Awakening the senses (10 min)
Taking a pause and connecting to our senses in the middle of a busy day can help boost our energy levels and improve our focus and motivation. During this practice we will cycle through the different senses and at the end you might find that you feel more alive and energized.
Loving kindness practice (23 min)
The capacity to love that is inherent in every one of us can be awakened and developed through the practice of loving kindness or Metta, which is a 2,500-year-old practice. It is meant to cultivate a state of mind that radiates kindness, wishing well without wanting anything in return. It uses repeated phrases, images and feelings to evoke loving kindness and friendliness towards oneself and others. Traditionally, we begin with ourselves and continue opening our hearts to eventually include all beings.
Walk slowly by Danna Fauld
To me, this beautiful poem illustrates how we can step out of our limbic reactivity and re-connect with what matters most in life, with our heart’s compass.
Article: Connecting with your heart’s compass
Buddhist tradition teaches that all of life is precious. As we learn to bring our full attention to life through our practice, and the quality of presence grows is us, we start to feel our love for the whole of life, for our planet and beings, and this love begins to permeate more and more our actions and our life.
Connecting with your heart’s compass (18 min)
In order to answer those questions “what matters most to me, what is my deepest intention to practice, or am I following a path with heart?”, the first step is to quiet the body and mind, to come into presence, so we can become still and listen deeply, to let the answer come to us.
Pause to open to presence (5 min)
Remember to take the sacred pause in the midst of your activities to open to presence and re-connect with yourself.
Peace and equanimity practice (20 min)
Equanimity is the ability the remain composed and balanced even in the face of challenges. It is based on a deep and compassionate understanding of the changing nature of life. Equanimity is a sustained state of balance, seeing what’s here with evenness of mind, a mind that is touched by life but unbroken by its ever-changing nature. This practice is inspired by the meditation teacher Jack Kornfield.
Strong back, soft front (10 min)
The back is a physical metaphor that points to your natural capacity to uphold yourself in the midst of difficulties, to be balanced, to hold all beings and things in equal regard. And this is called equanimity, your ability to be present whatever is happening in any given moment. This short practice is inspired by Roshi Joan Halifax.
Article on Compassionate Presence
Introduction There is a lot of suffering in the world right now, and also difficult things happening in our lives, and this is all present here, the world suffering and our own individual suffering. And it can be very difficult for us to know how to be and how to...
For Warmth by Thich Nhat Hanh
This beautiful poem written during the Vietnam war is a powerful invitation to practice compassion in the face of unspeakable suffering.
