presence Archives | Ed and Deb Shapiro

Why Meditation Can Appear So Challenging

May 28, 2019 by Ed and Deb Shapiro Leave a Comment

What is it about something as simple as sitting still and watching our breath that evokes panic or even fear? No matter how much information there is proving the mental, emotional and physical value of meditation, there seems to be as many people who resist giving it a try. No doubt meditation can be challenging, […]

Filed Under: awareness, happiness, inner life, meditation, mindfulness, presence, relaxation Tagged With: awareness, compassion, ego trip, fear, freedom, happiness, inner life, inspiration, meditation, mindfulness, self-imrovement

What’s The Big Fuss About Mindfulness & Meditation?

May 11, 2019 by Ed and Deb Shapiro Leave a 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 […]

Filed Under: awareness, happiness, inner life, joy, love, meditation, mindfulness, presence Tagged With: awareness, change, fearlessness, freedom, happiness, inner life, inspiration, kindness, meditation, mindfulness, self-imrovement

Is There A Difference Between Mindfulness and Meditation?

April 18, 2019 by Ed and Deb Shapiro 1 Comment

Nowadays, mindfulness and meditation are often used to mean the same thing, which can be confusing, while not many of us are clear on what ‘mindfulness meditation’ is and how it differs from either of the above. So here’s our version: Mindfulness is being aware. It’s noticing and paying attention to thoughts, feelings, behavior, and […]

Filed Under: awareness, happiness, inner life, meditation, mindfulness, presence Tagged With: awareness, compassion, freedom, inner life, inspiration, meditation, mindfulness

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 […]

Filed Under: awareness, happiness, inner life, joy, love, mindfulness, peace, presence, relaxation Tagged With: awareness, happiness, inner life, inspiration, mindfulness, peace, relaxation, stress, transformation

Dinner with Monica Lewinsky or How to Make Friends With Yourself

April 1, 2018 by Ed and Deb Shapiro Leave a Comment

Monica Lewinsky has been in the news recently, which reminded us of the time we met her at a friend’s dinner party in London, England. As we left we thought about how tough it can be to move on in life beyond difficult or challenging times, such as Monica had experienced when her life played […]

Filed Under: awareness, happiness, inner life, joy, love, meditation, mindfulness, peace, presence Tagged With: awareness, fearlessness, freedom, happiness, inner life, inspiration, meditation, mindfulness, tolerence

Are You Hanging Out With Fear?

March 6, 2018 by Ed and Deb Shapiro 1 Comment

There are many things to feel fearful about these days. While anger is hot and loud, fear is more subtle and pervasive. It also has many different disguises. On the one hand, fear is a natural response to physical danger, but on the other it can be self-created, such as the fear of failure, of […]

Filed Under: awareness, happiness, inner life, joy, love, meditation, mindfulness, peace, presence Tagged With: anger, awareness, compassion, fear, fearlessness, freedom, happiness, inner life, inspiration, kindness, meditation, mindfulness, self-imrovement, tolerence

Why Santa is the Coolest Dude Of All!

December 15, 2017 by Ed and Deb Shapiro Leave a Comment

If you haven’t any charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart trouble. Legendary Comedian Bob Hope Don’t let his appearance fool you. Santa may not look like a movie star but neither is he just a jolly old guy in a red outfit. He has the biggest heart, gives fabulous hugs, […]

Filed Under: awareness, happiness, inner life, joy, love, peace, presence Tagged With: awareness, compassion, happiness, kindness, tolerence, unconditional love

Why We Look For Happiness In All The Wrong Places

August 29, 2017 by Ed and Deb Shapiro 1 Comment

Our search for happiness becomes ever more urgent in our increasingly crowded and competitive world. An article on the HuffPost stated there are “over 75 million Google search results for the term and 40,000 happiness-related books available for purchase on Amazon… And it’s not necessarily helping us to become any happier.” Maybe that’s because happiness […]

Filed Under: love, meditation, mindfulness, peace, presence Tagged With: awareness, compassion, happiness, inner life, joy, kindness, meditation, mindfulness, self-imrovement

You Have Three Great Powers: Body, Speech and Mind

July 23, 2017 by Ed and Deb Shapiro 1 Comment

Effectively, whether we are aware of it or not, everything we think, say and do has an effect on everyone and everything else: our thoughts and actions can lead to chaos and destruction as easily as they can to healing and friendship. This means we have enormous resources within to us. “Do not make the […]

Filed Under: awareness, happiness, inner life, joy, mindfulness, peace, presence Tagged With: awareness, change, ego trip, fearlessness, inner life, kindness, self-imrovement, transformation

Are You Here And Now? If Not, Where?

June 12, 2017 by Ed and Deb Shapiro Leave a Comment

Do you live in your head? In your body? In your emotions? In your desires? Normally, we spend our time either living in what-could-have-been or what-might-have-been or if-only, or in the expectation of what-could-be or what-might-be, anywhere but here, constantly in either the past or the future. This is like being in a dream as […]

Filed Under: awareness, happiness, inner life, meditation, mindfulness, peace, presence Tagged With: awareness, compassion, freedom, happiness, inner life, kindness, meditation, mindfulness