Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker

Set your intentions for the new year through this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with a reading of two poems, "Don't Hesitate", by Mary Oliver and "This New Year", by James Crews.This version ends with music allowing you to drift off into sleep.

Don’t Hesitate, by Mary OliverIf you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy,don’t hesitate. Give in to it. There are plentyof lives and whole towns destroyed or aboutto be. We are not wise, and not very oftenkind. And much can never be redeemed.Still, life has some possibility left. Perhaps thisis its way of fighting back, that sometimessomething happens better than all the richesor power in the world. It could be anything,but very likely you notice it in the instantwhen love begins. Anyway, that’s often the case.Anyway, whatever it is, don’t be afraidof its plenty. Joy is not made to be a crumb.This New Year, by James Crewscrumbs will no longer be enough.You want whole loaves of joy,feast of exuberance laid outon the table of each waiting day.You want awe for the smallest things—drop of honey lifted off the platewith a fingertip, that kiss of summer,and Ball jars of bone broth leftto cool on the back of the stove,golden and healing. No resolutioncould ever live up to the feelingof just being here, sprinting intothe new year like a child let loosefrom parents in the park, runningand running without a destinationinto the open arms of the air.

Find out more about using mindfulness in everyday life through Julie's books, "SNAP: From Calm to Chaos", and "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't have To: Mindful Methods for Staying Calm in the Midst of Chaos". Both are available on Amazon.com.Follow Julie on YouTube and Facebook at Mindful Methods for Life.comThis podcast is available on iTunes, iHeart, Blubrry and everywhere you listen to podcasts.Find out more about using mindfulness in everyday life through Julie's books, "SNAP: From Calm to Chaos", and "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't have To: Mindful Methods for Staying Calm in the Midst of Chaos". Both are available on Amazon.com.Follow Julie on YouTube and Facebook at Mindful Methods for Life.comThis podcast is available on iTunes, iHeart, Blubrry and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Set your intentions for the new year through this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with a reading of two poems, "Don't Hesitate", by Mary Oliver and "This New Year", by James Crews.

Don’t Hesitate, by Mary OliverIf you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy,don’t hesitate. Give in to it. There are plentyof lives and whole towns destroyed or aboutto be. We are not wise, and not very oftenkind. And much can never be redeemed.Still, life has some possibility left. Perhaps thisis its way of fighting back, that sometimessomething happens better than all the richesor power in the world. It could be anything,but very likely you notice it in the instantwhen love begins. Anyway, that’s often the case.Anyway, whatever it is, don’t be afraidof its plenty. Joy is not made to be a crumb.This New Year, by James Crewscrumbs will no longer be enough.You want whole loaves of joy,feast of exuberance laid outon the table of each waiting day.You want awe for the smallest things—drop of honey lifted off the platewith a fingertip, that kiss of summer,and Ball jars of bone broth leftto cool on the back of the stove,golden and healing. No resolutioncould ever live up to the feelingof just being here, sprinting intothe new year like a child let loosefrom parents in the park, runningand running without a destinationinto the open arms of the air.—James Crews

Find out more about using mindfulness in everyday life through Julie's books, "SNAP: From Calm to Chaos", and "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't have To: Mindful Methods for Staying Calm in the Midst of Chaos". Both are available on Amazon.com.Follow Julie on YouTube and Facebook at Mindful Methods for Life.comThis podcast is available on iTunes, iHeart, Blubrry and everywhere you listen to podcasts.Find out more about using mindfulness in everyday life through Julie's books, "SNAP: From Calm to Chaos", and "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't have To: Mindful Methods for Staying Calm in the Midst of Chaos". Both are available on Amazon.com.Follow Julie on YouTube and Facebook at Mindful Methods for Life.comThis podcast is available on iTunes, iHeart, Blubrry and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Relax into this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker as you breathe into what it is you need right now. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Joy", by Donna Asworth.

This version ends with music allowing you to drift off into sleep.

Joy, by Donna AsworthJoy does not arrive with a fanfareon a red carpet strewnwith the flowers of a perfect lifejoy sneaks inas you pour a cup of coffeewatching the sunlighthit your favourite tree, just rightand you usher joy awaybecause you are not ready for heryour house is not as it should befor such a distinguished guestbut joy cares nothing for your messy homeor your bank-balance, or your waistline, you seejoy is supposed to slither throughthe cracks of your imperfect lifethat’s how joy worksyou cannot truly invite heryou can only be ready when she appearsand hug her with meaningbecause in this very momentjoy chose you

-Donna Ashworth

Find out more about using mindfulness in everyday life through Julie's books, "SNAP: From Calm to Chaos", and "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't have To: Mindful Methods for Staying Calm in the Midst of Chaos". Both are available on Amazon.com.Follow Julie on YouTube and Facebook at Mindful Methods for Life.comThis podcast is available on iTunes, iHeart, Blubrry and everywhere you listen to podcasts.Find out more about using mindfulness in everyday life through Julie's books, "SNAP: From Calm to Chaos", and "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't have To: Mindful Methods for Staying Calm in the Midst of Chaos". Both are available on Amazon.com.Follow Julie on YouTube and Facebook at Mindful Methods for Life.comThis podcast is available on iTunes, iHeart, Blubrry and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Relax into this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker as you breathe into what it is you need right now. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Joy", by Donna Asworth.Joy, by Donna AsworthJoy does not arrive with a fanfareon a red carpet strewnwith the flowers of a perfect lifejoy sneaks inas you pour a cup of coffeewatching the sunlighthit your favourite tree, just rightand you usher joy awaybecause you are not ready for heryour house is not as it should befor such a distinguished guestbut joy cares nothing for your messy homeor your bank-balance, or your waistline, you seejoy is supposed to slither throughthe cracks of your imperfect lifethat’s how joy worksyou cannot truly invite heryou can only be ready when she appearsand hug her with meaningbecause in this very momentjoy chose you

-Donna Ashworth

Find out more about using mindfulness in everyday life through Julie's books, "SNAP: From Calm to Chaos", and "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't have To: Mindful Methods for Staying Calm in the Midst of Chaos". Both are available on Amazon.com.Follow Julie on YouTube and Facebook at Mindful Methods for Life.comThis podcast is available on iTunes, iHeart, Blubrry and everywhere you listen to podcasts.Find out more about using mindfulness in everyday life through Julie's books, "SNAP: From Calm to Chaos", and "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't have To: Mindful Methods for Staying Calm in the Midst of Chaos". Both are available on Amazon.com.Follow Julie on YouTube and Facebook at Mindful Methods for Life.comThis podcast is available on iTunes, iHeart, Blubrry and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Breathe in goodness, strength, love, hope - whatever it is you need right now - and then send it out into the world. Julie Potiker completes her meditation with some words about Chanukah.

This version ends with music allowing you to drift off into sleep.As we come out of meditationand return to the movement of the day,we remember that this is the week of Chanukah —the week when light is kindled, night by night.Before any flame is struck,we pause with what the light represents:a people who have known loss and fear,and who continue to choose presence and endurance.We carry the memory of thosewho were killed simply for being who they were,and we hold that memory with care.When evening comes,and the candles are kindled,may they remind us that light does not rush —it is tended, protected, and renewed.May we move through this dayas quiet bearers of that light,choosing dignity over despair,and awareness over numbness.May the light we will kindle tonightbegin its work in us now.

-Julie Potiker

Find out more about using mindfulness in everyday life through Julie's books, "SNAP: From Calm to Chaos", and "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't have To: Mindful Methods for Staying Calm in the Midst of Chaos". Both are available on Amazon.com.Follow Julie on YouTube and Facebook at Mindful Methods for Life.comThis podcast is available on iTunes, iHeart, Blubrry and everywhere you listen to podcasts.Find out more about using mindfulness in everyday life through Julie's books, "SNAP: From Calm to Chaos", and "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't have To: Mindful Methods for Staying Calm in the Midst of Chaos". Both are available on Amazon.com.Follow Julie on YouTube and Facebook at Mindful Methods for Life.comThis podcast is available on iTunes, iHeart, Blubrry and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Breathe in goodness, strength, love, hope - whatever it is you need right now - and then send it out into the world. Julie Potiker completes her meditation with some words about Chanukah.As we come out of meditationand return to the movement of the day,we remember that this is the week of Chanukah —the week when light is kindled, night by night.Before any flame is struck,we pause with what the light represents:a people who have known loss and fear,and who continue to choose presence and endurance.We carry the memory of thosewho were killed simply for being who they were,and we hold that memory with care.When evening comes,and the candles are kindled,may they remind us that light does not rush —it is tended, protected, and renewed.May we move through this dayas quiet bearers of that light,choosing dignity over despair,and awareness over numbness.May the light we will kindle tonightbegin its work in us now.

-Julie Potiker

Find out more about using mindfulness in everyday life through Julie's books, "SNAP: From Calm to Chaos", and "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't have To: Mindful Methods for Staying Calm in the Midst of Chaos". Both are available on Amazon.com.Follow Julie on YouTube and Facebook at Mindful Methods for Life.comThis podcast is available on iTunes, iHeart, Blubrry and everywhere you listen to podcasts.Find out more about using mindfulness in everyday life through Julie's books, "SNAP: From Calm to Chaos", and "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't have To: Mindful Methods for Staying Calm in the Midst of Chaos". Both are available on Amazon.com.Follow Julie on YouTube and Facebook at Mindful Methods for Life.comThis podcast is available on iTunes, iHeart, Blubrry and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Settle in to peace and quiet through this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She competes the meditation with the poem, "Why read poetry if it won't make you rich?", by Joy SullivanThis version ends with music allowing you to drift off into sleep.

Why read poetry if it won't make you rich?For starters, your soul will get bigger.Your love, more terrible and luminous. Soon, you'll say tender things at parties after too much champagne. A sidewalk quince, wet with midnight, will stop you in your tracks. In time, you'll find the perfect metaphor for your child's face. All at once, you'll see the world and want it again: clothes flapping on the line, lilacs strewn and seeding, the luck of worms. An artichoke with its heart torn hot and steaming from the throbbingcrown will suddenly turn you on.—Joy Sullivan

Find out more about using mindfulness in everyday life through Julie's books, "SNAP: From Calm to Chaos", and "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't have To: Mindful Methods for Staying Calm in the Midst of Chaos". Both are available on Amazon.com.Follow Julie on YouTube and Facebook at Mindful Methods for Life.comThis podcast is available on iTunes, iHeart, Blubrry and everywhere you listen to podcasts.Find out more about using mindfulness in everyday life through Julie's books, "SNAP: From Calm to Chaos", and "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't have To: Mindful Methods for Staying Calm in the Midst of Chaos". Both are available on Amazon.com.Follow Julie on YouTube and Facebook at Mindful Methods for Life.comThis podcast is available on iTunes, iHeart, Blubrry and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Settle in to peace and quiet through this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She competes the meditation with the poem, "Why read poetry if it won't make you rich?", by Joy Sullivan

Why read poetry if it won't make you rich?For starters, your soul will get bigger.Your love, more terrible and luminous. Soon, you'll say tender things at parties after too much champagne. A sidewalk quince, wet with midnight, will stop you in your tracks. In time, you'll find the perfect metaphor for your child's face. All at once, you'll see the world and want it again: clothes flapping on the line, lilacs strewn and seeding, the luck of worms. An artichoke with its heart torn hot and steaming from the throbbingcrown will suddenly turn you on.—Joy Sullivan

Find out more about using mindfulness in everyday life through Julie's books, "SNAP: From Calm to Chaos", and "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't have To: Mindful Methods for Staying Calm in the Midst of Chaos". Both are available on Amazon.com.Follow Julie on YouTube and Facebook at Mindful Methods for Life.comThis podcast is available on iTunes, iHeart, Blubrry and everywhere you listen to podcasts.Find out more about using mindfulness in everyday life through Julie's books, "SNAP: From Calm to Chaos", and "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't have To: Mindful Methods for Staying Calm in the Midst of Chaos". Both are available on Amazon.com.Follow Julie on YouTube and Facebook at Mindful Methods for Life.comThis podcast is available on iTunes, iHeart, Blubrry and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Bring compassion into your breath through this meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, "The Most Important Thing", by Marie Marchand from her book, Mostly Sweet, Lovely, Human Things.This version ends with music allowing you to drift off into sleep.

The Most Important Thing

I asked the stars:

What is the most important thing?

The panorama of bright sentinels remained

silent and just keep shining.

So I repeated my question, this time imploringly:

What is the most important thing?

It was urgent. My time here is limited.

I deserve clarity. I deserve truth.

Summer's nightwind caressed my face.

I accepted this show of earthly tenderness,

of warm reassurance, but divined

no answer from the twinkling firmament

above. The stars just kept shining

with an irksome persistence.

Maybe I didn't deserve an answer.

Or maybe I wasn't approaching this

with enough reverence. So, instead

of looking up, I bowed my head

and looked within.

What is the most important thing?

I whispered so only I could hear. Then behind

my eyes, a blend of space and light emerged.

The whole universe opened up inside of me.

There was silence. There was peace.

The stars aligned.

And without making

a sound, they just kept shining.

-Marie Marchand

Find out more about using mindfulness in everyday life through Julie's books, "SNAP: From Calm to Chaos", and "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't have To: Mindful Methods for Staying Calm in the Midst of Chaos". Both are available on Amazon.com.Follow Julie on YouTube and Facebook at Mindful Methods for Life.comThis podcast is available on iTunes, iHeart, Blubrry and everywhere you listen to podcasts.Find out more about using mindfulness in everyday life through Julie's books, "SNAP: From Calm to Chaos", and "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't have To: Mindful Methods for Staying Calm in the Midst of Chaos". Both are available on Amazon.com.Follow Julie on YouTube and Facebook at Mindful Methods for Life.comThis podcast is available on iTunes, iHeart, Blubrry and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Bring compassion into your breath through this meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, "The Most Important Thing", by Marie Marchand from her book, Mostly Sweet, Lovely, Human Things.

The Most Important Thing

I asked the stars:

What is the most important thing?

The panorama of bright sentinels remained

silent and just keep shining.

So I repeated my question, this time imploringly:

What is the most important thing?

It was urgent. My time here is limited.

I deserve clarity. I deserve truth.

Summer's nightwind caressed my face.

I accepted this show of earthly tenderness,

of warm reassurance, but divined

no answer from the twinkling firmament

above. The stars just kept shining

with an irksome persistence.

Maybe I didn't deserve an answer.

Or maybe I wasn't approaching this

with enough reverence. So, instead

of looking up, I bowed my head

and looked within.

What is the most important thing?

I whispered so only I could hear. Then behind

my eyes, a blend of space and light emerged.

The whole universe opened up inside of me.

There was silence. There was peace.

The stars aligned.

And without making

a sound, they just kept shining.

-Marie Marchand

Find out more about using mindfulness in everyday life through Julie's books, "SNAP: From Calm to Chaos", and "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't have To: Mindful Methods for Staying Calm in the Midst of Chaos". Both are available on Amazon.com.Follow Julie on YouTube and Facebook at Mindful Methods for Life.comThis podcast is available on iTunes, iHeart, Blubrry and everywhere you listen to podcasts.Find out more about using mindfulness in everyday life through Julie's books, "SNAP: From Calm to Chaos", and "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't have To: Mindful Methods for Staying Calm in the Midst of Chaos". Both are available on Amazon.com.Follow Julie on YouTube and Facebook at Mindful Methods for Life.comThis podcast is available on iTunes, iHeart, Blubrry and everywhere you listen to podcasts.