The meditation begins at 3:15 Audio only version is here. Hello, Open Heart Project. Welcome to a new week! I hope that, no matter how great last week was, this week will be better. Before today’s 10-minute sit, I offer a few thoughts on how to expedite the meditative process. Spoiler alert: it’s not about doing anything. This month, I’ve... READ MORE
The meditation begins at 4:39 Audio only version is here. Hello, Open Heart Project. Welcome to a new week! I hope it will be the best week of your life. Today’s short talk before our 10-minute sit is about the importance and power of simplicity. In Buddhist thought, simplicity has to do with being with what is without adding anything.... READ MORE
The meditation begins at 4:28 Audio only version is here. Hello, Open Heart Project. As I write this, it is just about 8:00 a.m. on January 1. Happy new year! A new day is here. May it be peaceful, loving, and fiercely wise. May 2017 be the best year of your life, exceeded only by 2018… The focus of this... READ MORE
In Part 1 I talked about the top five benefits of meditating when you’re a mom. In Part 2, I discuss the major obstacles and how to overcome them. There are plenty of barriers to creating and sustaining a meditation practice for any of us, but when your life centers on caring for small humans, that ups the ante. In... READ MORE
When my son was 10 months old, he already had 8 front teeth and an appetite to match. Without molars, however, he could literally bite off more than he could chew. Nevertheless, anything that neared our mouths was exactly what he wanted. One afternoon, at a bistro with my mom, that anything was a hunk of baguette. Just two weeks... READ MORE
Hello, meditators. There is so much going on for so many of us! This week’s practice is another chance to…just sit. Unwind, turn off all your devices (except this one) and take a 10 minute break for your body and mind. As I mention in the video, a guided meditation can be found here. With love, Susan PS Join me... READ MORE
From the November 21 Open Heart Project newsletter, some resources for those who may be struggling with fear and confusion post-election. Hello dear meditators. This week’s newsletter is a little different because this last week in the USA has been, um, a little different. I have heard from so many of you who are confused, fearful, sad, and/or angry about... READ MORE
Hello, dear, brave warriors. I want to share with you a piece I wrote for Lion’s Roar on November 9, called “Don’t Bite the Hook: Five Things to Remember Post-Election.” As a community of practitioners, now is the time to put our practice to work as the foundation for bravely standing up for what is right without losing a sense... READ MORE
I woke up at 3:30 this morning and made one up out of a longing to live in a world that makes sense to me. Before I even got out of bed, I decided that I want a third party that will take us in the direction we need to go to save our Democracy and our planet and I... READ MORE
One could say that many of the world’s ills are rooted in fear. This is a pretty ordinary observation. If you watch a scary movie at night, you hear the noises in your home as ominous. If you don’t, they aren’t. Fear changes the way we perceive the world around us. On this day just prior to our election in... READ MORE
In a recent post, I wrote about my choice to respond to hateful comments even though the general consensus is to delete. Go back and read it if you like, but you don’t have to. Here are some additional thoughts on how one might go about doing this without creating more insanity. What usually happens is this: You yell at me,... READ MORE
As a writer, blogger, Buddhist teacher, and self-employed person who depends on her web presence for all sorts of reasons, I have often heard this admonition: Ignore flamers. Don’t respond to anyone who wants to fight with you or challenge your position unless they are polite and measured. Do not react to aggression, ridicule, shaming, insults, projections, and taunts. Delete,... READ MORE
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