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Happy New Year! Should Auld Acquaintance be forgot…
This new year, give yourself the gift of meditation. We can cultivate empathy, appreciation, and the feeling that we can be of benefit through our morning, and evening meditation.
Now there’s your New Year’s Resolution. Meditate, for a few minutes each morning. Begin with a bow, and dedicate your day to be of benefit. Then, good posture, place attention on breath in and out. Eyes open (especially in the morning) as we don’t want to separate ourselves from our lives, but to infuse our daily life with the power of this simple (straightforward) yet difficult (lifelong) meditation. End with a contemplation: “What is one thing I feel compassion about?” And, “What is one thing I’m grateful for?” You’ve already started with the aspiration to be of benefit. Bow out.
As Pema Chödrön often reminds us, this is a time that reminds us of what is precious. Crisis is opportunity. The way out of our problems is not selfishness, but caring. Empathy will show us our path forward. Empathy will show us our path forward. Remember that, and your year will be a full, sweet, love-ful one. ~ Waylon
Your dear editors at Elephant Journal have selected all our very best reads of 2021. Drumroll, please…
> How to Stop Yelling at your Kids—Once & For All.
> I didn’t Always Love Myself—but This is What showed me How.
> A Quote from (Not) Anthony Hopkins on Letting Go of People who Aren’t Ready to Love Us.
> Here’s the text & full video of Amanda Gorman’s Inauguration Poem.
> Attraction vs. Connection: How to Avoid Falling for a Fantasy.
> Why QAnon Has Penetrated the Wellness and Spiritual Domains.
> “This is what Black Excellence Looks Like.”
> An Open Letter to the Man who’s Emotionally Unavailable.
> I Know the Dude with the Horns.
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> When Two Givers Find Each Other.
> 8 Brené Brown Quotes on Getting Brave, Getting Vulnerable & Owning the Hell out of our Story.
> I proposed today…and she said “yes!”
> Why Survivors of Abuse Can’t “Just Leave”—How our Nervous System Keeps us Frozen.
> 10 Feel-Good Questions to Ask Ourselves Every Morning.
> It wasn’t Love: 10 Signs your Relationship was a Trauma Bond.
> Borderline Personality Disorder is Attachment Trauma.
> 7 Ways to Stop the Cycle of Loneliness & Detachment.
> The Real Reasons Why Parents are Disconnected from their Children.
> 6 Hard-to-Swallow Truths about Codependency (& Why they’re Crucial to Recovery).
> 10 Bob Marley Quotes to Reawaken our Tired Souls.
> Toxic Relationship Bingo: 6 Signs that it’s Time to Walk Away.
> 13 Films that Empaths & Sensitive People will Love.
> Women have Two Choices: We’re Either F*ckable or Invisible.
> 7 Signs you have a Fear of Intimacy.
> Breaking the Cycle of Infatuation & Avoidance: Confessions of a Recovering “Love Bomber.”
> When Love Sucks: How Attachment Trauma Bites us in Relationships.
> Don’t Date for Love: Why Modern Dating is Leaving you Lonely.
> Dear Men, We Don’t Owe you a Damn Thing—5 Things the Patriarchy has led us to Believe.
> A 4-Minute Fix for “Tech Neck” that’ll Change your Life.
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> The Question that Cracked Open my Feminine Side.
> 6 Signs it’s Not Burnout or “Pandemic Fatigue”—it’s Depression.
> Two Poems from Rumi for when you Don’t Feel Good Enough.
> Will Smith defines Love & How we get it Wrong in Relationships.
> When Rejection Trauma Triggers our Childhood Wounds.
> There is only One Way to Find Love—Unlearn Everything.
> 7 Signs you’re in a Conscious, Soul-Loving Relationship.
> He Cheated: should you Stay or should you Go?
> My Sex Addiction was Never my Fault.
> What it Really Means to be Loving.
Ready to fall in love with your life? Join our 4-week Maitri course this February.
> The 5 Remembrances: A Buddhist Reminder to Live Fully.
> 10 Signs of Toxic Self-Awareness & How to Escape this Rabbit Hole.
> The Best Relationship Analogy about the Importance of Compatibility.
> An (Actually) Enlightened 3-Word Phrase that Works Better than “F*ck Off.”
> F*ck Forgiveness: it takes Boundaries & Badassery to Truly Heal.
> The Motherhood Conspiracy: what we Don’t Dare to Talk About.
> Ghosting’s Ugly Stepsister: 9 Signs you’re being Stonewalled.
> The Toxic & Crippling Coping Mechanism that arises from Childhood Trauma.
> How Childhood Shapes Attachment Patterns & the Key to Healing Abandonment Wounds.
> Secure Attachment is a Privilege.
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> This Harmful Phrase is One of the Worst Things we can Say in a Relationship.
> Non-Judgment is Gaslighting in Disguise: 6 Tools to Help us Trust our Gut.
> The Best Definition of Grief I’ve Ever Heard. (Ever.)
> Amidst a long night of Pandemic Loss, we need Mourning—here are 6 Ways to Start.
> 4 Things Every Woman should Know about Men.
> Is it a Gut Feeling or a Trauma Response? How to tell the Difference.
> 18 Lessons on Love from our Greatest Teachers: our Exes.
> When you’re a Depressed Anxious Person in a Relationship.
> Whoever Dies with the Least Stuff Wins: 9 Tips for Moving Lightly through Life.
> Critical Race Theory: No One is Asking you to Apologize for being White.
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> 7 Universal Truths that will Cut out the Bullsh*t & Help you Live Better.
> Jeff Bezos sends a Not-So-Subtle “Screw You” message to Amazon Employees.
> Simone Biles finally Put Down what she could No Longer Carry & took a Stand for Mental Health.
> The Root of Attachment Trauma & Why we Suffocate our Relationships (or Push them Away).
> Elephant turns 19 years old, this July!
> The Problem with the Body Positivity Movement.
> 10 Simple Reminders to Say Goodbye to Stress.
> The Difference between Mindfulness & Zoning Out.
> The Best Two-Word Advice I’ve ever Received about Love.
> The Miseducation of White America: Why Critical Race Theory is so Critical.
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> COVID-19 didn’t Kill the Yoga Industry—it’s been slowly Dying for Years.
> No, They’re Not Narcissists (& We’re Not Empaths).
> I’m in a Relationship with Two People at the Same Time.
> 5 Quotes to Help us Understand the Essence of Holding Space.
> 5 Mind-Blowing Steps to Rediscover Joy during a Divorce.
> Grief is a Complex Son of a B*tch.
> What “The Little Prince” teaches us about Love, Connection & Being Unique.
> How to Know if Someone is Right for you—5 Points to Ponder.
> Even the Right Partner won’t make you Feel Loved.
> The Mary Oliver Poem that has Saved my Life, Again & Again
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> Lil Nas X Covers a Dolly Parton Classic & People are Here for It.
> Harissa Tofu & Shiitake—with Color & Flavor Explosion. {Recipe}
> F*ck all that Fake Sh*t: 3 Steps to Authentic Relationships.
> This Brené Brown Quote Kicks my Ass & Changes my Life—Every Day.
> The Only Sign we Need to Know if they’re the One.
> The Five Blessings of Depression.
> The One Question we Should never Ask someone who’s Grieving.
> The Science Behind why we need to “Slow Down”—& Breathe.
> 18 Ways to Increase Intimacy.
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> 9 Relationship “Green Lights” that Prove you’ve found a Keeper.
> Can a Sexless Relationship Survive?
> 3 Maya Angelou Quotes about Love you’ll want to Read Again & Again.
> No, I’m Not F*cking Fine: a Buddhist-ish View of Anger.
> A Cry for Women Wellness Influencers to stop Promoting what is Killing Us.
> 6 Things to Remember when Talking to a Person with Depression.
> Sex, Power & “The Spiritual Leader.”
> For the Highly Sensitive Person: Why we feel Overwhelmed & Burnt Out.
> The Toxic Positivity of Alcoholics Anonymous.
> 10 Things People do on Facebook that make me want to Quit the Human Race & Live in a Cave.
> Compounding: the Best way to Change your Life for the Better—& 7 Simple Steps to Do It.
> Mommy Wine Culture: the Silent Killer on the Rise.
> 3 Nonnegotiable Values that must be Present for any Relationship to Succeed.
> The Biggest Killer of Relationships: Why we do it & What we Can do Instead.
> The Curse of the Capable Woman.
> The Most Underrated Yoga Pose we all Need.
> Healthy Relationships Exist (& why Past Sh*tty Choices Don’t Make us Any Less Deserving of One).
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> 6 Evident Signs we’re not Ready for a Relationship.
> How to Walk Away from Emotionally Unavailable Lovers—Once & For All.
> Jimmy Fallon’s new Holiday Tune is a Hit!
> Adopt these 10 Simple Tips if you Want to Have a Great Relationship.
> 7 Buddhist Concepts that can Transform our Relationships for the Better.
> “All of Me is Enough” & Other Reasons why I’m so F*cking Over Hating my Body.
> 10 Life-Changing Books that will Radically Shift your Mindset in 2022.
> Kyle Rittenhouse Celebrated, “Mr. Big” accused of Sexual Misconduct & I agree with Donald Trump.
> Boundaries, Boundaries, Boundaries: Don’t Leave Home without Them.
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