ON BECOMING SPIRITUAL ADULTS

A Hanukkah Meditation

James Ishmael Ford

29 December 2019

(A Sermon based Upon Several Earlier Efforts)

Emerson Unitarian Universalist Church Canoga Park, California

Text

A candle is a small thing. But one candle can light another. And see how its own light increases, as a candle gives its flame to the other. You are such a light.

Moshe Davis & Victor Ratner

Once upon a time a friend who is psychic told me how Id been a rabbi in a fairly recent past life. I liked that. A lot. Although the sad truth is, Im goy to the bone. I still blush as I recall a school tour of a synagogue when I was nine or ten, when I asked the rabbi, as I didnt see one anywhere else, if the arrangement of the ceiling lights was their cross?

This doesnt mean Judaism wasnt part of my forming consciousness. My maternal grandmothers fundamentalist Christian theology, which meant our familys theology included the belief that Jews are in fact Gods chosen people. This was an ideology that had two consequences for us.

The first was how important it was to convert the Jewish community. You know, get them back on the right side. Grandma was often in correspondence with various Messianic Jewish organizations, writing checks out of her very meager savings. And, second was how nice she thought it would be if we were somehow Jewish, ourselves.

Grandma put a lot of hope in her own maternal grandmother who had, she thought, a Jewish sounding name. Genetic testing that Jan and I gave each other a couple of years ago as Christmas gifts, suggests this hope is rather unlikely. Nonetheless, as I said, I liked it when my friend pronounced how I had once been a rabbi in some past life. Didnt even matter that I dont put much store in psychic pronouncements of any sort.

My spiritual pilgrimage began in my adolescence sparked by my serious doubts about the existence of the deity described in church, and a profound desire to know what was true. Over the years that have passed Ive traveled a very long ways from fundamentalist Christianity and its concerns.

Still, as Ive walked my way, and lifes journey twisted and turned and I ended up a Zen Buddhist as well as a Unitarian Universalist minister, I still found it a treat that in general it is our UU custom is to pay attention to some Jewish holidays. Honoring as we do this, our deep ancestral root. In fact, some have suggested if there are Jews for Jesus, Unitarian Universalists could be Christians for Moses. Well, but for the fact that these days only about twenty percent of UUs are particularly comfortable being identified as Christian.

However, nonetheless, there is that root. And there is little doubt whatever our current spiritual stance is broad. Perhaps even dangerously broad. Many, like with Gertrude Steins Oakland, find it hard to see the there there. Although this astonishing broadness is something in which I delight, and truthfully which allows someone like me a place in this community. Nonetheless Unitarian Universalism has several roots, including a taproot. And while I would argue the rich soil that nourishes our tradition is ancient paganism particularly as expressed in the Greek philosophical tradition, still, I have no doubt the larger part of that root is found within Judaism.

And so, I believe, it is more than helpful that we take time from time to time to look at the traditions of Judaism. Particularly the holidays. And to consider what they may say to us as contemporary religious liberals. It is a conversation with our ancestors. And you never know what can come out of such shamanic endeavors.

To be honest it can be dangerous for all who do such things. Digging into heart matters reveals much. It discovers, and then, opens doors. Doors that we are sometimes unprepared for. But with care and respect I believe there are lessons to be gleaned. And those lessons can be well worth the dangers.

Perhaps youve heard how someone goes to the rabbi and asks, When is Hanukkah this year? And she replies, Just like every year, silly. It starts on 25h of Kislev. For the rest of the goys out there, thats a Jewish joke, friends. The Jewish calendar is a modified lunar calendar. If it werent modified, itd be like the Muslim lunar calendar where theres an annual drift of eleven or twelve days, and so major festivals gradually wind around the whole year.

In the Jewish calendar, theres a bit of a float, but with little tweaks here and there which allows things to stay more or less in the same general seasonal area. And, of course, the dates are constant within that calendar. Hence, as much as I hate to explain a joke, that question, and the rabbis response. In our Gregorian calendar, of course, what some call the universal secular calendar, this year Hanukkah runs through the last days of December, from the 22nd to the 30th. So, this year Hanukkah ends at sundown, tomorrow.

And, with that, why Hanukkah? Whats the point to the eight days? As most of us know Hanukkah is an extremely minor holiday in the traditional Jewish calendar. It has certainly only grown here in North America because of its rough proximity to Christmas. Its become a way for the Jewish community to celebrate the season dominated by our cultures Christian hegemony.

Of course, thats not the end of the matter. After that small irony of dealing with the season and its utility in standing out against Christmas, the ironies begin to pile upon each other. Especially for us, here. After all the story is, among other things, about a war between assimilationists and traditionalists. That is between religious liberals and conservatives. Actually its not putting too fine a point on this to say a war between liberals and fundamentalists.

Not what one would think of as a ready theme for Unitarian Universalists and our magpie religious tradition, assimilating many themes and traditions into our ever-evolving and dynamic faith. So, heres the gateway into my point for today.

The ironies within this holiday are almost endless. For instance, many, most scholars suggest Hanukkah is in fact itself rooted in ancient pagan festivals celebrating light at the darkest time of the year. In that sense its roots are as pagan as are the roots of the Christmas holiday.

The early rabbis were wary of the Maccabees and their holiday for several reasons. But two principally. First the Maccabeean call to arms was a pyrrhic victory. Much ill would follow this revolt and its brief success. But also, the Maccabeean blending of priestly and kingly power during the brief Hasmonean dynasty whose founding is the celebration of Hanukkah, had more than a shade of resemblance to various Middle Eastern theocracies of recent history. Iran and Afghanistan come to mind. All of this should be deeply troubling if one thinks about it.

And the rabbis did think about it. And, it did trouble them. The rabbinic commentators choose to focus their attention, as limited as it actually was, remember minor holiday. The Reconstructionst rabbi Arthur Waskow observes, To the rabbis, it was crucial both to call for courage and hope, and to do so in a sphere other than military resistance, which they viewed (through the tragic lens of historic hindsight) as hopeless and dangerous and self-destructive. A point, perhaps, for all of us to recall.

Waskow continues, (T)he story the rabbis told about the Light was the story of the rabbis themselves absorbing that the Maccabees military victory had saved the nation, but that getting stuck there would be self-destructive. They needed to bring the Higher Consciousness of courage for Enlightenment into the peoples arsenal of spiritual weaponry.

Higher consciousness. What should higher consciousness mean for us? Personally, Im more inclined to the simpler word wisdom. And, Im taken by that seeking of wisdom, which very much is in the story as the rabbis tell it. With that Hanukkah is all about our deeper calling. It becomes a calling toward our true freedom. It becomes a call into to a way of genuine wisdom. Reshaped in this way it is our heart story. It is about how we can find the light, how we can find our depth, our possibility. It opens the way of the wise heart.

And the wise heart must juggle contradictory information. Always.

The scholar and author Rachel Adelman cites columnist David Brooks December 10th, 2009 op-ed in the New York Times. Thee Brooks describes Hanukkah as the most adult of holidays. It commemorates an event in which the good guys did horrible things, the bad guys did good things and in which everybody is flummoxed by insoluble conflicts that remain with us today. For Brooks, the story of Hanukkah is a self-congratulatory morality tale, commemorating a Civil War, a war in which he may have fought on the side of the Hellenizers.

And, there are deeper currents yet. Adelman then cites the great Jewish scholar Theodore Herzl Gaster, who suggests that the Hanukkah story is essentially about the inalienable right to be different. The festival teaches the value of the few against the many, of the weak against the strong, of passion against indifference, of the single unpopular voice against the thunder of public opinion. The struggle was not only against oppression from without but equally against corruption and complacency within. It was a struggle fought in the wilderness and in the hills; and its symbol is appropriately a small light kindled when the shadows fall.

Both, and. If we want to be spiritual adults, if we want wisdom, were going to have to take our history and our myth all mixed up. Which is fine, as long as were respectful, careful, and engaging in all of it to a purpose.

The purpose for us is that we find the light, that one miraculous light that lasts well past any possible reasonable effort. It is the path of passion, and heart. And this is our task, as it has been the task of every soul over the many generations. To take what is given, to look deeply into the matter at hand, and to allow our very selves to be transformed. And in that transforming to become spiritual adults. To become people who can take on the work that needs to be done.

There is little doubt today that our liberal religious tradition is the minority position. We are the weak in this struggle for hearts and minds. Right now ours is the unpopular voice that is nearly lost in the thunder of public opinion. And the call for us is to a struggle. It is a struggle not only against every oppression from beyond those walls, but to fiercely resist corruption of this spirit, losing to our own complacency. That is the small light we are called to notice today, the light burning in our hearts, the light that shows the way.

I suggest this story and our working with it calls us, you and me, to resist the dying of the light. To shine forth beyond all reasonable expectations. To become, each and every one of us by our example, by our willingness to not turn away, by our challenging all authority, particularly that voice in the back of our heads that says turn away.

Each of us needs to be that small candle in the great wind. And in doing so become the miracle.

And how do we do this? Question authority, of course. Particularly our own. Looking deeply, not just to do something, but to find ourselves, and our place in the family of things. We do this and the flame we are will leap from our hearts to others.

And with that there becomes a chance for this poor, dying world.

The onetime Buddhist monk and spiritual writer Clark Strand shifts the image of that flame just a little bit, perhaps in a way that can help. He notices how we can also use as our image how the world itself is on fire, consumed in a conflagration of grasping and hatred and endless certainties. And to which we can bring a different flame, that spiritual possibility, that small light.

As Clark sings to us.

To this burning house Of a world, I add one log And a little light.

May this turning of the heart, of our becoming the flame of possibility become the Hanukkah flame. May it burn, and burn, transforming our own hearts, and showing this beautiful suffering world a way through.

Thats our challenge. Thats our possibility.

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ON BECOMING SPIRITUAL ADULTS: A Hanukkah Meditation - Patheos

Vicky Tsai's work life is travel-intensive.

The founder and CEO of skin care brand Tatcha splits her time between the company's headquarters in San Francisco and its research and development lab in Tokyo.

So, when she's regularly logging 12-plus hours in the sky, overcoming the time difference to power through work is crucial.

Her secret to beating jet lag? Making sure she sees the sunrise and sunset in every new place.

"Even if that means I only get three hours of sleep, I'll wake up to watch the sunrise in that city," Tsai tells CNBC Make It.

In addition to visits to Japan quarterly, she also periodically flies to Hong Kong, Australia and Canada. Each year, she visits a Room to Read market, where sales of Tatcha products help fund girls' education at a school in another country. Her recent trips have taken her to Cambodia, India and South Africa.

Physical and mental fitness are also key to her international-travel routine. In addition to jogging and jump-roping, Tsai credits meditation to helping her manage a demanding schedule.

"I prefer the quiet of a self-guided meditation with incense," Tsai says. "I have been fortunate enough to study with a Zen monk in Kyoto who teaches me about the mind-body connection and different meditation practices, including walking meditation."

Tsai is in good company of leaders who see the value in meditation. Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff credits the practice with helping him become a better listener and decision-maker. Thrive Global CEO Arianna Huffington says that, following sleep, mediation is the most effective tool for productivity and performance. Bill Gates, meanwhile, is a recent adopter and says even 10 minutes at a time, two or three times a week, has improved his focus.

"I now see that meditation is simply exercise for the mind, similar to the way we exercise our muscles when we play sports," he wrote on his blog in 2018. "For me, it has nothing to do with faith or mysticism. It's about taking a few minutes out of my day, learning how to pay attention to the thoughts in my head and gaining a little bit of distance from them."

The science backs up the benefits of a meditation practice, even for those who've never done it before. Researchers recently concluded that taking a 20-minute break to meditate could help you pay closer attention to tasks and ultimately make fewer mistakes.

Precision and high-powered decision-making are important when Tsai travels for business. Her luxury beauty brand with fans in Kim Kardashian and Meghan Markle is on track to make $100 million in sales in 2019, reports WWD. It was acquired by Unilever this summer for a deal approaching $500 million, according to industry sources.

Like this story? Subscribe to CNBC Make It on YouTube!

Don't miss: Why more expat workers say they're happy with their jobs than those who stay local

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The secret to beating jet lag, according to a CEO who regularly flies around the world - CNBC

Meditation has become a big part of Brooklyn Nets center DeAndre Jordans life.

Jordan uses meditation to clear his thoughts and find peace of mind in the NBA. The Nets high-flyer says the practice of meditating has helped him immensely, via Leo Sepkowitz of Bleacher Report:

Jordan does not just have a room where he mediates. He has a meditation room. The difference is in the details: candles, crystals, small statues, vapor oils. Each morning in his apartment in the downtown Manhattan neighborhood of Tribeca, Jordan enters the space, dims the lights and sits in his meditation chair, elevated so that his folded knees dont knock against his collarbone.

Initially, a few years ago, Jordan would lean on guided meditation recordings to help him clear his mind. Now, for the most part, he can do it on his own, rotating through different mantras daily. Tomorrow, he says, he will focus on forgiveness. The point is to acknowledge the negativity and pressure that surround himthe grind of practice, the responsibilities he has with family and friendsbut to see those concepts and let them pass by without judgment or concern.

The more Im getting better, the faster I let those thoughts go, Jordan says. Eventually, down the road, I wont think about anything. Maybe Ill start levitating.

Meditation has helped Jordan find the peace of mind needed to lead in the NBA. It has been a long journey here.

DeAndre Jordan signed a four-year deal with the Nets this past summer in free agency. His pals Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving took less money from Brooklyn so the Nets could sign Jordan.

In 26 games this season for the Nets, Jordan is averaging 8.2 points and 10.0 rebounds. Hes shooting 65.4 percent from the field and 66.1 percent from the free-throw line. The Nets entered Thursday with a record of 16-13.

NBA players have a lot on their plate. Meditation is a great way for players to relieve stress and clear their mind, which will lead to better play on the court.

For the Nets to go on a deep playoff run this season, they will need Jordan to play at a high-level since he has postseason experience.

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Meditation has helped Nets DeAndre Jordan find peace of mind in the NBA - ClutchPoints

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Meditation Cushion Market to Witness Huge Growth by 2025 | Satori Wholesale, Trevida, Peace Yoga - Filmi Baba

The new year always serves as a good time to restrategize our workout regimen. Sure, there are some who may just be getting started with a renewed commitment to fitness in 2020, but for those of us already hitting the gym regularly, we can consider ourselves ahead of the game.

However, with so many options out there in terms of types of workouts, the benefits you can gain from doing them and the best place to partake in them, a personal game plan can be one factor that stumps you on your way to shaping your fitness goals for the new year.

There is no question that 2019 was synonymous with the Peloton bike and app. The personalized fitness approach it offers with live class accessibility at your fingertips from the comfort of your home has reshaped people's access to quality workouts. It wont be losing its luster in 2020.

With "self-care" being one of the biggest buzz words of 2019 and the benefits of meditation going mainstream, its difficult to ignore the benefits daily meditation might bring to your life in 2020. At places like Bldg 7 Yoga in Wyomissing, you can acquire skills to sink into the silence of meditation, and at Body Zone Sports and Wellness Complex, Spring Township, you can take classes to learn about stress and how to reduce it.

Jason Kelly, Director of Wellness at Body Zone, emphasized the importance of taking care of yourself so that you can take care of others.

Self-care is not selfish, Kelly said.

Regardless of the path you choose to get fit, gyms in 2020 will be making more of an effort to help you get the most out of the time you invest in taking classes.

Sarah Vecchio, director of fitness at Body Zone, said a new trend she sees on the horizon for group fitness classes is making fitness more of an experience.This includes incorporating lighting, loud motivating music and themed workouts to push you to your max.

Here are some fitness trends that are sure to make their mark in the new year:

Sipping and socializing

Sup and Sip classes combine a workout with mingling over Prosecco afterward.

Expect more opportunities to mingle with your workout buddies and the chance to broaden your social circle. Offerings called Sup & Sip and Bar & Bubbles at Body Zone give members the opportunity to mingle with a glass of Prosecco after a workout. Given the success they have had in offering these classes, they will continue to be offered in 2020, which goes to show that people are increasingly looking at the gym as a place to get more than just a workout.

Mindful meditation

Mindfulness and meditation apps to help reduce stress make it easy to include the practice of meditation as part of our lives. You dont have to devote tons of time daily to reap big benefits, and learning some breathing techniques and guided meditations through the apps can be key to getting you started. Yoga studios like Bldg 7 Yoga, Wyomissing, offer the skills needed to get you started on your journey for those who prefer learning in a live setting.

Penchant for Peloton

You dont have to invest in a pricey Peloton bike or Peloton treadmill to reap the benefits of a Peloton workout. With their app, you will have access to all of their workouts to add fitness into your life on your own time in 2020, with no gym necessary. You can get a digital membership to Peloton free for the first 30 days to see if it will provides what you are looking for in a workout. Whether you choose to do the workouts in your home or outdoors, you can participate in live or on-demand classes.

Floating fitness

If working out on land has become tedious and youd like to switch things up a bit, it might be time to consider reaping the benefits that working out on water can bring. Floating fitness offerings, like stand-up paddle board classes, now offered at gyms with pools, are definitely worth considering in the new year if you are looking for some variety in your regimen.

Self-care strategies

Gyms and studios are offering more educational opportunities to learn about things like nutrition, stress and meditation. Here, Dr. Ike Shibley, nutrition expert with Body Zone, presents a talk titled "What is Gluten?"

By offering classes that reinforce self-care and help restore not only muscles but also the mind, yoga figures to be a form of exercise that will be on cue for 2020. However, some gyms and studios are going beyond just offering classes to cater to your self-care regimen by offering educational opportunities to learn about meditation, stress and nutrition, as well as other ways to reinforce self-care awareness through knowledge.

Email Courtney H. Diener-Stokes: life@readingeagle.com.

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Latest trends will help make 2020 the year you commit to be fit - Reading Eagle

Mindfulness it seems like the latest buzz topic but truly incorporating it more into my life has been the most transformational, life-giving tool for managing the mama & mental-load and staying steady in this frenzied, modern world were trying to keep pace with. So, Im beyond ecstatic to see the hustle til it hurts culture fizz out, and living/working mindfully catch momentum as we enter a new decade. Burnout is not a virtue and a mindfulness practice a catalyst for keeping it at bay.

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is the intentional accepting and non-judgemental focus of ones attention on the emotions, thoughts, and sensations occurring in the present moment.

I know what many are thinking lifes busy, I got things to plan, goals to crush and no time for this get quiet businessbut just as mindfulness guru Gabby Bernstein affirms When you live in the moment, when you take life one day at a time, something wild happens. Not only do you feel calmer, grounded and mentally clear but you actually accomplish more.

Yep, mindfulness can actually make you more productive by bringing clarity & calm, essentially bringing more flow & less frenzy to your daily living. Future-tripping and hustling til it hurts, she highlights, are counterproductive. The key is acting/working from a pIace of spiritual alignment, and taking time to get still is how we begin the process of operating from this grounded space. I can personally vouch for this notion and only have to depart a few days from my mindfulness practice to notice why I need it in my life.

When you master your mind, you master your life Dianne Collins

Wellness is so much more than achieving peak physical fitness via a killer workout and controlled diet. Wellness embodies nourishing the mind, body & spirit. Mindfulness targets the mind & spirit pillars in the wellness trifecta, and when mental fitness is the focus, benefits flourish to all other facets of our lives.

Mindfulness doesnt rid our lives of stress, but it certainly helps with managing it. These last two years have been some of the most stress-filled of my life job transition, tremendous loss, fixed salary to self-employment, ill loved ones, treading difficult parenting waters weve never had to navigate before. I choose not to dwell on the heavy, but it has often left me weighed down & weary and why Ive leaned into activities that focus on mindfulness even more. Mindfulness practice helps me from feeling stuck and where I find clarity on my next steps to move through the muddiness of life.

True meditation is about being fully present with everything that is including discomfort & challenges. It is not an escape from life. ~ Craig Hamilton

Those whove followed the blog and our social channels have heard/seen me incorporate my favourite mindfulness practices in my day, but with a new decade upon us, and many thinking about incorporating new habits/practices that can positively impact their life, I wanted to dish them out here, hoping they may encourage you to try something new & life-changing. Here are my favourite ways & resources to incorporate mindfulness a very full life:

MEDITATION

I never considered myself the meditating type before. I couldnt get my head around the hype of just sitting with your eyes closed doing nothing. Im going to say that if I knew how transformational this practice is I would have started long, long ago. I could be having the most stressful, overwhelming day, and the aches and racing mind and heart to prove it, and when I make time to get still and get into a mindfulness meditation I feel completely relaxed and achieve a level of mental clarity I would not have otherwise. Thats why I love this book.

Unplug: A Simple Guide to Meditation for Busy Skeptics and Modern Soul Seekers

Its for beginners (still me!) skeptics (once me!) and people who feel theyre too busy for it (um, most of us!) and gives simple, practical ways to introduce this life-changing practice into our lives.

Its called a practice for a reason. The more you do it the easier and more transformational it becomes. You know that saying Be still and know? This is what meditation does for you. Our minds fill up with all kinds of clutter and can leave us feeling scattered. Im telling you, when you cultivate silence and get still through mediation, you may get the answers to the things that are causing you unease. I know I have. Its really unbelievableuntil you try it! This book is a good warm up to itbut if youre ready to practice, I love this

The Calm App

One thing I love about meditation is its mobility no need for excessive amounts of time or specific conditions to incorporate it in our days. You can practice anywhere, anytime, and why I love having access to the Calm app on my phone.

Calm is an award-winning app for sleep, meditation and relaxation, available in both the App Store and Google Play store. I like spending the 10 minutes while my morning coffee is brewing doing the Daily Meditation which has a theme with accompanying wisdom at the end. Ive tried other apps (like Headspace), and have to say being led with the calming voice of Tamara is one of my reasons for sticking with this one.

The Calm app is free to download but a paid subscription to Calm Premium gives access to over 100 hours of premium content, including an ever-growing library of advanced meditations, soothing Sleep Stories, calming nature scenes, a breathing tool and Calm Masterclasses. I enjoy it so much I renewed my subscription this year.

Silence isnt emptyits full of answers

Miracles Now: 108 Life-Changing Tools for Less Stress, More Flow and Finding Your True Purpose

I adore Gabby Bernstein and everything shes put out, including the Universe Has Your Back. I also loveMiracles Nowbecause she gives quick and effective tools (108 of them) to combat things all of us experience daily or at some point in our lives, like stress, resentment, burnout, frustration and jealousy. Not everyone has time each day to devote chunks of time to other spiritual practices like yoga or deep meditation. Gabbys tools offer ways to achieve peace and calm inside us immediately. I think Ive folded down almost half the pages in the book. This ones too good! I also love her blog where she dishes out wisdom on mindfulness and offers videos to guide your meditation practice.

Guided Meditations on YouTube

Keeping at your practices is as simple as a search on YouTube for guided meditations. I like going this route if theres something specific I want to work on meditation for clarity, for anxiety, for positive energy, for healing for example. Like mobile apps, this way is easily accessible and you can choose from a variety of options that suit your time and narrator voice preference.

GET WARM

Im sure this is no surprise, but the feeling of warmth ignites a feel-good, relaxed response in our bodies and has the power to bring you into the present moment. Having a warm bath with lavender Epsom salts or essential oils & participating in a hot yoga class are two of my favourite mindfulness activities. Both get you in touch with breath & body awareness keys to a mindful, grounded state.

BLUE SPACE

Go where theres water. More & more research is revealing the therapeutic benefits of being near natural aquatic blue space & the positive impact on mental wellness. Watch & listen to how it moves. While being near an ocean & waterfall is my fave, its also as simple as finding a river/stream in your own neighbourhood. https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/minding-the-body/201903/can-blue-space-provide-therapeutic-benefits.

SOCIAL MEDIA TIME-OUTS

I earn a part-time income on social media and wont bite the apps that feed me but theres a difference between using social mindfully (for tips, insights, recommendations, marketing, connecting) and letting it completely distract us from being present in our own lives. Theres also a likeliness where using it for inspiration can become an unhealthy infatuation and lead to unrealistic comparison. Giving myself a designated chunk of time to complete my social media work & connect with people I want to engage with and then tapping out helps keep me from wasting away precious time. Regular scroll free weekends help tremendously too. What you may find after practicing a bit of digital discipline is that your greatest source of inspiration doesnt come from a feed but from engaging fully and enjoying your own life & not admiring or trying to imitate someone elses.

NOTICING

Were so busy keeping up with routines and schedules its easy to forget to just slow down, pause, look around and appreciate the beauty around us. Operating on auto pilot, were depriving ourselves of the gift of noticing. Getting out in nature, being mindful of our surroundings and stopping for just 5 minutes each day to notice the simple things (the way the snow sits and glistens on the trees, the colour of the sky and clouds, the smells in our surroundings, the brightness of a flower, the fullness of the moon) improves our mindset.And the more I practice this Pause.Breathe.Appreciate way of life, I see how my kids, especially our daughter, have begun to notice more of the simple things in their day too.

One of my favourite things to do on a blah day is go for a drive, look for scenery that uplifts me and get out to take photos.Photography has become one of my favourite mindful endeavours too. Finding the beauty in and gratitude for lifes simple pleasures has truly been a catalyst for many of my positive mental shifts, even during heavy times.

How have you incorporated mindfulness into your life and how has it helped you live more intentionally?

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Hustle Culture is Out, Mindfulness is In for 2020 & Beyond - Thrive Global

The holidays can be a chaotic time of year. It may feel difficult to step away to get in an in-depth meditation session or yoga class during such a busy time, so chances are that you might be forgoing these important self-care tools completely. The amazing thing about meditation is that it is a tool that can calm your body, mind, and nervous system in just a few minutes.

If youre starting to feel frazzled by end of year deliverables, family visits or holiday shopping, gratitude can ground you in what is good right now. Gratitude is one of the most incredible practices. Truly, taking just a few moments to express gratitude can change your whole mindset. How to do a mini gratitude meditation: Stop what youre doing and write down, or simply think about, three things for which you are grateful.

Did you know that your emotions get trapped in your body? Sometimes all it takes to release stress from your mind is to release the pressure from your body. Doing a quick body scan can help. How to do a body scan to release tension in your body: Close or soften your eyes and breathe. Simply notice how your body feels. Begin to notice any areas that are holding tension, notice them without judgment. Continue to breathe. After a minute or two, begin to imagine the tense areas fill up with air on your inhale. On your exhale imagine the air releasing from your body.

Repeating a mantra can help place your brain into a meditative state quickly. I like to use a mala bracelet, which I take out any time Im feeling overwhelmed. I repeat a mantra over and over in my head as I go through the beads. A mantra that you may find useful during the holiday season could be: I am calm, I am grounded.

Adding a layer of mindfulness to your day-to-day activities can make you feel more grounded. Here are a few ways to incorporate mindfulness into seemingly mundane activities: Eat slowly and really taste each flavor hitting your tongue. Go for a walk and take time to notice the things around you. Go slowly and really take everything in.

This mini meditation can be done literally anywhere. Heres how: Take a few moments to close or soften your eyes and notice your breath. Deepen your breathing. If its helpful you can count the breaths, breathe in for 4, hold the breath for 7 and exhale for 8 counts. Continue doing this for up to 5 minutes. A few places that you can incorporate this min meditation into your daily life include :

Meditation can be a life transforming practice. I find that my meditation practice is best put to use not at a silent retreat atop a mountain, but during the stresses of daily and seasonal life.

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5 Mini Meditations To Help You Stay Grounded During The Holidays - Sporteluxe

Leaders have specific characteristics that define them as figures that others look up to and as people. Effective leaders typically have a routine with key habits and processes practiced daily. While most people have heard about The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey, many leaders don't follow that model. Truly great leaders develop their own set of habits that dictate how their days go and how they can reach their fullest potential.

What are some of the practices that define today's great leaders? Fifteen members of Forbes Coaches Council explain the patterns of behavior that they think good leaders should adopt, and how those actions can make them into more successful individuals in the long term.

Forbes Coaches Council members offer insight on the customs of good leaders.

1. Take Time To Be

As a society, we are focused on the next goal and the never-ending to-do list. We do not spend enough time just being. This means complete silence at times to let your thoughts flow through you, write thoughts down and listen to what your subconscious is trying to tell you. Some of the best ideas I have come up with have not been when I am doing, but when I am just being. - Galit Ventura-Rozen, Empowering U

2. Start Each Day Offline

Its amazing how many clients jump on their phone or tablet first thing in the morning to check the markets, see what emails arrived overnight or simply browse their Twitter feed. Consider starting each day free of online activities. You might meditate, pray, exercise, read or spend time with your spouse or kids instead. The possibilities for starting the day healthier are endlessjust not online. - John Hittler, Evoking Genius

3. Take Time To Connect With Yourself

As leaders, the stuff we do drives us to show up determined, focused and decisive. Leaders push down uncertainties and emotions and we do everything we can to be free of or ignore gut feelings. Spend time connecting with your heart, gut and head each day. The people you are leading are fully human and they deserve to have you show up in the same way. - Brian Gorman, TransformingLives.Coach

4. Establish A Morning Routine

Begin each day with a morning routine that sets you up for success. Your morning routine might include meditation, exercise or a gratitude practice. By taking care of yourself first, you will be able to contribute to others, navigate difficult situations effectively and increase your ability to lead and listen. It's best if you finish your routine before you turn on your phone and computer. - Gina Lavery, Gina Lavery Inc.

5. Track Your Physiology

We tend to overlook our physiology in the world of leadership. We talk about having emotional intelligence, providing motivation and increasing the likes, but a lot of our ability to do these effectively lies in our physiology. I use tools and techniques with my clients so they can scientifically track their physiology and make actual beneficial improvements they can see to have more impact as a leader. - Cody Dakota Wooten, The Leadership Guide

6. Walk Around

Most leaders get set into a routine where they talk and meet with the same people every day. Great leaders break that habit by walking around and meeting new peopleespecially employeeswhen they're not expected to. Informally dropping in on a team or part of the organization you seldom interact with will make you a more authentic, grounded and approachable leader. - Eric Beaudan, Odgers Berndtson

7. Set Your Intention For The Day

Before checking the various mediacalendar, voicemail, emailthat will distract you and demand your time or attention, set your intention for the day. Activate the mindset that will drive your actions to create the leadership impact and influence you want to have rather than getting bogged down merely reacting to external forces. Lead your day before it leads you. - Mia Eng, Cognascent Inc.

8. Implement Reading Time

I have had the pleasure to work with many entrepreneurs over my career. The single factor that all the successful ones had in common was their reading habits. It goes something along the lines of there being a time block set aside to catch up on readings. Short of a disaster that has to be dealt with, that time is nonnegotiable and will stay off limits for any other activity. - Kamyar Shah, World Consulting Group

9. Embrace Relentless Learning

Effective leaders understand the value of continuous learning and also realize that it can happen anywhere and at any time. Commit yourself to learning something new each day, whether it be from your barista, frontline employees, board or grandchildren. Intentionally adopting a learning mindset creates the space for openness and curiosity and allows you to show up as a relentless learner. - Palena Neale, Ph.D, unabridged

10. Practice Daily Meditation

Meditation is like a Swiss army knife that has more unpredictably positive outcomes than any other good habit, but take the time to learn the right way to do it. It's not about not thinking as many people believe; it's about realizing you're not your thoughts. The result is more energy, less friction due to judgment, clearer decision making because you don't need to be right and much more. - Josef Shapiro, Clear and Open

11. Create A Meaningful Habit

Im from the village that says you should create your own habit. Someone elses habits may not necessarily be a fit for you. Create a habit that has meaning to you and your employees and acknowledges their contributions. I pass out a chocolate square at least two afternoons a week to each employee every week. It keeps me conscious of who Im leading and how much I appreciate their contributions. - Thomas Larkin, Communico, Westport CT

12. Prioritize The Habit Of Gratitude

Committing to a daily gratitude journal practice where you write a list of three or more things you're grateful for each day can be transformative for leaders. It's simple, quick (mine takes about 90 seconds) and orients you toward positivity every single day. When you journal about positive stuff at night, it helps you sleep better. Journaling in the morning can help you get off to a great start! - Kate Dixon, Dixon Consulting

13. Practice The Art Of Visualization

One natural ability to develop is the art of visualization, which can be extraordinarily powerful on top of a regular habit of meditation. Our capacity to use our imagination through purposeful visualization can be a differentiator for leaders, and layering visualization on top of meditation adds a multiplying effect. As a starter, try visualizing various scenarios from a relaxed state. - James Glasnapp, James Glasnapp Coaching

14. Ask How Questions

Leaders make tons of decisions daily, so it's crucial that they have good problem-solving skills. What doesn't help is asking too many "why" questions that cause you to dwell on the problem. For example, "Why did this happen to me? Ask more "how" questions instead, like "How can I fix this issue? You can go from powerless to powerful and successful. - Lizette Ojeda, Dr. Lizette LLC

15. Lead With Energy

Integrating a daily physical fitness routine prepares leaders for the mental and intellectual challenges they face. Regular exercise is one form of self-care needed for a leader's well-being as it allows them to sustain the emotional energy required to lead an organization. By modeling self-care, leaders encourage similar behaviors in their employees, which in turn impacts their well-being. - Jonathan Silk, Bridge 3 LLC

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15 Daily Habits Of Great Leaders - Forbes

Dr. Megan Jones Bell

Can meditation help you become more creative? Will this practice also improve your leadership skills? Dr. Megan Jones Bell says yes. She's chief science officer at Headspace, the company behind the popular meditation app of the same name.

Founded in 2010 by Andy Puddicombe and Rich Pierson, Headspace claims over 60 million members across 190 countries. The app offers meditation courses in everything from creativity to better sleep, many of which can help creatives, leaders and executives perform more effectively.

Those new to meditation struggle with finding time to practice. I was talking to a friend about meditation, and he complained he couldn't find time to squeeze another 10 minutes into his already overloaded morning. Bell suggested people like my friend layer meditation onto an existing habit or routine instead.

"If you walk for 10 minutes, you could take a mindful walk. It doesn't need to start with eyes-closed meditation," she says. "You could try a wind down exercise that has a short mindfulness-based activity and technique that helps you turn your mind off for the evening. It could be taking a mindful run with one of our audio guided runs that we've made with Nike. There's multiple front doors into this practice."

Meditating by focusing on the breath or a mindful run could help my friend and many others perform more effectively at work. Headspace worked with the College of Policing in the United Kingdom and conducted a study of approximately 1,300 participants in five different police forces. The study found that meditation is associated with improved job performance, increased well-being and resilience.

"We know that when we are stressed, when we have a feeling of being burned out, that's associated with difficulty in productivity or decreased focus," says Jones. "It's really this combination of being in a healthier overall emotional state, which comes from a practice of meditation as well as this training in attention and awareness that is really core to meditation."

Mindful Leadership

Leaders of large teams or within busy companies often juggle competing priorities, frequently without clear-cut solutions. For example, how should a leader react if a key team members quits in the middle of a product launch? While meditating won't provide the immediate answer, it'll help a leader manage challenges with more authenticity.

"[Mindful leadership means] our stress doesn't spill out on those around us, on our team. We can reduce it and manage it more effectively. We can be more intentional in every kind of micro-interaction that we have with our teams throughout the day," Jones says.

"If you're in a company where you believe in the mission, or you're working towards a big goal together, being able to hold that in your present moment awareness is really helpful for navigating challenges."

In the case of an entrepreneur, a key client quitting at short notice might cause him or her to react negatively and even lash out at other team members. Instead, practicing meditation for just three weeks could help this entrepreneur learn how to step back rather than react to business setbacks emotionally.

"You can more easily toggle between putting out the fire of the moment and the bigger picture," says Jones. "That dual focus is really important for a leader, and to guide the team, help people through the day-to-day challenges while anchoring to that bigger goal."

The teams at Headspace regularly meditate together at the start of the day and before meetings. That culture is understandable considering Headspace's product.

When a writer, musician or artist turns up in front of the blank page, canvas or in a studio, they're under pressure to perform. It's no wonder many complain about feeling blocked or uninspired. That pressure is hardly conducive to open-minded expansive thinking.

"When you are better able to distance yourself or set aside those pressures, those expectations, the stress that might come along with needing to produce something for a deadline, you're better able to create the right conditions for creativity to occur," says Jones. "When we're better able to notice our thoughts to kind of quiet the mind, we can create the right conditions for creativity to happen."

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Why Meditation Will Help You Become A Better Leader - Forbes

Posted on Dec 22, 2019

By Teddy Robertson

It all began with a New York City police officer.

Michigan-native Gloria Kramer was an accomplished 5K, 10K, and half-marathon runner when she realized she wanted something more than what she got from a good run. Living in Florida where she worked as a registered dietitian, running had been her avocation.

I was in my thirties, Kramer says. Meditation was becoming popular and I was interested, but I had a heck of a time just sitting still and clearing my mind.

Thats where the policeman came in.

Kramer saw an ad for a tai chi class, and the instructor turned out to be a police officer from New York whod given up his career to teach tai chi. Gloria learned Yang 24, a form, or set of traditional tai chi movements created in China in 1956 to bring the benefits of tai chi to the masses.

Tai chi is moving meditation, she says, It gives your body and mind a chance to connect. I liked the physicality of it, plus the mental aspect.

Kramer continued her tai chi instruction with Hilmar Fuchs, a renowned German martial arts master headquartered in Florida. Gloria describes Fuchs as phenomenal teacher; tai chi really resonated with me, she says.

She was hooked.

But life happens. Kramer and her family (now including an infant daughter) returned to Michigan. She searched for a teacher, but never found someone equal to Fuchs.

Gloria Kramer (Photo by Teddy Robertson)

Fast forward several years and life intervened once again. Kramers daughter turned six and wanted to learn karate. The karate studio offered parents the option of watching their kids classes or participating themselves for the same cost. Guess what?

Kramer learned along with her daughter and eventually obtained a second degree Black Belt in Tang Soo Do, Korean-style karate.

But as I grew older, she says, those takedowns and throws are harder on your body. She returned to tai chi.

At first Kramer practiced qi gong (or chi gong) warm up exercises and tai chi in the evening to help a cousin relieve anxiety during a stressful time in her life. Kramer remembered her cousins comment: You know, you should teach this; youre really good at it.

Qi gong involves repetitive exercises to stimulate the flow of qi or energy throughout the body, whereas tai chi involves a form or sequence of movements that flow from one to the next that complete an entire set movements.

A registered dietitian with a masters degree in nutrition, Kramer had always enjoyed the teaching shed done in hospital settings. Maybe her cousin was right? She should become a teacher herself.

Kramer sought out tai chi instruction online that would prepare her to teach. She began with the program of Vancouver specialist, Dr. Keith Jeffrey, originator of Easy Tai Chi. At a weekend session for certification, people told her about Dr. Paul Lam.

A physician and world leader in tai chi for health for over forty years, Dr. Lam has promoted tai chi for health improvement from his home in Australia. https://taichiforhealthinstitute.org/about-dr-paul-lam/ Dr. Lam and his master trainers also teach in the US, annually offering workshops in different states.

Kramer attended a regional workshop in Cincinnati held by Lams Tai Chi for Health Institute, and today she is certified in all the Institutes tai chi forms adapted for different needs: tai chi for health, energy, arthritis, rehab, and diabetes. In week-long intensive courses with Lams master trainers, Kramer learned other long forms of tai chi: Sun 73 and Chen 36.

Kramers journey toward official teaching began when she offered a class at her karate studio. She went on to teach evening classes for Flushings Community Education. Today Kramer teaches a total of 13 tai chi classes a week in four different locations: YMCA Pierson Road, Grand Blanc Senior Center, Woodhaven Assisted Living, and the McLaren Hospitality House Conference Center (cancer patients take these classes for free). Today 80 adults are learning tai chi in these classes.

Tai chi instruction is challenging. For successful learning, beginners, intermediate, and advanced learners must be grouped to accommodate their skill levels. At Grand Blanc and Hospitality House Gloria teaches the three levels back to back.

Kramer emphasizes that you have to experience tai chi to appreciate its value for health and well-being. People who manage to complete one month or longer are more likely to stay with the practice than those who take a single class. For example, most of Kramers regular students at McLaren Hospitality House have been attending twice a week for three or four years.

To accommodate people who drop in at the Pierson Road Y, Kramer usually teaches one tai chi form twice a week and then chi gong exercises the third day of the week. People often begin with the qi gong exercises and then jump into the tai chi class.

Kramer views America as a vast, potential market for tai chi. The variations designed by Dr. Lam and his team show how the practice is adapted for all ages and conditions. Still, so many people just dont have access, she says. One approach is working though hospitals . . . a wonderful way to get in touch with people who could benefit. Kramer would like to get doctors interested; she has experimented with teaching tai chi to staff in medical offices. The market is untapped in many different places, she says.

An adept practitioner of three tai chi stylesYang, Sun, and ChenKramer describes the benefits of each one. When asked if she has a favorite, she replies: The Chen 36 is mentally challenging but also athletic, Sun 73 is good for relaxing and breathing, and Yang 24 has a pleasant flow.

Tai chi is rooted in the ancient Chinese philosophy of yin and yang oppositions. Reflecting on this duality, Kramer notes, yin is water and yang is fire. Tai chi belongs to the spirit of yin in life. Americans tend to embrace yang-type or active principle movement like aerobic exercise or weightlifting. Everything is so hard and fast. But our minds are very overactive; our life is over stimulated.

Kramer repeats, tai chi really needs to be experienced. While its practice may be hard to explain, the benefits of tai chi are recognized and promoted by the Center for Disease Control, the National Council on Aging, and the Arthritis Foundation.

US medical and healthcare systems, however, are not geared to offer tai chi or qi gong exercises as a prescriptionin contrast to countries like Australia and China. We may eventually embrace tai chi for health, Kramer says, but we are a long way away from it.

Meantime, interest in tai chi grows slowly and Gloria Kramer continues to teach. Asked about her future plans, Kramer muses, Ive been thinking that maybe next spring Ill offer an evening class for working peoplejust the audience that might appreciate a bit more yin in their overactive lives.

More information on the practice of tai chi is available at Chi Force Tai Chi @ 810-348-6530.

Banner photo of one of Gloria Kramers tai chi classes by Teddy Robertson.

EVM Staff Writer and columnist Teddy Robertson can be reached at teddyrob@umich.edu.

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A tai chi chronicle: From marathon to moving meditation and 13 classes - East Village Magazine