Lessons on the importance of living in the now.
We all love quotes. They enrich our minds and inspire us to adopt a new perspective. Some, if applied, can even have the power to change our lives forever.
Over the years, a great number of philosophers and spiritual leaders have talked about the value of the present moment. They’ve emphasized how the quality of our life can benefit from our mindful presence in the here and now.
One of these people was Alan Watts (1915–1973).
Known for interpreting the meaning of Eastern wisdom (Zen, Buddhism, Taoism, and Hinduism) for a Western audience, Watts was a British philosopher, writer, and…
You’ll soon see how much you needed this practice in your life.
You should sit in meditation for twenty minutes every day, unless you’re too busy; then you should sit for an hour.
— Zen Proverb
Meditation is a powerful and transformative practice. I can go on and on about how beneficial it’s for the soul, mind, and body.
But my intention here is to show you a couple of steps to take today to start meditating and turn it into daily practice. And then see its effectiveness yourself.
Choose the type of meditation you will practice
Meditation can be practiced through two techniques — focused or mindfulness. But there are many forms of meditation.
Some of them are mindfulness…
A few good reasons to go for a walk even when you don’t feel like it.
It’s a well-known fact that exercising is vital for our physical and mental health. Yet globally, more and more people are living a sedentary lifestyle or take part in sedentary activities. As this research shows,
“Approximately 31% of the global population aged ≥15 years engages in insufficient physical activity, and it is known to contribute to the death of approximately 3.2 million people every year.”
That’s alarming, to say the least, but no surprise, as an inactive lifestyle usually raises your risk of many chronic diseases, leads to increased feelings of depression and anxiety, and can even lead to premature…
And four reasons why you should try it.
After I learned about the negative effects of fast fashion, I knew I didn’t want to sustain an industry that treats people as objects and leaves so much waste on this beautiful planet.
My two sustainable alternatives were: buying clothes from ethical brands and thrifting.
To this day, the former is something I choose to do occasionally as it can be very expensive. But the latter is my go-to option as it’s economical and accessible. And more familiar too — I had shopped pre-loved items even before quitting fast fashion.
The only difference is that I now have an extra…
#1. Walk barefoot.
When we recognize the virtues, the talent, the beauty of Mother Earth, something is born in us, some kind of connection, love is born.
— Thich Nhat Hanh
We all share a universal mother: this lovely Earth that provides us with food, oxygen, and so many healing techniques.
Being in nature is self-care and also a great mindfulness practice — we find peace of mind, inspiration, and feel recharged. To experience the therapeutic proprieties of nature, you need to learn how to connect with it.
Below I compiled four mindful, soothing, and uplifting practices that will help you establish a…
Insights on breaking free from materialism, and living well.
Not too long ago, I watched a thought-provoking interview where José Mujica, the former President of Uruguay, was expressing his philosophy of life on the real value of time, money, freedom, and happiness.
Mujica’s known for being a strong advocate of simple living. Besides, during his mandate (2010–2015), he was often called “world’s poorest president” because he donated 90% of his monthly salary to charities.
His words can seriously make you rethink the importance you give to material things:
“When you buy something, you’re not paying money for it. You’re paying…
“Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are.”
Lao Tzu was a Chinese philosopher and writer who lived between the 6th and 4th century BC. He is considered the father of Taoism and the author of the “Tao Te Ching”, a fundamental Chinese text that is a must-read for anyone who is on the spiritual path of self-transformation.
His wise words are simple, powerful, and timeless. I believe there is invaluable wisdom we can all learn from ancient Chinese philosophy.
And with this thought in mind, I gathered four of my favorite Lao Tzu quotes that I hope you’ll too find inspirational and gain useful knowledge from their…
You can’t help the world if you don’t…
You just have to be consistent.
Emotional eating, eating out of boredom, eating while being on our phones, or in front of a tv and watching our favorite show. Eating on a train, in the car, on the street while rushing to work.
I’m sure we’ve all done that. Hectic days and schedules call for these kinds of behaviors. But that’s not an excuse.
We’ve developed quite bad eating habits and eating has become an automatic ritual — we’ve disconnected from being present while we eat our breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even snacking. Not to mention skipping meals or even worse — forgetting to eat.
And…
Nature is the ever-present spiritual teacher we always have a powerful lesson to learn from.
Nature is alive and it teaches us invaluable lessons every day. It brings novelty to our lives because it looks different every season and it changes every second. I am amazed by the fact that we’re living on such a beautiful planet. And on a deeper level, I feel connected with everything above and below the sky.
Because we’re part of it, nature can have the power to help us understand life better. But we have to pay attention to its greatness and be receptive.
As Albert Einstein once said,
“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything…
