Your Mindful Life

Hello and welcome everyone. Today on Episode 74 of Your Mindful Life podcast, our topic is the pause.

We know that pausing is a good thing. It puts us firmly in the present. It is that moment of equanimity in which we can take in everything without reacting or judging. It allows us to get the big picture and to direct our energy thoughtfully and creatively to what is meaningful. Pausing our hearts have the time and space to open wide to receive and to give.

So, now, after more than 70 episodes of Your Mindful Life I am pausing. I am pausing to take in the moment fully and to re-imagine what will come next. I am pausing to lovingly question and investigate how I can best be of service—how best I can share what I have lived, loved, and know about living a mindful life. I am pausing to replenish my creativity and open myself to the unknown.

For some time, I have been thinking deeply on how better to create connection that is more immediate, more active, and more receptive. I am like a diver going down into the depths of the ocean, not sure of what she will find there but as she descends knows that what she will find in the depths is luminous and magical.

Thank you for being a listener and for being a member of the podcast. . We will meet again soon. If you would like to connect with me, click here or paste this URL in your browser  https://www.yourmindfulpractice.com/contact

With love and appreciation for you and everyone behind the scenes who has made this podcast possible:

Gorgias Romero for original music, audio engineering and production; 

Bill Rafferty for technical web support; 

Allie Allen for logo and podcast cover design; and 

Margaret Haas for announcing the show.

Mary
Be well. Be mindful.

Thank you for listening!
Be well. Be mindful.

How do ethics affect our daily lives? Do all virtues resonate equally with us? How has our conditioning as children in our families, communities, and cultures formed how ethics play out for us now as adults?

Hello and welcome everyone. Today we’re exploring ethics and how our motivations and behavior reflect our personal ethics. 

As children we are conditioned by the ethics of our family, community, and society at large. We were probably taught how we should behave when confronted with an ethical dilemma as defined by our parents, teachers, and religious leaders. Most likely we carry around an ethical rule book in our heads based on our early life conditioning. This ethical rule book tells us what to do even when circumstances have changed.

Life is complex and new. Complicated and confusing ethical situations arise all the time and the rule book in our head doesn’t come close to helping us wade through the complexity and ambiguity or aid us in ethical investigation and the appropriate choice of behavior in a given ethical situation. 

Ethics is about behavior and about motivation. It's not just how we act--how we respond, it is also about what is motivating us to respond and act the way we do.

The more we are mindful—present, attentive, and curious—to ourselves and the world around us, the deeper our wisdom and compassion will be. We will respond skillfully when greed, hate, fear, or anything else that gets in the way of our ethical judgment. The more mindful we are, the deeper our understanding because we are willing to look under the covers and see the whole truth about something. This, in turn, enriches our discernment and allows us to make ethical choices that go beyond the surface; go beyond what we read on social media; go beyond what the rule book in our head says.

This week I invite you to explore the rule book in your head. You might ask these and other similar questions that resonate with you. How was ethics viewed and practiced in my family?

How did the prevailing culture inform how ethics were practiced in my family?

What ethics training and teachings did you receive growing up?

Speak with someone in your family to better understand the role of ethical formation in your family.

Talk to someone—maybe a friend or colleague from another culture to explore similarities and differences with your own ethical formation growing up.

Write down what you discover. Does spending time with your childhood ethical formation shed light on your motivations and behavior today? How and how not?

I hope you enjoy the podcast and made you curious about your ethical formation as a kid, so that you can now explore more deeply your ethical motivations and behaviors today.

A new guided meditation on vitality is available this week on the podcast member website at www.patreon.com/yourmindfullife.

I hope you enjoyed the show. Thank you for listening and I’d also like to thank the people behind the scenes that make it possible

Gorgias Romero for original music, audio engineering and production;

Bill Rafferty for technical web support; 

Allie Allen for logo and podcast cover design; and 

Margaret Haas for announcing the show

Be well. Be mindful. 

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Follow or subscribe to the podcast, download the episodes and share them with friends and on social media. And, don’t forget to review the podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen. 

Become a member of the podcast via Patreon. Go to the member page at www.patre

Thank you for listening!
Be well. Be mindful.

Today we’re investigating how to practice mindfulness meditation  when we feel it is too hard or not possible. Or some other difficulty arises and gets in the way.

Mindfulness is key to managing the difficulties and challenges of life. It is how we are in the world. It can be difficult to be mindful. We practice mindfulness meditation so that our mindfulness strengthens, deepens, and opens our hearts.

Sometimes it is difficult to meditate. We have pre-conceived ideas about what it is and how well we can do it. Our confidence may be low or missing. Our inner critic may be letting us know all the reasons why we can't do it.

The key is to recognize the difficulty that is arising and then to use tools to help you over the difficulty. That's what this podcast is all about.

This week, I invite you to start where you are. Begin again whenever you need to. If you are meditating for one minute you you get distracted 10 times or 20 times, it doesn’t matter. No one is watching, judging, or keeping track. Simply notice and begin again. Befriend yourself. You are worth it.

The guided meditation this week is a mindfulness of breath meditation. It is on the podcast’s members’ page at www.patreon.com/yourmindfullife.

I hope you enjoy the podcast. Thank you for listening and I’d also like to thank the people behind the scenes that make it possible:

Gorgias Romero for original music, audio engineering and production;

Bill Rafferty for technical web support; 

Allie Allen for logo and podcast cover design; and 

Margaret Haas for announcing the show

Be well. Be mindful. 

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Follow or subscribe to the podcast, download the episodes and share them with friends and on social media. And, don’t forget to review the podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen. 

Become a member of the podcast via Patreon. Go to the member page at www.patreon.com/yourmindfullife. All members have access to a new guided meditation each week on the member page. 

DISCLAIMER

The content in the podcast and on this webpage is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical or health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice and guidance of your health professional. 

Thank you for listening!
Be well. Be mindful.

Hello and welcome. This week we explore the fourth face of love—equanimity.

Equanimity is the state of mental calmness and evenness of temper in which the mind is steady and balanced and judging is absent. It is a state that allows us to take in the whole picture of a situation without coloring it and reacting to it, and to be fully aware in the moment.

With equanimity our minds are even and imperturbable while at the same time fully engaged with the circumstances of a situation and aware of the present moment.

The path to equanimity is to recognize when the mind is unsteady and out of balance— when it is grasping, pulling, pushing or turning away. To recognize when  judging is present and the mind feels chaotic—bouncing here and there.

Recognizing the obstacles in our mind blocking equanimity, gives us a starting point to reach understanding and insight so we can let go and simply be with what’s here with clear and steady mind. We may notice that the strength of our equanimity comes and goes. This is understandable. As we practice, with attention and concentration, equanimity becomes stronger and stronger.

Start with mindfulness of the breath. It may feel that you can’t pay attention to the breath and this is OK. Noticing this is the first step. Then settle into simply saying “in” on the in-breath and “out” on the out-breath and keep doing it. Or, count each breath (1,2,3…) and when you lose count begin again with “1.” You may begin to judge yourself saying things like, “I can’t do this.” This is OK. Just notice when you are judging and make a soft mental note saying inwardly  “judging” and then return your attention to the breath. This is the practice. Start where you are and return your attention when you lose your place. After awhile you will notice the qualities of equanimity beginning to appear—calmness, evenness, and non-judgment.

This week strengthen your equanimity through your mindfulness of breath practice and by repeating a phrase during the day when you feel your mind going sideways. There are many phrases. Here are some.

May I see things just as they are and not how I want them to be.
May I remain peaceful as the storm rages around me.
May I generate the inner resources to help where needed.
May I see my limits with clear eyes just as I see the limits of others.

This week's guided meditation on Equanimity may be found here on the podcast’s member page or paste  www.patreon.com/yourmindfullife into your browser.

I hope you enjoy the show. Thank you for listening and I’d also like to thank the people behind the scenes that make it possible.

Gorgias Romero for original music, audio engineering and production;

Bill Rafferty for technical web support; 

Allie Allen for logo and podcast cover design; and 

Margaret Haas for announcing the show

Be well. Be mindful.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

We need you! Please follow or subscribe, and review the podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen.

Become a member via Patreon. Go to the member page at www.patreon.com/yourmindfullife to sign up and to access the weekly guided meditations.

DISCLAIMER

The content in the podcast and on this webpage is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical or health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice and guidance of your health professional. 

Thank you for listening!
Be well. Be mindful.

Hello and welcome. Today we're talking about the third face of love -- Appreciative Joy.

Appreciative joy is the quality of love that recognizes the full worth of joy in our and others lives. It is about being happy with other people—delighting in the joy of others and creating joy in ourselves. Appreciative joy blossoms when we recognize our reciprocal and interconnected humanity. 

We might think that it is easy to feel happiness for the happiness and good fortune of others and ourselves but sometimes it can be hard, especially when we are pre-occupied with all the troubles in the world. The ups and downs of our friends,  family, and ourselves may feel more down than up. We may neglect noticing our own happiness and good fortune and that of others around us when we let the negativity bias of the brain overwhelm the goodness in our and others lives.

We can cultivate appreciative joy through our formal practice and by bringing it into our everyday lives. Asking ourselves how we create joy in ourselves and others and how we can respond to the joy around us is a practice that we can do any where or any time.

Our capacity for joy is immeasurable. It can grow and grow. It has no limit. The more we practice it, the more it grows. Practice is what matters.

This week I invite you to practice appreciate joy. Here’s a phrase that you can repeat whenever you experience someone’s happiness and good fortune. “I delight in your happiness. May it continue.” Say it often and see what a joyous difference it makes.

This week's guided meditation on Appreciative Joy may be found on the podcast’s member page on www.patreon.com/yourmindfullife.

I hope you enjoyed the show. Thank you for listening and I’d also like to thank the people behind the scenes that make it possible.

Gorgias Romero for original music, audio engineering and production;

Bill Rafferty for technical web support; 

Allie Allen for logo and podcast cover design; and 

Margaret Haas for announcing the show

Be well. Be mindful.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Follow or subscribe to the podcast, download the episodes and share them with friends and on social media. And, don’t forget to review the podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen.

Become a member via Patreon. Go to the member page at www.patreon.com/yourmindfullife. All members have access to a new guided meditation each week on the member page.

RESOURCES/CREDITS

Pittinsky, Todd L. and Montoya, R. Matthew, “Empathetic Joy in Positive Intergroup Relations,” Journal of Social Issues, Vol 72., No. 3, 2016, pp. 511-523

DISCLAIMER

The content in the podcast and on this webpage is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical or health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice and guidance of your health professional. 

Thank you for listening!
Be well. Be mindful.

Today we’re talking about compassion and what gets in the way of our acting compassionately.

Compassion is the second face of love. Compassion is the recognition of suffering, the desire to relieve suffering, and the acting to relieve it without any expectations of anything in return.  Check out out Episode 8 that also talk about the four faces of love.

Compassion comes naturally but is difficult when obstacles get in the way. Being able to recognize obstacles allows us to mindfully be with them and let them go freeing us to live compassionately.

Here are some of what can get in our way:

• We can’t reach out because we believe that that person has created our suffering. Our pride gets in the way.
• We shy away from compassion because we’re afraid what others will think about us. We’re afraid of being judged. Our compassion isn’t strong enough to overcome that judgement.
• We feel obligated to do something for someone and we do it because we want to keep in the good graces of another person. Or, We don’t want to be cast out of the group. Our action is guided.
• When we feel stressed or overwhelmed it is hard to be compassionate.

When we feel we don’t have what it takes to be compassionate or that it will demand too much from us, we shy away from it.

Bringing mindfulness to these obstacles as they arise is our path forward. Being with what arises, feeling it and how it feels in the body.  Asking little questions and investigating allows it to come forward and let go. 

None of us is perfect. We all have traits that we don’t like and we all make mistakes. This is part of the human condition— our common humanity.  When we accept this we can then bring self compassion to ourselves and then bring compassion to others.

This week I invite you to sit quietly asking two questions and seeing what rises to the surface not from the head but from the heart. To begin, practice mindfulness of the breath meditation for a few minutes to unit body and mind in presence and sharpen attention and concentration. 

The first question is, “What value do I put on compassion?” Is compassion one of my core values that define how I live my life? Why? Why not? 

The second is,“Who do I know who is compassionate and what makes them so?” 

 Have paper and pencil handy and jot down notes as you sit. 

This week’s guided self-compassion meditation is on the podcast membership page at www.patreon.com/yourmindfullife. 

I hope you enjoy the show. Thank you for listening and I’d also like to thank the people behind the scenes that make it possible

Gorgias Romero for original music, audio engineering and production;

Bill Rafferty for technical web support; 

Allie Allen for logo and podcast cover design; and 

Margaret Haas for announcing the show

Be well. Be mindful.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Follow or subscribe to the podcast, download the episodes and share them with friends and on social media. And, don’t forget to review the podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen.

Become a member via Patreon. Go to the member page at www.patreon.com/yourmindfullife. All members have access to a new guided meditation each week on the member page.

DISCLAIMER

The content in the podcast and on this webpage is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical or health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice and guidance of your health professional. 

Thank you for listening!
Be well. Be mindful.

Today we’re exploring the First Face of Love—Lovingkindness. The practice of lovingkindness cultivates our natural capacity for an open , alive, and loving heart. When we dedicate ourselves to a lovingkindness practice, we feel our heart opening and staying open even when troubles happen.

It might be hard  to get our heads around the word lovingkindness. Maybe the thought — What other kind of kindness is there? Or, “What has love got to do with kindness?” arises.  When we are loving we show our caring. When we are kind we show our friendliness, generosity, and consideration. 

So, when we practice lovingkindness we are practicing all these things—friendliness, caring, generosity, consideration, goodwill, and benevolence. And we are expressing our deep connectedness; everyone gets to play; no one is excluded or sidelined from giving and receiving lovingkindness.

Note that when we talk about friendliness, we're not talking about friendship or being friends; we are talking about being affable and good-natured towards all.

In this episode we talk about how to practice lovingkindness to ourselves and every being around us when there is conflict, doubt, and hurt as well as when our inner critic disparages us.

We also talk about expressing lovingkindness to the world in which we live by how we walk in the world.

This week I invite you to practice lovingkindness.  One way to engage your lovingkindness practice is through a lovingkindness meditation for the body.

I learned this meditation from Sharon Salzberg who learned it from Ananda Maitreya, a Sri Lankan monk, who lived brightly in this world until almost 102 years of age.

In this lovingkindness meditation for the body start at the head—the crown of the head. May my head be happy. May it be peaceful. Then continue by visiting each place in the body—the shoulders, arms, hands, and fingers. The back, the chest, the belly, the organs, the pelvis and hips, the legs, the feet, and the toes. May my toes be happy. May they be peaceful.

A recorded version of this meditation, is available on the member's page for the podcast https://www.patreon.com/yourmindfullife. If you are not a member you can sign up and access the meditation on the member’s page.

I hope you enjoy the show. Thank you for listening and I’d also like to thank the people behind the scenes that make it possible

Gorgias Romero for original music, audio engineering and production;

Bill Rafferty for technical web support;

Allie Allen for logo and podcast cover design; and

Margaret Haas for announcing the show

Be well. Be mindful.

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Follow or subscribe to the podcast, download the episodes and share them with friends and on social media. Don't forget to review the podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen.

Become a member via Patreon. Go here or paste www.patreon.com/yourmindfullife into your browser.  All members have access to a new guided meditation each week on Thursdays at the member website.

DISCLAIMER

The content in the podcast and on this webpage is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical or health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice and guidance of your health professional. 

Thank you for listening!
Be well. Be mindful.

Can you be with delays without getting upset? When trouble hits can you accept it without getting angry? When you become ill can you tolerate it, even accept it?

• Join me! Announcing a four-week meditation class, The Four Faces of Love, meeting once a week on Zoom beginning June 7, 2023. In this class we will explore lovingkindness, compassion, appreciative joy, and equanimity. For more information and to register click here or paste https://yourmindfulpractice.com/book-a-class into your browser. 

Today we’re exploring patience and how cultivating and growing our patience allows us to strengthen our equanimity, accept things as they are, and brings us inner and outer peace.

In the podcast we explore how to be tolerant, how to work with anger, and how forgiveness and compassion come into play when we practice patience. We can’t truly be free and at peace unless we are patient. 

Patience is a characteristic of the mindful person. We’re aware of what is happening in the present moment whether it be delay or harm or pain and we can be with it without allowing frustration or anger to take over. We are tolerant, forgiving, and compassionate to ourselves and others.

I hope you enjoy the show and that you’ll be moved to support the show. 

This week I invite you to practice patience when delay or harm is present. Forgive yourself and others and patiently investigate without blaming; find the root cause; and act with compassion.

If you would like to meditate with me this week I am offering a guided meditation to members of the podcast. Go here for the guided meditation or paste to https://www.patreon.com/yourmindfullife into your browser.

Support the show by following or subscribing to the podcast where you listen and by becoming a member via Patreon by going here or pasting  www.patreon.com/yourmindfullife into your browser. 

Don’t forget to download the episodes and share them with friends and on social media. And, review the podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen. 

Thank you for listening and I’d also like to thank the people behind the scenes that make it possible

Gorgias Romero for original music, audio engineering and production;

Bill Rafferty for technical web support; 

Allie Allen for logo and podcast cover design; and 

Margaret Haas for announcing the show

Be well. Be mindful. 

RESOURCES/CREDITS

Compassion Institute https://www.compassioninstitute.com

The Forgiveness Project https://www.theforgivenessproject.com

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Follow or subscribe to the podcast, download the episodes and share them with friends and on social media. And, don’t forget to review the podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen.

Become a member via Patreon. Click here or paste  https://www.patreon.com/yourmindfullife into your browser. All members have access to a new guided meditation each week at the member website. 

DISCLAIMER

The content in the podcast and on this webpage is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical or health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice and guidance of your health professional. 

Thank you for listening!
Be well. Be mindful.

Do you ever find yourself making excuses such as “I didn’t have time.” “I had to do errands.” “I got busy and forgot.”

Hello everyone and welcome. Today we’re investigating the practice of diligence and how it can not only help us get things done—like for example, our daily meditation—but also how it is about opening to our natural joy and how cultivating a joyful attitude towards what needs to get done helps us complete our tasks and makes us feel good.

We look at the reasons we need to apply diligence to doing our meditation practice and everything else worthwhile in our lives. For example, we need diligence to move from where we are now to some new place. Effort is required but often our minds are lazy. The mind likes the status quo because it likes patterns and habits. And, so we find ourselves being lazy, making excuses, and not doing something even when we know the benefits of doing it. Diligence helps us to overcome the inertia of the mind its laziness.

Diligence also protects us from idleness and defeatism.

Bringing joy to diligence is a game changer. Instead of “I have to,” that sense of “I get to” even if it is hard gives us the uplifting energy we need to see it through.

And, we talk about what to do when it feels difficult or the inertia feels insurmountable.

This week I invite you to practice joyful effort and see how it changes your practice and every day lives and don’t forget to access the guided meditation on the podcast’s member page or paste https://patreon.com/yourmindfullife into your browser.

Beginning June 7, join me in a four-week class on Love. Each week we’ll explore a different aspect of love including lovingkindness, compassion, joy and, equanimity. This class is live on Zoom. To learn more and book the class go  here or paste https://www.yourmindfulpractice.com/book-a-class into your browser.

Thank you for listening. I so appreciate you and the people behind the scenes that make the podcast possible.

Gorgias Romero for original music, audio engineering and production; 

Bill Rafferty for technical web support; 

Allie Allen for logo and podcast cover design; and 

Margaret Haas for announcing the show 

Be well. Be mindful. 

WEBSITE

www.yourmindfulpractice.com

SUPPORT THE SHOW 

Follow or subscribe to the podcast, download the episodes and share them with friends and on social media. And, don’t forget to review the podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen. 

Become a member via Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/yourmindfullife. All members have access to each week's guided meditation on the member website or paste https://www.patreon.com/yourmindfullife into your browser. 

BOOK-A-CLASS

Register for the mindfulness meditation class live on Zoom on June 7, 14, 21, and 28. During these four weeks we will explore the Four Faces of Love. For more information or to register click here or paste https://www.yourmindfulpractice.com/book-a-class into your browser.  

DISCLAIMER 

The content in the podcast and on this webpage is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical or health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice and guidance of your health professional. 

Thank you for listening!
Be well. Be mindful.

Thank you for listening!
Be well. Be mindful.

Do you ever wonder how you can step away from getting carried away by emotions? Or, how you can step away from reacting when something goes wrong or isn’t turning out as you expected it to? Or have you ever caught yourself reacting via automatic pilot and then wished you hadn’t?

Hello and welcome everyone. This week we're investigating how pausing is a powerful ally helping us to stay balanced even when emotions are running strong.

Often we react on automatic pilot. We automatically lash out. In this mode we are not aware of how we are reacting. And, often feelings of regret swamp us when we realize what we have just done or said. 

Automatic pilot is sometimes helpful. We don't have to think how to drive a car each time we get behind the steering wheel. We don't have to remember how to tie our shoes or type. We just know.

But when someone says something we don't like or a situation is different than what we expected and we lash out either through words or actions, we suffer. The pause is the path to mindfulness and away from this suffering. 

The pause gives us time and space to focus our awareness on the breath and calm down our overwrought nervous system. It gives us space and time to ask ourselves "What's happening now?" helping us to wake up our awareness. 

It gives us time to consider what our intention is so that we enquire if that intention serves us or not.

It gives us time to WAIT asking ourselves "Why Am I Talking." It shows us how silence and listening help.

When we pause we slow down the interaction, we give ourselves time for our thinking brain to come on line. We give ourselves the opportunity to respond appropriately. 

I hope you enjoy the podcast and invite you to pause often.

Thanks for listening and thanks to the people behind the scenes that make the podcast possible. 

Gorgias Romero for original music, audio engineering and production; 

Bill Rafferty for technical web support; 

Allie Allen for logo and podcast cover design; and 

Margaret Haas for announcing the show 

Be well. Be mindful. 

SUPPORT THE SHOW 

Follow or subscribe to the podcast, download the episodes and share them with friends and on social media. And, don’t forget to review the podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen. 

Become a member via Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/yourmindfullife. All members have access to a new guided meditation each week on the member website. That’s https://www.patreon.com/yourmindfullife. 

DISCLAIMER 

The content in the podcast and on this webpage is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical or health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice and guidance of your health professional. 

Thank you for listening!
Be well. Be mindful.

Do you ever wonder why we are always talking about the body when we talk about mindfulness? Do you wonder what the body has to do with knowing the mind? 

Hello and welcome everyone. This week we are talking about the body and why the body is essential to our practice of mindfulness.

It's simple. We live our lives through the body. We practice mindfulness through the body. Remember our very first meditation is mindfulness of the breath! The body and mind are intricately linked. 

But it is not so simple. We are conditioned to have an adversarial or unrealistic relationship with the body. We are taught to ignore the body.

We explore how the body supports training our minds. How we decondition the mind from beliefs about the body by understanding how the body is a portal to the mind--the seat of our dissatisfaction and suffering. The body tells us exactly what is happening in the moment and with this information we can be with what is happening, enquire about what's behind it, and allow it to unwind and let go. 

I hope you enjoy the podcast. Thanks for listening.

I’d also like to thank the people behind the scenes that make it possible

Gorgias Romero for original music, audio engineering and production;

Bill Rafferty for technical web support; 

Allie Allen for logo and podcast cover design; and 

Margaret Haas for announcing the show

Be well. Be mindful. 

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Follow or subscribe to the podcast, download the episodes and share them with friends and on social media. And, don’t forget to review the podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen. 

Become a member via Patreon.  All members have access to a new guided meditation each week at the member website. Become a member and get your meditation at https:// www.patreon.com/yourmindfullife.

RESOURCES/CREDITS

Galeano, Eduardo, Walking Words, W.W. Norton & Company, New York, 1997

DISCLAIMER

The content in the podcast and on this webpage is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical or health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice and guidance of your health professional. 

Thank you for listening!
Be well. Be mindful.

Do you ever feel there is something getting in the way between you and presence—being fully aware and alive in the moment?

This week we’re looking at obstacles—those mind states that get in the way of our being present—of being mindful. Learning to recognize them is the first step in alleviating them. Learning how to use mindfulness to alleviate them follows.

Often it feels like we are in battle when in the throes of these mind states. Using the imagery of battle might be jarring but with it comes a flash of recognition. “Yeah, it does feel like that.” We are at war with our minds. 

So what are these mind states that keep us from presence? 

Desires of the senses—attachment to sense pleasures. You know, the thrill and excitement of buying stuff, doing stuff, and showing off stuff. We get attached to it. We grasp at it and don’t let go. We get what we want and then we want something else or something more. There is always something more that we have to have.

Dislike, hate, and anger. When these arise we are pushing what doesn’t please us away. We don’t like it. We hate it. We’re angry—get out of here. We feel the energy of pushing it away, turning our back on it or wanting to get rid of it.

Lethargy, laziness or a reluctance or unwillingness to make an effort. How often do we feel stuck or we feel unwilling to move from a position?

Restlessness—the inability to stop the pin ball mind. Racing thoughts and an inability to concentrate on anything characterize this mind state.

Doubt—that feeling of uncertainty and confusion that stops us in our tracks. It doesn’t feel good. Emotions of fear usually arise.

We can free our minds of these states. Using mindfulness and aids to help us enter mindfulness accompanied by loving kindness are the ways that we change these mind states and train our minds not to get caught up in them. We show you how.

I hope you’ll enjoy the show.

And,  I’d like to thank the people behind the scenes that make it possible.

Gorgias Romero for original music, audio engineering and production;

Bill Rafferty for technical web support; 

Allie Allen for logo and podcast cover design; and 

Margaret Haas for announcing the show

Be well. Be mindful. 

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Follow or subscribe to the podcast, download the episodes and share them with friends and on social media. And, don’t forget to review the podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen. 

Become a member via Patreon. Go to www.patreon.com/yourmindfullife. All members have access to a new guided meditation each week at the member website. That’s https://www.patreon.com/yourmindfullife.

DISCLAIMER

The content in the podcast and on this webpage is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical or health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice and guidance of your health professional. 

Thank you for listening!
Be well. Be mindful.

When something happens and you don’t like it what then? Do you feel compelled to fix it? Are you always wanting the situation to be different than it is or to go away?

Hello and welcome everyone. This week we are looking at how we get stuck when we don’t like the world as it is and feel compelled to fix it.

We don’t like what is happening. It should be different. We hate it. We want it to go away. We have to fix it. So, we start fixing life to make it look like how we want it. It feels like we are at war—that we must change it or else. Or, else what?

We ask what are we holding onto that makes us feel so miserable and how do we let it be and how do we let it go. We see that mindfulness sets us free.

I hope you enjoy the show this week. Thank you for listening.

I’d also like to thank the people behind the scenes that make the podcast possible.

Gorgias Romero for original music, audio engineering and production;

Bill Rafferty for technical web support; 

Allie Allen for logo and podcast cover design; and 

Margaret Haas for announcing the show.

Be well. Be mindful. 

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Follow or subscribe to the podcast.

Become a member via Patreon. All members have access to a new guided meditation each week on Thursdays at the member website. Click here or copy and paste https://www.patreon.com/yourmindfullife in your browser to become a member and access the guided meditations.

DISCLAIMER

The content in the podcast and on this webpage is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical or health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice and guidance of your health professional. 

Thank you for listening!
Be well. Be mindful.

 Have you ever thought about the importance of community and what it means in your life?

 Today’s podcast is about The Man Who Wouldn’t Come In From the Cold and how he teaches us about community and the meaning of life. 

I hope you are enjoying the show . To thank you and to support your practice each week on Thursday a new guided meditation will be available on the member site. To access the guided meditation go to https://patreon.com/yourmindfullife.

Awhile ago I read an article in The New York Times about a doctor who has spent his career working with unhoused people living on the streets and sleeping rough under bridges, in subways, and in makeshift accommodations.  It stayed with me and with it came questions about the meaning of life and community, asking to look deeper into what it means to be mindful—to really pay attention in the moment—and what it means to be compassionate—to really help without having a stake in the outcome.
 
Some of the questions we explore are : Am I really present? Am I seeing what is here? Or am I seeing only some perspective that serves me in some—to scare me away so I’ll be safe or to assume that somehow I have the answer  to the messiness in front of me.

Some of the questions are tough—like who is this compassionate act serving? Me? Or the person who is receiving my action? And, am I tied somehow to the outcome—something in me wanting to be this way and not that way.

When we are really present we are not taking sides, nor are we assuming we have the answers. The power of presence is that it allows us to really see—to pause and to ask clarifying questions—and the power of compassion is that is allows us to answer the question, "How can I help without being tied to the outcome?" Both show us the power of letting go—letting go of our attitudes and beliefs and letting go of wanting to control outcomes.

Perhaps this week, ponder how the stories we hear can help us to be more present, to get to know how our minds work, and to be truly compassionate.

Thank you for listening.

I’d also like to thank the people behind the show that make it possible

Gorgias Romero for original music, audio engineering and production;

Bill Rafferty for technical web support; 

Allie Allen for logo and podcast cover design; and 

Margaret Haas for announcing the show

Be well. Be mindful. 

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Follow or subscribe and review the podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen. 

Become a member of the show via Patreon and receive a weekly guided meditation by clicking here or copy the link and :paste in your browser www.patreon.com/yourmindfullife.

Thank you with all my heart.

CREDITS/RESOURCES

Kidder, Tracy, “‘You Have to learn to Listen’: How a Doctor Cares for Boston’s Homeless.” The New York Times, digital edition, January 5, 2023. Adapted from the book by Tracy Kidder, Rough Sleepers: Dr Jim O’Connell’s Urgent Mission to Bring Healing to Homeless People, Random House, New York, January 2023 

DISCLAIMER

The content in the podcast and on this webpage is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical or health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice and guidance of your health professional. 

Thank you for listening!
Be well. Be mindful.

How can we be more mindful in our everyday lives? How does mindfulness open us us to see and alleviate our own suffering?

Hello and welcome everyone. In this week’s podcast we’re looking at how mindfulness operates in our everyday lives by examining it through the lens of our experience. So much of the time we operate under automatic pilot even when we think we are being mindful of the present moment.

I am delighted to let you know that beginning this week every Thursday, I will be posting a weekly guided meditation for members of the podcast. If you are already a member just go to the member page on Patreon to access the guided meditation. If you are not a member and would like to become one, sign up here or copy and paste the link https://www.patreon.com/yourmindfullife into your browser.

Your support is so important and I thank you with all my heart.

Being mindful in our everyday lives takes effort. We may practice meditation and have the intention of being mindful throughout the day and then what happens?

Our minds, instead of being here moment-to-moment, get busy and we begin leaning forward rushing from this to that. Congestion builds and tension and constriction arise as we lose spacious awareness. Concentration fizzles as the mind rushes here and there. Equanimity drifts away—we become reactive rather than even, balanced and non-judgmental. We forget to respond compassionately; instead we beat ourselves up. And, our emotional states instead of flowing through us, may start running the show.

All of this may be ,subtle… so subtle that we don’t realize it until something big happens that grabs our attention.

The big thing that happened that grabbed my attention was my hand. And what my hand taught me is what I share today. It taught me about suffering, concentration, equanimity, and compassion and how wisdom starts with mindfulness. I hope that my experience resonates with you and enlivens your mindfulness in your everyday life.

I so appreciate you and hope you are enjoying the podcast. In addition to your membership, you can support it by following or subscribing to the podcast, downloading the episodes and sharing them with friends and on social media. And, don’t forget to review the podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen.

I also grateful for the people behind the scenes who make this podcast possible.

Gorgias Romero for original music, audio engineering and production;

Bill Rafferty for technical web support; 

Allie Allen for logo and podcast cover design; and 

Margaret Haas for announcing the show

Be well. Be mindful. 

CREDITS/RESOURCES

I would like to acknowledge my teacher, Joseph Goldstein, whose wise teachings have guided my practice for so many years and to who, I am so grateful. https://www.dharma.org/teacher/joseph-goldstein/

DISCLAIMER

The content in the podcast and on this webpage is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical or health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice and guidance of your health professional. 

Thank you for listening!
Be well. Be mindful.

Today we’re exploring playfulness and how to be more playful. 

I hope you are enjoying the show and that you will continue to welcome it into your lives.  Follow or subscribe to the podcast, download the episodes and share them with friends and on social media. And, don’t forget to review the podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen. 

Beginning next month, in April 2023, as a member of the podcast, you’ll receive a weekly guided meditation from me as a thank you for your support. If you are not already a member, sign up today at Patreon.

Your support is so important and I thank you with all my heart.
  
Some of us are more playful than others by nature. Some of us embrace our playfulness while others don’t. We may forget to be playful or we steer clear of playfulness because we’re afraid others won’t take us seriously. Maybe we remember how others disparaged the class clown or we have been taught that to get anywhere in this world we need to be serious and no one told us to be seriously playful.

Our brains get in the way—the negativity bias of the brain always being on the lookout for threats and sees the negative rather than the positive.

Playfulness thrives when we let in the good, the novel, and the unexpected. It springs forth when we make new associations, use our creative juices, and feel comfortable with others. We become more playful by practicing playfulness.

Playfulness is for everyone, not just kids. When we are playful, we’re learning how to learn, reducing stress and decreasing tension, and increasing our ability to see things in new ways and solve problems. There are different ways in which we can be playful.By listening to the podcast, maybe you’ll discover which flavor of playfulness suits you and you'll explore how it manifests in your life.

Our mindfulness practice helps us to cultivate a playful state of mind and our playfulness helps us to cultivate mindfulness. So how do we practice being more playful? Here’s a glimpse.

Have the intention.

Pay attention.

Be curious.

Spend time.

Write it down.

This week I invite you to explore all the ways in which you are playful and make the intention to cultivate playfulness in your life. See where it takes you. Enjoy the show.

Thank you to all the  people behind the scenes who make this podcast possible.

Gorgias Romero for original music, audio engineering and production;

Bill Rafferty for technical web support; 

Allie Allen for logo and podcast cover design; and 

Margaret Haas for announcing the show

Be well. Be mindful. 

CREDITS/RESOURCES

Mission Joy: Finding Happiness in Troubled Times. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14779306/

Proyer R.T., Gander F., Brauer K., Chick G. Can Playfulness be Stimulated? A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Online Playfulness Intervention Study on Effects on Trait Playfulness, Well-Being, and Depression. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being (2020). doi: 10.1111/aphw.12220

DISCLAIMER

The content in the podcast and on this webpage is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical or health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice and guidance of your health professional. 

Thank you for listening!
Be well. Be mindful.

Do you ever project what is going on inside of you onto to someone else? Do you ever find yourself being unkind to someone and then afterwards asking, “What was that all about?”  Do you notice how different aspects of who you are show up in different relationships?

Today we’re exploring how who we are in the moment shows up in our relationships—in our connections with those around us and how by being mindful and investigating what arises allows us to change behaviors, feeling, and attitudes that don’t serve us and to cultivate those that do. 

I hope you are enjoying the show and that you will continue to welcome it into your lives. Please follow or subscribe to the podcast, download the episodes and share them with friends and on social media. And, don’t forget to review the podcast on Apple podcasts or Spotify or wherever you listen.

It might sound strange, but by supporting the show in these ways, the show becomes more visible and more easy to find so that others can join us in living a mindful life.

Your support is so important and I thank you with all my heart. 

When we are in our relationship with others that we act out both our helpful and hurtful aspects of ourselves—those that serve us and those that don’t. How we are in relationship tells us who we are in that moment. 

Today we explore many of the ways that we project who we are in the moment onto others and how others project who they are onto us. We talk about how to act skillfully whether we are giving or receiving. 

In relationship, we find our kindness, compassion, generosity, and wisdom.  These qualities are not abstractions or nice to think about, they require our direct experience with others to realize their benefits of calm, peace, freedom, and clarity, and courage.

When we are these aspects of ourselves, we open ourselves to the good. When we let the good permeate every aspect of ourselves, we change who we are. 

In relationship, we also find ourselves acting out the habits and patterns that cause us suffering—that bring us feelings of dissatisfaction, pain, regret, and stuckness and makes us feel heavy, inert, and unable to move. We may feel trapped, needy, sad, or agitated.

In these moments, we may believe it is the other that is the cause of all this when it is actually us. When we wake up to what's happening right now honestly, we see it is us--not the other person. We talk about the skillful practices of equanimity, intention, and impact. And, we see how being compassionate with ourselves and others breaks through everything.

This week I invite you to be mindful in your interactions with others. What aspects of yourself are showing up? What dissatisfaction is showing up? Hold up a mirror and you’ll see yourself just as you are—your discontent as well as your contentment. Use the reflection to skillfully investigate with curiosity and friendliness what’s not serving you and bringing your generosity, let it go.

Enjoy the show.  I so appreciate you and also appreciate the people behind the scenes who make this podcast possible.

Gorgias Romero for original music, audio engineering and production;

Bill Rafferty for technical web support; 

Allie Allen for logo and podcast cover design; and 

Margaret Haas for announcing the show

Be well. Be mindful. 

DISCLAIMER

The content in the podcast and on this webpage is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical or health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice and guidance of your health professional. 

Thank you for listening!
Be well. Be mindful.

Today we’re exploring generosity and how it is so much more than we think it is, how it can free us and reshape the world in which we live. 

I hope you are enjoying the show and that you will continue to welcome it into your lives. Please follow or subscribe to the podcast, download the episodes and share them with friends and on social media. And, don’t forget to review the podcast on Apple podcasts or Spotify or wherever you listen. 

When you review the show, you are letting others know that the show is worthwhile and of value. The algorithms recognize your preferences and then make the show more visible to others who might also enjoy it. Your support is so important and I thank you with all my heart.

Our social conditioning makes us immediately think about generosity as giving away stuff—things like money, belongings we no longer use, or food.  But it is more than that. Generosity is relinquishing—letting go—not just of material things but also attitudes, ideas, beliefs, and viewpoints that don’t serve ourselves and others. 

Letting go is what frees us from the constant, nagging sense of dissatisfaction that we carry around with us—manifesting in the mind as worry and feelings of unworthiness, and in the body as stress, tension, and illness.

We explore how generosity is at the heart of discovering and letting go of ideas, attitudes, and viewpoints that are invisible to us because we are so accustomed to them. These attitudes and viewpoints permeate our society and create what Isabel Wilkerson calls the invisible scaffolding that keeps in place who is valued and who is not; who receives privilege, recognition, and access to the beneficial.

Do we value all equally? Do we see everyone as worthy? We do not. Cultivating generosity leads us to actively relinquishing our privilege, our bias, and our hurtful attitudes towards ourselves and others. Do we see the racism, ageism, sexism, and institutionalization of violence that permeates the structure of our society?

Once we are aware, what then? Awareness is necessary but not enough to create change. What actions will we take to relinquish these invisible ideas, attitudes, and privileges that keep the scaffolding in place?  What will we do to relieve our own and others’ suffering?

This week, take some time to contemplate how the invisible scaffolding of who is valued and who is not plays out in your life. And, then see in what ways you can increase your generosity and reduce suffering by purposely changing your ideas, attitudes, and viewpoints through action.

Thank you for listening. I so appreciate you and also appreciate the people behind the scenes who make this podcast possible.

Gorgias Romero for original music, audio engineering and production;

Bill Rafferty for technical web support; 

Allie Allen for logo and podcast cover design; and 

Margaret Haas for announcing the show

Be well. Be mindful. 

REOURCES/CREDITS
Isabel Wilkerson, Caste: The origins Of Our Discontents, Random House, New York, 2020

DISCLAIMER

The content in the podcast and on this webpage is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical or health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice and guidance of your medical or health professional.

Thank you for listening!
Be well. Be mindful.

Have you ever wanted to experience life like a child with no point-of-view or opinion because everything is fresh and new? How often do you feel wonder in your everyday experience?

Hello and welcome every one. This week we’re exploring Beginner’s Mind. When we are of Beginner’s Mind everything is fresh and new; there are no preconceived answers or attitudes. When we are with Beginner’s Mind, we are full of wonder and acceptance in each moment.

I hope you are enjoying the show and that you will continue to welcome it into your lives. Please follow or subscribe to the podcast, download the episodes and share them with friends and on social media. And, don’t forget to review the podcast on Apple podcasts or Spotify or wherever you listen. Your support is so important and I thank you. 

Beginner’s mind is the attitude of mind that is open, eager, and free from preconceptions of how to do something, think about something, or be something. A person with beginner’s mind has a mind that is open and receptive and void of conditioned attitudes, views, and beliefs. There is no being stuck in a certain way of doing things or thinking because the mind is accustomed to thinking or doing things in a particular way and therefore not open to any other way of thinking or doing. It comes from a place of equanimity.

Beginner’s mind sounds simple, but it takes practice. The more crowded our minds are with all the stuff of self, the harder it is to have Beginner’s Mind. This is why mind cleaning is so helpful and why we practice. 

This week I invite you to contemplate Beginners Mind before you enter a new interaction or before you assert a point-of-view to a colleague, friend, or partner.

What point-of-view or opinion am I bringing to this?

Is this point-of-view familar to me?

How long has it been around? 

Do I remember the first time it popped up in my consciousness?

In this interaction, am I attached to a certain outcome?

Can I let go of it? If not, why not? What is it doing for me? How does it bolster or relate to my I-identity? How is my point-of-view tied to an outcomes I am attached to?

What does it feel like in my body when I let it go? What does it feel like in my body when I don’t let it go?

Thank you for listening today. I so appreciate you and also appreciate the people behind the scenes who make this podcast possible.

Gorgias Romero for original music, audio engineering and production;

Bill Rafferty for technical web support; 

Allie Allen for logo and podcast cover design; and 

Margaret Haas for announcing the show

Be well. Be mindful.

CREDITS/RESOURCES

Shunryu Suzuki, Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind: Informal Talks on Zen Meditation and Practice, Shambhala, Boston and London, 2011

Joseph Goldstein, “7 Treasures of Awakening: The Benefits of Mindfulness,” excepted from the book: Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening, Sounds True, Boulder Colorado, 2013, 2016

Stanley A Temple, “Rachel Carson and a Childhood sense of Wonder,” Fellows Forum, Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters Magazine, Summer 2015 https://www.wisconsinacademy.org/magazine/rachel-carson-and-childhood-sense-wonder

DISCLAIMER

The content in the podcast and on this webpage is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical or health advice, 
diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice and guidan

Thank you for listening!
Be well. Be mindful.