What is wisdom? It definitely goes beyond the information our brain is constantly accumulating. Wisdom is somehow recognized by our entire body and soul as right, healthy and helpful—something that aligns us with a deeper, more timeless truth that helps us live with more peace and ease. I found the following description of wisdom by Yung Pueblo beautiful, so I wanted to share it with you.
Read MoreTomorrow, on January 27, International Holocaust Remembrance Day will mark 79 years since the Auschwitz concentration camp was liberated. This may sound like a long time ago, but my mother Edith and my aunt Bronia are both Auschwitz survivors, and they are both still alive today.
Read MoreToday I’m happy to share a wisdom-packed article I wrote for the January/February print issue of Spirituality & Health magazine that features the beautiful teachings of my beloved cousin Trudy Goodman—a Harvard-trained psychotherapist and an internationally recognized Buddhist spiritual teacher.
Read MoreA huge part of my personal healing journey has been about developing the ability to fully embrace difficult emotions instead of trying to run away or suppress them, which is why I greatly appreciate the following wise words from Glennon Doyle on why we should stop resisting pain.
Read MoreJust before the New Year, in an article that shared my devotion to qigong, I mentioned how beneficial it would be if we all arrived on this planet with a “Homo Sapiens Owner’s Manual” that could help us live our best life physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Since then, I’ve been thinking a lot about what else needs to be included, and another list-topper would be guidance on how to work with emotions.
Read MoreWith 2024 just a few days away, I’ve been thinking about how HUGE the calendar change felt half a century ago when I was a young girl. The excitement of living in a whole new year built up for weeks, and staying up until midnight was a challenge I was eager to accomplish. I just knew the world would feel different at the stroke of midnight. The exhilarating countdown was charged with tremendous anticipation.
Read MoreAs human beings, we’re incredibly complex, so it’s challenging not to arrive on this planet with an owner’s manual explaining how to take care of ourselves emotionally, physically, and spiritually. What we learn from our families, formal education and society is incomplete, and much of it isn’t conducive to our long-term well-being.
Read MoreWith the first official day of winter less than one week away, I’ve been reminiscing about growing up in Brooklyn, where seasonal changes were dramatic compared to my current home in Northern California. As a young girl, I eagerly waited for temperatures to drop below freezing so my parents could take me and my sister ice-skating in Prospect Park.
Read MoreToday’s Pause to Ponder post was excerpted from a chapter titled “Rest” from “Consolations: The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words,” by poet and philosopher, David Whyte. In this gem of a book, Whyte dives into the meaning of 52 different words as he explores and illuminates the complex experience of being human.
Read MoreThe holiday season, which can often feel hectic and overwhelming, is a great time to spotlight the importance of setting healthy boundaries. To me, this means making my physical and emotional needs a top priority, which includes choosing to advocate for them rather than abandon myself. It means being brave enough to say no, which requires a willingness to face negative reactions and pushback. It means working to break free from the entrenched people-pleasing patterns I’ve had for as long as I can remember.
Read MoreToday’s short Pause to Ponder post features a poem by the wise Lebanese-American writer, poet and artist, Kahlil Gibran. It’s from his book “The Prophet,” which was published in 1923 and has sold over 100 million copies worldwide.
Read MoreLast month, I attended a wonderful five-day qigong retreat held at 1440 Multiversity, a retreat center nestled in the redwood forests of the Santa Cruz mountains. The highlight for me was being able to practice qigong encircled by redwood trees, including a mother tree that is more than 1,000 years old.
Read MoreWhether it’s demonstrating how to seed a pomegranate, showing a teenager how to drive, or modeling a sincere apology, teaching is something we all do in many forms throughout our lives. Learning is never limited to the classroom. In fact, we are all teachers.
Read MoreToday I’m sharing some wisdom from Diego Perez’s newest book, The Way Forward. Diego writes under the pen name Yung Pueblo, which means “young people.” The name is meant to convey an optimistic outlook for humanity—that we’re entering an era where many of us will experience expanded self-awareness, growth and healing.
Read MoreWhen I search back in time for my happiest memories, I see my eight-year-old self during the peak of an entire summer spent in the countryside. I am gingerly making my way across large, smooth stones as I follow a river flowing downstream. After weeks of running around without shoes, my calloused feet are comfortable on the sun-heated rocks. I’m both relaxed and energized, brimming with joy and vitality. It turns out that part of what made me feel so wonderful all those decades ago was that I was grounding.
Read MoreI need to be honest and share that I am still in shock over the events in Israel and Gaza. The horrific violence feels too painful for my heart to bear, and for now, there is no end in sight—just terror about what the future holds for both Israelis and Palestinians, as well as the rest of the world.
Read MoreEach of us is born into an intricate web of familial patterns unconsciously handed down through generations. Since infancy, I was labeled the “good girl” by my mother, while my older sister was branded the “bad girl.” This began when my mother arrived home from the hospital with me in her arms to find my 13-month-old sister upset, withdrawn, and difficult to comfort.
Read MoreToday’s short Pause to Ponder post features beautiful wisdom about acceptance from the spiritual teacher Ram Dass, excerpted from one of his teachings shared by the Love Serve Remember Foundation.
Read MoreLeo—my family’s extra-sweet and quirky fox-colored yellow lab—turns four today, which means it’s time for the fourth installment of “Lessons from Leo.” I feel enormously grateful for our adorable pup, who brings much joy and entertainment into our lives while continually teaching me important life lessons.
Read MoreReal emotional maturity is how thoroughly you let yourself feel anything. Everything. Whatever comes… What you have to know is that suffering is just the refusal to accept what is. That’s it. Etymologically, it comes from the Latin word to “from below to bear.” Or, to “resist, endure, put under.” So healing is really just letting yourself feel.
Read More
