“Think of meditation like a physical exercise. You wouldn’t start off jogging three hours a day, would you? Follow the same common sense. Start slow, gradually increase, and build yourself up. Develop meditation muscles. With time you’ll be able to sit for longer and longer periods. The problem is both physical and mental. If you force your body too much, it will simply be too painful–you’ll spend your entire session coping with the pain. If you force your mind too much, either you’ll feel burnt out or you’ll find you’ve been daydreaming for the last fifteen minutes of your meditation session.“
Excerpted from:
A Beginner’s Guide to Tibetan Buddhism: Practice, Community, and Progress on the Path by Bruce Newman
I really admire the writer Elizabeth Gilbert. She is messy and honest and fierce and funny. She is wildly talented, relentlessly curious, and deeply devoted to a life of service. She recently started a new community project called Letters from Love, which I am taking part in. I encourage you to check it out. She shares more about the project here:
Sweetest little girl. There is nothing that you need to do or say to earn love or deserve love. You are love. No one can give it to you or take it away.
My little hummingbird – I can feel your heart beating wildly with anxiety. I sense that you do not believe me but it is so. The stories that you told yourself as a child are not true.
“If I do what they say, they will love me.”
“If I agree with them, they will love me.”
“If I care for them, they will love me.”
“If I give enough, they will love me.”
“If I am good, they will love me.”
I wrap her in my arms and I hold her close. I caress her soft curls. I breathe in her sweet scent. I whisper in her perfect little ear a message for her future self, “Give love in the way that feels authentic to you. It does not need to conform to a standard. There is no gold star to earn. Love does not have a right or wrong expression. It is love. They can choose to receive what you are offering, or not, but you know what it truly is: a pure and beautiful offering from your heart. No one can take the truth away from you.”
Setting boundaries is love. Saying no is love. Holding on to yourself is love. You are teaching respect and showing love through your words and actions. They may never understand but that is ok. You know. You know the truth and that is what matters. I know that this work is really really hard and I am so very proud of you. Keep going. Keep putting one foot in front of the other. The only way out is through.
I spent the last week in the Osoyoos, British Columbia visiting family. On the third day of our visit, a thick layer of smoke set in over the lake, and clouded the horizon. The sun glowed red in the sky. The air quality index rose to dangerously unhealthy levels. On August 18, 2023, the Province of BC declared a Provincial State of Emergency to support ongoing response and recovery efforts caused by wildfires raging in central Interior and southeastern B.C.
It is hard not to feel despair living on the planet at this point in time. What kind of world are we leaving for our children to live in? What will it take for us to wake up and meaningfully respond to the climate emergency? As I made the drive home, I listened to a podcast interview between Seth Godin and Rich Roll. Seth recently released a book, The Carbon Almanac, in which he outlines the true cost of cheap carbon and discusses the kind of systems change that will lead to transformation. It gave me hope so I thought I would share it with you.
As a highly sensitive person, I often feel overwhelmed by the dark forces in this world. This is why I love this advice from RuPaul. Acknowledge the darkness but do not fall into its deep abyss. Focus your energy on making beauty and generating joy. Act as a beacon of hope in this dark world. We each have an important role to play, however small.
I recently came to the hard realization that I cannot solve every difficult relationship with kindness and compassion. Some people just do not respond to it, and in some cases, it actively stokes the fire of anger and resentment. This has nothing to do with me and everything to do with the other person. I have learned that when this is the case, it is important to distance myself, and if possible, completely walk away. This is infinitely more challenging when it is someone in your own family but it is sometimes the only option. You cannot change a person, or a situation, but you can protect your own heart and peace of mind.
June 21 is National Indigenous Peoples Day in Canada. For generations, many Indigenous groups and communities have celebrated their culture and heritage on June 21 because of the significance of the summer solstice as the longest day of the year. Declared by proclamation in 1996, the day commemorates and celebrates the rich cultural heritage of Indigenous peoples. These events honour the diverse traditions, resilience, and contributions of Indigenous communities. This year, the BCGEU has shared 21 things that you can do on June 21st. I wanted to share this great resource with you:
1. Attend an event in your community such as the pancake breakfast and friendship walk at the Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre or other events around the province listed here.
2. Support and honour Indigenous children by wearing orange. Orange represents the “Every Child Matters” movement which remembers the countless children whose lives were taken from them through the residential school system.
15. Learn about and follow these Indigenous trailblazers who are leaders in the arts, journalism, business, culture and share their stories on social media.
16. Challenge yourself to stop using language and talk that perpetuates harmful stereotypes. Here is a helpful guide
17. Do some independent learning on Canada’s history of colonialism. Thomas King’s An Inconvenient Indian is a good start.
18. Celebrate Indigenous artists at galleries such as the Bill Reid Gallery or other galleries that showcase the rich traditions of different nations.
This is just a start. Another great resource is 150 Acts of Reconciliation by Crystal Fraser and Sara Komarnisk. There are 365 days in the year when we can all learn, acknowledge, celebrate, and uplift Indigenous peoples and communities!
Breath by Breath 