Personal Growth

Feeling cared for, accepted and having a sense of belonging and affiliation with others is fundamental to our well-being. Unfortunately, not everyone was raised in such an environment.

When attention is strong, we can simply do what we are doing, moment to moment. If we are peeling an orange, we may notice the stickiness of the juice, the smell of the orange oil, and a host of other sensations

The key to lessoning the impact of hard, difficult moments in life is to watch our reaction. In Buddhism, suffering is likened to an arrow. The first arrow is painful. Normal. Our fighting against the pain is like a second arrow being shot. Except this time, we are the one’s doing the aiming.

Try this simple strategy and your relationship with yourself will change. When the thoughts in your head grow less judgmental and more accepting, you’ll find that the world opens up for you. Take this small step to reconnect to the amazing soul that you are.

People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back. I’ve learned that I still have a lot to learn. I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

Dealing with emotions effectively isn’t about suffering them away for feeling them less. It’s about establishing a balance, shoring up those areas where we’re most vulnerable, and making the most of our natural strengths. The key lies in understanding your natural style of relating.

At the core of everyone is a Self which is the seat of consciousness. This is our source of empowerment. From birth, this Self has all the necessary qualities of compassion, perspective, curiosity, acceptance and confidence to lead through life.

Ishvara pranidhana, or surrender, presupposes that we are part of something larger – call it God, spiritual energy, or life. It is believed this force is greater than us and wants us to thrive. If you think of this “energy” as nature, it’s easy to…

Self-study, or svadhyana, is about knowing our true identity. It requires us to look at what’s happening inside. The world and others reflect back to us what we are seeing, not what is actually there. In other words, people and events don’t disappoint us, our…

Certain individuals and groups are engaged in the struggle to rediscover our world. They are struggling against terror, politics, despair, loss, limitations, disease, cruelty, and loneliness. To some the struggle is to find God, to others it is to deny God. Eyes open or closed, those who are searching can still see the light.