Having an open mind can help us grow, thrive and learn in so many ways.
It can also make it easier for us to respect others’ opinions and ideas.
Being curious and asking others in-depth questions can open the door to new possibilities.
Challenge Your Thoughts
We can often be more inclined to feel strongly about our thoughts and ideas because we have experienced them first hand.
However, it’s up to us to challenge ourselves daily, especially when talking with others.
To connect on a deeper level with ourselves and those around us, we can take time to see how we think about certain situations. It all comes down to putting ourselves in someone else’s shoes.
Ask Questions Often
Asking other people questions can change the way we think and feel about situations.
But in order to successfully do that, you may have to ask yourself a few questions first.
“Are there other ideas that I can consider?”
“What is influencing my opinion right now?”
“Why would someone else think differently?”
Questioning our patterns, thoughts and habits can help us look at them in new and improved ways.
Take Some Time To Think
Have you ever disagreed with a friend or family member without even taking the time to think it through?
Giving yourself some extra time to think about their feelings can make it easier for you to see the situation through their eyes.
You should always be true to yourself and do what makes you happy.
But at the same time, acknowledging others can help change your perspective and, in turn, become a more open-minded person.
“The mind that opens up to a new idea never returns to its original size.” – Albert Einstein.
Trying to fight or ignore emotions can give them even more power.
While facing and accepting them head-on can help us better understand and embrace them.
Welcome Your Emotions
Have you ever tried naming your emotions?
Certain emotions can often feel a little confusing, and it can be hard to differentiate if they are positive, negative or somewhere in between.
Take note of what your body is trying to tell you.
You can do this by assessing the situation you are in and simply stating exactly what’s on your mind.
Sometimes saying exactly what’s going on in your head out loud can help make those thoughts easier to understand.
Say Thank You
When friends come to visit us, we thank them.
Why can’t we do the same thing with our emotions?
Every emotion has something to teach us – and we can thank them for that.
Here’s an example. Let’s say you’re starting to get worried about a deadline at work.
You can thank your worry for keeping you on track and on top of your deadline.
After all, all feelings visit us for a reason!
Listen And Learn
Emotions do so much for us.
They can help us dig deep, stay safe, set goals and step outside our comfort zone. Taking the time to really listen to them can teach us valuable lessons.
Hello and welcome! This is a sweet version of Jen Champions yoga for heart health. Please note, for today’s practice you will need a chair. We hope you enjoy.
On February 12th, we commemorate the work of Charles Darwin, a renowned scientist, on Darwin Day.
His findings, experiments, and accomplishments in the world of science have greatly influenced our society today. During this day, we can reflect on his discovery of evolution, which revolutionized all scientific thinking and is now considered a foundational concept in science.
Charles Darwin is also known for his work regarding the understanding of natural selection and has been on dozens of expeditions, most notably to the Galapagos Islands where he made many startling discoveries.
His theories were at the center of many impactful works that we can look back on today. Remembering these pivotal icons of history can also teach us more about our world, the species around us, and the earth we live on.
We can recognize Darwin Day by celebrating that science is real and responsible for so many advances in our health, in our world and in our lives.
February 4th is a time to honor and celebrate the life of American Civil Rights hero Rosa Parks.
This day was made to commemorate the life of a woman who made a difference.
In 1955, Rosa Parks boarded a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, and took her seat in the bus’s assigned “colored” section. When the bus driver told her to give up her seat, she refused. Others before her had made similar refusals. But her action sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott and became a symbol of the civil rights movement. She was an activist and collaborated with leaders in the movement.
Her actions inspired others to fight for equality and to challenge the system of oppression. She was proof that we can protest in our own ways and that we all have a right to say no.
It was a moment in time that continues to live on. We can celebrate this day by taking a moment to learn more about the Civil Rights Movement and the history of segregation in the United States.
Educating ourselves and our peers about the history of Rosa Parks will lead to open discussions about discrimination.
Learn more about the life of Rosa Parks by following the resources below:
This day is all about taking the time to show others that you care. Not just to the people that you know – but strangers too. There are no limits to the amount of kindness we can show others.
To celebrate, you can find ways to incorporate meditation into your day.
Yoga instructor Amalia offers a guided practice to follow.
In the Buddhist tradition, there is a teaching about the god Brahma, who had four faces, one for each of the four kinds of unselfish love.
In the language of the Buddha, these are called Karuna (compassion), Upeksa (equanimity), Mudita (appreciative joy), and Metta, or Maitri (loving-kindness).
Because the god Brahma is said to dwell (vihara) in these four forms of love, they are known as the Brahmaviharas– or the divine abodes of the heart.
Abiding by these divine abodes of the heart every day may sometimes feel challenging, especially when you are exhausted or overwhelmed.
But it is not impossible to do. You can begin by offering loving-kindness to yourself during meditation.
Sit in a comfortable place and take two or three deep breaths with slow, complete exhales. Do your best to let go of concerns or preoccupations momentarily.
For a few minutes feel, or imagine your breath moving through the center of your chest- in the area of your heart.
When you’re ready, mentally repeat slowly and steadily, the following, or similar phrases:
“May I be happy. May I be well. May I be safe. May I be peaceful and at ease.”
When you say these phrases, allow yourself to sink into the intentions they express.
Loving kindness meditation consists primarily of connecting to the intention of wishing ourselves or others happiness.
Many of us have not been taught how to love ourselves. The culture we live in with its many systems of oppression, our families, and our life circumstances can all make this even more challenging to truly embody. Know that loving ourselves (and others) takes practice.
If feelings of warmth, friendliness, or love do arise in the body, connect to them, allowing them to grow as you repeat the phrases.
After a period of time (minutes, days, weeks, months, years) of directing loving-kindness toward yourself, bring to mind a friend or someone in your life who has deeply cared for you. Then slowly repeat the phrases of loving-kindness toward them:
“May I be happy. May I be well. May I be safe. May I be peaceful and at ease.”
As you say these phrases again, sink into their heartfelt meaning, and if any feelings of loving-kindness arise, connect the feelings with the phrases so that the feelings may become stronger as you repeat the words.
Over time, you can bring to mind other friends, neighbors, acquaintances, strangers, and finally, people with whom you have difficulty. You can either use the same phrases, repeating them again and again or make up your own that better represent the loving-kindness you feel toward these beings.
We all have opportunities to practice kindness, and it doesn’t require ideal circumstances or lots of resources.
The more we give love, the greater our capacity for loving. This is how, even through small actions, loving-kindness can become limitless.
Here are some ways you can start spreading kindness in your community.
Send a text message, email, or snail mail, just to let someone know you are thinking of them.
Add canned or packaged goods to a neighborhood food pantry, or donate a book to a little free library. If you have the resources, consider starting one of your own!
Paint rocks with fun doodles or positive messages and leave them along sidewalks in your neighborhood.
Deliver a home-cooked meal or order takeout for someone.
Assemble and donate first aid supplies.
Eugene/ Springfield Specific:
Black Thistle Street Aid is a collective of outreach workers, herbalists & medical practitioners providing access to free healthcare through pop-up clinics and medical outreach to people experiencing homelessness in the Eugene-Springfield area. Find a list of items needed here
Visit the Acorn Community Cafe. A new vegan cafe, coffee shop and food resource on Monroe Street in Eugene, Oregon. Its mission is to combat hunger and build a resilient community. Cafe sales and community donations allow them to fund their daily free meals and expand into offering an employment program for unhoused or at-risk youth”.
Kindness is impactful and can inspire someone else to pay it forward.
“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” – Aesop.
February is the season of romance, especially with Valentine’s Day on the 14th.
It’s a sweet celebration of love that gives us a little break from the darker days during the winter months.
This holiday offers us an opportunity to show our loved ones how much we appreciate them. We can foster our connections and strengthen our relationships by expressing this love to our family, friends, and community.
Before exploring this idea of celebrating love, let us revisit the folklore around Valentine’s Day.
Legend has it that St. Valentine was a Roman Christian priest who performed marriages of young lovers to keep the men from being sent off to war.
When political authorities discovered that St. Valentine was doing this, he was imprisoned and martyred. Stories say he met the jailor’s daughter and fell in love with her. Then before his execution on February 14, 1269, he gave her a letter signed, “Your Valentine.”
Even after all years, this salutation lives on today.
We celebrate Valentine’s Day by giving our loved ones notes, flowers, and other gifts to remind them we care. Even exchanging dark chocolate is a traditional and contemporary gift good for health!
But our gifts can also go beyond material items.
Respect is also a gift to be fostered and shared. Having respect for others and for ourselves can lead us on the path of inner satisfaction and unconditional love.
When we respect ourselves, we can communicate and connect in kinder ways.
These qualities are gifts we can share with our companions and they contribute to the philosophy of “love thy neighbor.”
A hug is another gift that can be shared. By wrapping our arms around someone and holding them close, we can show them how much they mean to us.
This sincere gesture is good for our health as well. Science reveals that hugs lower stress hormones and blood pressure.
A hug held for 20 seconds releases oxytocin, a hormone referred to by scientists as the “cuddle hormone.” And a self-hug offers the same benefits while giving a nice stretch to the shoulders and upper back.
This Valentine’s Day, don’t forget to cherish yourself and others.
Thich Nhat Hanh expressed this beautifully when he said, “The teachings on love given by the Buddha are clear, scientific, and applicable… Love, compassion, joy, and equanimity are the very nature of an enlightened person. They are the four aspects of true love within ourselves and within everyone and everything.”
We can begin to lead with respect and love everywhere we go. It is vital to our overall well-being to live in a society that uplifts one another.
Want to incorporate more love into your everyday life?
Practice caring for yourself and loved ones: Cultivate self-awareness and appreciation by supporting others. This may be done through massage, therapeutic touch, pressure point therapy, mudras, positive affirmations, poems, music, and meditation.
Get comfortable with empathy: Relate to others by holding onto compassion during differences of opinion.
Listen to yourself to receive heartfelt affirmations: Affirmations are a positive forward-directed truth that we can connect with deeply. Create a paper heart of any style and write the affirmation on it. From here, we can write it repeatedly or create a tally to keep track every time we re-embrace these affirmations.
