Embrace Mindfulness

Resources for Conscious Living

Compassion

Two Components to Freedom

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 Indispensable elements for our Self-liberation

In the Buddhist tradition, there are two essential components to our freedom. The first one is awareness. It is the wisdom that comes from training your mind to see clearly and the second one is compassion for yourself and for others.
These components are compared to the two wings of a bird, without which the bird would be unable to fly and be free.

Awareness

The first wing is our conscious awareness that allows us to recognize what is really happening in our moment-to-moment experience. […]

On Mother’s Day

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As we approach Mother’s Day, I would like to invite you to take a moment to contemplate, what is/was your mother like? What is/was your relationships with your mother like? What important lessons have you learned from her?
No relationship is perfect, of course. I’m sure there were some challenges, and some very beautiful moments you two spent together.
I had a very tumultuous relationship with my mother growing up. We both had good times but also very challenging times. […]

Making Friends with Yourself

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Making Friends with Yourself is the Art of Self-Compassion 

Life offers us so many opportunities for great joy and pleasure but it is our sorrow that can undoubtedly have a detrimental effect on our confidence and on our ability to trust who we are. It is in moments like these that we need to make friends with ourselves by cultivating self-compassion.
Challenging times are often accompanied by anxiety, impatience and a deep sense of uncertainty. […]

The Art of Listening

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Good, Conscious Listening Can Be Cultivated ~ Here’s How

The art of listening is cultivated with the deep desire to understand and connect to the other. Unfortunately, good listeners are very difficult to find and, for that reason, conscious, meaningful conversations are not natural because we are usually more interested in expressing our own thoughts, feelings and opinions. However, skillful listening is a talent we can all learn and cultivate.
Holding a space for the person who is talking to feel comfortable and safe enough not to hold anything relevant back, […]

Loneliness is a Gift

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Hafiz, the beloved Sufi poet, reminds us in the poem below that loneliness is, indeed, a gift. Unlike depression and lethargy, which want us to stagnate and to sink in darkness, loneliness encourages us to move.
Loneliness is a desire, a physical feeling, something missing in the heart that inspires us to seek. Without loneliness, Hafiz suggests, how would you find yourself?
Part of being human is feeling the desire to connect and share with others. […]