What kind of world would we live in if simple mindfulness were taught in every school? If it were practiced in every company? If people learned mindfulness at home, on their own computers? The world would be a very different place. Our minds project our reality. When we are mindless, we act without considering consequences. When we are unaware of the interconnected nature of all life on this planet, greed…
This article is part of the ongoing Meditation for All challenge. Subscribers to the free newsletter receive weekly guidance and a daily practice.Mindfulness meditation or awareness meditation refer to the act of observing some phenomena in the present moment with great concentration. To observe the present moment, the mindfulness meditator’s main aim is to focus. They may focus on their breath, their body, their surroundings, or a task, such as…
The Key to Observing Thoughts Most of the time, in our day-to-day lives, we are lost in thought, pondering various ideas without actively observing them. We are not consciously witnessing or listening to our thoughts. If we were to ask ourselves what we were thinking about a minute ago, most of the time, unless we've been fixated on something all day, we'd have no idea. The key to observing our…
It must feel better to go into video games or VR or escape into any show, into anything, when your life is not in alignment with what you intended. But here’s the thing: If I don’t like my life, if I don’t like my present moment, then I need to give that moment my undivided attention. That moment that is incompatible with what I want in life, that is the…
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…
Nature can be our greatest teacher if we learn how to listen correctly. It can teach us patience, its beauty can inspire, and we can understand its (and ours) nurturing, loving way. We don't have to go off and meditate in a cave for 30 years to become aware of our place in the cosmos, either. Our nature, our true nature beyond all our societal programming and upbringing, can be seen…
There are no wrong turns on your path if your intuition and instincts are your guides. Be careful about letting others take away your inner voice and your inner power. This path is about liberation and freedom, not freeing ourselves from our own ego only for it to be replaced by someone else’s ego. No enlightened being would charge huge sums of money for their “secret.” Retreats in beautiful places will…
1. Consistency is key. Like exercise, it doesn’t matter if you used to be fit, you have to stay fit. On days when I am very busy or traveling, I will find times to fit in my meditation, even if I have to break it up through the day or wake up extra early.2. I find an hour in the morning sets me up for a great day, and an…
Q: Dear Todd, can you explain the dual and non-dual aspects of mindfulness, especially in relation to experiencing both ultimate and relative bodhicitta?TODD ANSWERS: Using the mind intentionally and consciously is exactly what it was designed for. When we are fully mindful and present, we become one with our surroundings and our conscious awareness expands beyond ourselves. So, I think it is really non dualistichttps://youtu.be/unm8ROYfrmU These 5 Minutes Could Shift…
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