Balanced Mind With Julie Potiker

Slow down and connect to yourself and the beauty that surrounds around you through this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Watson", by Julia Fehrenbacher."Watson", by Julia Fehrenbacher.I'm pretty sure our new kitten thingsour middle-aged dog is his mama.At first, he hissed and made himself bigwhenever he saw her, but nowhe nestles into the warm curveof her belly and purrs. He evencloses his eyes while shelicks him clean.The other day, he helped himselfinto the pantry, and, I swear, triedto open the doggy jerkyfor his new mama. After dinnerthey chase balls and each otheraround the house untilone of them has to lie down.Two entirely different speciesshowing us what love looks like,teaching us how to hissless, how to purr more.-"Watson", by Julia Fehrenbacher.Find out more about using mindfulness in everyday life through Julie's books, "SNAP: From Calm to Chaos", and "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't have To: Mindful Methods for Staying Calm in the Midst of Chaos

Compassion is the focus of this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. Breath in compassion for yourself - and out for others. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Komorebi," by James Crews.Komorebi, by James CrewsFor what must have been a full minutein the spacious eternity of an eveningat the ragged end of summer, I stoodin the kitchen as the sun dropped downbehind the trees at the exact right placefor it to dance, shadow and light, acrossthe swirled grain of the maple counter.The Japanese call it komorebi, this playof sunshine breaking through the gapsin leaves, now dappling my hand as Ireach for my mug of tea. One of thosecountless small miracles we seldom thingto name in English, a simple rewardfor laying down the knife and leavinga carrot half-chopped on the cutting board,to be heard for at least this one out ofthe 1440 minutes I was granted today.-Komorebi, by James Crews.Find out more about using mindfulness in everyday life through Julie's books, "SNAP: From Calm to Chaos", and "Life Falls A

The focus of this guided meditation is healing - through breathing. Julie Potiker completes the meditation with the poem," We Were Made for This," by Julia Fehrenbacher.We Were Made for This, by Julia FehrenbacherI want to fill this spacewith words that will erase the distancebetween your certainty and minemake room under the big, empty skyfor grace to sit, move closeruntil skin touches skin, eyes see eyes.Maybe we can take a good, deepbreath, clear body and mind of allthat’s come before. Promiseto pay attention, to stay—especially when it hurts.Maybe this time we will seethat it has nothingto do with who we’ve beenor who we think we areand everythingto do with being fiercely here—like breath is for life. Yes,like that.Maybe—perhaps, we can beginand begin again with—I don’t know. Seethat it takes just one step towardto erase the distancethat was only ever a thought.Dinner is on the stove, will you join me?©Julia Fehrenbacherwww.juliafehrenbacher.comFind out more about using mindfulness in everyday life throug

Join Julie Potiker as she leads you through this guided meditation where you will use your breath to relax - and focus on what it is you need right now. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Rose-Breasted", by Kai Coggin, from the book, "Mother of Other Kingdoms, poems by Kai Coggin"."Rose-Breasted", by Kai Coggin(for Pheucticus Iudovicianus)To be rose-breastedmpas in the grosbeak that gracedthe feeder today on my lunch breath,me, in my teaching clothes, bright red beret,black shirt buttoned to my neck covered in roses,somehow a reflection before this auspicious landing.I sit on the bed with my shoes on because I have to leave again soon--my wife has been sneezing and coughing, so I brought her a pharmacy runof cough drops allergy meds Kleenex, and from bed she's been watchingthe spring migration landing outside our bedroom window.I bring both our binoculars to bed and for a moment here we are,lunch-break lovebirds peering close and hopeful, and there!A sudden flash of black white and roses - he lands!

In this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker you will focus on breathing goodness in - and out. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Holding the Light", by Stuart Kestenbaum Holding the Light, by Stuart Kestenbaum.Gather up whatever is glittering in the gutter,whatever has tumbled in the waves or fallen in flames out of the sky,for it’s not only ourhearts that are broken, but the heartof the world as well.Stitch it back together. Make a place wherethe day speaks to the nightand the earth speaks to the sky.Whether we created Godor God created usit all comes down to this:In our imperfect worldwe are meant to repairand stitch together what beauty there is, stitch it with compassion and wire. See how everything we have made gathers the light inside itselfand overflows?A blessing.Find out more about using mindfulness in everyday life through Julie's books, "SNAP: From Calm to Chaos", and "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't have To: Mindful Methods for Staying Calm in the Midst of Chaos". Both are available

In this episode of Balanced Mind - Julie Potiker leads you through a quiet compassion meditation. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Awakening", by Vera Haldy-Regier.Awakening, by Vera Haldy-RegierOh, lilacs,once again, your splendordelights my senses and speaksof the many past spring times of youththat promised lo ve, lifted my heartand then dashed it into the heat of summerwith all its sensual excessolder and furrowed now,I apologize for the gratitudenot then spokenwagering you would return unbiddenas though you were unexceptionalwiser now, I embrace your exceptional fragranceand dare not pluck your blossomsfrom the wood that streams its lifeinstead, I plant my humble basiland know the scent it will bestow on my evening mealand the delight it will impart towanderers who know basil-worthin its singular deep green time.-Awakening, by Vera Haldy-RegierFind out more about using mindfulness in everyday life through Julie's books, "SNAP: From Calm to Chaos", and "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't have To:

Find connection - and healing through this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with her poem, "I Am Noticing".I Am Noticing, by Julie Potiker.I am noticing everything all at once, all the time, so much so that some things lay down on top of others.Last night, sitting in the courtyard after dinner, listening to what my husband was saying, hearing his words and the tone and timber of his voice, I was struck by the tempo of the crickets – 1,2,3,4,1,2,3,4, doing 4-4 time quite deliberately and consistently as a metronome.Meanwhile, the two big dogs lay on the faded, terra-cotta tiles and slept with breath in 1-4 time, big breath in, then beat beat beat, big breath out.Madeline on her side, her big belly shaved at the vet that morning, rising and falling like a bellows. Eloise, 4 feet away, snout on the ground, snoring in 1-4 time.When I mentioned it, my husband said, he never would have noticed it, but now that he did, the crickets remind him of his childhood in the Midwest outsid

Join Julie Potiker as she leads you through this loving kindness meditation. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Mountain Forest: Early Summer", by Joan Koerper.Mountain Forest: Early SummerRaven cawsLadybug lands on my fingertwo California Quail mosey byBand-Tailed Pigeons coobreeze tickles leaves and pollinated blossomsof the hundred-year-old Apple treesas Buddha, seashells in folded hands, offers thanks.Sap from Jeffrey Pines glistensMistletoe grows lustily, greedy to overcomeall other plants nearby.Wild Miner's Lettuce thrives to nourish.Robin lands in the Flowering PlumFinches, Steller's Jay, Black-Capped Chickadeesjoin travelers visiting feeders on shepherd's hooksand sip water in planter drainage saucers.Perfume from late-blooming Lilacsdrifts over my shoulderas Periwinkles on the vine claim a garden.Squirrel arrives for her peanuts.Lizard says hello, then scurries for boulder.Raven makes a line drivefor the Band-Tailed Pigeonswho burst upward in flight escapingto the north side of the mountai

As you wake up, slip into this morning meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Gathering Nectar", by Julia Fehrenbacher."Do you know that sometimes,when gathering nectar,bees fall asleep in flowers?" Andrea GibsonGathering NectarWhen I am flitting ahead to the nextvery important thing, I do not land long enoughto notice steam rise from the mug of mint tea, do notbreathe in the sweet scent of fresh honey the beesworked so long and hard to make, do not noticethe moment on this Monday morning when sun smiles through the layers and layers of sorrow. When my head is bentto the brutal, mind buzzing no no no, I do not noticewhen my old dog looks up for a pet. Later,I will notice the trees still alive with so muchvibrant color—as if God was up all nightwith her paintbrush. Later, I will land long enoughto taste the sweetness. Or, perhaps, I might rememberthat sweetness can not find me when I am not here. Maybethe only very important thing is to stop, stop now—to fill myself with

Quiet your mind as you listen to this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with her poem, "Garden Dreams"."Garden Dreams", by Julie PotikerJasmine, roses - lavender flowers dot the rosemary hedge.I’m in a clapboard house, sleeping over with other women, some sort of retreat.Roni is there too.Grasping at imagesFragments of feelingsSnippets of conversationsTrying to hold onto the story-lineas it disappears in a wisp of vapor as I open my eyes,3 minutes before my alarm bell.I think it was a good dream.I think so … yes, a good dream, as I uncurl my body under the comforter,still hugging the warm soft fabric up over my shoulders.I was researching little pansy flowers called Johnny Jump Upbefore falling back to sleep in the early morning light.That flower is the star of a poem by Jill Hallthat I plan to share with my meditation groupI got so into researching them that I imagined planting them in lush beds under some of my old growth trees - bright lemon yellow and violet facessmiling

Breathe in and out peace and love as you listen to this loving kindness meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Sea Glass", by James Crews."Sea Glass", by James Crews.We keep going back to the rocky beach,searching for the glint of sea glass--the white, the green, the rarest blue.It takes decades to smooth out the sharpedges of those shards, yeas of helplessturning in the tides, so we might thenreach down, slip one into our pocketand run fingers over the worn surfacewhen worry takes over a quiet mind.We too have been tumbled by the wavesof life, and with each passing year, I feelmy own edges buffed and polished so Imight slide more easily through the hours,stop resisting the pull of whatever oceanI'm in. Once, I wanted to be the shimmeringbottle, container to hold the whole worldimpossibly inside myself, but now I just wantto be the piece of beauty you come uponin an otherwise calm moment, cradledby the endless sea crashing at your feet.--James Crews, from Unlocking the H

Julie Potiker takes you to your favorite summer spot - through this guided visualization. Where are you, what do you hear, smell or feel? She completes the meditation with her poem, "Delicate Blossoms".Delicate Blossoms, by Julie PotikerPrunus persica - a Contender.Small emerald and ruby velvet coated stones.Untold dangers - snails, spiders, beetles, Cedar Waxwings, Bluejays and Mockingbirds among other friends I willingly host in my garden.Small furry creatures - a cartel of squirrels, they too, belong in the ecosystem of all things.A net my only shield to offer.Miracle of resilience that one day its juice will run down my chin, drip down the inside of my wrist, stain my favorite white t-shirt.Those that survive the journey from flower to ripe peach announce summertime in all its glory.The nectar of childhood’s sweet memory.Find out more about using mindfulness in everyday life through Julie's books, "SNAP: From Calm to Chaos", and "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't have To: Mindful Methods for Staying Calm in

Julie Potiker leads you in this quiet compassion meditation. She completes the meditation with the poem, "In a Friend's Garden", by James Crews.In a Friend's Garden, by James Crews "I want to be here to see the poppies open,"my friend says, telling me whyshe never travels anymore in the middle of summer.We each hold one of the heavy buds whose petalsalready ache to break free and spread, bursting red at the seams.The mulch is warm beneath our feet, and sunlight shimmerspink in the shifting leaves of the Japanese maple.I keep hearing her words--I want to be here-and feelsomething new leaning toward the light inside me too,some seed of need just to be rooted right where I am for eachsmall pleasure, every rippling wave of sorrow.She wraps an arm around me, and we go inside for tea.There is nothing to escape from,but our own desire to escape at all.-In a Friend's Garden, by James Crews.Find out more about using mindfulness in everyday life through Julie's books, "SNAP: From Calm to Chaos", and "Life Falls Apart,

Breathe in peace and love while listening to this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Folding Alter", by James Crews.Folding Altar, by James CrewsI carry my church with mewherever I go, unfolding the altarof a moment while out walkingwith my husband, pausing to picka few dandelions gone to seed,taking a deep breath, then blowing,sending those silver messengersinto the air above a field,each one the seed of a prayerI say every day I’m alive:Please let me give up all hopefor a better past, and just be hereby the side of the driveway,watching wisps of clouds turningpink with evening, then purple,and listening to the complex soloof a catbird perched in a mapleas we say goodbye to the lightwhich may leave the sky tonightbut will stay with us, flickeringfor years to come.—James Crews(Explanation from James Crews: I love the concept of a folding altar, one that we can carry with us wherever we go, no matter the circumstances, opening in each new moment. This early sum

Breathe in love, for yourself and those around you as you follow this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Forms of Love", by Daniel Baylis.Forms of Love, by Daniel Baylis.Sometimes I wonder:What's the point?Why be good? Why care? Why try to change things?Why--when we continue to wreck each other?Yet, I keep moving forward.Not because I am confident of any outcomes.But because I am still susceptible to sweet things:a sunset,a cup of coffee,a warm blanket,the smell of lilacs,the sound of my mother's laughter--and all the other forms of love.Sometimes I wonder:what would the world look likeif each of us decided to becomea form of love?Find out more about using mindfulness in everyday life through Julie's books, "SNAP: From Calm to Chaos", and "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't have To: Mindful Methods for Staying Calm in the Midst of Chaos". Both are available on Amazon.com.Follow Julie on YouTube and Facebook at Mindful Methods for Life.comThis podcast is available

Hold yourself in love as you sink into this Loving Kindness meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Natural Silence", by James Crews."Natural Silence", by James Crews.It’s not easy to find the silencebehind traffic noise and the rush of a jetdragging its contrails through the sky.But here it is again in the in-between,when I learn to listen long enoughto the call-and-response of birdsong,to wind pulsing in the canopies of trees,and every wing-flutter of the phoebewho’s built her cup of a nest out of mossand mud beneath the eaves of our house.I know the stillness will last for justa few beats before the roar of a Harleytakes over, and a tractor rumbles throughthe rocky field outside my window.So I sink into it while I can, as I do into waterso clean and clear, for a moment at leastI swear I can see to the bottom of everything.Find out more about using mindfulness in everyday life through Julie's books, "SNAP: From Calm to Chaos", and "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't have T

Breathe compassion in and compassion out -- as you settle into this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, "The Fawn", by Nikita Gill. (From the book, "Where Hope Comes From; Poems of Resilience, Healing, and Light)."The Fawn", by Nikita Gill(After Mary Oliver's "Wild Geese")You do not have to win at a crisis.You do not have to push yourselfto learn a new language or write a bookor take up an instrument.Nothing will come of forcing yourselfto compete your way out of trauma.Take this time to look at the stars.Take this time to look at how the skystill holds clouds that are the shape of hope.How the dawn begins at the tips of dewy grass,for this is where the horizon begins.Somewhere the dappled fawn raisesher soft neck to watch the sun riseover her meadow.Somewhere else monarch butterflies begintheir long migration, knowing many of themwill not make it home.Remember that you do not need to earnyour right to the precious minutes you haveon this planet. They are alread

Find a quiet space to sit, relax, and breathe as Julie Potiker transports you through her guided visualization meditation. She completes the meditation with her poem, "Immersed & Transported"."Immersed & Transported", by Julie PotikerSoon, I arrive -a sea of humanity spilling into ornate building.Sunbeams escape my smileas volunteer scans my ticket, the playbill - a treasure map   clutched to my chest.Find my row by letter of alphabet,lay my coat open as burrow, sink into faded velvet chair.House lights down, stage lights up, magic.All senses heightened – flapping for attention.Flesh and blood, bones, and muscleinhabit worlds – words,meticulously crafted.Step into another skin,pour into another soul,to birth this gift.This baby is love.I cradle it, snuggled into my soft nest.If I’m being truthful,sometimes I teleport my soul into one character,or beam into multiple characters.My feet rest on their feet,my heart beats in rhythm with their hearts.Their voice becomes mine.Escape thoughts of war,free from

Tap into compassion, for yourself and others, through this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Just for Now", by Danna Faulds."Just for Now", by Danna FauldsJust for Now,Without asking how, let yourself sink into stillness.Just for now, lay down the weightYou so patiently bear upon your shoulders.Feel the earth receive you,And the infinite expanse of the sky grow even wider,as your awareness reaches up to meet it.Just for now,Allow a wave of breath to enliven your experience.Breathe out whatever blocks you from the truth.Just for now,Be boundless, free,with awakened energy tingling in your hands and feet.Drink in the possibilityOf being who and what you really are —So fully alive that the world looks different,Newly born and vibrant, just for now.Find out more about using mindfulness in everyday life through Julie's books, "SNAP: From Calm to Chaos", and "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't have To: Mindful Methods for Staying Calm in the Midst of Chaos". Both are

Breathe in gratitude and compassion during this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with her poem, "Birthday Presence".Birthday Presence, by Julie Potiker The air feels like springtucked into my sit spotthin cotton pajamasNo jacket wanted or neededOn this late February dayThree days left in my 62nd revolution around the sun.My eyes alight on the shrub -Bee’s Bliss Sage.Magenta and bright yellow blooms haphazardly strewn among grey green branches.Unscrew the valve to my ears,Allow noise to rush in.California Quail sounds troubledSong Sparrow, Mourning Dove and Bewick’s Wren respond - all is well.Hummingbirds helicopter trees and shrubsSucking nectarclick and buzz as bees.Unwrap this gift of noticingBreath it in, deepAllow it to fill jagged cracksHold it closeGently, dear, gentlyHoly…holy…holyThis Sabbath prayer.Find out more about using mindfulness in everyday life through Julie's books, "SNAP: From Calm to Chaos", and "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't have To: Mindful Methods f