled to share them in the moment. 

On my last full day in Paros, I got into the car and let intuition guide me to wherever I felt compelled to be on the island. I ended up in the mountains, no surprise there. Some thoughts at the tail end of an adventurous couple of months. 

A stream of (pre-considered) consciousness that may just change the way you think about certain things. Enjoy!

A frank and in-depth conversation with Sarah Wilkinson, a woman who has spent the last couple of years redesigning her life and who has some valuable insight and wisdom to show for it. 

As I take a day out of the sun, I can't help but reflecting on the past decade of offering the Paros wellness trip and gleaning some wisdom from it all. Enjoy!

Yoga philosophy tells us that attachment is an obstacle to finding truth, and mindfulness and meditation tell us that withdrawal of the person and the senses are essential, yet attachment theory tells us that every one of us will seek out someone to attach to and that that is not only ok, we are hardwired for it. To attach or not to attach, that is the question. How do we navigate conflicting messages when all we want is to make the most out of life? Give this episode a listen for my thoughts on the subjects.

Life had a major lesson in store for me over the last couple of months, and as I believe lessons are meant to be shared, let this one be a lesson that stays with us all. It all started back in 1988 with a Rolling Stone article that changed my life, and the rest...well give this episode a listen to find out the rest.

As has been the norm over the last few episodes, there has been an extended pause since this podcast has been updated. The sea change seems to be occurring, and I'm back, this time broadcasting from my other home away from home, England. Some musings and sharing to kick things back off, so enjoy.

What is it about beautiful geographical locations that resonates so much with us? And what can we do when, even in the most engaging moments, the mind wanders into the anxiety and rumination-inducing patterns? Welcome to The Woodpecker Rule, a daily mindfulness practice that is easy to use, available to us all, and is always helpful.