Fresh Living

Oh how I love this viral video of Jessica–a girl who’s now 12 and seems pretty grounded and cool in this video interview. They didn’t ask her if she’s still doing these or if affirmations were a regular thing in her life or if it/they gave her an overall positive outlook (so curious!). But I’m pretty…

Talk about a plot twist!  A verse from the 13th century Persian poet Rumi turned out to have a kind of major role in last night’s series finale for the Fox series ’24,’ a series more known for nuclear threats and vigilante justice than contemplative Sufi Muslim inspiration. In the finale, the widow of the…

I’ve always been struck by Thich Nhat Hanh’s simple description of mindfulness as a “safe island,” something always available to us, to which we can always return. Try a “safe island” meditation today by choosing a word or image that’s your harbor, your emotional home.  It can be “calm,” “peace,” “quiet,” anything that relaxes and…

This is guest post by Ansley Roan, Beliefnet’s Faiths Editor (Photo (c) ellen scordato/twi-ny.com) Meditation and the importance of going to bed early were just a few of the topics the Dalai Lama addressed during his Saturday afternoon teaching in New York City. The spiritual leader of Tibet, whom Richard Gere called “the hardest working…

Today, Robert Zimmerman turns 69 years old.  (You know Robert Zimmerman is folk legend Bob Dylan’s real name, right?  Ok, good.)  Anyway, today is Bob Dylan’s birthday, and a good time to reflect on a man who could be called “folk legend,” “strange genius,” “religious chameleon,” “voice of a generation,” and “heart-breaker” with equal justification…

“Butterflies are self propelled flowers.”  – R.H. Heinlein    “May the wings of the butterfly kiss the sunAnd find your shoulder to light on,To bring you luck, happiness and richesToday, tomorrow and beyond.”-Irish Blessing   [Image via: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikebaird/323625842/] Need more morning inspiration?  Read our entire Fresh Morning collection!

I just spent 15 minutes standing perfectly still in the middle of my backyard. I had gone outside to push past the mid-day doldrums, breathe some fresh air, and inspect my two teeming raised-beds that are lush with lettuce, radishes, peas, spinach, Swiss chard, strawberries, potatoes, and onions.  But I wasn’t staring at the veg. …

Last night I learned that my latest CT scan is all clear. That’s five years cancer-free, bebe! In addition to relief and I am flush with the feeling of being so happy to be here. Just teh cliche, simple everyday stuff–so glad to be breathing, to be cleaning my kitchen this morning, to be wearing…

What is the best way to successfully and quickly calm down after an argument or confrontation? After I didn't do such a good job, I sat down to figure out why.

“Today, like every other day, we wake up empty and frightened. Don’t open the door to the study and begin reading. Take down a musical instrument. Let the beauty we love be what we do. There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.” -Rumi Need more morning inspiration?  Read our entire Fresh…

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about

Valerie Reiss

Valerie Reiss is Holistic Living Editor at Beliefnet. She was a founding editor at Breathe magazine, and her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Newsweek, Women's Health, Natural Health, Yoga Journal, Lime.com, Vegetarian Times, and ABCNEWS.com. A native New Yorker, Valerie holds an M.S. from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism and a B.A. from Beloit College in Creative Writing with a minor in Women's Studies. She also lived in Maui for a while where she drank green papaya juice and taught some creative writing. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

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