Where can you find surprise today? Where can you open your heart and mind to the wonder of this world? To the fact that everything - the sunshine, the air we breathe, the gravity that holds us to the earth, the fresh, clean water pouring from our faucets, the leaves falling from the trees or the rain or snow showering down upon us from the skies, the sun, the moon, the smooth fresh skin of a baby, or your own aged wrinkled skin marked by time and experience, every little thing is a miracle, a gift, an emblem of the sacredness of this life?

This weekend I go on retreat. A time away from all the busy-ness of life. A time to rest. Restore. Rejuvenate. 

A time to let go - and return to center.

I also began a practice a few months ago of taking time off from - letting go of - all news during the first week of each month - print, radio, TV, phone app - a complete reprieve. A time to clear my mind and step away from politics and what too often feels like a constant onslaught of negativity and tragic events. 

This, too, is a kind of retreat. A time to clear my mind and refresh my heart. To return to a more natural state of being.

So I feel doubly blessed that this next month of November just happens to begin this coming Friday - also the first day of my retreat.

One of my most beloved teachers, Sebene Selassie, recently shared with me a really interesting perspective about retreats - and just why they are an essential part of our practice, why they are so very needed, and the powerfully transformative and rejuvenating purpose they serve.

This weekend I had a revelation.

Or maybe more like a remembrance. Or maybe a bit of both.

Saturday night was a sleepless night. I’d been working hard for a few weeks—clearly a little too hard—on a work project. So often when I become fully engaged with something, I start to obsess a little—and become entirely too focused on the results. Which in turn creates worry.

Dearest Ones,

Lately I have really been noticing how practicing gratitude daily makes my life better.

More peaceful. More joyful. More balanced. 

I recently went through a bit of a rough patch and one of the things that really helped me move through it with at least a modicum of ease were my daily gratitude practices.

wellbeing.

I’ve been using a guided meditation of late called Sitting Like a Mountain, by Dr. Julien Lacaille. You may have heard me mention it before.

In this meditation we are asked to envision ourselves as a mountain—calm, steady, serene, majestic—and then begin to notice the weather patterns in our mind. Is it sunny and bright? Or are there some dark clouds and/or emotional storms coloring our inner landscape?

This week in my yoga classes I've been focusing on strength.

Not just physical strength, but also mental and emotional strength as well. They all work together. And yoga can help us develop more of each one.