Author: Mindful Frontiers

Anne-Marie Emanuelli is the founder and Creative Director at Mindful Frontiers LLC, a Benefit Corporation (BCorp) committed to Community Wellness. We provide individuals, families, schools and organizations mindfulness meditation tools that nurture positive social-emotional growth. With over two decades of meditation experience, Anne-Marie is a certified meditation leader and labyrinth facilitator. Featured practices can be found on Insight Timer app and YouTube channel. Our website is ⁠MindfulFrontiers.net⁠. Linktree: @mindfulfrontiers Mindful Frontiers LLC is a Benefit Corporation (BCorp) committed to Community Wellness by providing schools and organizations with mindfulness meditation tools that nurture positive social-emotional growth.

A Mindful Eating Practice for Families:

The story of our food and how to welcome gratitude.

Practicing gratitude is an extremely important skill because it brings joy and appreciation to our lives through the power of the heart. It is mental health and a daily attitude that helps connect us with that which brings joy. Mindful eating is a practice for welcoming gratitude and connecting to our food.

Families can model being grateful before eating a meal by invoking thankfulness to all who had a part in bringing the food to the table. The story of our food is a powerful way to welcome gratitude as we teach young ones about the process of food growing in the fields, being harvested by people and finally reaching the store where a family does its shopping. 

When I teach mindful eating in classrooms, I am often reminded that there are some children who do not know where their food comes from. So, I tell the story of the kernel of popcorn we will eat mindfully, drawing on the board and recounting how all things start small. The popcorn starts out as a grain of corn, planted in the ground, and grows into a tall plant with the help of people, the sun, and life-giving water. Next, we follow an abbreviated journey of the corn as the ears are picked by people (often migrant workers), and get processed into dried kernels that are either sold as-is or continue to become popped corn. Finally, we imagine these millions of popped corn kernels that started as a single seed in the ground, as they are packaged and stacked on shelves by more people. I remind children that for their food to reach the home’s dining table, many, many people have been involved so when we are grateful for the food we have to eat, we remember all those who made it possible as well.

Here is a short gratitude intention that I learned at a meditation retreat. 
Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Space
Combine to make this food.
Numberless beings gave their lives and labors that we may eat.
May we be nourished, that we may nourish life.

There’s something deeply important about the law of attraction when we think and express positivity. Gratitude attracts more gratitude and feelings of well-being. It doesn’t take a lot of time to practice this and can be as simple as pausing, taking three long deep breaths, reflecting on the present moment, and then choosing something or someone for which to be grateful. Gratitude practice, as all meditation, does take repetition to become routine and it is well worth the effort.  That’s why it is called “a practice”. 

Family Meditation Practice:
This gratitude practice is inspired by Thank the Farmer from Mindful Games by Susan Kaiser Greenland. 

Choose a person to “lead” the meditation practice. This person will read the instructions as well as participate.

This is a slow practice so make sure to take your time. Start by picking one item of food. A raisin is commonly used. I have also used a kernel of popcorn. It must be small as this is not a meal or even a snack. It is a mindfulness practice that uses our 5 senses and explores the story of this food.

With the food in your fingers, notice what it feels like. Smooth, rough, squishy, hard, etc.

With your eyes, notice what it looks like. A cloud, a shape, a bumpy glob, etc.

With your nose, notice what it smells like. Sweet, strong, weird, etc.

With your ears and fingers, notice what it sounds like. Crackles, squeaky, etc.

With your mind, consider where this food grew. A farm, a forest, a garden, etc.

Consider who picked this food? A person, a machine, a family, etc.

Ask yourself how it gets to the store? A truck, a car, a person brings it, etc.How did it get from the store to your home? Who went to the store?

Now, we take a moment to feel gratitude for having this food to eat. Say, “thank you” to everyone who had a part in growing and bringing the food to your home. The farmer, the picker, the truck driver, etc.

Now we put the food on our tongue and notice what it tastes like, before actually eating it. Don’t chew yet! Just let it sit there momentarily.Finally, we get to chew it… what does it taste like now, after all that mindful awareness? 

Have you thought about your food this way before? Do you think it tastes differently now?

Originally published in The Taos News on November 9, 2023

Anne-Marie Emanuelli is the founder and Creative Director at Mindful Frontiers LLC. With over two decades of meditation experience, she leads meditation workshops, and classes and provides coaching for children, families, individuals, groups, and classrooms. She is a certified meditation leader as well as a certified labyrinth facilitator. A full audio version of featured practices can be heard on the Welcoming a Mindful Future podcast. Our website can be accessed at MindfulFrontiers.net.

Mindful Movement:

Hiking and Walking as a Meditation Practice

Many people see meditation as something we have to do sitting down, eyes closed, and without moving. That’s one of the myths of meditation, along with trying to not have any thoughts. There are many forms of movement and activities that can be done in a mindful way, such as hiking, walking, dancing, and even stretching.

Being outdoors is a way to relax when life is stressful and to connect intimately to nature. I’m grateful to live in northern NM where there is so much open space and I especially enjoy hikes and walks in this season of autumn; feeling the cool air on my skin, the sun on my face, noticing bird calls, and seeing many interesting creatures. Horned lizards are one of my favorite wild friends, as well as bluebirds and jackrabbits. In the mountains, we can see and feel the effects of the breeze through the trees and bird calls that are very different from those that are heard in lower elevations. 

As the seasons cycle forth, walking or hiking brings us intimately in relation to our environment. In the spring the greening of wild parsley, phlox, wild primrose, and other plants wake up. In the summer, wildflowers and home gardens are awash in bright colors. In autumn, trees announce the change of season with hues of yellow, orange, and red leaves. Soon, all will be monotone as the cycle of the seasons continues.

Herein lies our true home: connecting to the body through all of its sensations.

Although hiking can also be a time to think, plan, and work out situations, that is very different from walking meditation. Mindful walking is a meditation practice that invites us to disconnect the thinking mind and bring awareness to the present moment through our senses. Walking meditation, which Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay) taught is “a profound and pleasurable way to deepen our connection with our body and the earth.” It is a meditation practice wherein “we breathe, take a mindful step, and come back to our true home”. What Thay calls “our true home” is the present moment, the here and now that connects and grounds our awareness in the body.

When I teach mindful movement to students and adults, the instructions are to move slowly, step-by-step following the rhythm of the breath, and then stop every so often to look around. When done with eyes closed we notice everything much more directly and intimately. Many people have never walked this way since the more common way is to move quickly and engage in conversation along the way. It takes focus to stop the mind chatter and to connect to the environment around us without words. It’s really grounding to walk slowly without a destination; to notice trees, plants, birds, and other natural elements.

Slow Walking Meditation Practice for Families and Groups:
• First, make sure you have enough space around you so you won’t bump into anyone or anything as you move. This activity is really fun to do outside barefoot and with eyes closed.

• Start by standing with your head reaching the sky; legs and feet firmly planted on the ground. Hands are at our side. Notice the strength and stability of the body, like a mountain. Feel the feet and the ground below and the sky above the crown of the head. Wiggle the toes and notice what’s around them, such as shoes or the ground if bare-footed. Notice how the body feels: warm, cool, tight, relaxed?

• Begin feeling the body move in space by swaying from side to side. Young children may be guided to imagine themselves as trees swaying in the breeze. What’s going on in the body as our weight shifts? Are the feet grasping the ground like roots in the earth? Raising our arms to the side or above the head, continue to sway and feel the movement throughout the body.

• Moving one leg at a time, notice the feelings in the whole body as you raise your knee and step forward. As the leg moves, what is the belly doing? The shoulders? Slowly lower the leg and feel the ground below you. Do this with the other leg and take some more slow, rhythmic steps as the breath goes in and out of the body.

• Now, try a few, slow steps with your eyes closed. What does that feel like? Are sensations different when we can’t see? Sometimes balance feels different when we move with our eyes closed. 

• Stop and begin bending forward in slow motion. Take your time getting to the ground. Let the head and upper body relax wherever you decide to stop the bend. If possible, touch the floor/ground with your hands. What do you see/feel around your feet? Stay here for a moment and notice the sensations in your body. Which muscles do you feel stretching? 

• When you’re ready, slowly curl back up, allowing your head to hang and be the last thing that comes up. Re-establish a stable standing position, feet in contact with the ground and head reaching the sky.

• Now, sway from side to side and front to back in slow motion, and then tilt the head back and forth towards each shoulder. What is happening in your body, legs, neck, face, and shoulders when you do this? 

• When you’re ready, return to a comfortable standing posture. Notice what’s different in the body from when you started. Do you feel warm, relaxed, excited, and alert?

Originally published in The Taos News, October 12, 2023

Anne-Marie Emanuelli is the founder and Creative Director at Mindful Frontiers LLC. With over two decades of meditation experience, she leads meditation workshops, and classes and provides coaching for children, families, individuals, groups, and classrooms. She is a certified meditation leader as well as a certified labyrinth facilitator. A full audio version of featured practices can be heard on the Welcoming a Mindful Future podcast. Our website can be accessed at MindfulFrontiers.net.

Grounding the Body and Calming our Emotions through Meditation

Using the five senses to settle and relax.

How do you deal with stress and anxiety in your life? Do you listen to music, do art, exercise, something else? All of those activities help distract our mind at the moment for sure. They also require that you stop what you’re doing and devote some quality time to the activity and, in my opinion and experience, they only work while you’re actually doing it. Meditation is a practice that you can do anywhere, anytime, and doesn’t require that you interrupt what you’re doing, change your clothes, and either go outside or take a break from your work and has long-term benefits. In as little as 10 minutes a day, meditation can soothe the effect of anxiety on the body and brain over time and provide a go-to for times of stress. 

“Anxiety is something most of us have experienced at least once in our life. Public speaking, performance reviews, and new job responsibilities are just some of the work-related situations that can cause even the calmest person to feel a little stressed”. (University of Rochester Medical Center).

  The effects of continued stress and anxiety, if not managed, can be quite unsettling. At Harvard Medical School, radiology instructor Gaëlle Desbordes is part of a community of researchers that in recent decades has been studying how meditation works. Desbordes and her colleagues have found that “there are a handful of key areas — including depression, chronic pain, and anxiety — in which well-designed, well-run studies have shown benefits for patients engaging in a mindfulness meditation program, with effects similar to other existing treatments.”

As a mindfulness and meditation instructor, I lead students and individuals in guided meditation practices that help build resilience into everyday lives. Meditation is a centuries-old practice that has been proven to soothe stress and anxiety by bringing our moment-to-moment attention to what is actually happening in the present moment, and in doing so, we move reactions from the limbic part of the brain to the frontal cortex where logic and reason can take place. 

Ruminating is something that keeps us stuck in our anxiety and stressful thoughts as a spiral that keeps going around and around without end, much like recycling thoughts. The frontal and outer parts of the brain are where we can stop the spiraling of rumination by engaging our five senses: sight, touch, hearing, taste, and smell.

The following five-step exercise can be very helpful during periods of anxiety or stress by helping to ground us when our mind is recycling various uncomfortable thoughts. Before starting this exercise, we pay attention to our breathing for a few minutes. Slow, deep, long breaths can prepare us for a structured meditation practice. Once you are comfortable following your breath, go through the steps that ground the mind and body by moving attention away from the rumination into a space where your entire body can be calmed.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Practice for Individuals and Families

5: Acknowledge FIVE things you SEE around you. It could be a pen, a spot on the ceiling, or anything in your surroundings. Breathe deeply as you acknowledge these things, really noticing the details.

4: Acknowledge FOUR things you can TOUCH around you. It could be your hair, a pillow, or the ground under your feet. Breathe into these feelings and notice the texture.

3: Acknowledge THREE things you HEAR. This could be any external sound. If you can hear your belly rumbling that also counts! See if you can move that attention to sounds outside the room you are in. Breathe as you are noticing the sounds and maybe even pay attention to the silence between them.

2: Acknowledge TWO things you can SMELL. Maybe you are in your office and smell a pencil, or maybe you are in your bedroom and smell perfume. If you need to take a brief walk to find a scent you could smell soap in your bathroom, or nature outside. The sense of smell can be rather subtle so allow yourself time to fully appreciate the scents.

1: Acknowledge ONE thing you can TASTE. What does the inside of your mouth taste like—gum, coffee, or the sandwich from lunch? If you don’t taste anything, that’s okay, too. Just identify what you taste and breathe with it, naming it as well.

When your practice has come to a close, sit with the breath a while longer, noticing how you feel. Next time you find yourself with anxiety or fear, do this practice as soon as you notice yourself starting to ruminate and invite grounding and relaxation into your body and mind.

An audio version of this meditation practice can be found on our podcast, Welcoming a Mindful Future. The podcast is available on most podcast platforms, including Spotify, Google, and Apple.

Originally published in The Taos News, on September 14, 2023

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Loving-Kindness is a Meditation Practice with Big Benefits:

Sending Kind Thoughts

Children are born with an innate capacity to give and receive affection and compassion. We’ve noticed how young children absorb the smiles of others and instinctively reciprocate their own heart-melting energy. We’ve watched a young child shed tears seeing another being in distress and noticed how they are able to join in the laughter of others. Observe them as they hug their furry pets and speak sweetly to un-furry pets such as a butterfly or a lizard. Children are born with a real sense of how to love and be loved. As they grow older, this spontaneity wanes as life affects their lived experiences. They find out that others are not always kind and loving, that people can display hurtful behaviors and life may become more challenging to navigate.  

Indeed, the world is sometimes a hard place and meditation can help assuage the feelings that come from suffering (dukkha in the Pali language of Buddhism). This is actually the first of the Four Noble Truths: that there is suffering in the world. The Second Noble Truth, that there is a cause of suffering, allows us to understand that it is not our fault. The Third Noble Truth teaches us that there is an end to suffering and then the Fourth Noble Truth sends us on the path of how to handle the effects of suffering by training our emotional intelligence.

Emotional intelligence helps us to stay present with life experiences. Intelligence is knowing that this, too, shall pass and that there is a positive way to deal with suffering. By encouraging present-moment awareness we learn to accept the changing nature of our experiences, the behaviors of others, and our own inner landscape. We learn to see things as they are without the duality of “good” or “bad,” and learn to check in with ourselves to build our internal resources.

This may be the biggest benefit of family meditation: to pause, check in, and genuinely wish ourselves and others well. When the family learns to nurture inner peace, we can generate positivity and heartfulness. By practicing mindful meditation, families can model how to keep positivity and generosity flowing, even when life’s experiences are confusing and painful. Loving-kindness, also known as Metta, is a meditation in which we send kind thoughts to ourselves and others. It is a generous practice that anyone can do, no matter the age and level of emotional intelligence.

A Metta Meditation for Sending Loving Kindness

  • Before you start this mediation, set a timer (10-20 minutes for example) and decide who will be the leader. Then choose a few phrases that invoke kindness and compassion. Write them down if it helps everyone to remember. Here are some examples:
    • “May I/you/we be at peace.”
    • “May /you/we be healthy.”
    • “May I/you/we feel free.”
    • “May joy fill my/your/our life.”
  • As is customary for meditation, find a comfortable place where the entire family can be together and attention is the most focused. 
  • Start by taking three deep breaths together, inhaling through the nose, and exhaling through the mouth while tuning in to how the body feels and responds to relaxing breaths.
  • Continuing our rhythmic breathing, we will offer loving-kindness intentions to people in our life, called beneficiaries, (yourself, your family, your neighbors, your community, your country, and people who need kindness across the world). 
  • Offering Metta starts with ourselves individually and then, in turn, moves on to others one at a time, ending with a community or group.
  • With the beneficiary clearly in your mind, repeat the loving-kindness phrases several times, moving from one beneficiary to the next every few minutes. The leader can speak the phrases out loud or encourage everyone to say them silently to themselves as the intended beneficiary is visualized. 
  • When the timer goes off or the meditation is completed, sit quietly for a few moments, smiling and sensing how it feels to have shared loving-kindness with ourselves and the world. 
  • If time permits, journaling can be encouraged. The very young can draw how they feel or who they sent Metta and illustrate how it made that person/those people feel.

Originally published in The Taos News, August 10, 2023

Meditating with Mother Nature: Impermanence and Interconnectedness.

Meditating in nature is a satisfying activity that anyone can do, no matter their age or mobility. Many people enjoy sitting under a tree or by a stream, lying on their back in a meadow or just sitting on the porch on a hot summer day. Communing with nature can be a rewarding experience, especially if we can feel gratitude and pay close attention to what is around us, appreciating the incredible colors, shapes, and designs. In the book, Awake in the Wild, author Mark Coleman writes, “Nature has the power to transform and awaken us. For centuries, monks, mystics, and other individuals have lived, meditated, and sought refuge in the forests, deserts, and mountains.” 

We can learn a lot from Mother Nature regarding impermanence and gratitude during the summer when there is an abundance of colorful life around us. All of this beauty is freely offered with nothing asked in return for all that is produced. Gaia’s beauty reminds us that there is beauty for beauty’s sake as well as a deep interconnectedness or interbeing, a term coined by Thich Nhat Hanh.

Thich Nhat Hanh, (called Thay, or teacher, by his followers), was a firm believer in meditating with nature. “When we look into our own bodily formation, we see Mother Earth inside us, and so the whole universe is inside us, too. Once we have this insight of interbeing, it is possible to have real communication, real communion with the Earth;” from Love Letters to the Earth. The idea of interbeing is very important to Thay and his Plum Village followers. Interbeing is the belief that we are part of Nature, its beings, and all that lives on our planet. We breathe together, hold space together and depend on each other for survival. There is no self separate from our environment and we all need the same elements to survive. What happens to you affects me and what happens to our environment affects all of us.

As I recently read in a Lion’s Roar article by Valerie Brown entitled The True Nature of a Flower, “Interconnectedness can be seen in a garden. A flower does not grow in isolation. It’s permeated by non-flower elements such as sunlight, soil, water, and air. It cannot exist without these non-flower elements. When you really look at a flower, you begin to see this interconnectedness of the roots stabilizing the soil, the nectar providing food for butterflies and insects, and seed heads offering nourishment for birds”. With awareness of interconnectedness, we understand the kinship connecting plant to flower, flower to non-flower elements, and also to everything else, including humans. We cannot exist without sunlight, water, air, and the nutrients plants provide. Using meditation, we can deepen our awareness of the connection (interbeing) we have with our environment and Mother Earth whose abundance and wisdom are immense.

The following practice is intended for families (or a group of people) to practice together in a natural setting. This meditation takes place in a quiet outdoor place – the backyard, a city park, next to a stream, or in a forest. It is appropriate for all ages.

Meditating with Mother Nature

  • Once you’ve found your spot in nature, gather everyone around and find a place to sit. If you have brought chairs, cushions or blankets, they can make sitting on the ground more comfortable. Barefooted would also be nice.
  • As you take your seat, notice what is going on in the body or mind. We can always be aware of something, whether it is thoughts or sensations. This is Mindful Awareness.
  • Close your eyes and bring attention to the body. Bring awareness to your posture and what parts of the body are in contact with the earth. Sit with as much ease as possible so that relaxation can be present.
  • Breathe normally and feel the entire movement of your breathing as it moves through the body. As you breathe, feel the air coming in and going out and imagine that you are breathing with all life forms around you. Plants breathe, animals breathe, insects breathe, etc…
  • Do this for a few minutes together, allowing everyone to enjoy their own breathing sensations as well as the appreciation that there’s a community breathing together.
  • Now, bring your awareness to the natural environment around you. What do you hear? What do you feel? Are there sensations in relation to the areas that are in touch with the earth? Tickling of grass, Crumbling of earth, Solidity of rocks …?
  • Open your eyes and look around you. What do you see? Trees swaying in the wind. A bird on a branch, an ant on the ground; pay attention carefully and with a curious heart. 
  • Allow everyone time to silently engage with their surroundings so that there is an awareness of the relationship we have with all kinds of life forms – the plants, the insects, the trees, the birds, and even the hidden animals. Acknowledge that we are all part of this living, breathing ecosystem. Even if the family or group can only sense this for a short time, it is worthwhile, and with practice, the time can be extended. (A valuable goal is to sit in nature for at least 30 minutes.

An audio version of this featured meditation is available on the Welcoming a Mindful Future podcast via Spotify, Apple, and Google podcast platforms.

Anne-Marie Emanuelli is the founder and Creative Director at Mindful Frontiers LLC, an education-based mindfulness meditation center offering workshops, classes, and coaching for children, families, individuals, and classrooms. For more information please visit the website at MindfulFrontiers.net.

Originally published on The Taos News, July 13, 2023

Mindfulness and Social-Emotional Learning

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Mindfulness in Daily Life: Anything Can Be Done Mindfully

“We have the ability to work wonders. If we live mindfully in everyday life, walk mindfully, and are full of love and caring, then we create a miracle and transform the world into a wonderful place.” (Thich Nhat Hanh from “Moments of Mindfulness”, 2013 

Mindfulness can be brought into our daily activities so that anything we do becomes a kind of meditation. Doing the dishes, cleaning the house, driving the car, drinking coffee or tea, and walking with a pet can all be done mindfully. The key to mindfulness is to pay attention to one thing at a time and really enjoy what we are doing. 

Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, teacher, and peace activist, wrote extensively about mindfulness in daily life. “Mindfulness is the energy of being aware and awake to the present moment. It is the continuous practice of touching life deeply in every moment of daily life. To be mindful is to be truly alive, present, and at one with those around you and with what you are doing. We bring our body and mind into harmony while we wash the dishes, drive the car, or take our morning shower.” Thay (as he is referred to by his followers), taught that anything we do can be meditation. 

When we engage in an activity mindfully we slow down and REALLY pay attention with applied concentration and open curiosity. I have noticed that when mindfulness is brought to an activity it becomes really enjoyable. The point of doing daily activities more slowly and mindfully is so that our body and mind may relax as we pay attention to what we are doing right now, rather than thinking about or ruminating about things that happened in the past or that may or may not happen in the future. 

When I teach mindfulness to children and families, we engage all the senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. What do we see right now? What do we smell, touch, taste, and hear right now as we are doing this together? These practices help with focussed attention so that we are less distracted as we go about a routine activity and we enjoy what we are doing more. Thay reminds us to smile as we go about our daily activities. This raises feelings of positivity. 

This month let’s really pay attention to activities we engage in together. The following practice can be used during any activity to bring mindfulness into the shared experience.

Mindfulness in Daily Life Family Practice

1. Choose an activity to experience mindfully: Washing the dishes, Walking the dog, Driving to school, Coloring, or Setting the table. You choose the activity. The practice is the same.
2. Begin by consciously identifying what you are doing right now together. Smile to raise the positive attitude of body and mind.
3. The practice welcomes all the senses: sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste. The leader in the practice asks the following questions one at a time, allowing for individual experience.
4. What do you see? What do you hear? What do you smell? What do you feel? What do you taste? For example, if we are washing dishes, we identify the dish we are washing and notice its texture, color, and design. What sounds do we hear as the cloth rubs the surface or the dishes touch one another? How does the water temperature feel on our hands? What does the soap smell like and is there a sense of taste? (Sometimes smell and taste are related in the body)
5. Each sense is invited and a quiet moment is allowed for everyone to have their experience. We invite patience and awareness and don’t hurry to the next sense.
6. When the activity is complete, we stand up tall, take a deep breath in and out, and smile outwardly and inwardly. Congratulations on bringing mindfulness into your daily life!

Anne-Marie Emanuelli is the founder Mindful Frontiers LLC and has 20+ years of meditation experience. She guides vipassana-style meditation through workshops, classes, and labyrinth walks for children, families, classrooms and individuals. Mindfulness meditation and labyrinth facilitation credentials are from Sage Institute, Veriditas, MindfulSchools and MBSR. For more information and to sign up for our seasonal newsletter, please visit MindfulFrontiers.net. 

Originally published, May 18, 2023

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Labyrinth Walking and Meditation Go Together Well

Combining movement and awareness into a deeply inspiring practice.

“Walking the Labyrinth quiets the mind, opens the heart and grounds the body … Some find answers to questions long asked, some find healing, creativity, a sense of wholeness … ” (Veriditas.org) 

Labyrinths are one of the most mysterious symbols known to mankind.  This unique symbol is a geometric shape that does not occur naturally and yet feels very much at home in the landscape. Labyrinths have been part of indigenous cultures for thousands of years and Native American cultures have depictions on their artwork, pottery, and petroglyphs. The Man in the Maze symbol is actually a labyrinth, not a maze. Unlike a maze, the labyrinth has one circuitous path in and out where there are no secret passages, no trickery, and no goal. A labyrinth journey is a walking meditation and each person walks at their own pace with no expectations. Along the journey, we release any thoughts, take our time, and welcome reflection. Labyrinth walking is a moving meditation that can be healing, inspirational, or simply calming as we link the body and breath with present-moment awareness.

World Labyrinth Day this year is May 6  and many communities organize public and private walks on this day. The Labyrinth Resource Group of Santa Fe is organizing one at Unity of Santa Fe and I will host a private gathering at my Casa Oasis 7-circuit classical labyrinth. Recently, a person traveling from Minnesota called who had found my labyrinth on the Veriditas World-Wide Labyrinth Locator and wanted to walk a labyrinth while they were in Taos. For the spring equinox, I hosted a group walk to welcome the change of seasons and am planning another for Earth Day this year. Needless to say, I love labyrinths!

I believe Taos needs a public labyrinth as well as a list of both public and privately-owned ones. (If you would like to list yours, please contact me). Listing a private labyrinth does not mean people will be allowed to trespass without permission. A public labyrinth at a church or park would be a nice addition to Taos’ community gathering places. Although labyrinths fit well within nature, they do need regular maintenance so the circuits remain clear of debris and overgrowth.

This month’s family practice is to enjoy a labyrinth journey together. Whether we walk with feet or fingers, it is a meditation that holistically joins the eyes, heart, and body. Finger labyrinths can be found on the web in a wide range of designs and complexity for purchase or printout. In my experience of bringing mindfulness to school classrooms children love the labyrinth so have fun with your group journey!

Labyrinth Walking Meditation for Groups or Families

  1. Pick a labyrinth (printed or in person) that works for the age range of your family. Each person will follow their own journey through the circuits. 
  2. Begin by explaining that everyone will be following the labyrinth path at their own pace. Children like to see who will get to the center first so be sure everyone understands that this is not a race. 
  3. If you are journeying a labyrinth in person, encourage children to walk instead of run so that they may be more aware of where they place their feet. 
  4. The same thing goes for finger walking. Explain that the point of walking a labyrinth is to go slow and be mindful. A fun option is to use a finger of the non-dominant hand when finger-walking.
  5. Before embarking on the labyrinth, take a few deep breaths together to release any pent-up energy and emotions. 
  6. The path is followed as quietly as possible so that each person can have their own journey in peace and without distraction. Background music may help with creating a relaxing ambiance.
  7. As you journey, notice the path, and when walking with your feet, pay close attention to the plants, the rocks, or whatever is in or around the labyrinth. Stop at the curves and look up at the sky or the landscape and breathe in nature and the environment.
  8. Whether you’re walking with fingers or feet, when the center is reached, it’s nice to stop for a couple of moments, take a few slow breaths and reflect on anything that has come to mind, and then, proceed back the way you came.
  9. When everyone has completed their walk, I recommend holding hands and taking some deep breaths together. If comfortable, participants can share their labyrinth journey with each other. If there’s time, the family can do some coloring or journal writing.

Originally published in The Taos News, April 13, 2023.

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Meditation Styles are Different Yet the Same

Combining Zen and Vipassana in walking meditation

“Buddhism originated in South Asia around the 5th century B.C.E. with Siddhartha Gautama, and over the next millennia it spread across Asia and the rest of the world. Buddhists believe that the human life is one of suffering, and that meditation, spiritual and physical labor, and good behavior are the ways to achieve enlightenment, or nirvana.”  

(Nat. Geo.)

Zen Buddhism, which is generally the practice of monastics in the East, came to the US in the late 19th and early 20th centuries from Japan. It became popular in the 1950s with the Beat Generation and is well established around the country, including Upaya and Mountain Cloud zen centers in New Mexico. Vipassana or Insight Meditation which has its roots in Theravada came to the US in the 1970s with the founders of the Insight Meditation Center in Barre, Massachusetts. 

In this month’s column, we will compare Zen meditation with Vipassana, which is the style that I guide in the classes and workshops of my meditation studio, Mindful Frontiers. Both traditions are grounded in mindful awareness of the present moment. “The main emphasis in Vipassana is on using mindfulness in such a way that we develop insight, wisdom, and, ultimately, inner freedom. In Zen, the primary emphasis is on being present for the sake of being present — their perspective is that inner freedom is found right here, so we should just focus on the actual act [of what] we’re doing”. (pathofsincerity.com)

The fundamental difference between these two styles is the attitude that we bring to meditation practice. Using a daily routine such as driving, one may understand the difference. “The purpose of driving is to get from point A to point B. The purpose of driving is to drive.” (pathofsincerity.com). Both Zen and Vipassana agree that you need to have a sense of direction, but you also need to be present for the ride. Taking these concepts further, “Zen driving” would emphasize being present for the ride, which helps you increase your capacity to be in the moment, just driving the car. “Vipassana driving” emphasizes the practice of driving during which we acknowledge that there are many possible routes as well as being open to any potential complications along the way. We are still just focusing on the drive but we also realize there could be a traffic jam, a flat tire, and so forth. Vipassana driving would help us tap into the process of driving and be aware of what is actually happening; it’s like the process of driving from A to B while also enjoying the ride. 

In the following meditation practice, we will use both styles to deepen our awareness of walking. This can be done on a long or short walk or even just walking around the house.

Zen and Vipassana Style Walking Meditation 

  1. Gather up your family or group in an area that allows enough room for each person to have a clear path on which to walk. If you are walking indoors, it may be nice to remove shoes and walk either bare-footed or sock-footed. The basic practice is to walk without a goal or destination. Just walk forward until you need to turn around, or walk in a circle so you are walking without having to change directions.
  2. The beginning practice is to simply notice that we are walking (Zen style). Notice the foot coming off the ground behind you and then stepping in front. Each foot is doing the same motion, alternatively. 
  3. Traditional Zen walking meditation asks us to synchronize the breath with the feet movements. We breathe in as the footsteps off the ground, and we breathe out as the foot settles in front of the body and the weight shifts to the other foot. The movement of the feet with the breath continues as slowly as is comfortable and for as long as possible. 
  4. Vipassana walking meditation adds another dimension. As we synchronize the breath to the walking movement, we may also notice how the body feels, and what sounds are around us, and when the mind starts to analyze what we are doing, we bring our awareness back to walking and breathing.
  5. Taking the insight further, we can notice the feeling of the floor in contact with the feet, the texture, and the temperature of the flooring. Maybe we also notice the color of the flooring and whether it is carpet, wood, or tile.
  6. We can also bring awareness to the rest of the body. What are the arms doing? Can we relax our shoulders? Is my back straight? What if I closed my eyes while walking? 
  7. In both styles, we also notice when the mind takes over. When we catch ourselves contemplating what’s for dinner, where we would rather be right now, we come back to the movement of the breath and the feet.
  8. Some people have told me that walking, hiking, and biking are their meditation practice. That is wonderful! For these activities to be truly meditative, we need to be aware of disconnecting the mind from the movement so that we are in the present moment, engaged in the act of just moving and breathing.

Originally published in The Taos News, March 14, 2023

Photo credit: Photo by Alberto Casetta on Unsplash

Mindfulness Meditation and the Five Senses

Getting in touch with the present moment.

Taste and smell are two of the five senses that come into play in the meditative practices of mindful eating and cooking. Mindful Frontiers offers classroom programs that include mindful eating which is quite popular with students of all ages. During meditation retreats, it is common to experience meals in “noble silence” where participants do not speak so as to enjoy food in its full sensory glory.  

My mother was French and really loved to cook and since she had traveled a fair amount in her life she would prepare dishes from Morocco, India, Pakistan, and of course, New Mexico. She used to cook meals for visitors who stayed at vacation homes in Taos as a way to earn a living. I remember a story about the time a policeman let her off after she ran a red light because he smelled the delicious food she was transporting in the back of her car. She also got away from paying a commercial kitchen fee when she delivered a slice of her delicious Bûche de Noel mocha yule log cake to the EPA director. Looking back, it’s as if the kitchen was her meditation studio. 

The visual arts are another sensual mindfulness activity. Carefully paying attention while engaged in creativity adds to artistic enjoyment. Again, a memory of my mother comes to mind. She was quite the artist and her favorite medium was clay. In a day or two of intensive creative flow, she was inspired to produce about six or seven clay statues depicting religious figures that were important to her: Mother Mary and St. Francis. She told me she was really “in the zone” that day which is another way of describing the kind of present-moment awareness that is mindfulness.

Coloring mandalas and labyrinth finger walks are sensory projects that families can do together as a meditation practice. Both of these engage the brain’s attention centers and the body’s relaxation response using the senses of sight, touch, and hearing. Families will need printouts of mandalas or labyrinths which can be easily downloaded freely on the Web. Choose designs that are age-appropriate in their complexity for your participants.

Mandala and Labyrinth Mindfulness Practices – This is a two-part activity.

– Pass out a mandala to each participant as well as coloring supplies such as crayons or colored pencils. Make sure each person has a few colors in front of them so that the activity can be done in silence. Calming acoustic background music is a good idea to encourage relaxation and focus. (Piano, guitar, or harp are nice).
– When everyone is ready, we start coloring in silence. This can take anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes (or more), depending on the complexity of the mandala design. Getting in the zone is important as that’s when the thinking mind lets go. Encouraging breath awareness is also important for relaxation.
– After everyone has completed their mandala, a group discussion can ensue to share how the activity felt, what colors we were attracted to, and if there was any inspiration gleaned.
– Next up is the labyrinth finger walk and everyone gets a printout. We use fingers instead of drawing/coloring implements to “walk” the labyrinth and we are reminded that it isn’t a maze; there is only one way in and out and no hidden passages.
– Background music without lyrics is helpful to create a relaxing atmosphere. Apparently, music without a beat is best for labyrinth journeys.
– When everyone is ready, they start following the labyrinth path with a finger. The first time through to the middle and back can be with a dominant hand and finger. The second time participants do the finger walk, a non-dominant hand, and finger are encouraged.
– The goal of a labyrinth walk is not to get to the center first; it is to join the eyes and fingers in a state of gentle focus and relaxation. And if we get “lost”, we just start the path over. Remember to notice breathing and be sure you aren’t holding your breath.
– When everyone has been a couple times to the center and back, the group discusses their journey. What was it like to walk with a finger along a meandering path? Did anyone get lost and have to start over? Was one finger or hand easier than the other to follow the path? Either of these activities can be done anytime children need a little quiet time to regroup or focus. It’s a good idea for classroom teachers and parents to have some printouts ready for use.

Originally published in The Taos News, February 9, 2023