Deconstructing Yourself

By Jessica Graham I’ve recently become of big fan of lovingkindness meditation, or as Shinzen Young calls it, “Focus on Positive.” From the beginning of my practice I have been pretty hard-core about going in to the most challenging material and deconstructing it using mindfulness. This technique has served me well; I have been able [...]

Sometimes you have to do something a little extreme in order to get a better understanding of yourself. For many people, the urge towards self knowledge takes the form of a challenge. Skydiving, mountain climbing, long meditation retreats. Here, my friend Kestrel, an amazing photographer, talks about her personal experience with the challenge of following [...]

by Julianna Raye   As a singer/songwriter, I’ve had some pretty amazing opportunities. And I absolutely love the process of performing live, which I’ve done since I was 5 years old, in one form or another. I also love creating music. It’s a genuinely exhilarating process. But, I really can’t stand playing an instrument in [...]

by Michael W. Taft Are you having trouble staying focused on your tax return? Is texting so fascinating that you can’t keep your eyes on the road? Concentration can be difficult for all of us, but it doesn’t actually have to be so hard. With just a few simple tricks and hacks, you can drastically [...]

by Michael W. Taft Does anything in the world feel as good as yoga class? Think about the slow, deliberate way you get worked into a posture, adjustment by adjustment, through a brand of practical magic—like cooking a meal or assembling a car engine—that is so deliciously irresistible. There is a kind of inevitability to [...]

By Jessica Graham In this series, I have been exploring my relationship with my dad and the experience of caring for him in his final months. It’s been an amazing process of revisiting that time and sharing the stories with others. I’ve received moving emails and phone calls from people who are going though a [...]

Deconstructing the Self, Part 3 by Michael W. Taft The next time you’re talking to yourself, in your mind, ask yourself this question: Who or what is talking to whom? Are there two people in your head, one that is talking and one that is listening? If not, then it’s kind of weird that you [...]

by Michael W. Taft A hot cup of spicy chai is a fabulous way to start the day: allow no substitutes. It’s also makes a great support to meditation. Getting hopped up on tea before meditating is a traditional practice. Some swear by green tea, which I like, but my favorite by far is Indian [...]

by Jessica Graham “In these bodies we will live. In these bodies we will die” – Mumford & Sons Today is the first day of my Holiday vacation and I plan to spend it at Huntington Botanical Gardens with my boyfriend. My body loves being surrounded nature and open space. My mind also deeply enjoys [...]

by Michael W. Taft If you cannot focus on one thing at a time, or cannot maintain attention on one thing for as long as you want to, that is distraction. Distraction dilutes brain power, frazzles the nerves, and results in non-optimum outcomes. You end up stressed out and spun around, and don’t even have [...]