Ed and Deb Shapiro

The Myth of Freedom

by 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 […]

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

Why Meditation Can Appear So Challenging

by 1 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: , , , , , , , , , ,

Are You Hanging Out With Fear?

by 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: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Taming The Dragons In Your Mind

by Leave a Comment

Soon after Nelson Mandela was released from 27 years in jail Bill Clinton asked him if he was angry about how he had been treated. “Tell me the truth, when you were walking to freedom, didn’t you hate them?” Clinton asked, referring to Mandela’s jailors. “You must have been so angry!” “Sure I was,” Mandela […]

Filed Under: awareness, happiness, inner life, joy, love, meditation, mindfulness Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

How To Get Your Motivation Going

by Leave a Comment

We watched as an eager young CNN television reporter asked the Dalai Lama what was the first thing he thought of when he awoke in the morning. We thought that this revered teacher and probably the world’s most well known meditator would say something deeply profound or insightful, such as along the lines of vowing […]

Filed Under: awareness, happiness, inner life, joy, love, meditation, mindfulness, peace Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Finding Your Sanity in the Midst of Chaos

by 1 Comment

The question is, has the world gone nuts? It certainly looks like a lot of people are being driven by fear, hatred and greed. The protests in Chicago, the rising anger and animosity, is to the detriment of us all. Is it not time for some real sanity? Losing our sanity is about getting so […]

Filed Under: awareness, happiness, inner life, joy, meditation, mindfulness, peace, presence, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Will The Real Deepak Chopra Please Stand Up

by Leave a Comment

The great Swami Satchidananda always said that we only need to have faith the size of a mustard seed. Such faith proved itself to us in an unusual way. We were teaching a weekend meditation program in Plymouth, a fairly rural town in Devon, England. On the Friday evening an excited student told us that […]

Filed Under: awareness, happiness, inner life, joy, meditation, mindfulness, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

10 Ways To Embrace Your Uncertainty in 2016

by Leave a Comment

It’s hard to see what’s happening around us and not wonder what is going happen in our own lives. The big picture is we know we will face huge weather changes with the forecasted El Nino, will need to know what to do with thousands of refugees seeking a safe life, and be confronting the […]

Filed Under: awareness, happiness, inner life, meditation, presence, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

How You Can Live With Both Fear and Compassion

by Leave a Comment

There are a lot of people who need our love and care at the moment, such as most of the Republican party, Syrian refugees, Planned Parenthood doctors and clients, the police and both the black and white people they shoot, whether accidentally or not, to name but a few. They need our love because ever […]

Filed Under: awareness, happiness, inner life, joy, meditation, mindfulness, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

What The Buddha Might Say To “The Donald”

by Leave a Comment

Did the Pope just out-trump Trump? While the Donald wants to evict 11 million immigrants, the Pope talks of inclusivity, compassion and human kindness. Has Trump got it all upside down? Shouldn’t we be adhering to the golden rule by treating others as we would want to be treated ourselves? There is an absurd misunderstanding […]

Filed Under: awareness, joy, meditation, mindfulness, presence, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , ,