Green Thoughts: A Mindfulness Community

From tree to troll — life is full of fascinating transformations

Lately, I’ve been feeling a shift toward trust after a seemingly endless stretch of anxiety. Not trust that everything will turn out the way I want it to, but that things will unfold and continue to change and I’ll manage. I can recall so many times that I didn’t feel prepared for a new phase — becoming a teenager, a teacher, a mother — but somehow I found myself falling into these new roles and figuring it out. “Let me fall if I must fall. The one I am becoming will catch me.”  I keep thinking of this quotation from Ba’al Shem Tov on my autumn walks. Leaves falling down, each being caught by the earth which they will eventually become as they decompose.

The rhythms of nature have been tremendously helpful in building trust. The sun rises each morning, the moon has its phases, and clouds form and pass away. Nature, for all of its transformations, can be incredibly predictable in its habits. Even aging and death, which continually shock our human brains, are by far the most unoriginal developments in our stories. Nature’s way of saying that you’re not so different after all. You belong to this earth and these rhythms. Go ahead and fall. I will catch you.

A Meditation for Building Self-Trust (7mins)

In this meditation you will practice physiological sighing, a breath that calms the body, building trust your ability cope with stress. According to research, physiological sighing also has a cumulative calming effect on the nervous system when practiced regularly. I personally do physiological sighing for 5 minutes each day and it has a noticeable effect on my mood.

Lastly, I have a 3 question survey and your feedback is extremely valuable!

How Would you You Like to Practice Mindfulness?

Thanks for reading!