David Suzuki, Co-founder of the David Suzuki Foundation, Thich Nhat Hanh, Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson, and Suzuki Foundation Chair Jim Hoggan, sat down to discuss mindfulness and climate change.  They explored how to bring about the collective public awakening needed to restore health to the planet.

Suffering is universal, and if we really think about it, we all know what makes us suffer. Often we are stuck to it, and we feel that we have no power—no courage—to cut off from the roots of our suffering.

But we can cultivate the spiritual power to transform our cravings, our anger, our frustration, our suffering and our despair!  We can transform all of our afflictions, because like everything else in the universe, they are impermanent.

When we are able to cut off from suffering, we become free people.  In this freedom, we find happiness.

One of our Facebook community members, Andrew, recently asked for advice as he struggles with his 5 and 8 year old kids being picky eaters: "How do you manage this? Do you allow pudding if they don't eat their main course (even if they are saying they don't like it)?"

Q. How can we become aware of, and change, bad habits?

 The past is gone. 

The future is not yet here. 

Life can only be found in the present moment.

Mindful breathing, in and out, can bring you back to the present moment instantly.

Are you feeling bored or stuck in your workout routine?

When we consider fitness options, the popular means of exercise come to mind: running, lifting weights, yoga… but what if none of these activities sounds like fun?

You may think - “fun? Exercise is not supposed to be fun." But visitors to the House of Air, the indoor trampoline park in San Francisco, beg to differ. They burn calories by jumping, taking aerial training classes, or playing trampoline dodge-ball.

We spend fourty billion dollars a year on coffee in America. Is it helping or harming us? Recent observational studies suggest that moderate coffee consumption may be healthy. 

Why does Thay say that smiling is the most basic kind of peace work?  A smile not only helps to relax ourselves, releasing our own tension and anxiety so that we can touch more peace. The smile on our face will bring more pleasant feelings to others.

Thay sees smiling as integral to mindfulness practice:

After a long meditation, I wrote this poem. In it, there are three people: the twelve-year-old girl, the pirate, and me. Can we look at each other and recognize ourselves in each other? The title of the poem is "Please Call Me by My True Names," because I have so many names. When I hear one of the of these names, I have to say, "Yes."

Please Call Me By My True Names