Embodied Practices With Marlo

When my family and I moved to Canada from the Philippines, it was probably the very first time I realized that I was of a different race. A few days into attending elementary school for the first time in Canada, a group of stylish young girls started to pick on me because I looked physically different than them and because my name is so unique.  In case you didn't read my bio, I'm Marlo and nice to meet you!  In a classroom full of Jennies and Kellies, I stood out big time! When I would walk home from school, I would be followed around and get called names other than my own. If I wasn't teased and bullied for my name or how I looked, I would be made fun of for the lunches I brought in. My family eventually moved to another city and a year before graduating high school, the same girl who used to bully and taunt me ended up at the same high school as me. I had grown up and had more confidence and when I found out that she attended my high school an...

When people find out that I meditate, the first thing I often hear is, "Oh good for you. I can't meditate, I think way too much. I can't turn my thoughts off." And you want to know what I'm thinking when I hear that? I'm thinking, "I feel you. I can't stop thinking either." Yes that's right. I also find myself getting hijacked by my thoughts when I meditate.  So does that mean I'm failing in my practice just  because I haven't been able to turn my mind off? Definitely not! There's this erroneous assumption that when you meditate, your mind should be blank but it is actually very normal that thoughts arise when you meditate.  There's an area of the brain called the Default Mode Network that is primarily responsible for self-referential functioning. This network is reduced when we are doing something that is non-self referential and or engaging in tasks that are goal-oriented. You can read more about it ...