It is human nature to want to fix things, to find a solution, to tie it up in a bow and move on. Whether we’re on a journey of physical or mental health issues or both, healing can seem like that carrot at the end of the stick that we can never reach.

Rather counterintuitively, mindfulness practices help us get in touch with and explore our discomfort, taking an active role in meeting ourselves where we are rather than getting lost in distraction and wanting something else. True healing might be expressed as fully experiencing your disappointment, shame, anger, loss, and fear, then welcoming the power and clarity of knowing it is okay to be exactly as you are.

In mindful presence,
Lori Furbush

We experience joy when something sparks a state of pure happiness, an outpouring of appreciation and delight. Your ability to feel the fullness of joy can become blocked, overwhelmed by worry, anger, fear, sadness, striving, resisting. It is important to experience all of our emotions, the pleasant and the unpleasant. What can you let go of to make room for joy to shine through? What brings you to that state of delight?
 
In mindful presence,
Lori Furbush

An important aspect of being human is the drive to take action, to learn, to grow, to create change. When we are not happy with the way things are, we may feel an impulse to take positive steps in a different direction. Discontent and drive have inspired our species to create tools, electricity, computers, commerce, and to advance civilization in so many ways.
 
And yet, it may be interesting to notice that we—and our brains—often spend more time searching for something different and less time resting into the contentment of now. If this is a relatively safe and peaceful moment, why do we resist letting it just be? Both drive and contentment can co-exist as a harmonious flow.
 
In mindful presence,
Lori Furbush

​It seems that people, societies, and cultures place such a value on “doing.” We strive to keep busy, motivated, and achieve. If we happen to have a moment without something needing our immediate attention, we may even feel the need to create something to do—to fill the time as if it is wasted if we are not accomplishing something.
 
What if we allowed those quieter moments just to be, or even created space for non-doing? Perhaps scheduling in time to just “air out” the mind and heart, let the body rest into healing, and find value in pure presence. We may find there is a lot happening in those moments of non-doing, where we process, recover, and renew ourselves.
 
In mindful presence,
Lori Furbush

To be united is the opposite of being divided. If we look to the root of all beings, there is much common ground. We all need to feel safe, to feel loved, to feel valued. When we do not, we manifest our fears in different ways. Sometimes we turn those deficiencies inward, being unkind to ourselves. Sometimes we turn those deficiencies outward, being unkind to others.

​​Owning and integrating your own divisions of light and shadow allows you to model unity as you engage in community. May we each walk the path of presence, continually cultivating unity within, carrying wholeness into the world at large.

In mindful presence,
​Lori Furbush