I recently discovered a wonderful book about mindfulness that had been hiding on my top shelf for over a decade, How to Train a Wild Elephant & Other Adventures in Mindfulness. It was written by Jan Chozen Bays, MD—a pediatrician, meditation teacher, and abbess of the Great Vow Zen Monastery in Oregon. Many of the mindfulness practices she shares were explored and refined in community with her students.
Read MoreToday I’m sharing a Take a Moment micro-meditation—“Sense Your Body”—paired with a quote from Jill Bolte Taylor: “Although many of us may think of ourselves as thinking creatures that feel, biologically we are feeling creatures that think.” A Harvard-trained neuroscientist, Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor experienced a severe hemorrhage to the left hemisphere of her brain in 1996.
Read MoreIn last week’s blog, Lessons in Loving and Grieving, I shared some beautiful poems by Elliot Ruchowitz-Roberts, as well the origin story of our special friendship that blossomed during the final months of beloved wife’s life in 2010. Elliot and Tey had been married for 50 years, and it was a slow process to heal from the impact of her passing.
Read MoreToday I want to share some beautiful poems written by my friend Elliot Ruchowitz-Roberts—a wise man and gifted poet whom I grew close to fourteen years ago, during the final months of his wife Tey’s life. I first met Tey when I became a Zen student at the Monterey Bay Zen Center in 1993. She warmly embraced me when I felt like an excluded outsider amidst the tightly knit group of seasoned students.
Read MoreToday, I’m sharing one of our “Take a Moment” micro-meditations called, “Connect with Your Heart,” paired with a wisdom-packed quote by Deepak Chopra: “Every time you are tempted to react in the same old way, ask if you want to be a prisoner of the past or a pioneer of the future.”
Read MoreMy husband Drew and I moved onto the two-and-a-half-acre heirloom raspberry farm that we still call home right before 4th of July weekend in 1984, which makes this coming week our 40th anniversary of putting down roots that still remain strong. From the first day the two of us city kids from Manhattan took over the farming operation after a quick tutorial by the outgoing farmer, we knew that keeping the plants healthy and well-nourished was our primary responsibility.
Read MoreThe first official day of summer began yesterday, which makes it a perfect time to get outside and renew our connection to Mother Earth. Being in nature brings peace, beauty and healing into our lives. It slows us down, calms us, and helps us feel connected to something greater than ourselves—all key ingredients in fostering optimal emotional and physical health.
Read MoreWith Father’s Day arriving this Sunday, I’ve been thinking about how to best honor my own father, Mendek Rubin—the gentle, loving man and brilliant inventor who is the inspiration behind this entire Quest for Eternal Sunshine platform of blog posts, free events and healing resources. I feel immensely grateful to have had a father relentlessly devoted to healing his trauma.
Read MoreI’m on vacation this week, so instead of writing a blog, I’m sharing one of our “Take a Moment” micro-meditations, and a quote by Brianna Wiest that resonates with me and is interesting to ponder: “The universe whispers until it screams, and happy people listen while the call is still quiet.”
Read MoreI had the pleasure of interviewing Diego Perez—best-selling author and spiritual teacher who writes under the pen name yung pueblo—for Spirituality & Health magazine. Although he’s only in his mid-30s, speaking with Diego over Zoom felt remarkably calming and grounding, as if I was in the presence of a strong ancient tree with deep, wide-spreading roots.
Read MoreMy father, Mendek Rubin, repeated a small handful of phrases quite often. The meaning of some were quite clear (for example, “Be good, but if you can’t be good, be careful!”) while others still remain inscrutable to me (such as, “Don’t do things!”) Today I’m writing about one of his provocative sayings that I could never fully decipher until just a few weeks ago—“The winner is the loser, and the loser is the winner.” It happened when I lost the New York Times’ Wordle game after a long winning streak.
Read MoreA central focus of my father’s remarkable healing and awakening journey was centered around uncovering the shortcomings of his mind. A brilliant inventor, my dad realized that he’d always glorified his brain, and that letting it “rule the entire kingdom” had kept him trapped in an endless cycle of suffering.
Read MoreI’m very fortunate to live near Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, where the views of the dramatic central California coastline are spectacular. When I went for a hike there with a friend a few weeks ago, we were thrilled to discover it was harbor seal pupping season. Honoring signs asking for quiet so that the seals are not disturbed, we spent a long time gazing down at the beautiful sandy beach dotted with pregnant females and mother-baby pairs.
Read MoreFor the past few weeks, I’ve been working with a piece of advice from Martha Beck: “What leaves you feeling bad, do less of. What leaves you feeling good, do more of.” This seemingly simple suggestion came from an article Martha wrote for Oprah Daily, “Five Pieces of Advice Everyone Ignores (but Shouldn’t!)” Martha says that this one suggestion is “all you really need to find your destiny, form loving relationships, achieve optimal health, and have the best life story in the bingo parlor during your golden years.”
Read MoreAs someone who puts a lot of energy and determination toward achieving my goals, I have to constantly remind myself to stay flexible instead of falling into the familiar trap of plowing full steam ahead with blinders on. The following insights—gleaned from several articles that arrived in my inbox from DailyOM—have been helpful reminders not to resist the unexpected by viewing it as an obstacle. Instead, I’m trying to stay open to messages from the ever-changing universe, and welcome the unanticipated with more ease, excitement and curiosity.
Read MoreMy two young grandsons—three and six years old—are enthralled by animals. Their enthusiasm is infectious, and now my interest in the innumerable fascinating creatures that share our planet matches theirs. No matter how many hours we spend reading together, we can’t make a dent in all there is to learn. In fact, no one knows how many species exist on earth.
Read MoreToday I’m sharing an article I wrote for Spirituality & Health magazine about the many benefits qigong offers, especially in relation to stress management. Because Qigong enhances my life in so many ways, I want to share its gifts with as many people as possible.
Read MoreMany of us on a quest to live more peacefully and joyfully have discovered the benefits of examining the beliefs and coping mechanisms we developed when we were young and vulnerable. Looking inward, we often find a frightened inner child banished to our subconscious, seemingly frozen in time.
Read MoreIt takes courage to be a human alive on planet earth. Everything we grow to love and rely on is always changing, and we can’t hang on to any of it forever, no matter how desperately we try. One reason I’m drawn to Buddhist philosophy is that it addresses the issue of impermanence head-on, explaining how much of our suffering comes from clinging to our desires and rejecting the truth of life as it actually is.
Read MoreEveryone has been emotionally wounded. No one makes it to adulthood without experiencing fear and pain, and few of us consistently received the compassion and comfort we needed to feel safe and soothed during our most challenging times. Most of us have endured significant loss, grief, rejection, abandonment, humiliation, illness, injustice and more without knowing how to meet and treat those emotions. The good news is that we all have the capacity to heal our emotional wounds, and the first step is to bring them into the light of our awareness.
Read More
