Embodied Practices With Marlo

  It's been awhile since I've posted anything on this blog.  Since end of December 2020, there have been a lot of changes in my life. For one thing, I lost my job that I had for 3 years. Luckily, I was offered an auxiliary position working for the school district in my community. And of course, with all the changes in my life, my own personal mindfulness + meditation practice has taken a noise dive.  I no longer sit for 20 minute practices. My mind can't seem to handle it + for those who are new to meditation, I can honestly say that this is absolutely normal . My practice as of late takes me 6 minutes  + some days I don't even make a point to practice.  I've decided that expecting myself to sit longer is just not feasible at this time. And each day I sit for  however long is enough for me. For the past several weeks, I've been practicing Chris Germer's Self-Compassion Break meditation. It's been useful when I feel stressed, overwhelmed or just feeling u...

  Late last night I noticed a slight tickle in the back of my throat. I was worried that I was coming down with something. More worried that I would get others sick especially if I tested positive for Covid-19. I work at an integrated health facility + I am client facing which means that I see plenty of people in any given day. I wear a mask when I'm at work + even in my personal time when I am doing errands such as grocery shopping.  So this morning, I called 811 HealthLink BC to see if it was recommended I get tested for Covid-19 based on my mild symptoms. While my symptoms are mild, it was still recommended I call in sick + my next call was to my employer to let them know that I was doing my due diligence. That meant I had to get tested today + that I had to self-isolate + wait for my test results. So today my partner + I went to a drive-in/walk-in testing site + in about 1 1/2 hours got tested.  So how did I feel while I sat there waiting for my turn?  Relatively...

There is a collective sense of grieving at the moment. With the COVID-19 virus impacting so many communities world-wide, most of us are not only grieving our sense of normalcy and everyday routines but we are also grieving our jobs, family and friends we have lost due to the virus. We may also be grieving physical touch, a stable income and special life events we can't attend to due to physical distancing.  Right now, at this very moment, there is a sense of loss and uncertainty that is looming in the air.  Like many of you, I am impacted by this pandemic. I've recently experienced a temporary layoff like so many people world-wide.  At times, I've felt scared and overwhelmed by the rapid changes this virus has brought on in my life. I know I'm not alone and in some way, I'm comforted by the fact that we are all in this together.  For my own personal practice, I've been making a genuine effort to lower my own stress. I'm making a point to embody a sen...