Mindfulness

Why Is Being Still Difficult? Your mind’s been on overdrive, jumping from one distraction to another, lost in past regrets or future worries. It’s chaos up there. You’ve tried to chill out. But even your downtime is a frenzy: Netflix on the TV, scrolling through reels, online shopping. Sound familiar? Maybe you’ve given meditation, gentle

Moving at a Human Pace The first three months of the year flew by, filled with simple acts that grounded me: preparing cacao, meditating, walking the dogs, and swimming in the river. These moments anchored me amidst the bustling life at Bliss & Stars. Running this retreat plunges me into deep waters daily, with a

Aging for Women . . . Come on: Seriously? Aging for women . . . I mean, come on people, seriously? The societal pressure to look like you’re 25 when you’re actually 50 is ridiculous. As if we’re supposed to exercise acts of self-aggression just to feel worthy? That’s just straight-up insane. We’re constantly being

Can you imagine being quiet for 3 days? And by quiet, I don’t only mean not speaking but being just with oneself, with no stimuli from the outside world. No phone, no mail, no computer, no books, no newspapers. Just quiet. Here at Bliss and Stars, we run silent retreats every month. Those of you

The mind tends to look forward. You’re here and now but your mind is already planning for next week, maybe even next year. The mind, playing the role of a storyteller, can also create very convincing dark scenarios. Since the mind is, on average, able to distinguish between what is merely a figment of the

Now and then, I experience a mixture of fear and frustration when things don’t go as planned. I desperately try to fix the situation, worrying and going through multiple what-if scenarios in my head. I start drowning in the negativity until I manage to stop and taste my own medicine: Accept what is beyond my