May 17, 2013

Boston Gives: The Lower Leg

There’s so much on which I’ve ruminated after the Boston Marathon bombings and still I feel a need to keep silence. Everyone knows someone who was in that race. We all weren’t sure if our loved ones were safe  spectators or tragically injured. Many knew someone who died during that race.

I didn’t know Krystle Campbell personally, but I saw her often while she worked at Summer Shack. She was a dear friend of the Bukowski Tavern family and she lit up every room she entered. Karen Rand, who called Krystle her best friend, survived the bombing, but lost both her best friend and her left leg. She is also part of the same restaurant family, so the family dedicated Sunday afternoon to help raise money for the fund her sons set up through GiveForward: http://is.gd/KarenRandFund.

Click to join the Facebook event!

Click to join the Facebook event!

WHEN: Sunday May 19th, 1-5pm
WHERE: The Lower Depths – Kenmore Square – Boston, MA
WHAT: Kindly give a minimum donation of $20 at the door

The donation will get you three drink tickets and apps throughout the day.

A raffle will also be held for $20/ticket. Coveted prizes include Red Sox tickets, Patriots tickets, gift certificates, wine baskets, and much more.
——————————————————————————————————–
If you can’t make it and want to help, you can give online here: http://is.gd/KarenRandFund.
Have something to give for the raffle? Please contact one of the three event organizers:

  • Suzi Samowski: bukowskitavern@yahoo.com
  • Jenna Figueiredo: lowerdepthstaproom@yahoo.com
  • Matt White: mwhite@shackfoods.com

ALL proceeds will go to the Karen Rand Fund and the employees will be donating all of their time for her.

Friends, thank you all in advance. All donations are so greatly appreciated. Let’s show ‘em how Boston gives!

March 23, 2013

Mindful Earth Hour

Earth Hour - Costa Rica

Earth Hour is upon us again and I thought, what a perfect opportunity for a meditation practice! Join me at 8:30pm local time. Shut off the lights and sit for 60 minutes. Imagine the power that would create in the world if we did that once a month!

A few years ago, I had the electrifying chance to sit on a restaurant deck overlooking the entire city of San José, Costa Rica on March 23rd. As if the breathtaking sunset wasn’t enough, my best friend (who lived there at the time) and I watched as one by one, the city lights turned black. That hour was one I will never forget– this image of ticos captures that sentiment perfectly.

¡Salud!

March 13, 2013

Mindful Sip: Let Us Breathe

breathe

Word play is a wonderful thing. The Latin word spirare has given us not only “breathe,” but also the Latin word spiritus, which means both “breath” and “spirit.” A spiracle is a breathing hole used by dolphins and whales. So to inspire is to breathe in, and to expire is to breathe out. To transpire and to perspire are to breathe through, while to respire is to breathe again. To suspire (ever hear that one?) is to breathe from below, as in “to sigh.” To aspire is simply to breathe. Try connecting these ideas with the general idea of “spirit,” too; it’s an interesting thought experiment. Conspire, as you might imagine, is to breathe together. Let us breathe.

Phenomenal insights from a nameless meditation classmate. Definitely one to consider during practice.

March 5, 2013

March: The Month of Self-Love

It’s wise to direct our intentions toward accomplishing real goals now instead of aiming toward unreachable ideals. The Moon’s shift into powerful Scorpio helps us find the resources we need to be successful. Significant gains are likely if we’re willing to work for what we want.

March has begun. And what an exciting month it is! It’s Women’s History Month (which includes International Women’s Day on the 8th), National Nutrition Month, and my birthday month. And spring– a symbol of nature’s rebirth– is only weeks away. So, in honor of these occasions, I’ve officially launched my month of self-love. It’s a small tribute to myself and our mother.

So far, I’ve kicked off the event with an exciting new book, lingerie, a month-long meditation class (can’t believe it’s been a whole year since my MBSR class), shoes, vinyl, yummy food, new dates, inspiring shows, yoga, and more.

I’ve made sure to schedule some me dates this month, too– SIFF movies, a wine, tea, and chocolate tasting, an herban wellness workshop, a photo course, and an evening talk on mindful relationships.

And, I plan to surround myself with inspiring media. I kicked off my first show this month with Alabama Shakes. Brittany brought me to tears with her ass-kicking soul… See below. Next up is a stellar lady-rocker musical– These Streets, a talk by Duff McKagan, Mudhoney’s album release show, and my ongoing obsession with PBS’ MAKERS: Women Who Make America.

Brittany - Alabama Shakes

During this exciting month, I’ll be channeling good ol’ Maya Angelou and have printed out the following as a mindful trigger for the next 20-something days. It will be work, but it will be worth it in the end. I welcome you to join me.

It’s the arch of my back,

The sun of my smile,

The ride of my breasts,

The grace of my style.

I’m a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That’s me.

February 26, 2013

Mindful Sip: Whispers

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Let your heart guide you. It whispers, so listen carefully.

A little reminder from Littlefoot’s mother in Land Before Time.

February 21, 2013

Work-Life Balance– Dream or Reality?

There’s a quote in my email signature that I purposely keep there so I can read it daily. It’s both a mindful reminder for my work ethic and a sign to others about how I do my work. It’s from Cecil Beaton (Maybe you have seen it on Pinterest lately) and it reads:

Reading this every day keeps my focus on balance in my work and for my soul. But when it comes to the daily grind, in my experience, for example– planning and writing and executing holiday promotions in a 24/7 world can suck the life out of you (especially in the retail vertical). And quickly.

Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic has a brilliant suggestion for us:

Maybe it’s time to redefine the work-life balance — or at least stop thinking about it.

In his latest HBR post, he offers some considerations:

  • Hard work may be your most important career weapon
  • Engagement is the difference between the bright and the dark side of workaholism (YES!)
  • Technology has not ruined your work-life balance, it has simply exposed how boring your work and your life used to be
  • People who have jobs, rather than careers, worry about work-life balance because they are unable to have fun at work
  • Complaining about your poor work-life balance is a self-indulgent act (And it’s the trigger to all of those negative thoughts– that vicious cycle!)

What do you think? Do you agree? I couldn’t help but soak up his every word. I kept thinking how much meditation, psychotherapy, and yoga can all play a role in helping you make these realizations and stay away from those negative cycles. And then he added the following:

In short, the problem is not your inability to switch off, but to switch on. This is rooted in the fact that too few people work in careers they enjoy. The only way to be truly successful is to follow your passions, find your mission, and learn how to embrace the work-life imbalance.

Couldn’t have said it any better! What do you do to embrace the imbalance? How do you define work-life balance? Please share below.

December 27, 2012

Mindful Sip: Giving

Before giving, the mind of the giver is happy.
While giving, the mind of the giver is made peaceful.
And having given, the mind of the giver is uplifted.

A friendly reminder for those of us who get carried away by the holidays and lose sight of their meanings a la Anguttara Nikaya.

December 20, 2012

Mindful Texting

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My friends joke that this was me. Simply hilarious.

Take a moment to check out the full list of best iPhone autocorrects on BuzzFeed (will update link later). Would love to hear your own pitfalls! I know I’ve had a few myself.

Namaste!

December 18, 2012

Meditation in Portlandia

After last week, I’m sure we could all appreciate a little comedic relief. Portlandia is back! I find this one extra hilarious because I had a similar experience with a new yoga teacher this week. If I hadn’t been experiencing such savasana brain, I likely would’ve had the same reaction as Carrie when my goodbye didn’t get a response…

Fred saying namaste may just turn into one of the sounds on my phone! Can’t wait for more.

December 14, 2012

Breathe it all in…

breathe it all in

On a worldwide tragic day like today, it’s really all we can do. If you’d like to take the extra step, try this. I just got back from a Hatha class and it’s keeping the sadness at bay, for now.

Om mani padme hum

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