

Into the Now
Life is dynamic. The only constant is change. If we practice to live in the now with complete awareness we tap into the connection with that dynamic constant. The veil of the egoic mind must first be lifted in order to be fully present in the now. So how do we go about doing this? The same way we get to Carnegie Hall...practice. We go about our daily lives thinking of past and future, and only pay minimal attention to what is right in front of us. It is the only real life we


Authentic Transformation
trans·for·ma·tion - ˌtran(t)sfərˈmāSH(ə)n/ : noun A thorough or dramatic change in form or appearance. synonyms:change, alteration, mutation, conversion, metamorphosis, transfiguration, transmutation, sea change. If we truly seek to change, we must have the intention of transformation. We can change things about our life...jobs, partners, locations, etc., but we are essentially the same. We have only altered our situation, not changed ourselves. True change is an inside job..


Driving as Meditation
While we can’t extinguish the analytical mind, nor would we want to, we seek to balance our life and harmonize the components of our being. We seek to bring unity to ourselves, our mind, body, and spirit. If we can quiet the mind to the point that we can experience the moment in a relaxed, non-judgemental, mindfully aware way, we have put ourselves into reality. Once this reality is experienced it changes everything. We learn that we are not our thoughts, opinions, fears, ang


Life on Life's Terms
When practicing mindful living we become more aware of the way we feel. Since we are cultivating present moment awareness, often it is the way we feel inside that gets noticed quickly. These feelings can often knock us off the path of mindful awareness as we seek to escape negative feelings or desire to hold onto positive ones. It is important to accept these feelings as they are, and keep our desire to hold or push away feelings to a minimum. I have often heard the phrase "A


It is better to travel well than to arrive. -Buddha
Learning to travel with mindfulness poses its own challenges to us as humans. We are so concentrated on not only the destination, but the route that we are taking and how long it will take to get there. When driving on a trip, drivers are often concerned with making good time and finding the shortest possible route. When we use our attention in this manner we are missing out on the most important part of our trip...the journey. If we set ourselves up to make the drive a compe


Chop Wood, Carry Water
There is an old Zen proverb about reaching enlightenment and it goes something like this : A student asked his master how to achieve enlightenment. The master replied "Chop wood, carry water." This refers to developing mindfulness in every moment, including when doing mundane tasks...especially when doing mundane tasks. These simple, second nature tasks afford us the opportunity to be totally mindful and in the moment as we experience them. We don't need to use our intellect


The Door to all Moments
I came across this caption while doing some research and was struck by the brevity, simplicity, and truth it contains. All truth seems to be this way. If one gets mired in wordy explanations it only serves to draw a veil over the simplicity of the message. I think that many times I tend to put extra words in a simple thought to head off any misconceptions, disagreements, or doubts. In that way I am doing the truth a disservice. A simple, genuine truth will stand on its own. I