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"When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time." – Dr. Maya Angelou
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5 quick things –
A misty sunrise with palm trees, a bright moon, and an island

Hi, gorgeous! 

I am flying back from my retreat on Maui to the mainland US right now, and instead of floating out on a cloud of bliss, I just published a blog post about harassment at retreats (among other things–see below.) Which is to say: this week wasn't exactly what I expected it would be. 

It was good! And it was bad. And a little ugly, too. But as always, it is all learning, and it is all part of the practice. And I made the conscious choice to try to alchemize the difficult parts of my experience into something that I hope may be of help to others. But do you ever get tired of trying to turn pain into power? I know that I do. (We're not obligated to do that, you know. Sometimes sh*t just sucks, and we can let that be true.)

Anyways, if you have ever felt uncomfortable in a "wellness" or meditation context, please know that you are not alone–and that you deserve better. We all do!

(By the way, that's the moon in the sunrise photo above, not the sun. Happy full moon Friday the 13th!)

    Okay, here are your 5 things for the week. ⏬
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    FOR YOUR PRACTICE
    1. self compassion + room scan

    I went off-script with this week's free guided meditation video: a 20 minute practice for self compassion. I was feeling it; I hope you do, too!

    Here's a one-minute tip (that is not in the book) that I have been using a lot lately: 

    ROOM SCAN

    • Close your eyes and take a couple of deep breaths; then gently turn your head all the say to one side.
    • Open your eyes and sloooowwwwly move your head towards the other side; as you move your head, scan with your eyes, too.
    • Let your eyes sweep over the room: try to SEE what you see; really take it in.
    • When you get to the other side: close your eyes, gently come back to center, and take a few more deep breaths... before you open your eyes and come back to your day.
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    THE OCCASIONALLY MADDENING WORLD OF MEDITATION RETREATS
    2. hands off

    In which I go on retreat and get enlightened enough to.... 

    write this blog post about unwanted touching, race, cultural appropriation, and spiritual abuse:

    Open Your Heart, But Keep Your Damn Hands Off of Me

    It's a doozy. I'm so so curious to hear what you think!
    A screenshot of a photo editing app
    GOOD BUY
    3. TouchRetouch

    I'm kind of obsessed with this photo retouching app that costs $2: TouchRetouch (iPhone link; Android link)

    It makes it soooo easy to remove unwanted items from a photo (like a power line or random thing on the ground.) I actually can't believe how well it works; it's well worth the two bucks.

    (Another "I can't believe how cool this is" app is Night Sky for iPhone which basically superimposes celestial bodies wherever you point it.) 
    An image of EFF THIS! Meditation, the book, on Instagram
    AROUND THE WEB
    3. turn off notifications... really

    My latest: 6 Ways to Keep Technology from Hijacking Your Holidays in Spirituality&Health (I did not pick that picture, though, lol.)

    Thank you to Project.Full for including my book in their holiday round-up! If you don't already know them, they make the best meditation cushions on the planet. I truly mean it.

    Thanks to all of you who referred people to the jobs I'm hiring for! 🙏I have received a lot more applications then I was expecting, so if you or someone you know is expecting a response–thank you for your patience! And the applications are still open for now. :)
    NOW READING
    5. good question(s)

    Some interesting questions in the mix this week:

    This email is late and I am certain there are numerous typos and oopsies, but I'm getting ready to send it from the Seattle airport after bumping across the Pacific "stuck in the jet stream" as the captain said, as a way to try to explain why it felt like we were inside a washing machine for five hours. So uh, thanks for your understanding. 😂 See you next week!
    Love,

    MEANWHILE, ON SOCIAL MEDIA . . . 
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    Instagram picture of Liza and her daughter Nika, smiling up at the camera.
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    Liza Kindred

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