Nearly Mindful

I was an intensely curious child. I wanted to know how things worked, why people did what they did, what made them think the way they thought. I asked questions, lots of questions. I experimented, explored, and probably stuck my nose into things that weren’t any of my business. My sister would probably say I was a precocious and obnoxious little kid at times. Though I suppose there’s a chance I’m...

I was having a cup of chai with a friend when I overheard a conversation at the next table. A young man was getting more and more worked up about voting. Would his ballot arrive? Could he trust the mail? What if it didn’t come? Should he go to the registrar’s office? What if something went wrong and he couldn’t vote? You could hear the anxiety building as each question led to another. Finally, the...

Have you ever caught yourself planning what you’re going to say while someone else is still talking? I have. How about you? We hear something that sparks an idea, reminds us of a story, or makes us want to offer advice. Before we know it, we’re putting together our response, and the person in front of us is still talking. We’ve stopped listening. Or maybe we’ve decided we already know where they’r...

Back in the 1980s, I tried really hard to learn how to meditate. I’d sit diligently, following my breath, focusing on the flame of a candle, trying to quiet my busy mind. I even tried Transcendental Meditation for a while. I really wanted it to work. The trouble was, I expected something pretty remarkable to happen. Some big shift in how I felt, how I thought, or how I experienced the world. When...

You can be stuck deciding whether to go back to school. Stuck in a job you’ve outgrown. Stuck wondering whether it’s time to leave a relationship, move across the country, start something new, or finally do the thing you’ve been talking yourself out of for years. You can definitely be stuck in being stuck. It’s a vicious loop. * Why can’t I just make a decision? * What is wrong with me? * I should...

Don’t you hate it when people say that? “It is what it is.” 😏 It sounds dismissive. Flat. Like a shrug. Like we’re supposed to accept whatever is happening, swallow our feelings, and move on. Maybe what bothers me about that phrase is that it’s so often true. Something happened. Something changed. Something exists that I don’t like. I can argue with it, rage about it, judge it, blame somebody for...

When I was a little girl, I wanted a horse. What little girl doesn’t want something that will love her unconditionally in a challenging world? I wished. I pleaded. I begged, but none of that worked. One day a neighbor needed help caring for a horse, and I was willing to show up. That was the first of many lessons about this thing called hope. Hope is a lot more than wanting something badly enough...

Sometimes we use the word gratitude to soothe what aches. We tell ourselves we should be grateful because things could be worse, or because we already have enough. But sometimes that “gratitude” is covering up something else entirely. In this short episode, I’m wondering what happens when we stop performing gratitude and get curious about what we actually feel. Get full access to Microdosed Mindfu...

Imagine a meditation hall filled with perfectly serene people. Straight backs. Peaceful faces. Not a wandering thought in sight. At least that’s what it looks like. The reality? Most of us are paddling away beneath the surface like swans on a lake, wondering if we’re doing this right while quietly assuming everyone else has somehow figured it out. This week’s guided meditation explores the differe...

Sometimes we forget that we’re allowed to simply BE. Not fixing, planning, solving, or carrying the weight of everything for everyone else. This is your time to step out of the noise and into the simple experience of being alive. To notice the breath, the body, the sounds around you, and the quiet awareness underneath it all. Nothing to achieve. Nothing to prove. Just this moment, exactly as it is...

So much suffering comes from believing we are separate, alone, disconnected. Life shows us again and again that we belong to each other, to this world, to this moment. This meditation explores nonduality in a simple, human way through the metaphor of the wave and the ocean. Together we’ll soften the feeling of separation and remember that we are not apart from life at all, even when our mind tells...

Let's explore how our thoughts shape our experience and how easily we can get pulled into them without realizing it. Using a simple story of a painter and a tiger, I walk you through a grounded way to notice thinking, let it be, and gently set it down so you can stay present without fighting your mind. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access...

A Meditation for human dignity, compassion, and shared humanity in a time we all need to feel at home on our hearts and minds. Offered on the day we celebrate the words, thoughts and good works of Reverend Martin Luther King. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.microdosedmindfulness.com

Today, we'll explore rest—not as something to earn, but as a basic act of compassion toward yourself. Rest is a right, not a privilege. It's a form of healing. A radical actof self-kindness. When you find yourself caught up in the turmoil and you can escape for just a moment, allow yourself to take a moment for rest. Learn more on the website . This is a public episode. If you would like t...

A short meditation from my class on manifesting our intentions. Listen to it a few times as you begin to get comfortable with manifesting your intentions. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.microdosedmindfulness.com

In this meditation, we'll explore the art of returning our hearts to steadiness during times of stress. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.microdosedmindfulness.com

Life's unpredictability can be challenging, but this guided journey empowers you to find peace within the present moment. Release the grip of frustration and stress as you learn to accept life's circumstances with a sense of calm and resilience This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.microdosedmindfulness...

We can find the center of ourselves in a place where grace offers comfort, care, love and the ability to hold space for ourselves as well as others. A meditation on grace from Nearly Mindful and Janet Fouts . This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.microdosedmindfulness.com

Saying "I'm sorry" can become a reflexive response to so many things, but do we really mean it? Saying I’m sorry isn’t always an acceptance of responsibility, or fault, offering to fix it, or taking the blame for something. And yet we say it. So what can we do to express regret for something someone is experiencing? Listen on.  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other...

When we're busy, busy, busy, it's a good idea to take a few breaths to re-center so we can be at our best! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.microdosedmindfulness.com

Mind too busy to meditate? Yeah, I get it, I've been there too, but my eyes were opened with a little practice, and I see it differently now. So can you. Have a listen and let me know what you think! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.microdosedmindfulness.com

Sometimes we overload ourselves with the worries of others. We want to help, to support, but we also need to take care of ourselves as well as the other person. If you, like me, are a "fixer", wanting to be there for someone to the point we wear ourselves out? Listen to this podcast and let me know what you think. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers o...

This Hawaiian forgiveness practice is about accepting responsibility for wrongs that are done. Not just wrongs by us or to us, but accepting responsibility for what is going on in our world and offering to reconcile with those wrongs on a universal scale. We can heal our fractured world by repeating this beautiful prayer as a mantra, repeated over and over to soak it into the depths of our beings,...

Pretty much nobody just sits down, starts meditating, and is immediately changed. Like everything else you aspire to do, you gotta practice to develop your skills. You gotta do the work to reap the rewards.  The work is the practice.  The joy is in the practice too. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.microdo...

When things get rough on this roller coaster ride we call life, the memories of what brings us happiness or joy can sustain us. This is simply a reminder to be present with matters most. Different for everyone in one way or another, but alike all the same. We are one human race, with similar desires, problems, needs, and sources of joy. All are to be held precious! This is a public episode. If you...