Well, at first glance I didn’t think I had any because I’m rather sporadic in my yoga, journaling, and prayer “practices”. But if I think more broadly, I have several others. I often sit on my back deck and watch the sky in the evening; the changing light and colors, along with the birdsong help me get out of my peopled world and back into the natural one. Another comforting practice is lying in my reading nook with the window open (breeze, birdsong, green smells) reading. Being surrounded by my book friends and having nature right there at the window heals my heart and softens my outlook.
I love to meditate. Mostly on my own since I’ve learned so much from you Jeff and so many others. Calm app. 10%happier too. It makes me so happy , able to deal with all that comes day to day . I’ve been dealing with very hurtful memories, especially this past couple years. My practice helps a lot mostly. I hope others can see this in me in my community?
I’ve gotten with a nice group of people that meets once a month . Another is art, not sure
I now need to let myself have some really fun experiences with others.
I thank all, I love all namaste Jeff you’re the biggest influence in my life.!!😊👏
Thanks, Chris. Community is definitely practice, one of the most important and definitely one of the hardest . I think of this one line Caroline Casey said to me, “community is the art form of diversity.” One part of real community is you don’t often get to choose who shows up - there’s a lot of learning in that! Kind of going on my own tangent there, but that’s what’s coming up for me.
Thanks Jeff. I meant to say that I’m not sure of art, though I really like the group. I will give it more time to develop my enthusiasm.
I play Billiards, have for 8 yrs now. I lost the love 💗 of my life last fall. I was a caregiver for long time. So now I finally see that it’s time to have fun again. Without meditation and mindfulness I would have been in even more pain. Since I have labels it’s sometimes hard. My mind can be hard on me. I’m sooo grateful for finding you , Dan too, as well as the others.
Thanks for your kind supportive words Jeff. Means so much.
Thanks Jeff! Sometimes it socks. I’m proud of myself for the way I’ve dealt with it all. I keep on learning, just going with the flow. I’m a survivor, literally and otherwise. Be well. Be Happy. Find a wonderful place to live with your family 👏😊☮️
Woah. Jeff, this short but sweeeeeeet practice hit SO SO SO hard in the best way today.
Sometimes, it’s like, “No, life, f**k you. You deserve no thanks. Thank you for what, exactly? Giving my husband cancer? Destroying our plans, his health, and for leaving us with nothing but the unknowns we now face? Get the F out of here.”
And then, I sit. And then I settle. And then I breathe. And then, and then, and then….etc. And in the end, we don’t need a reason to be thankful. We don’t need to be thanking anyone or anything in particular. We don’t even need to be feeling particularly thankful in order to say “thank you.” Because sometimes what we think or do becomes what we feel. And 7 minutes later, that’s where I am.
So, thank YOU, you badass thankfulness master. You changed the course of a really shitty weekend and now I’m actually thankful for this shitty weekend. 🩷❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙💜
oh, and there is a bag of small resin skulls arriving to me from Amazon tomorrow. I’m all about the skulls for so many reasons. memento mori. i love and am unabashedly stealing (sharing) this idea.
It’s a brilliant way to stay engaged with the universe in a playful way. Thanks for the inspiration. secondary or corollary benefit, It also suits my skull fetish. haha.
One of my favorite practices is “floor time” with my pet bunnies. They are rescues and prefer to stay safe on the floor - so if I want to bond with them, I need to go where they are. Oftentimes my experience of doing this is that time stands still. It’s just me and this little fluffy bean. This bunny has no idea about any kind of human issue or stressor, they are in their own little bunny worlds of sleeping, eating, and pooping. When they are relaxed, I can pet them and snuggle up to them. The long term affect is that they feel bonded to me and I feel bonded to them. It builds trust and safety for them, and it makes me feel as fuzzy as they are. The lesson of meeting beings where they are at extends to other areas of my life. I have also learned to deeply appreciate how energetically sensitive bunnies are and how that makes them so special.
So beautiful Jess. Practices with animal companions are crazy deep. I was just reading the other day about some of the science here too on human happiness and health benefits. As soon as we find a home with some nature and a yard I am getting a puppy, can't wait. I can spend hours watching animals enjoy themselves - these days it's my little human animals I get to delight in!
The daily practices I've cultivated are pretty banal -- workouts, meditation, dog walks. They've all provided me with some pretty clear long term benefits, though. For one thing, what sounds like a lot of daily rituals have actually made me much more flexible and adaptable to constant change, I think. But now I'm thinking I need to find a practice akin to leaving skulls as my calling card!
On school day mornings I listen to Jeff on the Calm app while I ride the subway to my school. When the students who are arriving late come in the front door, I stand there to welcome them with a joyful, loving “Good morning!” and I hug all of the students who want to hug me. I feel the love of the universe flowing through me to my beloved students.
Thank you Jeff. I often listened to one of your 'sleep' meditations on 10 percent - the one where there is a lot of noises of crickets and frogs (?) and people....maybe a crackling fire? I intend to do it again tonight. Going through a 'bad period' ATM - a lot of changes, Covid, blah blah. Deal with depression/anxiety and also ADHD. It was interesting that one of my children had it (really had it) and I did not realize that I too had ADHD. Of course it is not a disorder, as you know. Anyhow thank you - I needed this today. My practices: plant propagation, cooking, baking for others/neighbours/folks at work. Meditating, walking. What does it mean where it says "also share a note"???
Yes it is!! I love it . I listen to it every day, after Jeff. So many good teachers. Some days I binge on it. Trying to cut that down. Afraid of losing interest doing that. Hasn’t hurt so far!😂
I have a practice of copying out poems longhand. It means I really focus on the poem and what it means to me, but also I find handwriting anything to be meditative and calming. I started building slowness into my life when I retired ten years ago, and writing longhand is part of that. I still have some people I write actual letters to, longhand, putting them in an envelope with a stamp on, "just like the old days."
Practices are the habits we chose and also the practices we lose sight of and forget how much they heal and sustain us. I have recently stopped waking early to meditate and this wonderful meditation reminds me of how much I have lost my way. I am sending many a whispered thank you your way Jeff for reminding me to get back to a consistent morning practice. Meditation is the way I anchor myself to the present moment and without it I have been adrift. Looking forward to doing this meditation with you again tomorrow morning on my front porch enjoying the wind, birds and garden blooms. I very much want to return to this daily meditation practice as a life long habit as it gives back so much more than it takes. Blessings to you Jeff and a huge thank you for all you do to share these incredible truths and teachings with the world.
Good luck getting back to it Danielle. Also just to normalize things: even after all this time, I fall on and off the meditation wagon - sometimes we need to forget to remember with new appreciation
Thank you for the encouragement and for always keeping it real Jeff. Your down to earth approach is a big part of why I enjoy your meditations so much. I am back on the wagon and looking forward to practicing again tomorrow morning. I felt so much better today having done even a short practice to start my day.
I too enjoy dropping "love tokens" (vs. ceramic skulls) in the homes of my family before I leave. They have been found minutes or years later. I like the idea of a small seed of love, hidden, alone, waiting to germinate upon discovery.
I find myself at an unexpected juncture in my life — a starting over — needing to discover new practices — new spaces for my practices. This morning I found a public garden to walk in. When I was through walking, I found a secluded wall to sit on and listened to this meditation. With each thank you I felt a subtle shift in my center — within the sorrow for what I have lost, a gratitude that my life has had such beauty that I am granted the gift to feel that loss so deeply.
Thanks to everybody who has shared. Reading these entries was really inspiring and made a little bit of a down morning much better! Indulging in my practice of sitting by our little pond enjoying the sounds of the birds and the warm sun and feeding the fish. It’s a nice way to start the day along with a meditation. One more practice I’m deliberate about is touching base with my kids. They are grown ups now and we have great relationships as adults which is so cool. I just want them to know I’m thinking about them and it may just be a photo of the sunrise or a bird with no words. They know a response isn’t expected. We also swap recipes which is fun.
My practice is to sit every morning with a pen and paper and write about everything and nothing. Becoming the observer of my insights helps me understand better what life throws at me and why. It is a wonderful tool of introspection.
My favorite practice is "everyone gets a pass today" This is especially useful in the car and great at home too. It's about no longer assigning blame. Try it out...you'll love it !!
Well, at first glance I didn’t think I had any because I’m rather sporadic in my yoga, journaling, and prayer “practices”. But if I think more broadly, I have several others. I often sit on my back deck and watch the sky in the evening; the changing light and colors, along with the birdsong help me get out of my peopled world and back into the natural one. Another comforting practice is lying in my reading nook with the window open (breeze, birdsong, green smells) reading. Being surrounded by my book friends and having nature right there at the window heals my heart and softens my outlook.
I have an almost identical practice Beth. Just love how you phrase it.
I love to meditate. Mostly on my own since I’ve learned so much from you Jeff and so many others. Calm app. 10%happier too. It makes me so happy , able to deal with all that comes day to day . I’ve been dealing with very hurtful memories, especially this past couple years. My practice helps a lot mostly. I hope others can see this in me in my community?
I’ve gotten with a nice group of people that meets once a month . Another is art, not sure
I now need to let myself have some really fun experiences with others.
I thank all, I love all namaste Jeff you’re the biggest influence in my life.!!😊👏
Thanks, Chris. Community is definitely practice, one of the most important and definitely one of the hardest . I think of this one line Caroline Casey said to me, “community is the art form of diversity.” One part of real community is you don’t often get to choose who shows up - there’s a lot of learning in that! Kind of going on my own tangent there, but that’s what’s coming up for me.
Thanks Jeff. I meant to say that I’m not sure of art, though I really like the group. I will give it more time to develop my enthusiasm.
I play Billiards, have for 8 yrs now. I lost the love 💗 of my life last fall. I was a caregiver for long time. So now I finally see that it’s time to have fun again. Without meditation and mindfulness I would have been in even more pain. Since I have labels it’s sometimes hard. My mind can be hard on me. I’m sooo grateful for finding you , Dan too, as well as the others.
Thanks for your kind supportive words Jeff. Means so much.
Chris
"My mind can be hard on me." - mine too friend
Thanks Jeff! Sometimes it socks. I’m proud of myself for the way I’ve dealt with it all. I keep on learning, just going with the flow. I’m a survivor, literally and otherwise. Be well. Be Happy. Find a wonderful place to live with your family 👏😊☮️
Huge fan of habit building and habit nurturing until the habits nourish us. 🧘
exactly so
Well said!! I totally agree
Thank you 😊
Woah. Jeff, this short but sweeeeeeet practice hit SO SO SO hard in the best way today.
Sometimes, it’s like, “No, life, f**k you. You deserve no thanks. Thank you for what, exactly? Giving my husband cancer? Destroying our plans, his health, and for leaving us with nothing but the unknowns we now face? Get the F out of here.”
And then, I sit. And then I settle. And then I breathe. And then, and then, and then….etc. And in the end, we don’t need a reason to be thankful. We don’t need to be thanking anyone or anything in particular. We don’t even need to be feeling particularly thankful in order to say “thank you.” Because sometimes what we think or do becomes what we feel. And 7 minutes later, that’s where I am.
So, thank YOU, you badass thankfulness master. You changed the course of a really shitty weekend and now I’m actually thankful for this shitty weekend. 🩷❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙💜
oh, and there is a bag of small resin skulls arriving to me from Amazon tomorrow. I’m all about the skulls for so many reasons. memento mori. i love and am unabashedly stealing (sharing) this idea.
yay! Send me some I'm running out ...
It’s a brilliant way to stay engaged with the universe in a playful way. Thanks for the inspiration. secondary or corollary benefit, It also suits my skull fetish. haha.
One of my favorite practices is “floor time” with my pet bunnies. They are rescues and prefer to stay safe on the floor - so if I want to bond with them, I need to go where they are. Oftentimes my experience of doing this is that time stands still. It’s just me and this little fluffy bean. This bunny has no idea about any kind of human issue or stressor, they are in their own little bunny worlds of sleeping, eating, and pooping. When they are relaxed, I can pet them and snuggle up to them. The long term affect is that they feel bonded to me and I feel bonded to them. It builds trust and safety for them, and it makes me feel as fuzzy as they are. The lesson of meeting beings where they are at extends to other areas of my life. I have also learned to deeply appreciate how energetically sensitive bunnies are and how that makes them so special.
So beautiful Jess. Practices with animal companions are crazy deep. I was just reading the other day about some of the science here too on human happiness and health benefits. As soon as we find a home with some nature and a yard I am getting a puppy, can't wait. I can spend hours watching animals enjoy themselves - these days it's my little human animals I get to delight in!
The daily practices I've cultivated are pretty banal -- workouts, meditation, dog walks. They've all provided me with some pretty clear long term benefits, though. For one thing, what sounds like a lot of daily rituals have actually made me much more flexible and adaptable to constant change, I think. But now I'm thinking I need to find a practice akin to leaving skulls as my calling card!
ha! See Richard above ...
On school day mornings I listen to Jeff on the Calm app while I ride the subway to my school. When the students who are arriving late come in the front door, I stand there to welcome them with a joyful, loving “Good morning!” and I hug all of the students who want to hug me. I feel the love of the universe flowing through me to my beloved students.
wow Amy, so good
Thank you Jeff. I often listened to one of your 'sleep' meditations on 10 percent - the one where there is a lot of noises of crickets and frogs (?) and people....maybe a crackling fire? I intend to do it again tonight. Going through a 'bad period' ATM - a lot of changes, Covid, blah blah. Deal with depression/anxiety and also ADHD. It was interesting that one of my children had it (really had it) and I did not realize that I too had ADHD. Of course it is not a disorder, as you know. Anyhow thank you - I needed this today. My practices: plant propagation, cooking, baking for others/neighbours/folks at work. Meditating, walking. What does it mean where it says "also share a note"???
Plant propagation!
jeff's stuff on ten percent is so so good. i return over and over again. thank you, jeff.
Yes it is!! I love it . I listen to it every day, after Jeff. So many good teachers. Some days I binge on it. Trying to cut that down. Afraid of losing interest doing that. Hasn’t hurt so far!😂
same here. it's been a lifeline.
Is this "the" Jude!? Wow. And it's OK if it is not that Jude.
i'm intrigued. who is "the" Jude?
i'm just "me" jude.
There is a Jude who is a meditation teacher. He knows Jeff. I don't remembe his last name!
I think it's something like Jude Starr?
i am a "she" jude. and i do teach meditation. but i am not jeff's jude. although i am, because i am here. i am jeff's other jude.
“Practices are the habits we choose.” ❤️
“Sacred. Special somehow.” Whispering thank you 🥰
I have a practice of copying out poems longhand. It means I really focus on the poem and what it means to me, but also I find handwriting anything to be meditative and calming. I started building slowness into my life when I retired ten years ago, and writing longhand is part of that. I still have some people I write actual letters to, longhand, putting them in an envelope with a stamp on, "just like the old days."
YES
Practices are the habits we chose and also the practices we lose sight of and forget how much they heal and sustain us. I have recently stopped waking early to meditate and this wonderful meditation reminds me of how much I have lost my way. I am sending many a whispered thank you your way Jeff for reminding me to get back to a consistent morning practice. Meditation is the way I anchor myself to the present moment and without it I have been adrift. Looking forward to doing this meditation with you again tomorrow morning on my front porch enjoying the wind, birds and garden blooms. I very much want to return to this daily meditation practice as a life long habit as it gives back so much more than it takes. Blessings to you Jeff and a huge thank you for all you do to share these incredible truths and teachings with the world.
Good luck getting back to it Danielle. Also just to normalize things: even after all this time, I fall on and off the meditation wagon - sometimes we need to forget to remember with new appreciation
Thank you for the encouragement and for always keeping it real Jeff. Your down to earth approach is a big part of why I enjoy your meditations so much. I am back on the wagon and looking forward to practicing again tomorrow morning. I felt so much better today having done even a short practice to start my day.
I too enjoy dropping "love tokens" (vs. ceramic skulls) in the homes of my family before I leave. They have been found minutes or years later. I like the idea of a small seed of love, hidden, alone, waiting to germinate upon discovery.
I SEE you!
So cool!
I find myself at an unexpected juncture in my life — a starting over — needing to discover new practices — new spaces for my practices. This morning I found a public garden to walk in. When I was through walking, I found a secluded wall to sit on and listened to this meditation. With each thank you I felt a subtle shift in my center — within the sorrow for what I have lost, a gratitude that my life has had such beauty that I am granted the gift to feel that loss so deeply.
Thanks to everybody who has shared. Reading these entries was really inspiring and made a little bit of a down morning much better! Indulging in my practice of sitting by our little pond enjoying the sounds of the birds and the warm sun and feeding the fish. It’s a nice way to start the day along with a meditation. One more practice I’m deliberate about is touching base with my kids. They are grown ups now and we have great relationships as adults which is so cool. I just want them to know I’m thinking about them and it may just be a photo of the sunrise or a bird with no words. They know a response isn’t expected. We also swap recipes which is fun.
My practice is to sit every morning with a pen and paper and write about everything and nothing. Becoming the observer of my insights helps me understand better what life throws at me and why. It is a wonderful tool of introspection.
Journalling is a superb insight practice - I thank Julie Cameron's Artist's Way - a classic!
Hi Jeff !!
My favorite practice is "everyone gets a pass today" This is especially useful in the car and great at home too. It's about no longer assigning blame. Try it out...you'll love it !!
I'm so on it!