Honoring the women who teach meditation, wisdom, compassion and the Dharma
For National Women’s History Month, InsightLA thanks and honors all the women around the globe who teach meditation, wisdom, compassion, and the Dharma in its many for... Read more
Many Thanks to The Morning Community Sit
Three years ago this March, while people were confined and fearful due to the looming uncertainties of Covid, Beth Sternlieb began a daily community mediation group. Meant to last only a few weeks until things got back to normal, this gatherin... Read more
Mindful Writing—A Path to Resilience
“I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn.”—Anne Frank
“When you’re writing, you’re trying to find out something which you don’t know.”—James Baldwin
I have been known to say, “The older I get, the more I... Read more
The Myth of Our Forever Person
Our loved ones will one day leave us. Friends get mad and change priorities. People move away. Even a great, long marriage can end in untimely death. There is no Forever Person, and it’s a painful truth to sit with. But it is also one of the most libe... Read more
Personalizing Your Practice
When I started meditating a long time ago, I thought there was one way to meditate. I was taught to put my attention on my breath and just watch it with my crazy mind, until I learned to accept whatever unexpected visitor, as Rumi said in the Guest Ho... Read more
Recharge Your Practice With a Tried and True Inquiry
Even if you’ve been meditating for many years, you probably encounter old patterns that seem impervious to your mindful awareness. This is especially true during the holidays when you may be immersed in family dynamics that reignite old patterns you t... Read more
The Invitation
In the year 2022 we continue to see our lives impacted by the persistent currents of personal and collective suffering like a River during a catastrophic flood that has breached its natural boundaries washing away our sense of belonging. The story of ... Read more
Everything Changes
In September I sent my teenager off to their first day of 8th grade. The ritual of school mornings these days looks and feels a lot different than it did 8 years ago - the freshness of early childhood has given way to adolescence.
Zen teacher Suzu... Read more
The Compassionate Heart
Over the past seventeen years I have known Venerable Dhamananda we have had many discussions about compassion. She has helped me accept that there is no magic formula to learn how to be more compassionate; it is our practice that leads us on the pathw... Read more
Self Compassion for Anxiety
Anxiety and I are long-time friends. She has been present in my life since my earliest memories. However, we weren’t always friends and I didn’t know her name was anxiety until later in life. I gave anxiety a “her” pronoun because I have discovered th... Read more