I will continue to share with you resources I’ve culled that will help you center, calm your nervous system, and meet the unique challenges of this crisis. A wonderful talk by Bill and Lynn Twist and their guests from the Pachamama Foundation, looking at the bigger transformational aspects of this pandemic. Click here to access this resource. And here’s a calming message and a guided meditation from Jon Kabat-Zinn, who brought mindfulness to the United States. Click here to access this resource. This is my ... [Continue Reading]
Helpful Resources in a Time of Fear and Uncertainty #7
I will continue to share with you resources I’ve culled that will help you center, calm your nervous system, and meet the unique challenges of this crisis. I’ve been enjoying the TedConnects series, every day a new thought leader or expert interviewed. I found this offering particularly moving and inspiring: How we can navigate the coronavirus pandemic with courage and hope (Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks | TED Connects). Click here to access this resource. A wonderful blog post from my student, Magali Morales. She’s on fire with her writing ... [Continue Reading]
A Smell I’ll Never Forget
“Smell is a potent wizard that transports us across thousands of miles and all the years we have lived. The odors of fruits waft me to my southern home, to my childhood frolics in the peach orchard. Other odors, instantaneous and fleeting, cause my heart to dilate joyously or contract with remembered grief." --Helen Keller
Make a list of 10-20 smells that evoke the past for you, smells that hook you into a memory of a person, a place, a time in your life, or a particular incident. These smells can have either a positive or a negative association, or both. (Examples might be: vanilla extract, woodstove smoke, the smell of gasoline, Old Spice and cigarettes, bourbon on someone’s breath, Dr. Bronner’s soap).
Choose one smell from your list. Tell the ... [Continue Reading]
Helpful Resources in a Time of Fear and Uncertainty #6
I am continuing to share with you a resource that I have found deeply useful personally to help me center, calm my nervous system, and find steadiness in meeting the unique challenges of this crisis.
Today, I want to share with you a podcast episode by Sam Harris, neuroscientist, philosopher, and New York Times best-selling author, and creator of the Waking Up app, which teaches the practice of meditation and explores the theory behind it.
This episode, called “Meditation in an Emergency,” is about the necessity of learning to respond effectively to our thoughts and emotions in a time of acute crisis—like right now. I highly recommend it. Sam’s clear teaching—that our mind is the one thing we can control right now--inspired me ... [Continue Reading]
