Embodied Practices With Marlo

  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...

  I decided to take up watercolor painting as part of my mindful self-care practice. With Covid-19 continuing to shape + influence my daily routine, I decided I needed a self-care practice that allowed me to get lost in the moment + simply take the edge of my daily stresses. While having a formal mindfulness meditation practice will always be part of my daily routine, I desperately needed something else to add to the mix. A couple of weeks ago, I came across this video (see below) from a woman named Cynthia's YouTube channel called Mindful Creative Muse.  This practice really helped me to connect to my breath in a way I didn't know I could! I highly recommend you this a try! Cynthia's channel on Youtube called Mindful Creative Muse                                                             I e...

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...