Our Mindful Nature: Meditation Inspired by Nature to Soothe the Overwhelmed Mind and Ease Anxiety

In the second episode of my Real Life Real Love series, we talk compassion. My understanding and practice of compassion is the belief that it is ALL about connecting with heart and without judgment. The very basis of compassion is acceptance, and acceptance brings us right back to ourselves...

To be compassionate, we must start at ground zero. We must start with self-compassion. We draw compassion from the wholeness of our experiences. We know our darkness so we can sit with the darkness of others.

This talk focuses on the components of self-compassion as a practice. Join me for today; lay down your secret weapons of self and practice this softer way.

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This class is the first of 3 in my new series: Real Life. Real Love.

In this unique series, I am sharing my personal work of combining Brene Brown's shame-resiliency curriculum and my understanding of meditation. I am using Brown's book, "The Gifts of Imperfection", as our guidepost for inspiring deep awakening in meditation. This series uses meditation as the tool for living and loving with your whole heart.

Today's talk and meditation is focused on courage - specifically, to let meditation give you the courage to be who you are. Brown reminds us, "if we want to fully experience love & belonging, we must believe that we are worthy of love & belonging."

Join me for a deeper look at the work of courage.

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Sharon Salzberg defines faith as the "learning to trust our own deepest experience."

Mark Nepo encourages us, "the more we lean into life, the brighter our flame."

The last 3 weeks, we have explored the elements needed for a sustainable meditation practice. Now, I'm offering a summation and an invitation... Join me for a brief talk and guided meditation meant to brighten our flame and awaken our aliveness.

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Today's class is the 3rd installment in our Begin Again series. This series was designed to help you start and maintain a consistent meditation practice, and today's offering is, for me at least, the most important element in keeping a meditation practice consistent -

Sangha

Sangha is both a community and a deep spiritual practice. Sangha is the love, understanding and support for our own journey. Like many of you, I started my meditation practice by finding an app and trying to do it at home. I was gung-ho at first; excited to be doing this thing that was supposed to change everything for the better....

But, somewhere in that 10 - 21 day mark, I got a little bored. Nothing was really happening. There were too many "more important" to dos on that daily list. I just sort of... FORGOT...

Sangha is the piece that helped me remember. Grab your headphones and join me for a talk and a sit today. Join me in this community <3

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This week we learn about taking refuge inside our practice. We learn about Dharma - the teachings. the path. the Truth. - and, we learn how this affects change.

Join me for the 2nd class in our 3 week series designed to help us build a consistent meditation practice.

If you want to skip right to the meditation, start at minute 7:15.

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I couldn't be more excited to share this class with you all. This is the first in a new 3-week offering - Begin Again. This series is designed to offer you the essential teachings to start and, more importantly, MAINTAIN a meditation practice!!

Today's class focuses on the first of the 3 critical elements: our own desire for wakefulness. Mark Nepo defines wakefulness in this way -

"Wakefulness is not a destination but a song the human heart keeps singing, the way birds keep singing at the first sign of light."

Please join me today and for the next two weeks as we build a sustainable meditation practice. I'd love for you to connect with me through Facebook or Instagram and let me know how your practice is going!

If you'd like to skip right to the meditation, start at minute 9:06

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I wrote you guys a little story... poem... parable :-)The last few weeks have been the PERFECT example of how a meditation practice can fall by the wayside in the blink of an eye.

We start with focus and good intention and then one little thing disrupts our schedule and BAM... it's 3 months later?!

So, this is for you. For those of you that want to start a meditation practice for the first time. Or, the 400th time... Today is the day to Begin Again.

If you want to jump right to the meditation, start at minute 6:18.

And, be sure to tune in the next 3 weeks as I share the 3 critical elements of a consistent meditation practice.

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Walking meditation can be a soulful commune with nature; it can also be a quick escape from the holiday chaos when you need a moment to rebalance. Consider it a healthier version of the smoke-break :-)

Pop in some earbuds, step outside (you only need enough room to take about 10 steps) and clear away whatever it is that you've got simmering on the inside...

Happy Holidays, dear souls!

xxoo,

MA

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Today's meditation offering is for when we forget. When we forget who we want to be in the world and how we want to act... When we get caught in stress/fear/anger and fall into our habitual ways of thinking.

Today's practice is the reminder that we ALL forget. Often even daily, we forget our intentions. The whole point of the practice is to awaken to that forgetting and kindly come back.

Join me today for our own coming back, our own awakening.

If you'd like to skip right to the meditation, start at minute 4:50.

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Have you noticed that when we are in our bubble of stress or overwhelm that we stop seeing other people as actual people? They simply become someone in the way...

Today's meditation is a glimpse into our heartspace and an invitation to soften, to find tenderness towards ourselves and others in moments of stress.

Carve out 20 minutes for today's talk and meditation or skip to minute 5:18 to go right to today's meditation.

#meditatewithmeryl