Life will break you. Nobody can protect you from that, and being alone won't either, for solitude will also break you with its yearning. You have to love. You have to feel. It is the reason you are here on earth. You have to risk your heart. You are here to be swallowed up. And when it happens that you are broken, or betrayed, or left, or hurt, or death brushes too near, let yourself sit by an apple tree and listen to the apples falling all around you in heaps, wasting their sweetness. Tell yourself that you tasted as many as you could.
― Louise Erdrich, The Painted Drum
Happy Monday, friends. I hope you had a restful weekend. And if not, I hope there was a moment in your weekend that delighted you. The taste of something delicious, the inhale of fresh air, a fascinating conversation or new perspective, or something else entirely that surprised you or brought you joy.
Today's newsletter comes in the form of a guided meditation called metta or loving-kindness. Metta means benevolence, positive energy, or an active interest in others in Pali, a language native to northern India and the sacred language of Therevada Buddhism.
Metta meditation has its roots in Buddhism and has been shared over thousands of years as a tool to drop down into our heart awareness, cultivate compassion, and direct loving-kindness to ourselves and others. There are different variations, but the core intention remains the same: to direct benevolence—the quality of being well-meaning—towards all beings. Those we love dearly, those we have a difficult relationship with, those we don't know at all, our loved ones, our family members, our friends, and ourselves.
All you'll need is a comfortable place for the body—seated or lying down—with a long straight spine. Eyes closed or softly open.
I hope this practice brings you ease as we enter into a new week. ✨
Yoga of movement ✨
I'm teaching the following classes online this week:
Tuesday ✨ Rejuvenate 45 (book)
Saturday ✨ Yoga in the Fields 60 *in person* (book or drop-in)
Sunday ✨ Sunday soul 75 (book)
Please try to sign up at least 3 hours before the start of class, and if you can't make it in real-time, you'll get the recording in your email.
I'm also available for private and corporate classes. I'm offering complimentary corporate classes to nonprofit and not-for-profit organizations. Reply to this email if you're interested!
Yoga of action ✨
I'm tithing 10% of my income from my online yoga classes to organizations that fight against white supremacy. Every month, I'll pick a new organization and highlight it below. If these organizations call to you, please consider contributing (no matter how small).
My October donation will go to Seeding Sovereignty, an Indigenous-led collective that works to radicalize and disrupt colonized spaces through land, body, and food sovereignty work, as well as community building and cultural preservation. The organization's work centers around land liberation, mutual aid, community defense, emancipation through education, and solidarity with underestimated and marginalized populations.
Have a suggested organization? Leave a comment to share.
Yoga of words ✨
Grab a pen, grab your journal. Have a seat somewhere comfortable. Close your eyes, take a breath in, and let it go. Your weekly writing prompt is below.
Write about your favorite fruit. What does it taste like? When do you eat it? Does it bring up any memories? (15 minutes)
Feel free to share what you've written by clicking the link below. But, of course, you’re also welcome to keep this practice as just yours.
Other musings ✨
True crime is rotting our brains (Gawker)
Support nail salon workers (Anti-Racism Daily)
The stress-free family meal plan (The New Yorker)
Gwyneth Paltrow gives a bad glow job (The Unpublishable)
Having a strong digestive fire is key to good health. This is not just confined to food but also our thoughts and emotions. Being able to process, absorb and assimilate our food and our experiences in life and letting go is what keeps us healthy, physically, mentally, and spiritually. (Jasmine Hemsley)
On repeat: FOREVER by Flight Facilities and BROODS (Spotify)
I'm here for you—for class, advice, or anything you need or would like to share. Always a phone call/text/DM/reply button away.
LBC ✨
P.S. If you like this newsletter, please share it with your friends! And if someone sent you this newsletter, you can subscribe below!
A meditation of benevolence