When hunger arises, a small, healthy snack can be quite satisfying. Something as simple as a handful of mixed nuts can be enough to tide you over, helping you approach your next meal without feeling the urge to overeat.  

Cold and flu season has crept up again! It’s time we get back to the basics that support a healthy immune system. Most of us don’t have mom in tow to remind us of the essentials, and when life gets busy, it’s easy to forget just how important practical prevention is….until we’re lying in bed sniffling.

Enjoy this list of familiar favorites—with a mindful twist—for staving off the common cold. 

Take a moment to think about how often you jump to conclusions—at work, at home, with family and friends, or even amongst random people you encounter in daily life. In many cases, the sensitivities and opinions that we have accumulated over the years frequently cause our minds to leap to a conjecture that is just plain wrong. For example:

I was so moved by this email I received from Peter Cutler, an Order of Interbeing Member with the Dharma Name True Sangha Virtue, that I requested his permission to share it with you. Peter is a member of Boston’s Old Path Sangha. He is a spiritual teacher, Zen artist and founding member of the Sacred Circle in Sedona, Arizona. 

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Gift yourself bliss in less than 2 minutes. Take a break from whatever it is you’re doing. Find a comfortable chair, cushion or rug to sit on and watch this brief meditation. Breathe easily and freely focusing on your in-breaths and out-breaths. Absorb Thay’s words and the sound of the bell with each inhale, release all the tensions in your body with each exhale.

“If I lose my direction, I have to look to the north star, and I go to the North. That does not mean I expect to arrive at the North Star. I just want to go in that direction.” – Thich Nhat Hanh

A note from Lilian:

Yoga and mindfulness are intimately intertwined. I find great value in the practice of yoga, and I know many of our community members do as well. I asked Marti Yura, a yoga teacher and studio owner, to share with us the most important lesson she's learned so far as a yogi.

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Thay asks us to transform our garbage and in so doing, encourage the growth of our internal flower. But how?