Calm Your Body to Calm Your Mind
"Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced." -James Baldwin We are in the midst of a pandemic. Let’s imagine that you sit still to practice mindfulness – the simple art of non-judgmental awareness. You observe your...
The Healing Power of AND
If you are like me, you are on a roller coaster of feelings during this coronavirus time at home. Sometimes, I momentarily forget about the virus while walking in nature or laughing with my kids, and then suddenly I remember once again. Hope, grief, sadness, joy and...
Creating Space for Grief
When I learned that school had been canceled due to the coronavirus, I was more than a little shocked. My default coping mode was to get busy and stay positive. I also knew that I had to move my body and spend time in nature each day. Simultaneously, I became less...
While I Lie Awake at Night
The other night I lay in bed, unable to fall asleep. I was feeling sadness about something that had happened earlier in the day, and I offered myself a little compassion for the difficulty. I then went through my usual repertoire of things I do when I lay in bed: I...
Mindfulness Is Not About Being Calm
I recently began teaching a mindfulness curriculum to a group of middle school students in a Milwaukee Public School. Before I even began teaching, one of the middle school teachers said to me, "Mindfulness doesn't work." Hmmm.....I thought. Mindfulness is about...
How Self-Compassion Saved My Daughter…and Me
My older daughter Maya was born sensitive, curious, and creative. As Maya grew, I learned that all of her five senses were extra sensitive. For her sounds were louder, smells and tastes more acute, she had a strong draw to everything tactile, and she saw “light...
Listening to the Many Parts of Ourselves
A few weeks ago I was contemplating schooling options for my daughters for next year. Even though my daughters currently attend a wonderful, progressive school that is a block and a half from the home where we are living, every so often I hear a little voice that...
Embracing the Man Behind the Curtain
“Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain….” I awoke this morning with that quote and image from the Wizard of Oz in my mind. Wizard of Oz fans may remember this part of the movie toward the end when Dorothy is requesting to the Great Oz that he provide her...