Today’s episode of The Mindful Minute was recorded just after the mass shootings that took place in Dayton, Ohio and El Paso, Texas. In these moments, when tragedy occurs on a large, national stage or within our own private lives, our practice can be a lamp within that darkness.

Just sit. This mini-episode is a meditation only. It is the perfect daily practice to use each week while you wait for the next full episode of The Mindful Minute to air. If you want the full goodness, be sure to listen to the full length episode “Ferocious Joy” to hear the Dharma Talk that inspired this meditation. 

With the unseasonably gorgeous and cool evenings here in Atlanta lately, I’ve found myself called to do some walking meditation in the evenings. Recently, as I mindfully traced my path across my driveway, my present moment was filled with the Blue Star Creeper, the Weeping Peach and the scent of Gardenia. And, in the periphery I kept noticing a fluttering…

Part 3 of my Meditation for Anxiety series couldn’t come at a better time. I am just back from the vacation from hell… truly.

All this month, we have been working with meditation as a tool for anxiety. Our daily mindfulness meditation practice is the very best tool we have for managing everyday stress. However, when we are in the throes of deep anxiety or high stress, sometimes we need something a little more specific to help us through the moment.

Meditation for anxiety is a two-part practice. One, we must have a consistent, daily practice so that our foundation is one of calm wakefulness. Practicing coming back to the present moment without judgment time and again will do more for our stress than any emergency response.

“Between stimulus and response there is a pause and in that pause lies your power and your freedom.”  ~Victor Frankl

When things get hard or when things get stressful, what do you do?

Most people tend to try harder. We tend to actively look for solutions; to do more to try to fix it.