​A skillful sailor or surfer knows how to work with the ever-changing winds and waves, adapting and shifting the course as needed. We too can become skillful at navigating the elements, riding waves of joy and sadness, compassion and anger, wanting and resistance. It starts with letting go of the hope or expectation that someday there will be no waves. Once we accept that change and challenge are a part of life, we can work with and adapt to those waves, surfing with presence, flexibility, and power.
 
In mindful presence,
Lori Furbush

​Sometimes it is interesting to pause and reflect on how you have changed over the years. If life were always rosy, you would have had no need to evolve and change. Honor all those times you were challenged, as they continue to mold who you are becoming every day. You are changing, and yet in many ways you are becoming who you already were, underneath the layers of life’s conditioning.
 
How have you changed over the course of your life? Have you become more “comfortable in your own skin”? Did you let go of a biased perception? Are you less quick to anger? Do you choose your relationships more carefully? Have you learned to slow down? Have you found your voice? What is changing within you now? What is being revealed that has been there all along?
 
In mindful presence,
Lori Furbush

​Well, there’s a word that may have sparked a groan upon reading. Discipline…ugh. Discipline may evoke a feeling of having to do something we’re told, when we’d really rather be doing something else.
 
What if we reframe our approach and consider that discipline does not close us down but rather opens us up? Doing something regularly, even tediously, gives us the opportunity to reconnect with our senses, to discover the profound within the simple, and to explore old information in new ways.
 
In mindful presence,
Lori Furbush

The word discipline comes from disciple, someone who is in a position to learn. ―Jon Kabat-Zin

This week, we honor the power of the pause. Before you jump right into the next word, meal, activity, or reaction, remember to pause. This interrupts your autopilot. A well-timed pause may just invite a deeper breath, a wiser thought, and a calmer heart, followed by skillful action. That brief moment between trigger and response can be empowering.
 
In mindful presence,
Lori Furbush

It is interesting to observe how often we adapt to those around us. We may have a “work self,” a “partner self,” a “parent self,” and so on. Yes, we often need to modulate our words and actions to get along and to facilitate a smooth flow in relationship with others.

And it is also vital to have time spent alone, to explore your true nature, without influence. Whether it is on the yoga mat, the meditation cushion, or just resting in nature, your true self is calling.

​In mindful presence,
​Lori Furbush