Stand still and embrace your inner peace. Your spirit will thank you!
This is the Heron, a water card from the Everyday Witch's Familiars Oracle deck I illustrated, written by Deborah Blake and published by Llewellyn Worldwide.
I have signed decks (a limited number signed by both myself and the author!) and art prints at http://albaillustration.etsy.com.
Working with macro is very much like my meditation practice. I'm still practicing to gently bring my focus onto one item at a time instead of all the small details, all at once. Especially when the air and my mind move with the breezes and blusters of the day.
Stuck scrolling? Try this: Look away from the screen you are reading this on. Look around your environment and locate the farthest point away from you, look at that space and breathe, inhale and exhale three times. Look back to the screen, did you miss anything while looking away? Look again to the farthest point away from you. Breathe for 3 breaths again. Is there anything else you want to do NOW? #trythis#1minutemeditation#oneminute#meditation#mindfulness#breathe#look#stuckscrolling
"This is the paradox at the heart of being human. We are finite beings who dream of permanence. And so we build lives, legacies, and ideas so that we can last and endure in a creative defiance of time."
In my personal work, the red glass heart is a symbol for the immediate and/or material possessions. In contrast to GLIMPSE, the first painting I invoked the symbol, the figure has her back to the heart and is contemplating life after death. 1/2
In tonight's #meditation I'm reminded, while psychological and emotional healing is often a benefit of meditation practice (I'm a therapist), that's not really so much the focal intent.
In the end, I find that it's more about an appreciation of the simple and profound wonder that there is anything.
ββNeuroplasticityβ is the fancy medical term used to describe your brainβs ability to learn and adapt.β
Hi everyone, iβm going to toot posts on helping us, rewiring our brain, and eventually leading up to how meditation (or other forms) assist in neuroplasticity. π§ β€οΈππΌ Firstly, just a bit of science regarding rewiring the brain in this article. *My on-going, meditation journey is always in progress. π₯°π§π»ββοΈβ¨
Mindfulness in Plain English was first published in 1994, is one of the bestselling β β¦
A Classic Meditation Manual, not just for Beginners
5 stars
A common refrain I have heard from several #meditation teachers is that it is good periodically to return to basic instructions for the dual reason that it tends to correct any unskillful patterns which have emerged and that the questions that arise as a result of one's own meditation practice aid in learning and allow the practitioner to absorb more from the same or similar material. This advice has definitely held true as I read this book for the second time (this time with my ears via the recorded voice of Edoardo Ballerini).
I read Mindfulness in Plain English for the first time nearly 20 years ago, and even though the basic contents of the book were familiar to me on this second read-through, nearly the whole book struck me as remarkably fresh. The introduction alone opens with wonderful force, directly addressing the #unsatisfactoriness which is likely familiar to anyone β¦
A common refrain I have heard from several #meditation teachers is that it is good periodically to return to basic instructions for the dual reason that it tends to correct any unskillful patterns which have emerged and that the questions that arise as a result of one's own meditation practice aid in learning and allow the practitioner to absorb more from the same or similar material. This advice has definitely held true as I read this book for the second time (this time with my ears via the recorded voice of Edoardo Ballerini).
I read Mindfulness in Plain English for the first time nearly 20 years ago, and even though the basic contents of the book were familiar to me on this second read-through, nearly the whole book struck me as remarkably fresh. The introduction alone opens with wonderful force, directly addressing the #unsatisfactoriness which is likely familiar to anyone who comes into contact with the the book, and has the dual ability not only to convince (or at least intrigue) those new to meditation that it might be a worthwhile endeavor, but also to imbue experienced #meditators with a renewed sense of purpose and urgency.
On my way through this book, I found myself wishing that I had returned to it before now, as it addresses many of the challenges I have faced and currently am facing in such a clear and understanding manner that I was able to apply the advice immediately. Indeed, looking back on my years of meditation experience, I realize that the guidance in this book would have been enough to address the majority of the challenges I've faced over the years.
The one possible weakness I could find in this book is the strong emphasis to place the attention on the breath at the nostrils and nowhere else, which I have indeed found to be one excellent place for the attention. However useful following the breath at the nostrils is, it is not the only place the breath can be followed at a relatively small, fixed point, and for some, this may be unhelpfully inflexible, while for others the inflexibility of the suggestion may be a helpful simplification of the abundance of options which are available when beginning a meditation practice. The good news is that this weakness is counterbalanced by Bhante Gunaratana's clarity that these are instructions based on one very specific tradition, and, in this newer addition, the new afterword giving an introduction to loving friendliness or metta, which itself is also an excellent practice and gateway for anyone wishing to start a meditation practice.
Overall, I am pleased that I took the time with this book again and now understand why it has acquired the status of a classic among meditation manuals: it is brief, yet comprehensive and contains everything one needs to start or reinvigorate a practice of insight meditation.
After i meditate outside and open my eyes fully, the plants and trees seem to radiate with a golden aura and the flora is a more vibrant green. I am so grateful for another day in this beautiful planet! ππΌππ³β¨πΏπ
Wishing all a beautiful Friday and weekend. β€οΈπ€ππ·π
Photos of some branches on my plumeria showing flower buds coming out. π₯°