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…
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…
Words of wisdom from ‘the father of mindfulness’.
Thich Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, Zen master, writer, peace activist, and one of the most influential spiritual leaders in the world.
His teachings on mindfulness, meditation, and how to enjoy the present moment are transformative and so straightforward to implement into our life. And the book “The Miracle of Mindfulness” is a good start for grasping all these practices.
Listening to his words is so therapeutic and calming — I personally love the interview he did with Oprah a few years ago and the documentary film, “Walk with me”, about the monastic community that Nhat Hanh founded…
Because there’s always a vegan alternative to the food that you’re used to eating.
I am vegan but have never done Veganuary. I gave veganism a try a few years ago, at the end of November, and never looked back since then.
Little did I know at that time that November is actually World Vegan Month.
I went vegan mainly for the animals but I found it’s also good for my health and the environment.
Vegan food has been revolutionized in so many ways in the past years and I can honestly say — what a time to be and become vegan!
From the vegan cheese that melts on a pizza to the plant-based…
And they’re all vegan and cruelty-free too.
When I became vegan — just over four years ago, I realized that what we put into our skin is as important as what we put into our body. While I was looking for natural, vegan, and cruelty-free skincare products, I also discovered concepts like organic and sustainable.
Skincare products that have only natural ingredients, that come in recyclable packaging, and that were produced without harming the environment?
Yes, please!
After all, finding organic, vegan, cruelty-free, and sustainable products is a conscious consumer’s ultimate dream.
I’ve tried many skincare brands through the years and below are my top three that…
The Christmas art of giving that doesn’t have to cost the Earth.
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…and more plastic waste.
We love to give and receive beautifully wrapped presents.
The more colorful and festive the better!
But wrapping a Christmas gift usually involves the use of plastic — a lot actually, because there’s plastic hiding in the gift wrapping.
From the wrapping paper, the ribbon, the gift bow, to the sellotape.
And it all comes at the cost of the environment.
What makes most wrapping paper not recyclable?
The different dyes and chemicals that it’s made with. Some are laminated and can’t be recycled. …
To both people and the planet.
I have yet to find a person who doesn’t own a single pair of jeans.
Still, I’ve heard of people who own dozens of them — in every color and shape possible. For every mood, for any occasion.
Usually, a pair of jeans should last someone at least two years.
Apart they don’t any longer — just after a few wears and washes they’re not what you thought anymore. Colour has faded and they’ve lost their shape.
Cheap materials and manufacturing are usually to blame.
On to the next pair! After all, they cost little money so you didn’t expect…
And some guiding steps towards them.
I believe it’s truly important that, from time to time, all of us to be reminded of this important message:
“The Earth does not belong to man; man belongs to the Earth. This we know. All things are connected like the blood which unites one family. Whatever befalls the Earth befalls the sons of the Earth. Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself. “— Chief Seattle
Mother Earth suffers now because our actions have had terrible consequences.
The planet is literally on…
Because owning less, actually simplifies your life.
The number of clothes you own doesn’t define you, it’s the style that does. With this mindset in mind, you can create amazing outfits from a minimalist wardrobe. Here are my three quick tips to achieve one.
1. Define your style.
Start here and now with the clothes and shoes you already own. Take them all out of the closet. Lay them on the bed — you will realize that you have clothes that you forgot about. Try them on — mix and match them. Look in the mirror and try to define your style but keep in mind your current fashion needs.
If…
