If you have ever tried to meditate for five minutes, found yourself wondering if you turned the oven off, and concluded you are fundamentally broken at spirituality—welcome to the club.
Modern wellness culture has repackaged meditation as a mix of mental spa treatment and productivity hack. But through the lens of classical Buddhist practice, much of what we are told about meditation isn’t just slightly off—it is entirely backward.
Continue reading
If you’ve dipped your toes into the world of meditation, you’ve probably spent a lot of time trying to follow your breath, notice your thoughts, and stay anchored in the present moment. It’s great practice. It grounds us.
But there’s another side to meditation that often gets sidelined as too “soft” or “woo-woo,” and it’s a shame, because it might just be the most practical mental workout available to us.
It’s called Lovingkindness (or Metta, in the Buddhist tradition).
And despite the gentle name, practicing it is a radical act.
Continue reading