It’s been weeks since I’ve had acupuncture, and old aches and pains are now resurfacing during the pandemic. In this week’s session of “Processing the Pandemic with Heart-Head-Hands,” I realized I wasn’t alone in having these sensations. Our conversation turned to shared back pains and how we’re supporting our bodies while staying at home and missing bodywork. Because many of us are dealing with similar questions of how to soothe aches and pains, I’m sharing what’s ... Read more ...
Contemplative Practices
These posts share a range of contemplative practices, including guided meditation, reflective writing, and everyday divination. Practices can be used for healing, visioning, mindfulness, and more.
Heart-Head-Hands: A Journal Prompt for These Times
On this last day of March, I’m reflecting on what times we’re in. Truly: what times we’re in! I’ve written this sentence no fewer than 30 or 40 times in the past few weeks, but I’m still writing it, as I find myself at a loss for words. We’re certainly in times that are asking a LOT of us: from recognizing structural violence and witnessing wrongdoing to grieving through a full range of emotions and caring for ourselves and others in deep and sustained ways. My ... Read more ...
Words Cast Spells: Spell-Casting for 2020 to Experience Grief, Temperance, and Abundance
Though the new year marks a time for review and renewal, it’s often a few weeks into the year before I’m ready to set new goals via the contemplative practice of spell-casting. It’s as though I have to get out of the turbulent holiday season and new year energy before I’m ready to engage the magic of habit formation. This year (like the past couple) I’m returning to the practice of writing spells (like mantras, poems, or intentions) that I’ve learned through adrienne ... Read more ...
Q&A with Mel Meder: Why Support generative somatics
In this Q&A post, we learn from Mel Meder about the importance and possibilities of generative somatics—a deeply embodied practice and theory for creating transformative change. I met Mel several years ago through a mutual friend in Madison, Wisconsin, and I’ve since been learning from Mel about the work of fundraising for organizations that we deeply care about and want to support. generative somatics is one of those organizations, which is why we’re highlighting ... Read more ...
Self-Inquiry and Social Justice: What’s Walking Got to Do with It?
This summer I’m offering “40 Questions for 40 Walks: Toward Everyday Living for Justice”—a self-paced e-course to support deep-diving into conditioned ways of living, being, and intervening in the world. My hope is that these 40 questions provide structure and invite attention to a wide range of matters that factor into everyday life, yet may be easily taken-for-granted or overlooked as important to social justice, racial justice, and environmental justice. Why ... Read more ...
What Is Career Discernment?
I’ve encountered this question in recent weeks, since announcing the e-course “Career Discernment for Academics: Aligning Career with Commitments.” Over the past 2-3 years, since working through my own career discernment process and writing about it in Inside Higher Ed, I’ve been thinking about why I’m drawn to the word “career discernment” rather than career exploration or advising or coaching or other options. And now I’m being asked time and again: What is ... Read more ...
Turning 40 with the Gift of 40 Miles: Why I’m Taking Myself on Walks This Month
May is both my birth month and a time of transition (when the school year ends and summer begins). For as long as I can remember, I’ve looked forward to May and its potential for renewal. This year I’m celebrating my 40th birthday and wanting to mark the occasion with extended time on trails. Specifically, I’m setting a goal to hike 40 miles on my own this month: miles that I’ll walk toward understanding how to be independent within interdependence. Why This ... Read more ...
Responding to Injustice: Why Settling the Nervous System and Slowing Response Times Matter
Recently, I’ve had several moments of witnessing first-hand the links between settling the body (that is, settling the nervous system) and showing up more mindfully, more open, and more like the “best self” that’s needed when striving for social and racial justice. In contrast, moments when my nervous system is “keyed up” (from exhaustion, from unresolved tension, from disappointment, and more), I find myself having knee-jerk reactions and being short with ... Read more ...
Lessons from a Poinsettia: Growing Resilience in 40 Days and Beyond
This poinsettia is amazing me—still blooming in these last days of February and reminding me that resilience (emotional elasticity, stamina, and strength) is something we don't often recognize until it’s already present and in place. When I googled how long poinsettias bloom, I was (and wasn’t) surprised to see that 40 days are a common period. The information not only confirms this poinsettia’s resilience (blooming for 3+ months), but it also feels like the ... Read more ...
Parenting Myself 101
Over the past few months, I’ve been learning more about how to care for myself—a sort of self-care that I’m calling “parenting myself 101.” After a career change, cross-county move, and intense internal work “inside the chrysalis,” I’ve recognized the need to put good self-parenting into place. The language of “parenting” has been helpful for me to break from “self-care” focused on relaxation as an escape from everyday life. Rather than experiencing self-care as ... Read more ...
