Embodied Practices With Marlo

It's been snowing all day here in Vancouver, BC. And as I look out my big windows, I watch the snowflakes come down. As I've mentioned in previous posts, you can practice mindfulness anywhere you are. At work. At home. Sitting down while waiting for your bus or even while doing dishes.  If it is snowing where you are. Take even 3 minutes out of your day and look out your window.  What do you notice when you look out your window? Is there a lot of snow? Is the snow coming down heavy where you are? Do you notice the snowflakes and how big or small they are? How about their movements? Is it windy where you are? Do the flakes look like they are slowly free-falling before they hit the ground? What textures do you notice? Just take a moment to notice the snow itself. If you get distracted which is inevitable and very normal, simply come back to the practice. Over and over again for however long you plan to do it.  Then once your done, take a deep breath in and slow exhale out. ...

  My needs have changed when it comes to my mindfulness practice.  There I said it. A part of me has felt guilty in some ways but I'm also thinking that if my needs have changed over the course of time, why do I need to berate or make myself feel guilty for something that can come naturally? Do I still meditate? Yes but most of my meditation practice is doing self-compassion breaks via through Kristin Neff or Chris Germer. The practice is short, sweet + gets to the heart of the situation + that matches more my personality. And what do most of my mornings look like then if I don't meditate? I read! I read books that make me happy + put a smile on my face because life has been hard at times + reading for the mere pleasure of it is good enough for me. When I'm struggling somehow, then I do a self-compassion break + I simply make a point to listen to what I need in that moment.  So if your needs have changed + you feel like you are "failing" because you aren't doi...

I love watching clouds take shape. I love how sometimes I can see faces + animals when I'm cloud watching. I also love that it is a non-traditional way of practicing mindfulness. This is an excellent informal practice you can do when you are in your car *parked of course!* , sitting on a park bench or drinking your coffee/tea while near a window. I highly recommend doing this practice when you see different shapes of clouds. A dreary rainy day will not do unfortunately since the whole sky will be grey. OK so here are the steps + let me know how you like this informal practice! -Find a comfortable position that works for your body. If you are in your car, park your car first + get comfortable. Adjust your sitting position until you feel comfortable enough to sit still. -Take a couple of breaths in + out through the nose to settle yourself in. If you find that you can't relax, do this portion of the practice for a lot longer until you feel settled. -And now look at the clouds. Do...

  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...