Tag: meditation tools

The greatest and yet simplest gift that our mindfulness practice brings is a connection to the present moment.  When we inhabit the present moment, we can open ourselves to all of its possibilities, its opportunities, the full experience of that moment in time.  When we release our attachment to our busy thinking mind, our past regrets and future worries, we can simply be in the Now.  In this moment lies the possibility for peace and joy; in this moment lies an opportunity to grow and heal.

My second meditation on Insight Timer has reached the head of the queue and is now live!  Be Here Now is a practice that begins with awareness of your breath and your surroundings, and then it guides you on a scan of the body to help you connect to the full experience of each moment.  I invite you to explore this practice whenever you find yourself distracted or disconnected, feeling stress or anxiety, or simply in need of respite from the busyness of your day.

Being here now helps you to cultivate a sense of peace and calm that will allow you to navigate whatever arises on your path.

Meditation has been an integral part of my life for a long time.  It has helped me navigate some treacherous waters – acute illness, family tragedy, profound loss.  It has also been there in times of joy and triumph, granting me a sense of balance and perspective and deep gratitude.  To anyone who asks (and probably a few who didn’t!), I extol the virtues of meditation, its myriad gifts and benefits, and all the ways we can incorporate mindfulness into everyday life so that we spend more time inhabiting the present moment, with all its possibilities.

There is a tool I discovered several years ago that has been a friend and guide on my meditation journey.  I have recommended it to countless students and seen them share it with family and friends as they spread the word about this beautiful healing practice.  Now, I am filled with gratitude to become part of this very tool, affording me the opportunity to stay connected to my students wherever they may be, and to grow my community as I continue to share the healing power of meditation.

For those of you who would like to practice with me from the comfort of your computer, tablet, or phone, you will now find me on Insight Timer (https://insighttimer.com/). My first meditation just went live – The Calming Power of the Breath – and I have uploaded another recording that should be available in the coming weeks.  Much as I would love to immediately populate Insight Timer with a broad selection of recordings for you, it takes time for the Insight team to approve all of the recordings they receive, and they release them in small batches of 10 so that all new meditations get good exposure.  They are apparently receiving so many submissions these days that they cannot keep up and there is backlog! While this means that it will be a couple of weeks before you can access more meditations from me, it also means that there will be fresh offerings from a variety of wonderful teachers arriving on the app daily.  If you are not already using this fantastic tool in your practice, I encourage you to download the free app and begin exploring all its features.

I welcome your comments and feedback, as well as any requests or suggestions for future offerings.  The first meditation is The Calming Power of the Breath, a brief practice to help you attend to your breath and invite a sense of tranquility within.  You can follow me on Insight Timer to be notified when my next meditation is released – Be Here Now, a grounding body scan practice that connects you to breath and body sensations as you explore what each new moment brings.

Grab your phone, find a tall comfortable seat, settle into stillness, and let the healing power of meditation infuse your life with mindful awareness, equanimity, and joy.