joy Archives | Ed and Deb Shapiro

If You’re Not Here Then Where Are You?

March 11, 2021 by Ed and Deb Shapiro Leave a Comment

Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans. John Lennon Who said life would be like walking the yellow brick road, or that the human condition would be easy? And why is it so important to be here? What’s the big deal? It appears that the reason we’re generally not happy […]

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Let’s Make Compassion Fashionable

October 1, 2020 by Ed and Deb Shapiro Leave a Comment

If we genuinely want to end hatred, bigotry, racism and abuse, if we genuinely want to bring real change to the world, then there is only one place to begin. We have to stop the war within ourselves by opening our hearts to ourselves and to all others, equally, for there will never be peace […]

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The Myth of Freedom

March 11, 2020 by Ed and Deb Shapiro Leave a Comment

Ed was part of the flower power love generation of 1960’s hippies, the essence of which was the freedom to be ourselves. The explosion of yoga and meditation began then, as Ed and others headed to India to learn with Eastern gurus. In the process, we learnt a very important lesson: no one else can […]

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Are You A Monk, A Frog, Or A Scorpion?

September 12, 2019 by Ed and Deb Shapiro 1 Comment

After extensive travel in India and Australia we came back to visit with Ed’s family in New York. At dinner we were relating a story of a train journey we took across India. It was a very crowded train so Ed put his arm around Deb in order to sit as close together as possible. […]

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What’s The Big Fuss About Mindfulness & Meditation?

May 11, 2019 by Ed and Deb Shapiro 1 Comment

It’s really happening! Mindfulness and meditation are infiltrating our lives like old friends. But this poses a conundrum. With health reports saying we would all benefit practicing mindfulness and meditation, and with classes easily available, why do many of us ignore this or find excuses not to try? How ironic that the best things for […]

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If Nothing Ever Changed There Would Be No Cherry Blossom

March 4, 2019 by Ed and Deb Shapiro Leave a Comment

There is nothing more certain and unchanging than uncertainty and change. — John Fitzgerald Kennedy Do you notice how one moment you can be ecstatically happy and then, just as easily, you can be depressed or sad? Or how something is good and then turns sour, like a delicious mango that becomes rotten? The world […]

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A Letter From Santa: Oh Yes We Can!

December 13, 2018 by Ed and Deb Shapiro Leave a Comment

We consider Santa to be the greatest mindfulness practitioner, given his powers of awareness. We have said before how Santa is multi-talented: He makes us to do good and feel good. Now that’s a big one, as many of us often act selfishly and badly. He gives to everyone, all over the world, all at […]

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The Art of Mindful Relaxation And Why We Need It

October 18, 2018 by Ed and Deb Shapiro 1 Comment

I was discussing stress at a mindfulness retreat when Joe, an attendee, shared how he didn’t get stressed over any one thing because everything was stressful to him, so he would wake up already stressed. Sound familiar? We have all experienced stress and anxiety, its close companion. In small doses stress it can heighten awareness, […]

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MINDFUL RELAXATION: The Coolest Way To Release Stress

September 10, 2018 by Ed and Deb Shapiro Leave a Comment

Ever wondered what the biggest problem in life is? Yes, it’s the inability to relax! This is a true story: I met John at a stress-release workshop I was teaching in Scotland. He was a schoolteacher in a run down area of Glasgow. As if that wasn’t hard enough, he was a history teacher, a […]

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Love Works – But May Need Some Help

June 20, 2018 by Ed and Deb Shapiro Leave a Comment

Every one of us, both directly and indirectly, affect each other. Yet relationship can create such untold problems! Sitting in solitary bliss with our heart wide open and love pouring out toward all beings is relatively easy, but as soon as we come into direct contact with another person then how easily all our good […]

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