I was drawn to my first Buddhist mindfulness retreat during a time when my son, Narayan, was four, and I was on the verge of divorce. During a slow, icy drive through a winter snowstorm on the way to the retreat center, I had plenty of time to...
Daily Sit invites you to practice meditation with a live online community. Inspired by "Sitting Project," a daily meditation piece, Kim Brown and I thought it would be supportive to the community to offer an online interactive presence for...
Many years ago, after several years of experiencing a long chronic illness, I attended a six-week Vipassana meditation retreat. Given my struggles with sickness, I looked forward to this time entirely dedicated to sitting and walking...
Every year, I attend the last church service of the year. At the end of December, the minister asks us to write down all the things we want for the coming year. We then draft a letter to ourselves that we will receive a year later (sent back to us...
The controversy surrounding whether meditation practice should be accessible to those suffering from PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) brings up a lot of interesting and important questions.
After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, as many people feared an ongoing and vicious spiral of retaliation and global violence, a wonderful and well-known Cherokee legend went viral on the Internet: An old grandfather is...
Each week there will be an opportunity for anyone who wants to participate online in a community sit. This weekend I will be practicing with IDP Sangha on a mindfulness retreat. There is still room to join us in person or you can practice from home...
If I said all experience is my experience, would you shy away?
Right before Part II of his book, “Thoughts Without a Thinker,” Mark Epstein presents a poem written in “the seventh century A.D.” by “the third Zen patriarch,”
When the mind exists...
Often, near the end of our sit at IDP Seattle Meditation Headquarters (it’s not called that), our teacher, Meredith, will sometimes suggest that we “let go of our practice” for the last minute before the bell is rung. My experience...
When I first started IDP’s Yearlong Immersion Training two years ago, I was intensely consumed with all kinds of doubts and questions about whether or not I would ever be well suited enough to be a dharma teacher. I also wondered if a year was a...
Many years ago, after several years of experiencing a long chronic illness, I attended a six-week Vipassana meditation retreat. Given my struggles with sickness, I looked forward to this time entirely dedicated to sitting and walking...
I feel a general sense of excitement and promise for our days in 2013. Mindful community is growing and connecting with one another other. Just thinking about that warms my heart and brings a smile to my face and yes, a bit watery in the eyes. I am...
Make your New Year’s Resolution for 2013 to meditate every day!
Ok, I admit, that’s too simple.
If you…
1) …have a daily meditation practice, can you add one more session per day for 365 days?
Daily Sit invites you to practice meditation with a live online community. Inspired by "Sitting Project," a daily meditation piece, Kim Brown and I thought it would be supportive to the community to offer an online interactive presence for...
Daily Sit invites you to practice meditation with a live online community. Inspired by "Sitting Project," a daily meditation piece, Kim Brown and I thought it would be supportive to the community to offer an online interactive presence for...
Daily Sit invites you to practice meditation with a live online community. Inspired by "Sitting Project," a daily meditation piece, Kim Brown and I thought it would be supportive to the community to offer an online interactive presence for...
Oh sister, am I lazy! I didn’t get up early enough this morning. I didn’t finish all the work I said I was going to do. I left the dishes in the sink, and the laundry unwashed. I haven’t cleaned in weeks. I seem to have quit my meditation practice...
"What is this true meditation?It is to make everything: coughing, swallowing, waving the arms, motion, stillness, words, actions, the evil and the good, prosperity and shame, gain and loss, right and wrong, into one single koan."
Daily Sit invites you to practice meditation with a live online community. Inspired by "Sitting Project," a daily meditation piece, Kim Brown and I thought it would be supportive to the community to offer an online interactive presence for...
This time of year can be extremely challenging for many of us. There's all kinds of pressure and expectations in the air. Strained family relationships often come to a head, and memories of past holidays have a way of creeping their way back into...
