If we look at ancient meditation teachings as roots, they allow us to understand the path that has been carved by practitioners of the past. And then crucially, the teachings always invite us to explore for ourselves. To question. To advance. We don’t have to accept without experiencing for ourselves.

We use wisdom teachings - through books, through teachers or classes or podcasts - to help guide us. To give us the lay of the land and the sense of what’s possible. And then we return to our practice.

Join me for today’s mini meditation practice as we explore the path carved.

The tree root doesn’t heed to suburban ideas of lawn. Roots don’t heed to where development has said ‘stop’. In fact, re-wilding has shown that even in the face of huge infrastructure and development - if left alone, roots move back in and take back the territory that was once theirs.

This makes me think of the wisdom teachings from great meditators of the past. These ancient teachings don’t heed to modernity. They don’t become obsolete because now iPhones and social media exist. In fact, these teachings of meditation become MORE potent in the face of these modern evolutions.

Roots, in botany, are the part of a vascular plant normally underground. Its primary functions are

To anchor of the plant

To aid in the absorption of water and minerals

To store a reserve of food.

Our practice serves much the same purpose. It anchors us to the present moment, it allows us to absorb the benefits of being present, non-judgmental and compassionate, and it prepares us to face difficult times with equanimity.

Join me for today’s mini meditation as we practice accessing our roots.

Often, when we talk about simplifying, getting back to basics or our foundation, we say “getting back to our roots”... and my offering this month is exactly that -

It is an invitation to get back to our roots in the most literal way possible. To explore our rootedness and how this relates to our meditation practice.

Today’s mini meditation is offered with the reminder that community is a valuable part of any meditation practice. It is what helps us to explore meditation off the cushion and to put our practice into everyday use.

Join me!

One of my intentions for 2022 is to truly pay attention to and foster community both in my work and my personal life. This is a value I hold so dear, and I’ve felt the impact of the last 2.5 years as it has asked us all to reimagine community connection.

You’ll hear some short thoughts from me, and we will share in a 20-minute guided meditation as usual.

In today’s mini meditation, I’m sharing another elemental practice with you in celebration of my upcoming program Elemental Awakening.

We have explored two different wind-based practices recently and now we will revisit an old favorite - fire. Today’s meditation is one of my original offerings in Roots - my nature-based meditation app. In this practice, you hear the embers of a campfire crackling as it burns in Little Yosemite Valley. This soundscape was recorded by Gordon Hempton and the meditation was written from  my direct experience of sitting in front of decades worth of campfires.

“Back when humans lived in communal caves and tribal encampments, we told stories about the stars. When we started sailing, we used these same pinpricks of light to estimate our own location. When we began planting, we relied on the constellations and the Sun to plant and sustain crops. Yet today, most modern humans have lost this deep connection to the cosmos that was once central to our daily lives.”

Join me for this exploration of the cosmos, mindfulness, and some new practices you can try tonight.