The Practice of Ujjayi Breath

Leads to guided audio meditation

Guide: Caryl Opening song: This Little Light of Mine by Odetta Featured practice/excerpt: Learn and practice the Ujjayi, or oceanic, breath for relaxation and energy. Ujjayi (pronounced oo-jai) breathing gives us the ability to focus our attention through the breath. It translates as  the “victorious breath.” A note about this breath, it can relax us […]

Let Us Slow Down

Guide: Caryl Featured song: Take It Slow, Ayla Nereo Featured practice: Let us slow down. Bayo Akomolafe says, “The times are urgent, let us slow down.” Let us slow down. Often the demand of urgency requires rapid, habitual responses that create tension and stress. There is an unwritten contract in urgency that says get it […]

How To Beat The Sunday Night Scaries

Does this ever happen to you?    It is Sunday. You’ve had a great weekend so far. Maybe you spent some time with family or you got outside in your garden or went on a hike. You are feeling relaxed and connected. Then it happens. (cue the theme from Jaws). The Sunday Scaries.    Sunday […]

Letting Go of Fixing

Guided audio practice from the 8/18/21 Connect In virtual community mindfulness practice.  Guide: Linda Snyder Opening song: Epiphany by Riopy Featured practice: It is in our nature to fix things, to problem solve. On days where we may have a problem, practicing mindful meditation may be challenging. Our minds’ natural tendency to wander and problem […]

The Body’s Wisdom: Seated Mindful Movement Meditation

Guide: Linda Opening song: Put Down What You Are Carrying by Trevor Hall Featured Practice: 15 minute seated mindful movement meditation is about noticing what’s here in each moment, listening and responding to your body’s wisdom and bringing a kind, curious and patient quality of awareness to whatever you find.    Connect In with us […]

14 Ways to Take Your Mindfulness Practice Outside

Instructions for living a life: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it. -Mary Oliver, poet   The beloved Mary Oliver wrote volumes of poems and prose that reflect her intentional and mindful engagement with the living earth. In her poem, Sometimes, she leaves us these instructions for living a life: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell […]

Breathing In Fullness

Lead Guide: Caryl Opening song: Eyes Shut. Soul Alive  (Watch video here) Featured poems/excerpts/breathing exercises: In today’s practice, I am going to lead you through a breathing exercise where we pay close attention to breathing on all sides of the body. Noticing the roundness that our body creates as we inhale. Breathing into the entire […]

A (Mindful) Summer State of Mind

The summers of yore.    When I was a kid, summers were spent in an idyllic 1980’s suburban kind of setting. Images flood my mind when I think about it: waking up naturally,  spending endless days by the pool, playing outside with neighborhood kids and riding my bike with a banana seat. The streamers on […]

6 Mindfulness Accounts We’re Loving on TikTok

TikTok is the social media platform to be on today.    According to Konstruct Digital, TikTok was the 2nd most downloaded app in January 2021 and has 689 million monthly active users worldwide as of January 2021 (Oberlo, 2021). You might be thinking that TikTok is a silly and wasteful way to spend your time, […]

Connect In Audio Practice 07/14/21

Please enjoy the recording of our guided mindfulness practice from July 14th, 2021. Lead guide: Caryl Opening song: Hiddensee by Ceeyse Featured poems/excerpts: Walking Slowly by Donna Faulds It only takes a reminder to breathe, a moment to be still, and just like that, something in me settles, softens, makes space for imperfection. The harsh […]