Is life getting too serious lately? Summertime is play time. What might you do that’s just pure fun? What’s holding you back?

In mindful presence,
​Lori Furbush

​Pause. Sit back. Soften into this moment, just as it is. If you’re feeling particularly revved up, give yourself a bit longer to unwind. If you're feeling down, take a few slow inhales. Relaxation offers your body, mind, and heart the space that’s needed for balance and deep healing.

In mindful presence,
​Lori Furbush

What makes you thrive? What foods make you feel clear and strong? What activities put that spring in your step? What people bring you to life? If you’re in mere survival mode, it may be helpful to gravitate toward something that makes you sparkle.

In mindful presence,
​Lori Furbush

There are times when life around us settles into calm. Yet we often discover storms still raging within us. And the opposite can be true. It may be stormy all around us, yet somehow we find calm within. Life is not an either or situation. Quiet and noise, stillness and movement, calm and chaos all coexist.

In mindful presence,
​Lori Furbush

​Have you been searching in vain for an answer or direction? Are you looking for someone or something to bring you peace? We often look outside of ourselves for our happiness and miss the treasures within.

In mindful presence,
​Lori Furbush

​When your world is feeling crowded and your options limited, you may be “lost in the weeds.” Overwhelm and overload are signs that it might be helpful to zoom out and offer space for the bigger picture. What might look different if you could observe the situation from 30,000 feet? If you were pure awareness, observing without emotion or preference?

In mindful presence,
​Lori Furbush

It is important to spend time in comfort. When we feel at ease, our nervous system uses this down time for resting, digesting, and repairing. Perhaps we find that comfort at home, in nature, with friends and family, and alone.
 
It is also beneficial to experience discomfort. It is, after all, a part of life. Discomfort nudges us to learn patience, to build resilience, and to meet and explore our own boundaries.

In mindful presence,
Lori Furbush

It is only human to want relief from pain, adversity, and unpleasantness. Yet sometimes, in our desperate search for a way out, we add to our own stress. We spend many moments fighting and avoiding the reality of suffering. Sometimes the path toward relief requires dwelling in the gateway of discomfort and allowing its presence. To know relief we must also know discomfort.

In mindful presence,
Lori Furbush

At first, meditation is like standing at the water’s edge, observing the ocean. It is thrilling to watch the drama of waves rolling and crashing, spilling over sand and rock. And then, resting into the rhythms, you might drop deeper, discovering mysterious worlds beneath the surface waves. You may even find you are the entire ocean, the waves, life teeming under the surface, and the profound quiet of the abyss.

In mindful presence,
​Lori Furbush

It is difficult to think or act with clarity when we’re feeling overwhelmed, spun up, or uncertain. Try imagining yourself as a lake, shimmering in the sunlight, held by the earth. Noticing whatever ripples and waves are present, and inviting them to fade off into the distance. Give it time, allowing the warmth of the sun to shine through, clearing the murky depths and revealing your translucence.

In mindful presence,
​Lori Furbush

Many of your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are instinctual reactions to life events. Your brain likes to follow familiar patterns and keep quick information at the ready, to help you solve problems and to survive.
 
So it may take a bit more work, a bit more time, to engage the parts of the brain that help us respond with clear rational thinking rather than the typical knee-jerk reactions. Once we learn to slow down reactivity, perhaps by pausing and breathing in the midst of a stressful situation, we often find empowerment and the freedom to choose if and how to respond.

In mindful presence,
​Lori Furbush

You may find that you spend a good deal of energy obsessing about your body, whether you’re trying to hide it, flaunt it, slim it down, strengthen it, nourish it, or heal it. But how much time do you actually spend in your body?
 
To embody your body is to sense it, dwelling in your legs, back, belly, chest, arms, neck, and head. Interoception is the ability to sense your inner body and simply notice what is here to be noticed. Making this mind-body connection now and then throughout your day can be a grounding and centering practice.

In mindful presence,
​Lori Furbush

The concept of enlightenment may elicit connotations of vibrancy, illumination, wisdom, and achievement. Perhaps we think enlightenment is some lofty goal we should (and will probably never) attain after years of endlessly perfecting ourselves.
 
Or we can think of enlightenment as the daily work of paying attention, skillfully navigating our thoughts, words, and actions, and forever learning from our own perceived successes and failures. Perhaps enlightenment is making peace with who you already are, and accepting responsibility for your own happiness.

In mindful presence,
Lori Furbush

Strength is often valued over vulnerability. We feel strong when we feel confident, skilled, supported, grounded, and centered. We feel strong when we have an answer or a planned course of action. To feel strong is to feel safe.
 
Vulnerability, then, may feel unsafe. To dwell in that place of uncertainty is unsettling. And yet, we sometimes must let go of what we think we know, what we’re holding onto as “truth,” to open the door for new information and possibility. Allowing yourself to be vulnerable is a bold choice. Softening into vulnerability can reveal the seeds of strength within.

In mindful presence,
​Lori Furbush

Thoughts and emotions are important aspects of being human. They contain information, memories, and perceptions which can be useful in helping us set goals, make decisions, and interact with our world. It is easy to become so immersed in thought and emotion, however, that we “fail to see the forest for the trees.”
 
To be conscious is to be awake and aware. When we’re feeling overwhelmed, it can be helpful to pause, pull back to a wide angle lens, and observe our thoughts and emotions for what they are—just passing clouds in a clear blue sky of consciousness.

In mindful presence,
​Lori Furbush

​It can be an easy, and sometimes comforting, choice to disconnect. We disconnect from the body, getting lost in the noise of the mind. We also tend to disconnect from discomfort, getting lost in distracting habits and gadgets.
 
It may be a challenging, even uncomfortable, choice to reconnect with our inner experience. Finding a practice like mindful movement or meditation helps us reconnect the mind into the body and the body onto the ground. If we want to skillfully navigate the noise of life, we must connect with the strength of silence within.

In mindful presence,
​Lori Furbush

Sometimes we spin ourselves in circles looking for the meaning in things. Why did this happen? What is the purpose? What am I supposed to learn from this?
 
Rather than seeking answers outside of yourself, perhaps the meaning lies within. You have the freedom to choose your perception and interpretation. You have the freedom to find your own answers and to breathe into the questions.

In mindful presence,
Lori Furbush

​We often resist practicing self-care for many reasons. Perhaps it feels self-indulgent, like we haven’t “earned” it. Perhaps all the other tasks on our list are given greater priority. Perhaps there is a discomfort in setting aside our usual distractions and facing ourselves.
 
In truth, self-care is not necessarily luxurious or even relaxing. It is maintenance. Self-care includes cultivating healthy patterns of eating, sleeping, exercising, resting, and recharging, along with skillfully managing thoughts, emotions, and social support. The work of self-care is a 24/7 job that requires a sustained alignment with your sense of center, your boundaries, and your values. When we live our self-care, we are continually rejuvenated, with more energy and presence to handle everyone and everything else.

In mindful presence,
​Lori Furbush

“This too shall pass” is a phrase that often gets us through tough times. Reflecting on the temporary nature of all things reminds us that challenges will eventually shift into greater ease. Of course, the reverse is also true. Pleasant experiences also fade. So we learn to ride waves of emotion without getting lost in the surf. In the midst of the highest high or the lowest low, we can feel, acknowledge, and let it pass.

In mindful presence,
​Lori Furbush

While both your body and your breath exist in the present moment, quite often your mind is somewhere else. As often as you remember, you can bring your attention back to the felt-sense of your body and your breathing to establish presence.
 
True embodied presence allows us to be aware of the mind’s wanderings into desire and aversion—the wanted and the unwanted—while more clearly discerning what requires action and what is better left undone. With presence, we may act without striving and rest without resistance.

In mindful presence,
​Lori Furbush