The world has always been a loud, messy, unpredictable place. With COVID and climate change and social unrest, and it can look and feel overwhelming these days. It's hard sometimes to see a hopeful perspective. These are the very reasons we can't make the mistake of looking to the world—or even our own nervous system—for a sense of hope, stability and sanity. In a crazy world, with our thoughts and emotions spiking and diving wildly, we have to look elsewhere. (No, not to ice cream. Sorry!)

Meditation has revealed to me how deluded my mind is, and happily, how sane. It's also shown how I can grow the sanity and set aside the craziness, little by little. Meditation is a kind of mental mirror. It requires a little personal courage, because like looking in a real mirror, we don't always like what we see. As we sit quietly with ourselves, we see with greater clarity our mental patterns, helpful and unhelpful. We witness the patterns of distracted attention, and over-thinking.

I often teach meditation practices when conducting a retreat, and yet, it's always good to know why you're doing anything - whether during a retreat or otherwise. When a therapist or teacher recommends meditation, it's important to know what the intention is- why is it "good" for you. This video lays out four basic intentions or purposes, of meditation and why it can be beneficial during a retreat and afterwards as a regular practice.

One of the greatest threats to your sense of self-control, self-regulation and general sanity is hiding in plain sight. You might even be reading this on it. 

It's increasingly clear that our smartphones and other devices are creating as many problems as they are solving. According to a recent article from the Harvard education department, “studies are beginning to show links between smartphone usage and increased levels of anxiety and depression, poor sleep quality, and increased risk of car injury or death.”