By the time you read this I’ll be deep in the throes of a ten-day meditation retreat.  That’s ten days, ten hours a day, of meditating.

Great, you’re thinking, she must meditate a lot.

Well, no.  Like, practically never.  So I am terrified (in some ways, exhilarated in others) by the prospect of having to sit still and meditate for Ten. Days.  Ten hours each day.  And no talking.  Did I mention that?  Yeah, this is in silence.  Again:  terrified.

While this is a little, um, dramatic for most, maybe you’d like to know five ways you can incorporate a little entirely painless meditation into your life. Read the rest of this entry »

Surrender.

Is this a dirty word to you? White flags? Giving up? Defeat? Or does it mean going with the flow?

Depending on how you answered, you’re either a Spinner or a Masher. Not a cyclist? That’s okay, because these concepts are what we apply to our lives, not just to exercise.

Let me explain: Read the rest of this entry »

You’re tired, you’re hot, you’re sticky. It’s summer and you just got home from work. Take a cue from your kids and use these four ways to relax, shed some summertime stress, and remember your kidhood roots:

1. Eat a popsicle. Seriously, when was the last time you had one? So what if they’re pure evil high-fructose sugar, you deserve one small cold sweet taste of childhood. Or make your own ahead of time from some yummy organic fruit juice. But don’t share if you don’t want to. And be sure to let some drip on your shirt. Read the rest of this entry »

Why hello, it’s Monday! Like many of you I work from home, and in many ways one day is much like another for me as a result, but I still get that feeling of…oh. Monday. So that’s why I feel that way.

If you are excited that it’s Monday, hey! That’s wonderful! (And also I want your secret about not being so meh about it.) But for the rest of us, there are ways to get revved up and feeling good, even on a Monday. Or any day. And they only take 20 minutes or less! Read the rest of this entry »

All right, let’s face it: we can do all the inner work, soul-searching, deep breathing we want but if our kids are running around screaming like banshees or are stressed themselves, we’re going to feel it. It’s next to impossible to maintain an inner calm when you’re at the epicenter of chaos.

Short of duct tape and tranquilizer darts, what to do? Read the rest of this entry »

You know how when you’re sick, you still manage to get the kids off to school, get some work done, and promise yourself that maybe later you’ll crash or at least get a little rest but now you just have too many things to do/are too needed by too many people/”just don’t get sick”? Because you … can’t?

Yeah. Well, how about you just take that break anyhow? C’mon, you deserve it! It won’t take long, I promise… Read the rest of this entry »

We all know what we should be doing. We should be taking time for ourselves, putting ourselves first (sometimes anyway), carving out time, making ourselves a priority. Why yes, I did just say the same thing four different ways, thank you!

The thing is, we don’t. Things get in the way. Like, well, life.

So here are five things you can do right now, five things you can do today, to relieve at least a tiny piece of that big black thing you carry around called Stress: Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve been thinking lately about rest and how it affects me. Or rather, doesn’t affect me, since this is something, I’ve come to realize, that I haven’t truly been allowing in my life. In other words, I’ve been consistently putting the needs of others, often couched in terms like “obligation”, before my own. My children, my work, even things that are ostensibly for me like exercise. All of these things I’ve been placing ahead of simply BEING, of allowing myself to be in a place of rest. Does this sound familiar?

Recently I channeled something on rest (see, I’ve been thinking about it for awhile), and came up with this definition: Read the rest of this entry »

Today is my son’s twelfth birthday, and I’ve decided that what with celebrating that and with Christmas next week and all that’s been going on in preparation and is likely to still be going on for at least another week, I need a vacation.

Right now. A vacation. Care to join me?

Okay, come on then. Sit comfortably, take a nice deep breath or two, and come on along on your own well-deserved vacation.

Imagine yourself, if you will, afloat in a warm salty ocean. Read the rest of this entry »