Meditation

In the spring and summer, I have the good fortune to teach a weekly mindfulness class in Salt Lake City’s beautiful Red Butte Garden. Each week,...

We’ve all seen the images of serene young women meditating on a sunset-drenched beach. There are times when meditation feels calm and relaxed. But sometimes, there’s...

When I think of mindfulness practice, a quote by B.K.S. Iyengar often comes to mind: “It is through the body that everything comes to the mind....

Scientific studies have shown that meditation has many benefits—calming the mind and body, promoting general wellbeing, even increasing brain cells in certain areas of the brain....

In the Insight meditation tradition, breath awareness is the first technique we practice. Observing our breath creates an anchor for the restless mind. Of course, practicing...

Before 1993 I enjoyed the luxury of moral certainty. I was pretty good at separating the “good people” from the “bad people.” Good people were kind,...

From time to time, I’ve been exploring metta (kindness) meditation in this blog. The first installment covered practicing kindness for an easy being—someone, human or animal,...

On every silent Insight Meditation retreat I’ve attended—at The Last Resort in Southern Utah, or at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California—meals have always been...

On January 22nd, a bright light gently flickered out. Vietnamese Zen master, Thich Nhat Hanh, 95, left his body. Nhat Hanh was known as a meditation...

A couple weeks ago, I attended a seven-day silent meditation retreat at The Last Resort in Duck Creek, Utah. Due to COVID, it was my first...

One of the most common questions I hear from new students of mindfulness practice is, “Sitting meditation is really uncomfortable for me. What should I do?”...

Sometimes when I tell a friend I’ll be going on a silent meditation retreat, they’ll respond, “That sounds so peaceful.” That’s when I know they probably...

Do you find sitting meditation uncomfortable? You’re not alone. For many people, the traditional posture, sitting cross-legged, is not ideal. The good news is that cross-legged...

I have the great privilege of teaching a mindfulness class each week for Huntsman Cancer Institute. The class takes place at Salt Lake City’s gorgeous Red...

The second verse of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras describes the whole practice of yoga: Sutra 1.2 says: Yoga is the settling of the mind into silence. (Translated...

“You can search throughout the entire universe for someone who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and that person is...

I probably first heard music before I was even born. My parents were singers who met while studying with the same voice teacher. My sisters and...

Several years ago, I spent a long weekend at Green Gulch Farm in Northern California. Green Gulch is a lovely, green valley in the hills above...