An extraordinarily unique and challenging year is nearing completion. Likely you have experienced moments of frustration, acceptance, sadness, joy, worry, trust, fear, and courage. Perhaps your world was turned upside down; your perception of what is true was tested. You may have resisted and you may have adapted. You might even have found silver linings. As this year ends and another begins, we cannot help but hope for a better future. And yet, as always, much remains complex, nebulous, and incomplete. The question then is whether we can find satisfaction and even peace, knowing that our strengths and our weaknesses make us complete. In mindful presence, Lori Furbush When the mind is at peace,
the world too is at peace. Nothing real, nothing absent. Not holding on to reality, not getting stuck in the void, you are neither holy nor wise, just an ordinary fellow who has completed his work. ―Layman P’ang The winter solstice reminds us that darkness and light dance in rhythms, every year, every day, every breath. With an exhale, we release this past year. And in the pause before the next breath begins, we rest in trust. Trust is softening into knowing that another inhale, another day, another new beginning will come in its own time. In mindful presence, Lori Furbush What to Do in the Darkness
Go slowly Consent to it But don't wallow in it Know it as a place of germination And growth Remember the light Take an outstretched hand if you find one Exercise unused senses Find the path by walking it Practice trust Watch for dawn. ―Marilyn Chandler McEntyre In these darker days with another year coming to an end, we pause to reflect, reassess, and renew. Just as there is a centered calm available in the midst of chaos, there is a vibrant animated heart beating within the quiet. This is a time for withdrawing inward, not constricting from the world in fear, but gently aerating the soil within, preparing the ground for the seeds of a fresh start. In mindful presence, Lori Furbush I will not die an unlived life.
I will not live in fear of falling or catching fire. I choose to inhabit my days, to allow my living to open me, to make me less afraid, more accessible; to loosen my heart until it becomes a wing, a torch, a promise. I choose to risk my significance, to live so that which came to me as seed goes to the next as blossom, and that which came to me as blossom, goes on as fruit. ―Dawna Markova In observing your own mind, you may find that much of your thinking is focused on future and past moments. Rarely are we ever fully present. Experiencing this moment now with all of your senses—touch, taste, smell, sight, and sound—can help you tune in. It takes courage to center yourself in awareness, shining a light into the shadows and being open to what we find. In mindful presence, Lori Furbush Awareness is like the sun. When it shines on things, they are transformed.
―Thich Nhat Hanh |
AuthorLori Furbush teaches Qigong, Yin Yoga, & Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). She weaves MINDFULNESS & RELAXATION into every moment. Archives
April 2025
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