Author: marina
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MindSet
In the past six months, my older child has mentioned mindset a couple of times in conversation. My takeaway was the attitude you have has a huge impact on how you approach something. This, of course, also impacts your outcome. Last year, I learned about The Great Ferry Race, a half-marathon on Bainbridge Island, WA…
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Flow
Most of my life, I did things because I “have to” or out of obligation. There is more satisfaction, contentment, and joy if we choose the things we truly want to do. I’m beginning to incorporate this attitude into my life.. Last month, I had some hesitation when it came to writing my monthly newsletter.…
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Creating Space for Grief
Ceramic “Dear Heart” made by Tom Quest Grief has been showing up this past month in myself and in the groups I am a part of. Grief is not an emotion that comes up often for me. When it does, I tend to dwell in the thoughts associated with the grief and am then swept…
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Sighted
My local senior center invited me to share mindfulness and self-compassion practices on Valentine’s Day for a visually impaired group. I learned some of these people became recently blind, while others possessed varying degrees of sight. Those who have their vision are referred to as “sighted”. I cannot imagine the many emotions and states of…
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p-a-u-s-e
January has been a hard month. My state of mind was unsettled and dull. For me, it probably didn’t help that there were a couple of days where the temperature dropped to 20 degrees Fahrenheit with short spells of modest sunshine. Depending on where you live in the world, this can be pleasant or unpleasant…
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Wishes for 2024
In early October of this year, I participated in Spirit Rock’s Fall silent retreat in Woodacre, CA. We took our silence in sitting, walking, eating, and doing one job per day to support the community. The instruction for the walking meditation is to walk a few feet, stop, turn around, and walk the same few…
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Respond / React?
I love the redwood forest. When I enter the forest and start taking in the cool crisp air, I feel a sense of calm and steadiness throughout my body. I have found it to be very beneficial to meet the stresses of life from a place of steadiness and calm. However, it’s not always easy…
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Do Judgments Reveal Your Inner World?
For the past decade, I have mostly looked at judgments through Marshall Rosenberg’s lens: “Even criticism, judgment, diagnosis, and expression of anger is the tragic expression of an unmet need.” When I receive a criticism or sense I”m being judged, I try to figure out what this person’s unmet need is. When or if the unmet…
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Perceptions of a Kettle
I recently heard Ying Chen’s (a guest dharma teacher at Insight Meditation South Bay) talk titled Dancing with Elements. She gave a great description of how to practice mindfulness of the body along with an example of how thoughts cloud reality. Ying described a time when she saw children running around the pool while dropping…
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My Mindful Self-Compassion Journey
I was very fortunate to have been able to stay home to raise our two children who are young adults today. In 2014, I wanted to re-enter the workforce. I was telling myself “Who would hire me?”, “I don’t know how to interview.”, and “I’ll never find a meaningful job.” This inner dialog made the…