Excellent advice from Cass Hanson. Watch video.
If something about the above gave you pause, listen to that voice. If you feel like you are racing and chasing but losing ground (and losing peace, joy and happy days), you're probably right. Grinding and pushing and working hard ⎯ without time for reflection and course correction ⎯ is rarely the path to success and can be a mean way to live. A mean existence. And then the days, the weeks, the decades start to slip away and a "quiet desperation" starts to set in.

I know, because I have lived it. But then a bird or two sang in my ear...a song about another way. I couldn't understand the lyrics at first, so they sang a little louder and more often...until that tune stuck in my head and became my way of life. The company we keep matters. It mattered for me. It continues to make a profound impact on my resolve and my life as a whole. If you want to be more mindful, surround yourself with mindful people. Hang out with people who meditate daily, who do yoga, who are asking good questions, who are present. That company will inspire you, support you and help you stay accountable when the world gets noisy and temptation calls you to pile more on your plate and bail on your practices.

The people in your circle are one part of the solution, but only one part. Ultimately it will be up to you to take action. You can hear about it, read about it, talk about it, think about it...but nothing replaces 'doing'. Following are the best ways I know to work hard mindfully:

  1. Meditate daily. The simple (and challenging) act of committing to a daily meditation practice impacts the quality of every aspect of our day: work, play, love and everything in between. Every decision we make, every word we utter, every act we do comes from a better and more insightful place.
  2. And then at times, pause. And be willing to ask yourself some hard questions. Is this the work I'm meant to do? Is this my dream or someone else's? Did I end up here by default or by intention? Are my daily activities the right activities? Is this sustainable? Is there a better way?

Here's to a stunning 2018.



Want to know more about Meditation? We offer private sessions, weekly group practice, and various Open Meditation times. Check the schedule or Contact Us. Kathleen is also available for Life/Career consults.
This team though.
Can you believe this is just a quarter of our teaching staff? Come find your teacher.
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 10AM FLOW WITH STEPHEN BALSLEY. STARTS JANUARY 7TH.
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Meanwhile, on Instagram...
Alyssa Switzer in The Loft (our cute little studio space to the right of the top of the stairs at Mach Row.)
Our orchids...