Jeff you’re amazing. It’s not a compliment. It’s just a fact. You brought me to tears this morning, ripped away from the concentration of building legos, your words penetrated my being like lasers, both warm and devastating. Today I will sit. Today I will make space. Today I ache, I love, I seek, I give and I learn. ❤️🙏
thank you. this feels like coming back to my ground, a solid, spacious place from which I can see more clearly, act more compassionately, and respond in service to the world. and when shit becomes too much or feels too big, I pause, rest, and begin again in time. gently. always with care. this is the training ground for peace.
Perfect timing, Jeff. The news of Navalny’s death - coming right after the travesty of the idiot interview, in the midst of the Gaza massacre, had become an excruciating headache behind my right eye ever since the banner popped up on my phone yesterday (I snapped my phone shut and couldn’t read the stories, other to confirm it was for sure). I knew I had to let it in, but was so afraid to. Thank you for helping me face it, wrenching as it was. My pillow is soaked, and the pain much lessened. But thank you as well for the further instruction …..towards transforming the energy into something positive. I tend to compartmentalize my ‘enlightened’ and ‘despairing’ selves, and ya know, that can’t be good. I can’t say I got anywhere with the transformation really, but even the childish fantasies of revenge that popped up are an order better than just wallowing. And a start towards honouring the martyrs (so many) properly. Big hug and heartfelt thanks.
I know those fantasies well. Good to be human with you Deanna, glad the practice was supportive. Now I have to go repeat it myself, another 5,000 times!
I have recently switched from activism and education in the non-profit executive director space to a new role as a university leadership educator. In our foundations class, we introduce the "15 Commitments to Conscious Leadership" and "U Theory". Right now, we are discussing the fact that the most successful leaders are masters of energy management. For this work, I access many sources, and one is meditation. And for this, I connect them to you Jeff (and Tara Brach and the RAIN concept)! I thank you for your gifts of making meditation accessible to all of us.
We live in a US western mountain town where physical adventuring (and endurance and hardship) is engrained into the culture. I love being able to broaden the journey by offering emotional and spiritual adventuring into my students' mindset. And you help make that possible; because they connect so well with you and your backstory!
Thank you, Jeff and thank you, Tahsa! You all both also model dialogic communication so beautifully and gracefully. That is part of the transformative work!
It's wonderful to join this community. I learn from you both and your amazing guests!! Excited to amplify the work in my role as educator.
Elizabeth, good to have you in the community. Your work sounds fantastic, curious about your curriculum. I have heard good things about U Theory - looked at it a bit back in the day.
Could not agree more about energy management. I feel like that is a huge part of what happens through meditation practice. Just realizing how much energy you expend fighting with all these low level things in your life - I’m not even talking about high-level things that we KNOW we are fighting. Thinking and worrying are very big energy demands. It took me a long time to realize that. It may not sound sexy, but understanding your internal resources and how to best delegate them is a big part of living a meaningful life. At least I have found that to be so. But you do have to learn to notice the activation in the first place before you can turn it off, ha!
It took me a while to get to a place for words. Deep sorrow. Right in the heart. I listened to the exquisitely beautiful meditation, felt the pain in my heart, buried under the anger, rage, fear. I could see and feel my heart breaking open, cracking like a shattered vase, red pouring out all the cracks, tears in an endless river of chaos pouring from my eyes. It felt like drowning. I followed it with my breath, and then the light came through those broken places pure sorrow, and then love. Much like the Wabi Sabi vases of Japan, more beautiful it imperfection, I felt a peace wash over me. If only for this moment. I can say it took longer than 10 minutes. Don’t know how long I sat with it. Doesn’t matter.
I know only from this place I can respond in a way that comes from love, not fear, hate, blame. When I hate I become the thing I hate. I have much work to do in this area, but thank you Jeff, this is a start.
Martin Luther King, Jr. said “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”
Really connected to this theme and meditation. I will go back to this and repeat since I feel there is more I can get out of it. Looking forward to exploring.
Jeff, thank you! that was amazing. It always is. Good to be here with you. So sustaining and powerful to think about this spreading force for peace and love that comes from concentrating on just being human in the right now. In 2022 I was introduced to your work by my sister and that year I changed my career from the corporate rat race of the City of London to teaching languages to young people in inter city secondary school in a post Brexit England. The extremists attempt at division of our communities is ever present and I see and feel it every day in schools. Kids struggle for wholesome role models and activities. For me it's a hard road to take at nearly 50, always a marathon never a sprint, and very triggering for people with unhappy early childhood experiences but I'm doing it, however much of an imposter I can feel at times. I'm doing it. I'm proud of that and I honestly don't think I could do this without the meditation practice you have taught me. Thank you for your practice. I look forward to being with you again tomorrow. These words are now so much part of my life, and so positive for me, and many others. Thank you mate. Big love
I’m not certain where the energy wants to go. Sometimes I think it wants me to get really angry. Other times it feels as if it wants me to mourn and cry my eyes out! I’m in a turmoil with all the bad stuff happening in our world now. Gaza, Ukraine, War, Putin, Death, Destruction!! It feels as if it’ll never end. What the Hell is our world coming to? And I still don’t know where my energy wants to go!! But I do know that when I meditate I feel more at peace! It’s the only place I feel peace!! So maybe my energy want to go to my
daily Meditation. It’s my one salvation right now!
Thanks for your meditation and your longing for Peace!
Hi Jeff - I've been on a cross country road trip - unplanned and somewhat unwelcome - bringing my daughter home from really harrowing humanitarian work at the border. Keeping despair and rage at bay has required almost constant vigilance and I'm exhausted by it. I think I'm going to do this meditation every day this week and see if it can help me move into feeling without dropping into despair. Hope is a choice that is always available to us - we have to believe in a world we have never seen to paraphrase the great Bryan Stevenson. I'm working on it. You help me so much, Jeff. Glad to be working together and with this lovely community toward peace.
Jeff you’re amazing. It’s not a compliment. It’s just a fact. You brought me to tears this morning, ripped away from the concentration of building legos, your words penetrated my being like lasers, both warm and devastating. Today I will sit. Today I will make space. Today I ache, I love, I seek, I give and I learn. ❤️🙏
❤️ Jules!
Thank you for this beautiful inquiry friend. 💕🙏🏾💕
Thank you for helping me write it Sebene!
thank you. this feels like coming back to my ground, a solid, spacious place from which I can see more clearly, act more compassionately, and respond in service to the world. and when shit becomes too much or feels too big, I pause, rest, and begin again in time. gently. always with care. this is the training ground for peace.
Well said Brooke
Perfect timing, Jeff. The news of Navalny’s death - coming right after the travesty of the idiot interview, in the midst of the Gaza massacre, had become an excruciating headache behind my right eye ever since the banner popped up on my phone yesterday (I snapped my phone shut and couldn’t read the stories, other to confirm it was for sure). I knew I had to let it in, but was so afraid to. Thank you for helping me face it, wrenching as it was. My pillow is soaked, and the pain much lessened. But thank you as well for the further instruction …..towards transforming the energy into something positive. I tend to compartmentalize my ‘enlightened’ and ‘despairing’ selves, and ya know, that can’t be good. I can’t say I got anywhere with the transformation really, but even the childish fantasies of revenge that popped up are an order better than just wallowing. And a start towards honouring the martyrs (so many) properly. Big hug and heartfelt thanks.
I know those fantasies well. Good to be human with you Deanna, glad the practice was supportive. Now I have to go repeat it myself, another 5,000 times!
I have recently switched from activism and education in the non-profit executive director space to a new role as a university leadership educator. In our foundations class, we introduce the "15 Commitments to Conscious Leadership" and "U Theory". Right now, we are discussing the fact that the most successful leaders are masters of energy management. For this work, I access many sources, and one is meditation. And for this, I connect them to you Jeff (and Tara Brach and the RAIN concept)! I thank you for your gifts of making meditation accessible to all of us.
We live in a US western mountain town where physical adventuring (and endurance and hardship) is engrained into the culture. I love being able to broaden the journey by offering emotional and spiritual adventuring into my students' mindset. And you help make that possible; because they connect so well with you and your backstory!
Thank you, Jeff and thank you, Tahsa! You all both also model dialogic communication so beautifully and gracefully. That is part of the transformative work!
It's wonderful to join this community. I learn from you both and your amazing guests!! Excited to amplify the work in my role as educator.
Elizabeth, good to have you in the community. Your work sounds fantastic, curious about your curriculum. I have heard good things about U Theory - looked at it a bit back in the day.
Could not agree more about energy management. I feel like that is a huge part of what happens through meditation practice. Just realizing how much energy you expend fighting with all these low level things in your life - I’m not even talking about high-level things that we KNOW we are fighting. Thinking and worrying are very big energy demands. It took me a long time to realize that. It may not sound sexy, but understanding your internal resources and how to best delegate them is a big part of living a meaningful life. At least I have found that to be so. But you do have to learn to notice the activation in the first place before you can turn it off, ha!
Bless you… bless you…
It took me a while to get to a place for words. Deep sorrow. Right in the heart. I listened to the exquisitely beautiful meditation, felt the pain in my heart, buried under the anger, rage, fear. I could see and feel my heart breaking open, cracking like a shattered vase, red pouring out all the cracks, tears in an endless river of chaos pouring from my eyes. It felt like drowning. I followed it with my breath, and then the light came through those broken places pure sorrow, and then love. Much like the Wabi Sabi vases of Japan, more beautiful it imperfection, I felt a peace wash over me. If only for this moment. I can say it took longer than 10 minutes. Don’t know how long I sat with it. Doesn’t matter.
I know only from this place I can respond in a way that comes from love, not fear, hate, blame. When I hate I become the thing I hate. I have much work to do in this area, but thank you Jeff, this is a start.
Martin Luther King, Jr. said “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”
With loving awareness and peace to all beings.
Speechless. Thank you. It’s amazing to me what getting quiet can help us remember.
Jeff know this-your meditative energy has saved me on so many levels. I am grateful for your practice and purpose 🧘🏻♀️
Thanks Erin, nice to be connected
Really connected to this theme and meditation. I will go back to this and repeat since I feel there is more I can get out of it. Looking forward to exploring.
Jeff, thank you! that was amazing. It always is. Good to be here with you. So sustaining and powerful to think about this spreading force for peace and love that comes from concentrating on just being human in the right now. In 2022 I was introduced to your work by my sister and that year I changed my career from the corporate rat race of the City of London to teaching languages to young people in inter city secondary school in a post Brexit England. The extremists attempt at division of our communities is ever present and I see and feel it every day in schools. Kids struggle for wholesome role models and activities. For me it's a hard road to take at nearly 50, always a marathon never a sprint, and very triggering for people with unhappy early childhood experiences but I'm doing it, however much of an imposter I can feel at times. I'm doing it. I'm proud of that and I honestly don't think I could do this without the meditation practice you have taught me. Thank you for your practice. I look forward to being with you again tomorrow. These words are now so much part of my life, and so positive for me, and many others. Thank you mate. Big love
What a beautiful gift this monday morning. Thank you...
Hey, nice to see your name, Juliet! Hope all is well in Montreal…
Hi Jeff,
I’m not certain where the energy wants to go. Sometimes I think it wants me to get really angry. Other times it feels as if it wants me to mourn and cry my eyes out! I’m in a turmoil with all the bad stuff happening in our world now. Gaza, Ukraine, War, Putin, Death, Destruction!! It feels as if it’ll never end. What the Hell is our world coming to? And I still don’t know where my energy wants to go!! But I do know that when I meditate I feel more at peace! It’s the only place I feel peace!! So maybe my energy want to go to my
daily Meditation. It’s my one salvation right now!
Thanks for your meditation and your longing for Peace!
Take care,
Sallie
Hi Jeff - I've been on a cross country road trip - unplanned and somewhat unwelcome - bringing my daughter home from really harrowing humanitarian work at the border. Keeping despair and rage at bay has required almost constant vigilance and I'm exhausted by it. I think I'm going to do this meditation every day this week and see if it can help me move into feeling without dropping into despair. Hope is a choice that is always available to us - we have to believe in a world we have never seen to paraphrase the great Bryan Stevenson. I'm working on it. You help me so much, Jeff. Glad to be working together and with this lovely community toward peace.
Thanks Jeff 🙏🏼💚