Meditation in the Workplace…Meditating at the Bedside?

The topic of bringing our meditation practice into our workplace, whether as a nurse or as a supermarket cashier, requires of us an understanding of what we mean when we use the word, "meditate." For many people, meditation brings up images of monks or solitary souls seated on a cushion, mumbling "om" with incense and candles. Sure, that can be meditation, but more often than not, this isn't the case. And, in the case of how we bring our meditation practice to the bedside, these images don't represent what a meditative presence truly embodies when caring for another. As was [...]

2014-09-08T23:41:58-06:00By |Nursing|3 Comments
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Meditation With Death in Mind (memento mori!)

We’ve discussed and shared a lot of different aspects of meditation and how to work with the mind on this site. One topic that we haven’t strayed into is how working with one’s mind can not only affect the quality of one’s life and the lives of those around us, but also how the stability that we can find in learning to meditate can also help us when we or our loved ones approach the transition of life into death. The Latin words memento mori—“remember death” or “remember that you must die”—were used in ancient Rome and in medieval times [...]

2019-08-12T17:47:25-06:00By |Nursing|3 Comments
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Don’t Do Doubt! Four Steps to Work with Doubt When Meditating

Recently I participated in a bicycle ride, the Colorado Triple Bypass, which is a 120-mile ride with 10,000 feet of elevation gain, over three mountain-passes…all in one day! I've already posted on some of the experiences that I had in working with my mind while preparing for this endeavor. One challenge I didn’t share was my experience of doubt while training. When encountering my doubt, I came to realize that it was such a great lesson for me that it may be of some use to readers of this blog. There are many reasons that people meditate. Some meditate to [...]

2011-08-05T01:02:35-06:00By |Meditation, Mindfulness|2 Comments
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Returning to the Aha! of the Meditative Moment

Remember those "aha" moments you've had in the past? Maybe they've been moments of clarity about something that you said in a discussion, or perhaps you were struggling to make a decision about your career and a different, unique and creative idea sprang into your mind. While many of my formal meditation moments may be focused on working with remaining in the present moment and resting, as best as I can, in a state of non-distraction, without altering my mind, there are times when I'm suddenly presented with an idea worth noting or taking down for use later on, after [...]

2012-12-06T21:26:34-07:00By |Meditation|0 Comments
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Forget About Yourself, Meditate for the Sake of Others!

While there are many reasons to practice meditation, one of the main reasons that I have found to practice meditation is to be less distracted and more present, to be more aware of what is going on within my mind and to be more aware of those around me. With an increased awareness of what goes on in my environment, there's also the potential to become more aware of what is happening to those around me and to attend to those who need my help or assistance. This "compassionate impulse" is a benefit that is not always found in discussions [...]

2014-08-25T17:47:42-06:00By |Compassion, Meditation|2 Comments
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Meditating on Mountains of Suffering

Integrating Meditation Into Physical Challenges Maybe I've been spending too much time on the cushion lately. Or, maybe I've been working too hard on integrating meditation into my family life and into the process of writing and publishing my book. Whatever the reasons, I recently experienced an entirely new level of challenge in working with my mind while training for the Colorado Triple Bypass (a bike ride, not a surgery!). The Triple Bypass is a popular, "lung busting" 120-mile bicycle ride over three mountain passes, climbing a total of 10,000 feet of elevation, in a day's ride. How I got [...]

2014-01-13T13:45:48-07:00By |Meditation|3 Comments
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Part Four – Challenges (and Solutions) With Learning to Meditate

Challenge Number Four: Sleepiness! Oh my gosh, do I need to sleep! Why am I so sleepy? Was I meditating or sleeping? I don't know how many times I've said any or all of these things to myself while trying to meditate. I've started my session doing everything that I needed to; gotten myself a glass of water, made sure that the phone was out of reach, opened up some space in my calendar. Perfect! I sit down to start practicing, and the next thing I know, instead of realizing some great depth of my mind, I’m nodding off…or even [...]

2011-06-24T15:45:03-06:00By |Meditation|1 Comment
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Part Three – Challenges (and Solutions) With Learning to Meditate

Challenge Number Three: Emotions! In the previous two posts, we've discussed how to work with our thoughts and with sensations while we practice to meditate. Once we've gained some stability in working with our mind and with the thoughts and sensations that arise, we'll notice that they can come and go rapidly, and that given some space and distance, they'll disappear back into the landscape of the mind. But, what about emotions? Strong emotions can feel like tidal waves, washing over us, knocking us from any sense of stability that we may have around our meditation practice. I know that [...]

2015-12-21T22:02:22-07:00By |Meditation|11 Comments
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