We bought a canoe for Father’s Day this year. I ordered a life jacket for myself, and I received notice it was on backorder for 30 days. This week, I received notice that it is on backorder for another 30 days. This run on all things outdoors brings me such joy.

According to the Yoga Sutra, meditation connects us to our inner luminosity & sorrowless joy. In modern day terms, when we talk about meditation as a tool for emotional resiliency, we are really talking about tapping into this inner luminosity. ⁠⁠

This month, my meditation series has been focused on building emotional resilience. We are learning how to use the tools of meditation to help us not only survive tough times but more so to thrive in our daily lives. Today’s episode, the final installment of this series, is my personal favorite because I think it is the game-changing practice.

If you’ve discovered each time you sit to meditate lately, you are overcome with feelings of discomfort {too many thoughts, too much tension or anxiety in the body, too busy, etc.} then this is the class for you.

This month’s meditation series is exploring how a meditation practice bolsters our emotional resiliency. Basically, meditation is one tool that helps us ensure we will make it through tough times with more grace.

We can all apply specific mindfulness techniques to help us navigate these emotionally tricky times with as much emotional resiliency as possible. 

The goal is not to avoid hard times, but to know without doubt that you can survive these times.

Oh, loves. It has been a year thus far, hasn’t it?! Murder hornets, pandemics, and long-overdue demands for social justice have asked much of our emotional resiliency. As I’ve worked with students to navigate these times, I’ve realized that I’m relying on much of my experience in teaching mindfulness for PTSD {Post Traumatic Stress Disorder}.

While mantra practice is a departure from how I normally teach meditation, it is quite often a part of my personal meditation practice. One of the most significant moments of my life was sitting on the banks of the Ganges river and chanting the Gayatri mantra as the sun rose.