How to Sit for Meditation Without Discomfort

This article is part of the ongoing Meditation for All challenge. Subscribers to the free newsletter receive weekly guidance and a daily practice.When starting out, sit however is most comfortable for you without dozing off. That may be a chair, the floor, or even in bed with your head propped up by a few pillows.Keep your teeth slightly separated, and your jaw unclenched. You may rest your tongue where the…

How to Prepare for Your First Meditation Session

This article is part of the ongoing Meditation for All challenge. Subscribers to the free newsletter receive weekly guidance and a daily practice. 1) Does the Place of Meditation Matter? The place can affect our meditation practice, but it cannot make the practice better or worse. While a quiet place is ideal, a noisy place can increase our ability to maintain focus and peacefulness during chaotic times. It is an…

Is Your Mind Creating the World You See?

Our minds are not much more than universe simulators. It is truly a remarkable feat that our minds can create such a perfect, solid internal recreation of the outer world. The fact that our minds can project all of the details of our universe, all of the intricate architecture around us, all the complicated details of a flower, in such high resolution, with such clear sound, is truly astonishing. But the…

Are You Taking On Suffering That Isn’t Yours?

When someone we love dies, where do they go? What is death?These are stories. They may be universal. We may all suffer immensely, but we are suffering a story. If your friend is moving away forever but going to live at Disney World, their favorite place on earth, you’re not really that sad. So it is our stories that we believe about death that make us suffer.In regard to something we…

Loving Someone Who Is at a Different Spiritual Place

What do you do if your partner is spiritually at a different place than you are? Ultimately, this question comes down to two things. There are really two broad stages of spirituality and spiritual development. Of course, within each stage there are many levels, but we can loosely divide them into beginner and advanced, those new, inexperienced meditators and mindful practitioners, and those who have been on the path for…

What Actually Changes When You Meditate Every Day?

This article is part of the ongoing Meditation for All challenge. Subscribers to the free newsletter receive weekly guidance and a daily practice.Why Should I Meditate?Have you ever noticed how after significant moments in your life, you have almost no memory of them?Like how you can give a big speech and it feels like you missed the whole thing. You gave the speech, or you were at your wedding, but…

Path to Peace What It Really Means to Be Human

I am fascinated by those timeless thoughts that every generations ponders: Who am I? Why am I here? What is my purpose? What is the meaning of life? For tens of thousands of years, humans have looked to the skies and wondered about these questions. And yet, after all that time, we're no closer to an answer. However, one key phrase keeps getting passed down: Know thyself. But what does…

The Truth About Meditation: Myths, Fears, and Misconceptions

This article is part of the ongoing Meditation for All challenge. Subscribers to the free newsletter receive weekly guidance and a daily practice.Is Meditation a Placebo?Meditation can often look like doing nothing, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Meditation is very active. It is the act of mastering being both highly alert and highly relaxed. Being in these two states simultaneously trains our mind and body to remain…

Can Practicing Gratitude Lead to Toxic Positivity?

Forcing gratitude on people, especially people in pain, can be harmful. Nobody should be told to “stay positive” or “just be grateful” when they are going through trauma or real suffering. To truly help someone: We cannot deny their pain. We cannot push delusion, denial, or false hope. We must face the truth directly. Stress, fear, trauma — all of it needs to be felt, acknowledged, and understood. Ignoring it…

Are There Alternatives to Meditation?

This article is part of the ongoing Meditation for All challenge. Subscribers to the free newsletter receive weekly guidance and a daily practice.For many people in the West, the mere idea of meditating is a significant source of stress. People will try almost anything before attempting "not doing," aka meditating. Many people will say walking or swimming or dancing is their meditation. So, is that really meditating? Is that equally…