Embodied Practices With Marlo

  I don't think I ever considered how much color impacts my mood until I started painting for the first time last year.  Now when I go for walks, or look at art online or pretty much anything that I do, I am often looking at all the colors I see + I mentally compare them to the palettes I use when painting. Lately, my mind has been leaning towards the color blue. It makes me feel calm, cool + reminds me of the vastness of the ocean. It makes me think of beaches, sand + sunshine but it also reminds me of the sky when there are no clouds in sight.  So what does this have to do with mindfulness + meditation? A lot! You don't have to just sit + meditate following your breath. Remember that mindfulness is having awareness of the present moment without any judgement.  Side note : If you want to understand more about mindfulness, check out my old post  What Is Mindfulness? What's the Difference Between Mindfulness + Meditation?  A really great informal practice to...

  Yes, it is a pretty long title but it got me thinking. Today, I actually managed to do a short body scan meditation using Sharon Salzberg's audio on YouTube. Here is the link if you are interested in trying out her meditation Wake Up Meditation ft. Sharon Salzberg Then I got into some morning painting + I was following an artist I've never followed before + I was just genuinely struggling with the whole process. I labeled the whole morning painting experience as a total bust because I didn't get the result I was looking for. Which made me wonder, was the experience really that bad or was my expectation of what I wanted to paint unrealistic? What does this have to do with mindfulness meditation? A lot! Here's the thing, some days you sit + meditate + even after the sesh is done, you are still feeling overwhelmed or stressed. And you know what, that's normal.  Sometimes, I think that we need a friendly, compassionate reminder that if we have a meditation practice th...

  When I started meditating a few years back, I was pretty diligent + dare I say strict on myself when it came to practice. In the last year + a half, around the same time Covid hit worldwide, my practice became sporadic.  I wasn't getting up first thing to meditate + some days I just couldn't do it.  The perfectionist in me saw this as a failure but the truth is, it isn't. I am letting you know right now that it is OK to take breaks from your meditation + mindfulness practice. It is OK that you forget for a few days or you just don't want to.  I'm learning that when that happens, I need to be self-compassionate with myself + remind myself that I can begin again when I feel ready emotionally + mentally to take a seat + meditate. There is a lot going on right now + if sitting to meditate stresses you out more, then take a break from it. Give yourself permission to just be OK that you didn't meditate. And maybe do something else that you think might suit you bett...

Hey hey everyone! Its been a while since I posted a new audio recording. It's been pretty tough the last several weeks + creating an audio was the least of my worries. But alas, I have a new one + it is all about having a cup of tea. And if tea doesn't work for you, go with whatever hot beverage you prefer. Coffee, hot chocolate, or whatever hot beverage you prefer, this is after all all about your own experience. I recorded this informal practice because I wanted to highlight that you can drop in to any moment you are in. Whether that's going for a walk or in this case, sipping tea or coffee, moments of informality are a great training ground for mindfulness . Hot Cuppa Meditation Exercise Things to consider when doing this practice  ~The ground to which you work on with this informal practice is your own direct experience. ~Take your time! Do this as slowly as you like + for as long as you like. The recording may end but you can continue for...

Yesterday, I was doing a bit of my own personal reflection while working on "The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook" by Kristin Neff, PhD & Chris Germer, PhD.  I was on Chapter 10 - 'Loving-Kindness for Ourselves' - taking a moment to reflect on what I needed to hear in terms of phrases for myself and it hit home for me that most times, I just want to be validated that I'm OK, that I will be OK. I came up with three phases that hit home for me which all included the word 'OK": "May I be OK as I am."  "May I begin to feel OK about myself." And a super simple one that I like that feels super validating is, "It's OK, I'm OK."  I thought about it + then meditated to one of Jeff Warren's meditation on YouTube. If you haven't heard of this awesome Canadian author & bonafide MacGyver meditation teacher, go check him out at the link below. https://jeffwarren.org/ After that practice of sitting + doin...