Thoughts From Annie

Thoughts from Annie Dear Friends,   I’m so grateful my very good friend Jules is guest blogging this month. Jules shares her personal story of finding joy even when experiencing suffering – along with very clear and easy steps from the Buddha on how to do this. Many thanks to Jules for this beautiful story!…

Thoughts from Annie Boundaries without Separation Dear Friends, During this time of year, we may find that we get triggered by our families and friends or the expectations of the holiday season. If you’ve picked up a self-help book or read a holiday blog, you know that the supposed answer to all of this is…

Thoughts from Annie Dear Friends, This month, I am sharing a piece written by my friend Yenkuei Chuang. Yenkuei is a fellow practitioner in the mindfulness tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh and member of the Order of Interbeing – meaning she was ordained by Thich Nhat Hanh. This piece is interesting and important. It describes…

Thoughts from Annie Dear Friends, I hope you all have had a restful summer now that we’ve transitioned into fall. I spent part of August and September on vacation and decided to put my work aside to create some space to really be present. This month, I’m resharing a blog that I wrote several years…

Thoughts from Annie The Good, the Bad, and the Chocolate Dear Friends, Someone critiqued my blog recently, saying he wished I would write about some of the good things that happened in my life, and not just my personal challenges. He wanted to hear more of what I do well. I hear that. And yet,…

Thoughts from Annie Mindful Parenting Dear Friends,  Last month, while attending a family retreat at Blue Cliff Monastery, I gave a talk on mindful parenting. In the talk, I share lots of stories of our parenting struggles and how the practice of mindfulness helped me/us get through it and find love and joy in the…

Thoughts from Annie Can a mouse go to the moon? This archived edition of Thoughts from Annie was originally posted in June 2014. Dear Friends, I have been staying at a guesthouse in the countryside for the last week. This morning as I was lying in bed, I watched a mouse run out of my…

Thoughts from Annie There’s a Crack in Everything   Dear Friends, Some days I think I will never get anything right. No matter how many yoga classes I go to or how many hours I sit on my meditation cushion (OK, some of those moments are spent checking my Facebook page), I still manage to…

Thoughts from Annie How to Prepare for a Crisis   Dear Friends,   Several years ago, I was preparing to teach my Tuesday morning Mindful Yoga class at Circle Yoga in Washington DC. I was sitting at the front of the class as students streamed in, setting up mats, blankets and bolsters. Four minutes before…

Thoughts from Annie The Art of Going into to Wilderness   Dear Friends,   In my college sorority room, back in the “olden” days, the telephone was attached to the wall. This meant that while I was on the phone getting berated by my parents about being placed on academic probation and my continuing lack…