Tending to Change with Jeni Juarez

This is a special practice-only episode in which I guide listeners through an 8-minute Buddhist practice called Metta or Loving-Kindness. ____________________________ Do you love this content and want to support the show? Buy Me A Coffee at: buymeacoffee.com/JeniJuarezllc I sincerely appreciate your support! ____________________________ Learn More About Virtual Offerings and Live Events in West Mi...

This episode is a continuation of last week's discussion on shadow work. I begin with a reading of what's known as the Eleventh Hour Hopi Elders Prophecy before I revisit a working definition of what a shadow is and offer some examples of how people's shadows might manifest. I then share an example of my own shadow, how it impacts my relationship to my husband, and how I consciously work with it....

This episode offers an introduction to shadow work. Our shadow includes all of the denied aspects of ourselves–the parts of us that we can’t accept, and so we push out of our conscious awareness. The problem with voting our unsavory aspects off of the island of “me” is that these shadow parts continue to heavily influence how we interact with the world around us. And they can have profoundly negat...

This episode begins with an acknowledgment of what most of us are feeling these days: full of big emotions and deeply unsettled. Many of us are witnessing our relationships undergo profound shifts–some are even breaking apart. Emotions are a powerful form of energy. Some of us might fear them, so we squash them down and avoid them. Others of us let them rip, giving very little thought to the poten...

When our hearts become awakened to reality, it can be quite painful and challenging to observe the suffering in our own lives as well as the suffering in the lives of others. But no matter how we might try, once we’ve woken up, there is no going back to sleep. We may avoid, repress, numb, or rage out, but reality will beckon us forward on our path of evolution again and again. And that’s actually...

Marcus Aurelius, a Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher once wrote “The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way”. This reflects the Zen teaching that reminds us that “the obstacle is the path.” Often, when things don’t go how we expect or want them to go, we feel that we have failed or are helpless victims of our lives. But what if the obstacle you’re facing is...

This is a special practice-only episode in which I guide listeners through an 8-minute compassion practice called Just Like Me.   ____________________________ Do you love this content and want to support the show? Buy Me A Coffee at: buymeacoffee.com/JeniJuarezllc I sincerely appreciate your support! ____________________________ Learn More About Virtual Offerings and Live Events in West Michigan ✦...

In this episode of Tending to Change, I explore the concept of life purpose through the lens of swadharma, a Sanskrit term that refers to one's own duty or unique role in the world. Honoring our swadharma goes deeper than what we do as a profession. It means living in accordance with our innate nature, gifts, and talents.  Drawing insights from the Bhagavad Gita, I discuss the importance of unders...

This episode begins with an acknowledgment of resonance. There’s a reason that we’re drawn to practices and teachings like the ones found in this podcast. They affirm something that we’ve been sensing, even if we haven’t put words to the experience. And as though we’re being tugged by our own hearts, we now find ourselves on a quest. We might not even know what we’re actually looking for, but we h...

This episode begins by pointing out that a major theme for this entire podcast series is our capacity to shift and transform our perspective. Perspective is the lens through which we view and interpret the world around us. But its ramifications are profound - our unique mental coloring of the world informs how we live, what choices we make, how we interact in our relationships, and so much more. ...

This episode is both a teaching and a reminder: it’s okay to rest. The energy of the times we are collectively in at this moment is highly charged and unstable. So many of us are experiencing a season of profound transition. And while that isn’t necessarily bad, it may mean that we need to slow down a bit. In a fast-paced, achievement- and productivity-focused culture, slowing down or adjusting ou...

I begin this episode by reflecting on some common reasons why we might have a difficult time taking an honest, clear look at our own pain and determining what our current needs are - both of which are necessary if we're going to ask for support from our family or community when the going gets tough (which it eventually does for all of us). I then share how cultivating this skill of vulnerability i...

In this episode of Tending to Change, I explore the paradox that we encounter when we find ourselves in the depths of despair: No one is coming to save us, and we can't do it alone. And it is precisely in this space of vulnerability, this place of unknowing, that we find ourselves on the precipice of profound transformation.  I continue to delve into a deeper understanding of our interconnectednes...

In this episode, I reflect again on the value of reassessing our daily routines during this transitional time of year. I acknowledge that translating what we know into what we do may be one of the hardest undertakings we can take up.  I then shift the conversation to a focus on the importance of strengthening our personal will through smaller commitments, and how doing so can lead to transformativ...

This is a special practice-only episode in which I guide listeners through a 12-minute Mountain Meditation.  ____________________________ Do you love this content and want to support the show? Buy Me A Coffee at: buymeacoffee.com/JeniJuarezllc I sincerely appreciate your support! ____________________________ Learn More About Virtual Offerings and Live Events in West Michigan ✦Website | https://www...

I begin this episode with the premise that contrary to mainstream or pop spirituality, our spiritual journey is not meant to be a blissed out, “good vibes only” trip that negates, avoids, or ignores the less pleasant, more challenging human emotions and experiences. Actually, a lot of the practice is just the grind of day-to-day living. It's about learning how to live in a whole, balanced, integra...

In this episode, we consider a perspective that the emotions of depression and anxiety are both real and unreal; they are thought constructs, yet they cause very real consequences on how we live and perceive our lives. I share how I’ve come to recognize these very painful, challenging emotions within my own body/mind as well as some strategies for how to work though and emerge from them. I then sh...

Today’s episode builds upon our discussion from last week about the stress response, aka fight or flight, and how this invaluable system protects us from life-threatening dangers. We explore what effects a dysregulated nervous system, caused by prolonged or severe adversity experienced during childhood, might have on the health of an adult. Leaning on the experience and research provided in the bo...

In this episode, we put a name to the painful feeling that we are inherently flawed and therefore unworthy of love and belonging: shame. We unpack how shame negatively impacts our ability to connect with others in a vulnerable, authentic way by telling us that we’re not good enough and that it’s better to hide behind a mask. We also discuss the difference between guilt, embarrassment, and shame, a...

This episode begins with an exploration of why the behavior of masking our authentic selves and feeling very uncomfortable in our skin tends to start quite early in our lives as a result of unmet needs and childhood trauma. I share how we learn to wear masks as a protective strategy when we fear being abandoned or rejected for who and how we naturally are and how that loss of connection to ourselv...

Today’s episode revisits the concept of witness consciousness and how cultivating this curious, nonjudgmental perspective can provide the spaciousness needed for us to choose the best response in any given moment. I reflect on my previous conversation about how mindfulness and present-moment awareness was such a support to me in my process of overcoming alcohol addiction. I then pivot the conversa...

In this episode, I revisit the topic of discernment, and I discuss how cultivating witness consciousness or the witness perspective supports us in looking at our lives with clarity, curiosity, and nonjudgment.  I then share a personal experience of how self-observation and discernment supported me in overcoming alcohol addiction. I also explain a general framework for understanding and working wit...

This is a special practice-only episode in which I guide listeners through a 12-minute body scan.  ____________________________ Do you love this content and want to support the show? Buy Me A Coffee at: buymeacoffee.com/JeniJuarezllc I sincerely appreciate your support! ____________________________ Learn More About Virtual Offerings and Live Events in West Michigan ✦Website | https://www.jenijuare...

This episode begins with a discussion on the value of an honest analysis of how we’re living our lives and whether our choices and actions are aligned with the direction we’d like to be heading in. I acknowledge how, oftentimes, we don’t make the necessary changes to our lifestyles unless our backs are against a wall, much to the detriment of our well-being. I then share a fascinating fact about t...

In this episode, I share a metaphor of life as a river and our choice of whether to trust its innately intelligent current or to resist and struggle even as we continue in the same direction. I relate our intrinsic inner guidance to that of other life forms in nature who intuitively act in accordance with the rhythms and seasons of life. I then shift to a discussion of victim mentality and why it’...