Very often in life, we say something we don't mean. We react in anger. We make an impulsive decision, an unconscious choice, and later regret it. With a bigger, broader perspective, we see the error in our ways and feel a sense of regret or shame about it.And we want to understand why we did this. We want to prevent it from happening again. So we have to understand the…
In meditation, we can become aware of awareness itself. The first step is simple. Close your eyes and begin by noticing your thoughts. Don’t try to change them. Just observe what the thoughts are, the nature of the thoughts, how one thought jumps to another, how they arise and how they fade away. Really look at what a thought is. As you observe your thoughts, notice something deeper: you are…
Whenever we find ourselves going into autopilot mode, one of the things we can do to snap ourselves out of it is to bring our attention back to ourselves. Something we don’t usually do. Especially when we're doing something, we rarely notice how we’re breathing. And usually we're not breathing great. Usually, we’re holding our breath a lot, or shallow breathing, so we’re not expanding our belly. And often, we’re…
Children see everything as new, everything is mysterious and they're curious. Adults jump to conclusions, and we're certain, and we already know everything. So to get back to that childlike wonder, we have to focus on the cause of that, which is our comparative mindset. We compare this moment to the last. We compare this thing to the same thing we saw yesterday. But every moment is different. The light…
Happy 4th of July to all who celebrate!Every year, I think about the inner freedom America’s Founding Fathers displayed when they envisioned a new form of government built on the ideals of liberty and equality. They first threw off the shackles of tyranny in their own minds so their creative spirit could imagine a better way forward. The conditions of political freedom were not prerequisites for their flourishing. In fact, it…
You are trapped. Not in a physical cage, but in a mental one. Luckily, this is a cage of our own making, and we each possess the key to freedom.The cage is made of our conditioned likes and dislikes. We think they are not conditioned, that they are natural, innate to us. But they are all conditioned, and they can be changed. I used to hate olives and cilantro. They made…
Q: Dear Todd, sometimes when I meditate after a long run, I’m able to quiet my thoughts, but other times it’s harder. Is it better to meditate before or after a long, strenuous activity? TODD ANSWERS: This is really a personal choice as there is no wrong time to meditate. What matters most is consistency. Oftentimes, a meditation where our mind is very chaotic can be the best thing to…
Q: Dear Todd, I feel like in my case, the subconscious patterns, regardless of which life they come from, seem to be more powerful than the conscious ones. Becoming fully aware of them after many repetitive cycles is one step. What would be the next step to 'overcome' and rebuild them? TODD ANSWERS: Subconscious patterns are deeply ingrained mental habits, so we need to treat them accordingly. Like any habit…
Q: Dear Todd, I have been trying meditation for at least a couple of years, reading books and blogs, and studying Buddhist teachings, yet I feel no different than I ever have. I want to feel a connection, I want to feel safer, loved, and be in communion with my spirit. What am I doing wrong? TODD ANSWERS: I wonder what kind of meditation you’ve been doing because different kinds…
As Spiderman’s uncle said,“With great power comes great responsibility.” This immense responsibility has led many successful leaders to discover the benefits of starting their day with meditation. From CEOs Jack Dorsey to Arriana Huffington and Jeff Weiner. As well as basketball coach Phil Jackson and team leaders Michael Jordan and Tom Brady. Also creative geniuses like Jerry Seinfeld to George Lucas and the Beatles. For all of them, meditation has…
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