Obstacles to Practice: The Five Hindrances--Anger and Ill-Will
This is the final set of reflections on obstacles to practice focusing on the Buddha's five hindrances (well not his hindrances, but the five that he set out as obstacles to meditation). The Five are a laundry list of things that are rarely a good idea--sensual desire anger, anxiety, laziness, and d

posted 9:02:03am May. 24, 2012 | read full post »

Obstacles to Practice: The Five Hindrances--Sensual Desire
This is the final set of reflections on obstacles to practice focusing on the Buddha's five hindrances (well not his hindrances, but the five that he set out as obstacles to meditation). The Five are a laundry list of things that are rarely a good idea--sensual desire anger, anxiety, laziness, and d

posted 11:21:00am May. 23, 2012 | read full post »

Relaxation
I tend to avoid using "relaxation" in my teaching of mindfulness. As I understand it, the goal of mindfulness practice is not to relax but to know our minds. Relaxation is a reliable by-product of the process but not the main goal. For one, meditation practice is not always relaxing. When we prac

posted 9:49:52am May. 20, 2012 | read full post »

Writing and True Love: A Weekend (June 8-10) with Polly Young-Eisendrath and Mark Matousek at Omega
My friend, colleague, and dharma sister Polly-Young Eisdendrathis presenting at Omega with Mark Matousek. Polly is a gifted writer and engaging speaker. On the weekend of June 8-10, they will be teaching at the Omega Institute a workshop: Writing and True Love: Have you noticed that writers and

posted 9:35:22am May. 17, 2012 | read full post »

Mindfulness Revolution for Kids
My colleagues at the University of California San Diego recently held a conference called Bridging Hearts & Minds of Youth. The conference audio and videos are now available if you missed this conference. They are planning the conference again for next February. This is the first conference

posted 8:32:41am May. 15, 2012 | read full post »