One of my friends has started a mindfulness practice and is trying to teach this practice to others. She was doing this at a yoga studio but since they are now closed, she is doing Facebook Live sessions of guided meditations, and a little sound healing with a crystal bowl and an ocean drum. Of the two she has done so far, there have been only a handful of people watching. I hope that grows for her. If you are interested you can join her FB page “Mindfulness, Meditation, and More.”

One thing I have noticed is that I have gradually been inundated with email and notices of courses that have become available, in mindfulness, and in meditation, in wellness, in seeking your bliss. I have signed up for a few of them. It seems to me to be a good way to use this time alone. To go inward, to connect to our center. The one I’m most excited about is called “In the footsteps of Thich Nhat Hanh.” It is 5 days long, starting tomorrow. It is a course based on his teachings, with talks given by students of his at his monastery. They will also have video of him, etc. It is free and includes a 39 page book that you can download. Most of the book is teachings of his, written by him. If you are interested the link is: https://promo.lionsroar.com/free-summit-thich-nhat-hanh-lrscl/?fbclid=IwAR1aFspdf6Ll-o3w9uWH54ljpB9sphnxiZ7wIUMaDCV-Ul4Mw-yxS0XE_eA

Another course is given by Yale University, again free. Called “The Science of Well Being.” The link to that is www.coursera.org, then just search for that particular course. The course teaches us how to increase our happiness through practicing gratitude, savoring the good things, exercise, sleep habits.

As I write this, I am notified by the Chopra Center that they are offering a free 21 day meditation to assist us in staying positive during this crisis, and “in the face of the unknown, we’re called to support, uplift, encourage and love one another.” I have always loved Deepak Chopra’s 21 day free meditations, and I am particularly happy to have gotten this notice. I would guess if you go to The Chopra Center online, you will find a link to this meditation.

It seems to me that one of the best uses of our time in self-quarantine would be to strengthen our spiritual center, to reconnect with ourselves. It is so obvious that we need to elevate our lives to be more meaningful than chasing material goods. I hope everyone will see the need for, as Eckhart Tolle’s book is titled A New Earth.” With everything we know crashing down on us, many of us will be seeking a different way of living. At least, that is my hope, that the good that comes from this raises our consciousness around the world.

I’m glad to see great teachers trying to guide us through this maze. I’m sure there are many more learning experiences that have become available as we travel down this new, unknown and somewhat scary path. We can learn how to lose the fear, without losing touch with reality.

Love and light to all.