Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker

Compassionate Breath Meditation - Sleep Version

Julie Potiker — Sun, 28 Jun 2026 15:47:18 -0400

Feel grounded through this compassionate breath meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Hope Watches", by James Crews.

This version ends with music allowing you to drift off into sleep.

Hope WatchesHope watches from the windowlike a small child waitingfor his parents to come home.His eyes are the lightshope keeps burninglong into the night, even whenit seems no one will return.Hope breathes on the glass,asks each of us to write our name,leave some sign that we were herethat we cared enoughto keep searching.

-James Crews, from his book, Breathing Room, Poems of Rest and Retreat.

Continue your mindfulness journey with Julie - through her writings. Her latest book is, "Gentle Currents: Poems of Pause & Peace", a collection of poems focusing on themes of nature, self-compassion, and tranquility.Her other books include,"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". All are available on Amazon.com.Follow Julie on YouTube and Facebook at Mindful Methods for Life.comThis podcast is available on iTunes, iHeart, Blubrry and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Compassionate Breath Meditation

Julie Potiker — Sun, 28 Jun 2026 15:46:15 -0400

Feel grounded through this compassionate breath meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Hope Watches", by James Crews.

-James Crews, from his book, Breathing Room, Poems of Rest and Retreat.

Returning Again To Present Moment -Sleep Version

Julie Potiker — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 13:21:06 -0400

Join Julie Potiker as she leads this open awareness meditation. She completes the meditation with her poem, "Before Dawn".

This version ends with music allowing you to drift off into sleep.

Before Dawn, by Julie Potiker.Even with fences, even with locks, I’m not always safe from the thoughts in my head. The second sleep—that strange, lucid hour before dawn—can be a dangerous place. My mind unspools anxieties, wild and uninvited.I climb out from under the dogs and tangled covers, pour a strong brew, and step into the courtyard. The air is cool, the sky still a deep indigo. Somewhere a robin begins, then a towhee joins in, and soon the whole chorus is at work as the light rises. Slowly, I begin to breathe in rhythm with them. The chatter inside softens. The morning expands. I remember that peace is not the absence of thought, but the practice of returning—again and again.

Returning Again To Present Moment - Meditation

Julie Potiker — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 13:19:44 -0400

Join Julie Potiker as she leads this open awareness meditation. She completes the meditation with her poem, "Before Dawn".

Quiet Meditation - Sleep Version

Julie Potiker — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 22:16:47 -0400

This version ends with music allowing you to drift off into sleep.PROMISEThis day is an open roadstretching out before you. Roll down the windows.Step into your life, as if it were a fast car.Even in industrial parks,trees are covered with white blossoms,festive as brides, and the air is softas a well-washed shirt on your arms. The grass has turned implausibly green.Tomorrow, the world will begin again,another fresh start. The blue sky stretches,shakes out its tent of light. Even dandelions glitterin the lawn, a handful of golden change.-Barbara Crooker

Quiet Meditation

Julie Potiker — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 22:16:31 -0400

Join Julie Potiker for this quiet meditation. Using your breath as an achor - focus on the message you feel you need right now. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Promise", by Barbara Crooker.PROMISEThis day is an open roadstretching out before you. Roll down the windows.Step into your life, as if it were a fast car.Even in industrial parks,trees are covered with white blossoms,festive as brides, and the air is softas a well-washed shirt on your arms. The grass has turned implausibly green.Tomorrow, the world will begin again,another fresh start. The blue sky stretches,shakes out its tent of light. Even dandelions glitterin the lawn, a handful of golden change.-Barbara Crooker

Just What You Need Guided Meditation - Sleep Version

Julie Potiker — Sat, 06 Jun 2026 14:09:41 -0400

Julie Potiker leads you through this self compassion meditation. She completes the meditation with the poem, "The Endless Waltz", by James Crews.

This version ends in music allowing you to drift off into sleep.

This Endless Waltz, by James Crews

In this endless waltz of give and taketrust and receivetoday, I am the one who must open his armshold the door for whatever wants to entertap of rain on glass, scurry of tiny flyacross the window screen, beaded with droplets"please stay", I say to everythingthat must someday goheart as hollow as a begging bowluntil I seeI am begging to be filled by what I already have.

-James Crews

Just What You Need - Guided Meditation

Julie Potiker — Sat, 06 Jun 2026 14:08:23 -0400

Julie Potiker leads you through this self compassion meditation. She completes the meditation with the poem, "The Endless Waltz", by James Crews.

This Endless Waltz, by James Crews

-James Crews

Mostly Quiet Guided Meditation - Sleep Version

Julie Potiker — Sat, 23 May 2026 14:35:35 -0400

All the Ways to Name a DragonflyWhat if your first thought upon wakingwas not of all you have to do, or how sadand frightening the world is, but this:I am alive. In a body. On a day I have never met.Hello, you beauty.What if, instead of reaching for a dark screen,you stood on the back porch of this weeping,sought the bay window of the sky seeping peachlight into your soul, or maybe slate, salmon,cerulean, painting the day alive with swathesof impossible color right before your eyes.What if, despite your knotted heart, you made a listof everyone you love, anthologized the weedsin your yard, collected seeds, feathers, and lost poems,made a lexicon of all the ways to name a dragonflyin this world: libellule, vážka, dreóilín, pilivesa, spāre.What if you then made something with your hands—a daisy chain, bread, a potholder, a salad of dandelions—and gave it to someone near, a neighbor, a child, a stranger,because the others are too far away. This matters, too.And what if, today, you allowed yourself to feel the rough huskof all you are—every fault, fear, scab and scar—so that the goalis not to be right or good, but to be whole. Like somethingslightly bruised in the fruit basket on the kitchen table, you sinkyour teeth in and bite anyway, like it’s the very first time.-Ellen Rowland

Mostly Quiet Guided Meditation

Julie Potiker — Sat, 23 May 2026 14:34:28 -0400

Breathe in peace and tranquility through this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, "All the Ways to Name a Dragonfly", by Ellen Rowland.All the Ways to Name a DragonflyWhat if your first thought upon wakingwas not of all you have to do, or how sadand frightening the world is, but this:I am alive. In a body. On a day I have never met.Hello, you beauty.What if, instead of reaching for a dark screen,you stood on the back porch of this weeping,sought the bay window of the sky seeping peachlight into your soul, or maybe slate, salmon,cerulean, painting the day alive with swathesof impossible color right before your eyes.What if, despite your knotted heart, you made a listof everyone you love, anthologized the weedsin your yard, collected seeds, feathers, and lost poems,made a lexicon of all the ways to name a dragonflyin this world: libellule, vážka, dreóilín, pilivesa, spāre.What if you then made something with your hands—a daisy chain, bread, a potholder, a salad of dandelions—and gave it to someone near, a neighbor, a child, a stranger,because the others are too far away. This matters, too.And what if, today, you allowed yourself to feel the rough huskof all you are—every fault, fear, scab and scar—so that the goalis not to be right or good, but to be whole. Like somethingslightly bruised in the fruit basket on the kitchen table, you sinkyour teeth in and bite anyway, like it’s the very first time.-Ellen Rowland

One for Me, One for You - Can You Imagine?

Julie Potiker — Mon, 04 May 2026 14:54:07 -0400

Breathe in what you need right now, and then breathe out what you want to send to others through this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Can You Imagine", by Mary Oliver.

Can You Imagine?Mary OliverFor example, what the trees donot only in lightning stormsor the watery dark of a summer's nightor under the white nets of winterbut now, and now, and now - wheneverwe're not looking. Surely you can't imaginethey don't dance, from the root up, wishingto travel a little, not cramped so much as wantinga better view, or more sun, or just as avidlymore shade - surely you can't imagine they juststand there loving everyminute of it, the birds or the emptiness, the dark ringsof the years slowly and without a soundthickening, and nothing different unless the wind,and then only in its own mood, comesto visit, surely you can't imaginepatience, and happiness, like that.

One for Me, One for You - Can You Imagine? (Sleep Version)

Julie Potiker — Mon, 04 May 2026 14:54:00 -0400

Compassion In and Out Meditation - Sleep Version

Julie Potiker — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 15:56:00 -0400

Enjoy this open awareness meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, "I Pray to the Birds", by Terry Tempest Williams.

This version ends with music allowing you to drift off into sleep.

I Pray to the Birds, by Terry Tempest Williams

I pray to the birds.I pray to the birds because I believe they will carry the messages of my heart upward.I pray to them because I believe in their existence, the way their songs begin and end each day—the invocations and benedictions of Earth.I pray to the birds because they remind me of what I love rather than what I fear.And at the end of my prayers, they teach me how to listen.

-Terry Tempest Williams

Compassion In and Out Meditation

Julie Potiker — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 15:55:21 -0400

Enjoy this open awareness meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, "I Pray to the Birds", by Terry Tempest Williams.

I Pray to the Birds, by Terry Tempest Williams

-Terry Tempest Williams

One for Me, One for You, Guided Meditation - Sleep Version

Julie Potiker — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 15:06:38 -0400

Join Julie Potiker as she leads this gentle meditation practice focusing on what you need right now. Is it love, energy, calm, peace? She completes the meditation with two poems, "Spring", by Ellen Rowland, and "Bring Me The Sun", by Julie Potiker.

This version ends with music allowing you to drift off into sleep.

Spring, by Ellen Rowland -after James PearsonHow can I love this springwhen winter still holds hate quivering in its jaws,holds hope frozen in fear,hunts the human heartlike a soft trembling rabbit?I only want to be a bee among beestumbled from sleep by the warmscent of lilacs on an unsuspectingbreeze, belonging itself into thisbeautiful, troubled world as thoughblossoms might hold the answer.

~Ellen Rowland

Bring Me the Sun, by Julie PotikerWhile the world wars I sitlistening to birdsongis that a wrentitor a song sparrowI know the towhee’s croakthe mourning dove’s low notethe click and humof hummingbirdthe mockingbird challenges meits phrases just beyond namingThen Wellington bounces toward me, black eyes shining, intent,a lemon-yellow toy in his mouth, bringing me the sun

~Julie Potiker

One for Me, One for You, Guided Meditation

Julie Potiker — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 15:06:23 -0400

~Ellen Rowland

~Julie Potiker

Just What Is Needed - Guided Meditation - Sleep Version

Julie Potiker — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 15:25:47 -0400

Julie Potiker leads this guided meditation focusing on what is needed in your life right now. She completes the meditation with the poem, " Hawk and Crow Surf the Wind", by Moudi Sbeity.

This version ends with music allowing you to drift off into sleep.

Hawk and Crow Surf the Wind, by Moudi SbeityWhether it was for play or rivalry, I could not tell. Crow cawed. Hawk was silent. They glided in massive signatures,nearing then drifting, in the clear cold wind. At times hawk flew higher, then crow climbed above.They titled and wedged their open wings through the bare branches. They circled the neighborhood,then the next one over, then came back and perched on opposite trees.All the while I watched this happen, and the cyclists rolled on, and the cars drove by,and the nations with their many troubles warred still. It was a moment of private purity,a quiet thrill held like a secret in my pen. As to whether they noticed me, I cannot say,but I stood there like a sunflower, my face awed and tracking, a shiver rising up my spine.- Moudi Sbeity

Just What Is Needed - Guided Meditation

Julie Potiker — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 15:25:31 -0400

Julie Potiker leads this guided meditation focusing on what is needed in your life right now. She completes the meditation with the poem, " Hawk and Crow Surf the Wind", by Moudi Sbeity.

Calm Lake Meditation - Sleep Version

Julie Potiker — Sun, 15 Mar 2026 14:03:49 -0400

Visualize a calm lake, a reflective, peaceful body of water, to help you relax into this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with an untitled poem from Mark Nepo's book of poems (in progress), "Tales of the Ferryman".

From Mark Nepo's, Tales of the Ferryman.A German proverb saysthat windows are the eyesof the house.And an old Jewish beliefsays that the heart is thewindow between the souland the world.And when the mind is asclear as a still patch of lake,it is the window to the deep.And the mouth, so sorry forall it carries, is the windowto silence.So, care for your windows.They let us out. They let usin. They let us put downall we hide.-Mark NepoContinue your mindfulness journey with Julie - through her writings. Her latest book is, "Gentle Currents: Poems of Pause & Peace", a collection of poems focusing on themes of nature, self-compassion, and tranquility.Her other books include,"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". All are available on Amazon.com.Follow Julie on YouTube and Facebook at Mindful Methods for Life.comThis podcast is available on iTunes, iHeart, Blubrry and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Calm Lake Meditation

Julie Potiker — Sun, 15 Mar 2026 14:03:32 -0400

This is from Mark Nepo's book of poems in progress, Tales of the Ferryman.A German proverb saysthat windows are the eyesof the house.And an old Jewish beliefsays that the heart is thewindow between the souland the world.And when the mind is asclear as a still patch of lake,it is the window to the deep.And the mouth, so sorry forall it carries, is the windowto silence.So, care for your windows.They let us out. They let usin. They let us put downall we hide.-Mark NepoContinue your mindfulness journey with Julie - through her writings. Her latest book is, "Gentle Currents: Poems of Pause & Peace", a collection of poems focusing on themes of nature, self-compassion, and tranquility.Her other books include,"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". All are available on Amazon.com.Follow Julie on YouTube and Facebook at Mindful Methods for Life.comThis podcast is available on iTunes, iHeart, Blubrry and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Breathing In For Yourself - Out For Others - Sleep Version

Julie Potiker — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 12:38:44 -0500

Using your breath, breathe in what you need for yourself - and then breathe out what you want to send to others. Julie Potiker completes her meditation with the poem, "Drifting Ochre", by Sam Aureli.

This meditation ends with music to allow you to drift off into sleep.

Drifting Ochre, by Sam AureliA single leaf of yellow ochrefloats along the water's gentle current.It spins and twirls, as if rememberingall it had known - the warmth of spring,the quiet labor of becoming,a life steeped in sun and rain.The stream nudges it forward,over rocks and eddies, past rootsand shadows, urging it onalong a path unasked, untraced.The leaf didn't need to know.There was onlythe freedom of letting go.And as I watched, I thought:all things drift in time,each in our own rivers and bends,our passage carved by wind and water,until the earth calls us back,her soil richwith all that has come before.-Drifing Ochre, by Sam Aureli (from On the Edge of Knowing).

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 on iTunes, iHeart, Blubrry and everywhere you listen to podcasts.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 on iTunes, iHeart, Blubrry and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Breathing In For Yourself - Out For Others

Julie Potiker — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 12:38:27 -0500

Using your breath, breathe in what you need for yourself - and then breathe out what you want to send to others. Julie Potiker completes her meditation with the poem, "Drifting Ochre", by Sam Aureli.Drifting Ochre, by Sam AureliA single leaf of yellow ochrefloats along the water's gentle current.It spins and twirls, as if rememberingall it had known - the warmth of spring,the quiet labor of becoming,a life steeped in sun and rain.The stream nudges it forward,over rocks and eddies, past rootsand shadows, urging it onalong a path unasked, untraced.The leaf didn't need to know.There was onlythe freedom of letting go.And as I watched, I thought:all things drift in time,each in our own rivers and bends,our passage carved by wind and water,until the earth calls us back,her soil richwith all that has come before.-Drifing Ochre, by Sam Aureli (from On the Edge of Knowing).

Sitting In Stillness

Julie Potiker — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 17:52:08 -0500

Find yourself in stillness as you listen to this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Invitation", by Mary Oliver.

Invitation, by Mary OliverOh do you have timeto lingerfor just a little whileout of your busyand very important dayfor the goldfinchesthat have gatheredin a field of thistlesfor a musical battle,to see who can singthe highest note,or the lowest,or the most expressive of mirth,or the most tender?Their strong, blunt beaksdrink the airas they strivemelodiouslynot for your sakeand not for mineand not for the sake of winningbut for sheer delight and gratitude –believe us, they say,it is a serious thingjust to be aliveon this fresh morningin the broken world.I beg of you,do not walk bywithout pausingto attend to thisrather ridiculous performance.It could mean something.It could mean everything.It could be what Rilke meant, when he wrote:You must change your life.-Invitation, by Mary Oliver

Sitting In Stillness -Sleep Version

Julie Potiker — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 17:51:43 -0500

Find yourself in stillness as you listen to this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Invitation", by Mary Oliver.This version ends with music allowing you to drift off into sleep.Invitation, by Mary OliverOh do you have timeto lingerfor just a little whileout of your busyand very important dayfor the goldfinchesthat have gatheredin a field of thistlesfor a musical battle,to see who can singthe highest note,or the lowest,or the most expressive of mirth,or the most tender?Their strong, blunt beaksdrink the airas they strivemelodiouslynot for your sakeand not for mineand not for the sake of winningbut for sheer delight and gratitude –believe us, they say,it is a serious thingjust to be aliveon this fresh morningin the broken world.I beg of you,do not walk bywithout pausingto attend to thisrather ridiculous performance.It could mean something.It could mean everything.It could be what Rilke meant, when he wrote:You must change your life.-Invitation, by Mary Oliver

Breathing Goodness In, Goodness Out - Sleep Version

Julie Potiker — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 14:01:00 -0500

This meditation focuses on using your breath to breathe in loving kindness for yourself and out for others. Julie Potiker completes the meditation with the poem, "Reciprocity - When redpolls arrive in Minnesota," by Holly Lamond.

This version ends with music allowing you to drift off into sleep.

Reciprocity- when redpolls arrive in Minnesota, by Holly Lamond - Poetry Tracks in the SnowA gallup of redpollsappeared this morningat our feeders, the firstto arrive this winter.Thankful for seed, theydescended in drovesas if they knew that here,there would be enough.I did not begrudge theirhunger.I needed this reminderas I read the news today,that goodness beginswith giving,that survival is a two-waystreet – today, an exchange ofsuet and seed for the sight,sound of so many birds –saving my soul from turning to ice.-Holly Lamond

Breathing Goodness In, Goodness Out

Julie Potiker — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 13:58:34 -0500

Loving Kindness - Small Kindness - Sleep Version

Julie Potiker — Fri, 30 Jan 2026 15:10:16 -0500

Julie Potiker leads you through this guided meditation focusing on loving kindness. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Small Kindness", by Denusha Lameris.This version ends with music allowing you to drift off into sleep

Small Kindness, by Denusha Lameris

I’ve been thinking about the way, when you walkdown a crowded aisle, people pull in their legsto let you by. Or how strangers still say “bless you”when someone sneezes, a leftoverfrom the Bubonic plague. “Don’t die,” we are saying.And sometimes, when you spill lemonsfrom your grocery bag, someone else will help youpick them up. Mostly, we don’t want to harm each other.We want to be handed our cup of coffee hot,and to say thank you to the person handing it. To smileat them and for them to smile back. For the waitressto call us honey when she sets down the bowl of clam chowder,and for the driver in the red pick-up truck to let us pass.We have so little of each other, now. So farfrom tribe and fire. Only these brief moments of exchange.What if they are the true dwelling of the holy, thesefleeting temples we make together when we say, “Here,have my seat,” “Go ahead—you first,” “I like your hat.”-Denusha Lameris

Loving Kindness - Small Kindness

Julie Potiker — Fri, 30 Jan 2026 15:09:12 -0500

Julie Potiker leads you through this guided meditation focusing on loving kindness. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Small Kindness", by Denusha Lameris.

Small Kindness, by Denusha Lameris

Ocean Guided Meditation - Sleep Version

Julie Potiker — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 20:28:13 -0500

Visualize the waves of the ocean to anchor you in this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, "It is Born", by Mary Heebner.

This version ends with music allowing you to drift off into sleep.

It is Born, by Mary HeebnerHere I came to the very edgewhere nothing at all needs saying,everything is absorbed through weather and the sea,and the moon swam back,its rays all silvered,and time and again the darkness would be brokenby the crash of a wave,and every day on the balcony of the sea,wings open, fire is born,and everything is blue again like morning.-It is Born, by Mary Heebner, translated by Alastair Reidfrom Neruda; On the blue shore of silence, poems of the sea.

Ocean Guided Meditation

Julie Potiker — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 20:27:10 -0500

Visualize the waves of the ocean to anchor you in this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, "It is Born", by Mary Heebner.It is Born, by Mary HeebnerHere I came to the very edgewhere nothing at all needs saying,everything is absorbed through weather and the sea,and the moon swam back,its rays all silvered,and time and again the darkness would be brokenby the crash of a wave,and every day on the balcony of the sea,wings open, fire is born,and everything is blue again like morning.-It is Born, by Mary Heebner, translated by Alastair Reidfrom Neruda; On the blue shore of silence, poems of the sea.

New Year Meditation - Sleep Version

Julie Potiker — Wed, 14 Jan 2026 15:03:22 -0500

Set your intentions for the new year through this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with a reading of two poems, "Don't Hesitate", by Mary Oliver and "This New Year", by James Crews.This version ends with music allowing you to drift off into sleep.

Don’t Hesitate, by Mary OliverIf you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy,don’t hesitate. Give in to it. There are plentyof lives and whole towns destroyed or aboutto be. We are not wise, and not very oftenkind. And much can never be redeemed.Still, life has some possibility left. Perhaps thisis its way of fighting back, that sometimessomething happens better than all the richesor power in the world. It could be anything,but very likely you notice it in the instantwhen love begins. Anyway, that’s often the case.Anyway, whatever it is, don’t be afraidof its plenty. Joy is not made to be a crumb.This New Year, by James Crewscrumbs will no longer be enough.You want whole loaves of joy,feast of exuberance laid outon the table of each waiting day.You want awe for the smallest things—drop of honey lifted off the platewith a fingertip, that kiss of summer,and Ball jars of bone broth leftto cool on the back of the stove,golden and healing. No resolutioncould ever live up to the feelingof just being here, sprinting intothe new year like a child let loosefrom parents in the park, runningand running without a destinationinto the open arms of the air.

New Year Meditation

Julie Potiker — Wed, 14 Jan 2026 15:02:06 -0500

Giving Yourself What You Need Meditation - Sleep Version

Julie Potiker — Tue, 06 Jan 2026 14:14:12 -0500

Relax into this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker as you breathe into what it is you need right now. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Joy", by Donna Asworth.

This version ends with music allowing you to drift off into sleep.

Joy, by Donna AsworthJoy does not arrive with a fanfareon a red carpet strewnwith the flowers of a perfect lifejoy sneaks inas you pour a cup of coffeewatching the sunlighthit your favourite tree, just rightand you usher joy awaybecause you are not ready for heryour house is not as it should befor such a distinguished guestbut joy cares nothing for your messy homeor your bank-balance, or your waistline, you seejoy is supposed to slither throughthe cracks of your imperfect lifethat’s how joy worksyou cannot truly invite heryou can only be ready when she appearsand hug her with meaningbecause in this very momentjoy chose you

-Donna Ashworth

Giving Yourself What You Need Meditation

Julie Potiker — Tue, 06 Jan 2026 14:13:11 -0500

Relax into this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker as you breathe into what it is you need right now. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Joy", by Donna Asworth.Joy, by Donna AsworthJoy does not arrive with a fanfareon a red carpet strewnwith the flowers of a perfect lifejoy sneaks inas you pour a cup of coffeewatching the sunlighthit your favourite tree, just rightand you usher joy awaybecause you are not ready for heryour house is not as it should befor such a distinguished guestbut joy cares nothing for your messy homeor your bank-balance, or your waistline, you seejoy is supposed to slither throughthe cracks of your imperfect lifethat’s how joy worksyou cannot truly invite heryou can only be ready when she appearsand hug her with meaningbecause in this very momentjoy chose you

-Donna Ashworth

Chanukah 2025 Meditation - Sleep Version

Julie Potiker — Mon, 22 Dec 2025 17:32:31 -0500

Breathe in goodness, strength, love, hope - whatever it is you need right now - and then send it out into the world. Julie Potiker completes her meditation with some words about Chanukah.

This version ends with music allowing you to drift off into sleep.As we come out of meditationand return to the movement of the day,we remember that this is the week of Chanukah —the week when light is kindled, night by night.Before any flame is struck,we pause with what the light represents:a people who have known loss and fear,and who continue to choose presence and endurance.We carry the memory of thosewho were killed simply for being who they were,and we hold that memory with care.When evening comes,and the candles are kindled,may they remind us that light does not rush —it is tended, protected, and renewed.May we move through this dayas quiet bearers of that light,choosing dignity over despair,and awareness over numbness.May the light we will kindle tonightbegin its work in us now.

-Julie Potiker

Chanukah 2025 Meditation

Julie Potiker — Mon, 22 Dec 2025 17:31:15 -0500

Breathe in goodness, strength, love, hope - whatever it is you need right now - and then send it out into the world. Julie Potiker completes her meditation with some words about Chanukah.As we come out of meditationand return to the movement of the day,we remember that this is the week of Chanukah —the week when light is kindled, night by night.Before any flame is struck,we pause with what the light represents:a people who have known loss and fear,and who continue to choose presence and endurance.We carry the memory of thosewho were killed simply for being who they were,and we hold that memory with care.When evening comes,and the candles are kindled,may they remind us that light does not rush —it is tended, protected, and renewed.May we move through this dayas quiet bearers of that light,choosing dignity over despair,and awareness over numbness.May the light we will kindle tonightbegin its work in us now.

-Julie Potiker

Lots of Quiet Meditation - Sleep Version

Julie Potiker — Mon, 15 Dec 2025 12:34:15 -0500

Settle in to peace and quiet through this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She competes the meditation with the poem, "Why read poetry if it won't make you rich?", by Joy SullivanThis version ends with music allowing you to drift off into sleep.

Why read poetry if it won't make you rich?For starters, your soul will get bigger.Your love, more terrible and luminous. Soon, you'll say tender things at parties after too much champagne. A sidewalk quince, wet with midnight, will stop you in your tracks. In time, you'll find the perfect metaphor for your child's face. All at once, you'll see the world and want it again: clothes flapping on the line, lilacs strewn and seeding, the luck of worms. An artichoke with its heart torn hot and steaming from the throbbingcrown will suddenly turn you on.—Joy Sullivan

Lots of Quiet Meditation

Julie Potiker — Mon, 15 Dec 2025 12:31:02 -0500

Settle in to peace and quiet through this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She competes the meditation with the poem, "Why read poetry if it won't make you rich?", by Joy Sullivan

Breathing Compassion Guided Meditation - Sleep Version

Julie Potiker — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 18:05:19 -0500

Bring compassion into your breath through this meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, "The Most Important Thing", by Marie Marchand from her book, Mostly Sweet, Lovely, Human Things.This version ends with music allowing you to drift off into sleep.

The Most Important Thing

I asked the stars:

What is the most important thing?

The panorama of bright sentinels remained

silent and just keep shining.

So I repeated my question, this time imploringly:

What is the most important thing?

It was urgent. My time here is limited.

I deserve clarity. I deserve truth.

Summer's nightwind caressed my face.

I accepted this show of earthly tenderness,

of warm reassurance, but divined

no answer from the twinkling firmament

above. The stars just kept shining

with an irksome persistence.

Maybe I didn't deserve an answer.

Or maybe I wasn't approaching this

with enough reverence. So, instead

of looking up, I bowed my head

and looked within.

What is the most important thing?

I whispered so only I could hear. Then behind

my eyes, a blend of space and light emerged.

The whole universe opened up inside of me.

There was silence. There was peace.

The stars aligned.

And without making

a sound, they just kept shining.

-Marie Marchand

Breathing Compassion Guided Meditation

Julie Potiker — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 18:04:00 -0500

The Most Important Thing

I asked the stars:

What is the most important thing?

The panorama of bright sentinels remained

silent and just keep shining.

So I repeated my question, this time imploringly:

What is the most important thing?

It was urgent. My time here is limited.

I deserve clarity. I deserve truth.

Summer's nightwind caressed my face.

I accepted this show of earthly tenderness,

of warm reassurance, but divined

no answer from the twinkling firmament

above. The stars just kept shining

with an irksome persistence.

Maybe I didn't deserve an answer.

Or maybe I wasn't approaching this

with enough reverence. So, instead

of looking up, I bowed my head

and looked within.

What is the most important thing?

I whispered so only I could hear. Then behind

my eyes, a blend of space and light emerged.

The whole universe opened up inside of me.

There was silence. There was peace.

The stars aligned.

And without making

a sound, they just kept shining.

-Marie Marchand

Calm Healing Meditation - Sleep Version

Julie Potiker — Sun, 23 Nov 2025 14:05:18 -0500

Sit back and sink into this healing meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with a reading of the poem, "Limitation", by Marie Marchand, from her book, "Mostly Sweet, Lovely, Human Things".This version ends with music allowing you to drift off into sleep.

Limitation, by Marie Marchand

"I closed my mouth and spoke to youin a hundred silent ways." - RUMIWords, although powerful and sometimes sacredare not the answer.This is hard for a poet to say.Words are sign posts, doorwaysto connection and the type of connectionthat reminds youof who you really are is usually found in silence.Language may accompany you to thatthreshold of inevitabilitybut then you must walk bravelypast the familiarity of forminto the negative space that awaits.Poets can bring you only so farbefore your imagination must take the wheelbefore your own soulmust drive to the shoreline alone wherethe only sounds are wavesand birds and the solaceof surrender.

-Marie Marchand

Calm Healing Meditation

Julie Potiker — Sun, 23 Nov 2025 14:03:28 -0500

Limitation, by Marie Marchand

-Marie Marchand

Peaceful Meditation - Sleep version

Julie Potiker — Fri, 07 Nov 2025 18:52:15 -0500

Julie Potiker leads you through this meditation centering on peace. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Staying True", by James Crews.This version ends with music allowing you to drift off into sleep.

Staying True

Though they've begun to shrink and shrivel, the echinaceas I saved from the killing frost last night still send out their honeyed scent, filling the whole room. And I think:Let me be that stubborn, that reckless with whatever time I have left, staying so true to myself, I keep trying to make this world a kinder, more beautiful place right up to my final breath.

—James Crews

Peaceful Meditation

Julie Potiker — Fri, 07 Nov 2025 18:51:42 -0500

Julie Potiker leads you through this meditation centering on peace. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Staying True", by James Crews.Staying True

—James Crews

Compassion Meditation - Sleep Version

Julie Potiker — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 12:59:00 -0400

Breath in compassion for yourself, for others, and the world around you through this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the mediation with the poem, "How to Stitch Together the World", by Marjorie Moorehead.

This version ends with music allowing you to drift off into sleep.

How To Stitch Together The Worldby Marjorie Moorehead, from her book, "Into the Thrum"When there are so many tears,what is my needle and thread?Maybe each word written downon the page is a stitch to fix a rip,or to salvage the coveringwhose material has worn thin,the cold now seeping in.Maybe words, laid down with care,perform a kind of repair, and, when shared,are joined with others' handiwork,our small mendings become strongerwith the merging.Our words not a cure, but a healing,allowing for possibility of health, wholeness,harmony. Maybe well-stitched words can bea song. Is there anything more beautifulthan the making of harmony?No matter carrying sadness, or joy,it is the carryingthat makes us strong.

-Marjorie Moorehead

Compassion Meditation

Julie Potiker — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 12:56:57 -0400

-Marjorie Moorehead

Goodness In and Out Meditation -Sleep Version

Julie Potiker — Mon, 29 Sep 2025 12:13:05 -0400

Breathe goodness in - and out - through this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Into the Thrum", by Marjorie Moorhead.This version ends with music allowing you to drift off into sleep.

Into the Thrum, by Marjorie MooreheadFinally, the forsythiais at full throttle froth.Yellow petals spanglingin large group celebration.Nearby, magnolia too,has decided to pop. It's timeto show up, and each tree isa handful of confetti-in-the-air.The crocuses have teased forthdaffodils to join them and tulip greens are hintingat days of color to come, when they'll bloomin pinks and purples and bring the hyacinths alongto prance in parade. Why not? The sun i strong,and after burning through morning fog, is outfor serious business all afternoon.Sunsets will be highlighted in cloud forms, dockinglike ships in the waning light, making them blushand glow, putting on quite a show, yet preludefor the exhibition of moon, and stars.Birds know. The geese have come back, squawking,joining cardinals, robins, and crows.With each venture out, I've capturedspring-tilled soil in my soles.Into the Thrum, by Marjorie Moorehead

Goodness In and Out Meditation

Julie Potiker — Mon, 29 Sep 2025 12:12:10 -0400

Breathe goodness in - and out - through this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Into the Thrum", by Marjorie Moorhead.

Lots of Silence - Breathing Meditation -Sleep Version

Julie Potiker — Sat, 06 Sep 2025 13:57:47 -0400

Like the number I pulled out from the take-your-turn dispenser at the DMV, Hope sits inside my pocket. It takes a seat in the green plastic chair, understanding there are other emotions ahead of it, each with their own urgency. Anxiety likes to hover near the counter,staring at the red flickering number on the wall, while Logic pretends to be in control, recalculating time as the now serving number grows. But Hope watches asintegers glows, notices how light shifts, ever so slightly, through each changing digit, and how zero radiates out from its inner hole. The way Hope shows up when we open to each other, asking, How can I help you today?-Hope Waits Its Turn, by Shawn Avenigo Sanders from her book of poems, "Pockets".

Lots of Silence - Breathing Meditation

Julie Potiker — Sat, 06 Sep 2025 13:41:05 -0400

Sit in stillness, in silence, as Julie Potiker leads you through this guided meditation She completes the meditation with the poem, "Hope Waits Its Turn", by Shawn Avenigo Sanders.Like the number I pulled out from the take-your-turn dispenser at the DMV, Hope sits inside my pocket. It takes a seat in the green plastic chair, understanding there are other emotions ahead of it, each with their own urgency. Anxiety likes to hover near the counter,staring at the red flickering number on the wall, while Logic pretends to be in control, recalculating time as the now serving number grows. But Hope watches asintegers glows, notices how light shifts, ever so slightly, through each changing digit, and how zero radiates out from its inner hole. The way Hope shows up when we open to each other, asking, How can I help you today?-Hope Waits Its Turn, by Shawn Avenigo Sanders from her book of poems, "Pockets".

Quiet Meditation - Sleep Version

Julie Potiker — Sat, 23 Aug 2025 21:52:36 -0400

Quiet the thoughts in your mind through this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with her poem, "Perseid Star Party".

This version ends with music allowing you to drift off into sleep.

Perseid Star Party, Julian, California, by Julie PotikerAm I in your way?No, it’s straight up in the sky, she said.But my spirit is huge, I say. No worries, the jacketed person replied,folded into her black canvas camping chair,I can see right through it.How did she know my spirit is translucent?Tower of Babel.I hear chips of Chinese, Spanish, Englishseeking the divine throughout space and time.Incredible telescopes - all different -hooked up to gizmos, red light doohickies. A community that does this - monthly or more…Us, first timers fearlessly wading intothe night sky. My down jacket zipped upto the neck, head tipped back in this camping chairto witness meteors streaking through the dark sky.Seeking Awe

-Perseid Star Party, Julian, California, by Julie Potiker

Quiet Meditation

Julie Potiker — Sat, 23 Aug 2025 21:48:27 -0400

Quiet the thoughts in your mind through this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with her poem, "Perseid Star Party".

-Perseid Star Party, Julian, California, by Julie Potiker

Compassionate Friend Guided Meditation -Sleep Version

Julie Potiker — Fri, 15 Aug 2025 17:39:20 -0400

Is there a friend you would like to visit...someone who is now gone? Someone you would like to have a conversation with? Julie Potiker guides you through this journey. She completes the meditation with her poem, "July Morning".This version ends with music allowing you to drift off into sleep.

July morning, by Julie PotikerThere’s a California wild rose bush in bright sun at the edge of the patio in Hailey, Idahowhere I sit in the shade of the house and sip my morning coffee

A silky smooth brown and beige 14 inch garter snake is sunning itself in the moistmulch under the leafy bush. His small beady eye is watching me watch himMorning coffee so different here than Southern CaliforniaThe air is teaming with flying creatures- tiny insects catching the light, and bees asbig as ping pong balls bopping in and out of the grass and shrubs.Only the Western Fly Catcher and Black capped Chickadee are tweeting,that’s another big change -in Cali there’s dozens of species of birds that create the morning symphony.Here, only a few layer their voices to the sound of the river flowing and the gentlebreeze whistling through the green coin leaves of the quacking Aspen trees.This is perfect, I think, different yet perfect, as a plump American Robin drops in tosay good morning, good morning, we do things bigger here in the mountains.

July Morning, by Julie Potiker

Compassionate Friend Guided Meditation

Julie Potiker — Fri, 15 Aug 2025 17:29:03 -0400

Is there a friend you would like to visit...someone who is now gone? Someone you would like to have a conversation with? Julie Potiker guides you through this journey. She completes the meditation with her poem, "July Morning".July morning, by Julie PotikerThere’s a California wild rose bush in bright sun at the edge of the patio in Hailey, Idahowhere I sit in the shade of the house and sip my morning coffee

July Morning, by Julie Potiker

Just What You Need Right Now Meditation -Sleep Version

Julie Potiker — Sun, 10 Aug 2025 15:22:45 -0400

Think about what you need in your life right now as you breathe into this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, "God Says Yes To Me", by Kaylin Haught.

God Says Yes To MeI asked God if it was okay to be melodramaticand she said yesI asked her if it was okay to be shortand she said it sure isI asked her if I could wear nail polishor not wear nail polishand she said honeyshe calls me that sometimesshe said you can do just exactlywhat you want toThanks God I saidAnd is it even okay if I don't paragraphmy lettersSweetcakes God saidwho knows where she picked that upwhat I'm telling you isYes Yes Yes

-Kaylin Haught

Just What You Need Right Now Meditation

Julie Potiker — Sun, 10 Aug 2025 15:20:53 -0400

Think about what you need in your life right now as you breathe into this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, "God Says Yes To Me", by Kaylin Haught.

-Kaylin Haught

Loving Kindess - Sun Meditation _Sleep Version

Julie Potiker — Wed, 06 Aug 2025 15:04:31 -0400

Close your eyes and imagine the warm rays of the sun embracing you as you melt into this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, "The Sun", by Mary Oliver.

"The Sun", by Mary Oliver.Have you ever seenanythingin your lifemore wonderfulthan the way the sun,every evening,relaxed and easy,floats toward the horizonand into the clouds or the hills,or the rumpled sea,and is gone -and how it slides againout of the blackness,every morning,on the other side of the world,like a red flowerstreaming upward on its heavenly oils,say, on a morning in early summer,at its perfect imperial distance -and have you ever felt for anythingsuch wild love -do you think there is anywhere, in anylanguage,a word billowing enoughfor the pleasurethat it fills you,as the sunreaches out,as it warms youas you stand there,empty-handed -or have you tooturned from this world -or have you toogone crazyfor power,for things?-Mary OliverFind 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 on iTunes, iHeart, Blubrry and everywhere you listen to podcasts.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 on iTunes, iHeart, Blubrry and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Loving Kindness - Sun Meditation

Julie Potiker — Wed, 06 Aug 2025 14:59:45 -0400

Close your eyes and imagine the warm rays of the sun embracing you as you melt into this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, "The Sun", by Mary Oliver.

Soft Medicine - Sleep Version

Julie Potiker — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 13:26:27 -0400

Soft Medicine, by James CrewsSoft medicine is what I need today—summer sun filtered by a lemon treeand cedar chips cushioning each stepacross the rocky yard. I need wool socksand a hoodie zipped up to my chinin spite of the heat. I need the reliefof dandelion tea wrapping a gauzeof steam around my hands wrappedaround the warm mug. With each sip,let me find the kind of peace we makeourselves these days—let me see your faceand not look up at the kitchen clock,counting down the minutes and secondswe might have left together.

—James Crews

Soft Medicine Guided Meditation

Julie Potiker — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 13:17:24 -0400

Think of a word or phrase that you find soothing - as you listen to this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Soft Medicine", by James Crews.Soft Medicine, by James CrewsSoft medicine is what I need today—summer sun filtered by a lemon treeand cedar chips cushioning each stepacross the rocky yard. I need wool socksand a hoodie zipped up to my chinin spite of the heat. I need the reliefof dandelion tea wrapping a gauzeof steam around my hands wrappedaround the warm mug. With each sip,let me find the kind of peace we makeourselves these days—let me see your faceand not look up at the kitchen clock,counting down the minutes and secondswe might have left together.

—James Crews

Compassionate Breathing Guided Meditation - Sleep Version

Julie Potiker — Sat, 26 Jul 2025 14:01:33 -0400

Julie Potiker leads you through this guided meditation focused on compassion. She completes the meditation with the poem, "In a Friend's Garden", by James Crews.This meditation ends with music allowing you to drift off into sleep.

In a Friend's Garden, by James Crews"I want to be here to seethe poppies open," my friend says,telling me why she never travelsanymore in the middle of summer.We each hold one of the heavy budswhose petals already ache to breakfree and spread, bursting red at the seams.The mulch is warm beneath our feet,and sunlight shimmers pink in thesifting leaves of the Japanese maple.I keep hearing her words - I wantto be here - and feel something newleaning toward the light inside me too,some seed of need just to be rootedright where I am for each small pleasure,every rippling wave of sorrow.She wraps an arm around me, and wego inside for tea. There is nothingto escape from, but our own desireto escape at all.-James Crews

Compassionate Breathing Guided Meditation

Julie Potiker — Sat, 26 Jul 2025 13:59:07 -0400

Julie Potiker leads you through this guided meditation focused on compassion. She completes the meditation with the poem, "In a Friend's Garden", by James Crews.

Calming Meditation -Sleep Version

Julie Potiker — Fri, 11 Jul 2025 13:11:48 -0400

Breathe in as you relax into this calming meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with her poem, "Whispers of a Fifth Force".

This meditation ends with music allowing you to drift off into sleep.

Whispers of a Fifth Force, by Julie PotikerIn Idaho’s early morning hush,I settle into the Adirondack chair by the fire pit,fast running river less than a pickle-ball court away,my slippered feet rest on the cool back of a boulder,smooth and steady beneath me.Above, the Aspen leaves shimmer—green coins rustling their soft applausein the mountain breeze.A plump American Robin bounces a spindly branch nearby. Gravity holds me gently,as it always has,the known forces humming their familiar song:electromagnetism weaving light across the sky,strong and weak nuclear threads binding the world within. Resting my head on the chair, I contemplate Far beyond this stillness,Bennu drifts—its ancient body charting paths we can measure,paths we can question.Physicists tilt their heads,listening for the quiet slip of anomaly,searching for a fifth force hidden in the mathematics. So far, Bennu holds its silence.But Apophis approaches—another messenger tumbling closer,another chance to findwhat might have always been there. Since the 1980s they have wondered—Could it be anti-gravity?Could it be quintessence?A hidden thread explaining dark energy, or light dark mattera secret folded into the fabricof everything we thought we knew. I breathe in the pine-sweet air,feel the steady earth beneath my feet,The cool breeze gently touches my face—and in the rustling leaves above,the universe whispers:there may yet be more.

-Julie Potiker

Calming Meditation - Guided Meditation

Julie Potiker — Fri, 11 Jul 2025 13:04:00 -0400

Breathe in as you relax into this calming meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with her poem, "Whispers of a Fifth Force".

Whispers of a Fifth Force, by Julie Potiker

In Idaho’s early morning hush,

I settle into the Adirondack chair by the fire pit,

fast running river less than a pickle-ball court away,

my slippered feet rest on the cool back of a boulder,

smooth and steady beneath me.

Above, the Aspen leaves shimmer—

green coins rustling their soft applause

in the mountain breeze.

A plump American Robin bounces a spindly branch nearby.

Gravity holds me gently,

as it always has,

the known forces humming their familiar song:

electromagnetism weaving light across the sky,

strong and weak nuclear threads binding the world within.

Resting my head on the chair, I contemplate

Far beyond this stillness,

Bennu drifts—

its ancient body charting paths we can measure,

paths we can question.

Physicists tilt their heads,

listening for the quiet slip of anomaly,

searching for a fifth force hidden in the mathematics.

So far, Bennu holds its silence.

But Apophis approaches—

another messenger tumbling closer,

another chance to find

what might have always been there.

Since the 1980s they have wondered—

Could it be anti-gravity?

Could it be quintessence?

A hidden thread explaining dark energy, or light dark matter

a secret folded into the fabric

of everything we thought we knew.

I breathe in the pine-sweet air,

feel the steady earth beneath my feet,

The cool breeze gently touches my face—

and in the rustling leaves above,

the universe whispers:

there may yet be more.

Simple Compassion - Sleep Version

Julie Potiker — Fri, 27 Jun 2025 13:36:00 -0400

Use your breath to breathe in compassion for yourself and others through this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, "The Guest House", by Rumi.

This meditation ends with music allowing you to drift off into sleep.

The Guest House This being human is a guest house. Every morning a new arrival. A joy, a depression, a meanness, Some momentary awareness comes As an unexpected visitor. Welcome and entertain them all! Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows, Who violently Weep your house Empty of its furniture, Still, treat each guest honorably. He may be clearing you out For some new delight. The dark thought, the shame, the malice, Meet them at the door laughing, And invite them in. Be grateful for whoever comes, Because each has been set As a guide from beyond. -Rumi

Simple Compassion

Julie Potiker — Fri, 27 Jun 2025 13:25:00 -0400

Use your breath to breathe compassion for yourself and others through this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, "The Guest House", by Rumi.

Follow Julie on YouTube and Facebook at Mindful Methods for Life.comThis podcast is available on iTunes, iHeart, Blubrry and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Just What You Need Meditation - Sleep Version

Julie Potiker — Wed, 25 Jun 2025 17:02:00 -0400

This meditation may be just what you need right now. Julie Potiker completes this guided meditation with her poem, "Sunday Morning June 1, 2025".This meditation ends with music allowing you to drift off into sleep.

Sunday Morning June 1, 2025, by Julie Potiker

Stretched out on the thick grey sofa cushion,the courtyard still cool with early light.Above me, the carob treeleans in—its green leaves filtering the sun,green pods long and thick,not yet brown or curled with time.Before me,a swath of pale blue Texas rangershimmers like sky.Tucked above and below,magenta moss rose spills in bright whispers.Closer to the ground,white dog rose lifts its face,next to the flame of alstroemeria—orange petals flared with red,as if the morning is speaking in color.In another bed,tiny prairie flea-banemends the spaces betweenhybrid tea roses—their soft blush in peach and pinkrising like a slow breath.California tree poppy—floppy, wild—leans toward the bold crimson bottle-brush.The soundtrack, a bird symphony.The rhythmic coo of the mourning dove.The grosbeak’s steel tapping.The sparrow and finch melodies,warbler, towhee, woodpecker—each voice layered into the morninglike a choir without need for harmony.Allen’s hummingbird stitchesbetween sage vine and air,a flash, then absence.I stay still.Let the morning hold me.Let the petals, birdsong, feathers, the lightbe enough.This is the benediction I needed.

-Julie PotikerFind 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 on iTunes, iHeart, Blubrry and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Just What You Need Meditation

Julie Potiker — Wed, 25 Jun 2025 17:00:00 -0400

This meditation may be just what you need right now. Julie Potiker completes this guided meditation with her poem, "Sunday Morning June 1, 2025".

Sunday Morning June 1, 2025, by Julie Potiker

Loving Kindness Guided Meditation -Sleep Version

Julie Potiker — Sun, 22 Jun 2025 18:50:00 -0400

Breath in loving kindness for yourself, and out for others through this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with her poem, "Going Gently Looks Like".

This meditation ends with music allowing you to drift off into sleep.

“Going gently looks like” (prompt from Julia Fehrenbacher)

This rounded cane chair, my body nestled in cozy fleece, the breeze kissing my thighs, knees, shins, and ankles.

Black-headed Grosbeak trilling like a Song Sparrow

Cobweb threads fluttering from the body of the cracked wooden shorebird to its black wire legs

Western Backyard Birds pocket guide dusty atop the Cornell Lab of Ornithology field guide book, on the weathered cement side table.

Going gently is me on my second cup of coffee in a mug that says, fill this cup with joy, given to me by a place where I feel belonging and connection.

A Cedar Waxwing is here, a Sparrow, the Grosbeak, the wind, and me, going gently.

~Julie Potiker

Loving Kindness Guided Meditation

Julie Potiker — Sun, 22 Jun 2025 18:46:00 -0400

Breathe in loving kindness for yourself, as you breathe out for others through this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with her poem, "Going Gently Looks Like".

“Going gently looks like” (prompt from Julia Fehrenbacher)

This rounded cane chair, my body nestled in cozy fleece, the breeze kissing my thighs, knees, shins, and ankles.

Black-headed Grosbeak trilling like a Song Sparrow

Cobweb threads fluttering from the body of the cracked wooden shorebird to its black wire legs

Western Backyard Birds pocket guide dusty atop the Cornell Lab of Ornithology field guide book, on the weathered cement side table.

Going gently is me on my second cup of coffee in a mug that says, fill this cup with joy, given to me by a place where I feel belonging and connection.

A Cedar Waxwing is here, a Sparrow, the Grosbeak, the wind, and me, going gently.

~Julie Potiker

What You Need Today Guided Meditation -Sleep Version

Julie Potiker — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 14:06:49 -0400

Julie Potiker lead you through this guided meditation focusing on what you need right now. She completes the meditation with the poem, "How to Love Yourself", by James Crews.

This meditation ends with the poem so you can drift off to sleep at the end.

How to Love YourselfSit by the open window as long as you can,listening as rain taps out its own rhythmon the canopies of trees at last gone to green.Feel how that music seeps into youas each new droplet sinks into soil,touching earthworm and root, feedingall the small things we cannot see.This solitude is food for you too,the kind of love you give yourselfas you would a guest in your home.Ask: what do you need, how can I help,the way rain offers itself to the world,polishing each stone and leaf, beforedropping down into the grateful ground.—James Crews

What You Need Today Guided Meditation

Julie Potiker — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 14:02:00 -0400

Julie Potiker lead you through this guided meditation focusing on what you need right now. She completes the meditation with the poem, "How to Love Yourself", by James Crews.

Today's Medicine Meditation - Sleep Version

Julie Potiker — Fri, 30 May 2025 13:11:15 -0400

This meditation led by Julie Potiker might be just what you need today. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Imaginal Cells", by James Crews.

(This version ends with music so you can drift off into sleep.)

Imaginal Cells, by James CrewsLike caterpillars born with imaginal cellsthat know how to become a thing with wings, we too carry a dream inside ourselvesof a different, better world. There will bestruggle, yes, as we claw our way out ofa chrysalis that can no longer keep us trapped,as we give the heart room to breathe, spaceto seek the nectar of flowers, and the nectarof mud and dung alike, feeding on darknesswhen darkness is all there is. If we canimagine a body that breaks free of its owncontainer, if we can envision a place whereeveryone feels safe and welcome, then we canbecome anything. Perhaps it beginswith a small yes stirring in a cluster of cells,and the trust that this—whatever this might beis never the end of the story.

-James Crews

Today's Medicine Meditation

Julie Potiker — Fri, 30 May 2025 13:03:00 -0400

This meditation led by Julie Potiker might be just what you need today. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Imaginal Cells", by James Crews.

-James Crews

Peaceful Guided Meditation

Julie Potiker — Sat, 17 May 2025 13:04:47 -0400

Breath in peace for yourself - as you breath out peace for others through this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Light Show", by James Crews.

"Light Show", by James Crews.Before supper, I called upstairs to him:Come see the light show. And withouta moment’s hesitation, he rushed downto the basement to stand next to meon the other side of a pool of sunstretching from the one small windowin the door across the concrete floor.We watched in silence as light movedthrough the leaves of the cherry tree,mingling with shadows, rippling andshifting like the mind when you goquiet enough to isolate each thought—ever-changing, not made of anythingyou can touch. We stood captivatedby that puddle of late light, whichseemed to ask: When was the last timeyou dropped everything and danced?-James Crews

Healing Breath Guided Meditation

Julie Potiker — Sun, 04 May 2025 14:57:13 -0400

Relax and breathe along with Julie Potiker as she leads you through this healing breath meditation. She completes the meditation with her poem, "In the Habitable Zone".In the Habitable Zone, by Julie PotikerI let the thought settle—dew on my skin—120 light years from my morning coffee,a world, more than eight times biggerthan Earth, orbits a red dwarf star.Spinning steadily in what scientists callthe habitable zone.It could be a Hycean world, coveredin water so deep it forgets land.And maybe, just maybe, tiny beingsfloat there like Earth planktonreleasing dimethyl sulfide intoan atmosphere the stirs with methane,each molecule , a question flung towardus by the James Webb’s patient lens.Science says: 99.7 percent confidence.Still, let’s be careful. There are otherpaths that mimic life. But I want to exhalewonder. Let awe arise like phytoplanktonbasking in the sun. If the universe speaksin more than one place how can we notlisten with our whole hearts. Maybe, justmaybe, we are not aloneafter all.

-In the Habitable Zone, by Julie Potiker.

Breathing In What You Need Meditation

Julie Potiker — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 11:58:31 -0400

Use your breath to focus on what you need right now - through this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with her poem, "11 minutes".

11 minutes, by Julie PotikerThe Karmine Line, invisible.But real enough to draw a boundarybetween us and what's beyond.At 62 miles the air gives up its gripand Blue Origin, that sleek silver wish,carries six women through suborbital space into weightlessness.

11 minutes, a life can turn inside that.

11 minutes, enough to change how the soul spells home.

And when they landed they brought space back in their eyes.I watched video of them landinghow they must have looked at the trees, the grass,and each other differentlyas if the whole world had shifted just slightly toward kindness.I wish I could go, feel the silence, see the curve of the earth with my own eyes.But that journey isn't mine.Not this lifetime.Instead, I breathe into the knowing.We are made of stardust,bones, breath, memory already part of the vastness, already connected to everything.Space isn't only up there.It lives in here.-Julie Potiker

Classic Metta Meditation

Julie Potiker — Sun, 27 Apr 2025 13:54:41 -0400

Join Julie Potiker as she leads you through this Classic Metta Meditation. She completes the meditation with her poem, "March on Meadowbrook Road".

March, on Meadowbrook Road, by Julie Potiker.

Down the way from the old Triumph mine, Narrow-leaf Willow, a rust-colored and wild, leans into the breeze.

Rubber Rabbit-brush waits in stillness, not yet yellow - there's room here forwhat takes time. Basin Wild Rye a parchment scrap from last year's book, whispers its end in a papery rush.

Between patches of snow, soft ground starts to look like something breathing.My boots sink low - just enough to remind me there's life below, waiting to rise, quiet as roots, steady and slow, without need for applause.

Chickadees gossip - Black-capped, mountain, in stereo tones stitched through the trees, voices bright. A Northern Flicker taps at Aspens, bare as bones. Does it know the language that flows beneath this frost? Roots that spill messages deep, a network unseen holding hands in sleep.

And I stand there, Stetson tipped just right, letting the sun do what it does best - warm my cheek. It says: you're here and so is spring.And that's enough. More than enough, I think.

-Julie Potiker

Compassionate Hearts-Minds Meditation

Julie Potiker — Tue, 22 Apr 2025 20:01:05 -0400

Find compassion for yourself and those around you through this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, "The Return of Hearts and Minds", by James Crews.

The Return of Hearts and Minds, by James CrewsI wake before dawn this morningto live inside the quiet, to feaston the dark bread of the possible.The house breathes on its own, thoughno footsteps stamp the floor above,no doors slam shut, and nothingstirs outside except for the maskedraccoon, hungry eyes glowing green.I know who I am in these small hours,and watch for signs that daylight isfinally coming, spreading like a blueink that brightens the sky instead ofdarkening it. This early, I imaginethe hearts and minds of everyonewho gave them up the day before,tossed out as easy as paper crumpledon the floor, suddenly returned to them,compassion flowing into each of uslike an IV drip, like fresh light meetingour eyes with the chance to begin again.—James CrewsFind 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 on iTunes, iHeart, Blubrry and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Waves of Compassion Meditation

Julie Potiker — Tue, 01 Apr 2025 21:37:09 -0400

Relax into this meditation -- as you breathe in compassion. Julie Potiker completes the meditation with her poem, "Joy has Four Legs and Doesn't Ask for Permission".Joy has Four Legs and Doesn’t Ask for Permission, by Julie PotikerNo one told them about warsor the price of eggs.Mutts and pure breeds of every flavorrun without hesitation,as if the world has always been this open,this forgiving.Wellington leaps and sprints with every dog chasing a ballMadeline rolls her old bones in the wet sand.One black lab charges the waves with a Frisbee in his mouth,another digs fiercely – sand flying above his head -both entirely certain of their purpose.Just now. Just wind. Just sand and saltand the miracle of tails wagging.Nothing in them resists the day.The heaviness in my chest loosens,This is how healing looks—wild, sandy, and grinning.

-Julie Potiker

Prayer for Yourself and The World

Julie Potiker — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 13:01:06 -0400

In this guided meditation you will focus on peace, love, and compassion. Julie Potiker competes her meditation with the poem, Prayer, by James Crews.

"Prayer", by James CrewsI ask for just the slightest shiftin my thinking, the kindest siftingof my busy mind so only wonderand peace are left behind. So thatas I walk in sleet on this spring morningI can see even these muddy rutsmade by careless trucks on the forest trailas harbors of miracle, knowing they willfill with enough snow melt and rainfor tadpoles to swim in come summer,until that sunlit instant when they feelthe flexing of legs in the water beneath them,and leap out onto the ground, their bodieshaving decided, by instinct alone, to besoft and alive in this world.-Prayer, by James Crews.

Seeds of Compassion Guided Meditation

Julie Potiker — Mon, 24 Mar 2025 14:29:22 -0400

Relax into this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Sunflower", by James Crews.

Sunflower, by James Crews

"Joy is not made to be a crumb."Mary Oliver once wrote, but isn't thathow it often shows up at first? One crumbof attention, then another, and anotheruntil you're able to follow the trailleading to the volunteer sunfloweryou hadn't noticed blooming by the garden."Volunteer," we say, meaning no humanhand nestled that seed in the ground,though the same could be said of joy too,which seems to spring up out of nowherewhen you see the face of the flowerthe French call tournesol, meaning"turned toward the sun." And don't weeach carry a small sun in our cheststhat tells us where to turn, where it's warm,where something bright has struggled upout of the earth, and is now calling our name?

-Sunflower, by James Crews.

Breathe - Guided Meditation

Julie Potiker — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 14:40:48 -0400

Using your breathe ease into this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with a reading of the poem, "Awe", by James Crews.

AweIt's a shiver that climbs the trellisof the spine each tingle a brightwhite morning glory bursting into blossombeneath the skin. It can happen anywhere,anytime, even finding a sleeve of iceworn by a branch all morning, now fallenon a bed of snow. You can choose to pause,pick it up, hold that cold thing in your handor not. Few tell us that wonder and aweare decisions we make daily, hourlyminute by minute in the tiny officesof the heart, tilting the head to look upat every tree turned into a chandelierby light striking ice in just the right way.-Awe, by James Crews

Just What You Need - Guided Meditation

Julie Potiker — Mon, 03 Mar 2025 16:54:07 -0500

This guided meditation may be just what you need today. Julie Potiker completes the meditation with the poem, "The Most Important Thing", by Julia Fehrenbacher.

The Most Important Thing, by Julia Fehrenbacher

I am making a home inside myself. A shelterof kindness where everythingis forgiven, everything allowed—a quiet patchof sunlight to stretch out without hurry,where all that has been banishedand buried is welcomed, spoken, listened to—released.A fiercely friendly place I can claim as my very own.I am throwing arms opento the whole of myself—especially the fearful,fault-finding, falling apart, unfinished parts, knowingevery seed and weed, every dropof rain, has made the soil richer.I will light a candle, pour a hot cup of tea, gatheraround the warmth of my own blazing fire. I will howlif I want to, knowing this flame can burn throughany perceived problem, any prescribed perfectionism,any lying limitation, every heavy thing.I am making a home inside myselfwhere grace blooms in grand and gloriousabundance, a shelter of kindness that growsall the truest things.I whisper hallelujah to the friendlysky. Watch now as I burst into blossom.

-The Most Important Thing, by Julia Fehrenbacher

Classic Loving Kindness Guided Meditation

Julie Potiker — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 20:18:01 -0500

Julie Potiker leads you in this classic loving kindness meditation focusing on the words - may you be safe, may you be happy, may you be healthy, and may you live you life with ease. She completes the meditation with her poem, "New"."New", by Julie PotikerBundle swaddled snugglysleeps soundlyeyes half moonsdelicate rose lipsupturned dough of noseMiniature handsslender fingersgossamer nailsI will love you forever escapes my lipscoming from a soft place, ancestral place, dropped in and breathed through my heart.At that moment, I feel the truth of it, the threshold created by my first grandchild that I gratefully glide across-this sacred bond, a link in the chain traveling back in time and forward forever.-New, by Julie Potiker.

Goodness Meditation

Julie Potiker — Sat, 22 Feb 2025 15:00:15 -0500

This guided meditation led by Julie Potiker focuses on goodness - as you breathe in and out. She completes the meditation with her poem, "February 11th, 2025".February 11th, 2025, by Julie Potiker.Rain is coming, there’s a damp chill as I zip my down jacket, tuck my slippered feet under me in my favorite listening chair under the eaves.Bewick Wrens, tail up, are chirping and trilling in the green leafy branches of the carob trees. When one drops down onto the bricks, I get a close look of his plump little body. I’d love to hold him in my upturned palm.Orange Crowned Warbler gives me the same maternal pang. I’m watching a small one flick leaves off the branches, hearing the thwack as leaf hits bricks.Song Sparrow and House Finch are close - perhaps in the trees near the empty feeders. I’ve paused their food on the recommendation of experts to minimize the risk of bird flu. The white plastic seed container with the twist on lid sits untouched on the stone counter, surrounded by a dozen Mexican limes that let go from the tree above.Spotted Towhee takes over the airwaves as it begins to drizzle. It’s a sound unmistakably his, a sort of twisted croak/trill.Coffee cold now, I duck inside for a fresh hot brew.-February 11, 2025, by Julie Potiker

Classic Loving Kindness Meditation

Julie Potiker — Sat, 08 Feb 2025 21:21:23 -0500

In this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker you will focus on a being who brings you joy - and then move into classic loving kindness phrases. She completes her meditation with the poem, "Dream Life", by Billy Collins.

Dream Life, by Billy CollinsWhenever I have a dream about Poetry,which is not very oftenconsidering how much I think about her,she appears as a seamstresswho works in the window of a tailor's shopin a section of a provincial cityladen with a grey and heavy sky.I know the place so wellI could find the dimly lit shopwithout asking anyone for directions,though the streets are mostly empty,except when I saw a solitary manlooking in the window of a butcher's,his hands in the pockets of his raincoat.Poetry works long hoursand rarely speaks to the tailoras she bends to repair the fancy costumesof various allegorical figureswho were told by Thrift how little she charges.Maybe the ermine collar on the robeof Excess has come looseor a rip in the gown of Abandonneeds mending, and no questionswill be asked about how that came to pass.A little bell over the door ringswhenever a customer enters or leaves,but Poetry is too busy thinking about her childrenas she replaces a gold button on the blazer of Pride.Dream Life, by Billy Collins, from his book of poems; The Rain in Portugal.

Just Love Guided Meditation

Julie Potiker — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 13:31:00 -0500

Focus on giving love to yourself and others as you follow this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Listening", by Julie Barton.Listening, by Julie BartonI rebuilt my ancestral altar. Two nights later, two great-horned owls stood near my front door.I knew they were my grandparents wholingered. They said in the next morning’s meditation, Where we are,masculine and feminine don’t exist. (I heard it like an apology.) We’re all just energy here. (I heard: We had it so wrong.)It’s just love.I replied, That’s what the trees say too.I inhaled with my still warm body, asked for guidance. Let go, they said. Keep going. Write with your eyes closed.

-Listening, by Julie Barton (from, Out With Lanterns, a daily poetry practice).

Mostly Quiet Guided Meditation

Julie Potiker — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 15:03:03 -0500

Find peace and connection through this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Community", by James Crews.Community, by James CrewsScience now tells uswhat we have knownsince the beginning:you and I are made of light.And if atoms can be birthed by long-gone starswhose signatures we stilltrace in every night sky,and if these atoms cancome together to formsomething as complexand compassionateas a human being, thenmaybe we too canjoin hands, make somenew and sacred thingthat will save us all.

-Community, by James Crews

Goodness Meditation - Holy Stop

Julie Potiker — Mon, 27 Jan 2025 17:27:05 -0500

Goodness - is the focus of this guided meditation. What is it you need to hear to make you feel good? Julie Potiker completes the meditation with a reading of her poem, "Holy Stop".

Holy Stop, by Julie Potiker

A little after 2pmI exit the 5-south freeway at Loma Santa Fe.At the traffic light, two women with bright green vestsCROSSING GUARD in tall black letters.Outstretched armgrasping pole with big red stop signhats with brimssunglasses shielding eyesfrom the California sun.A precious jobA vital taskshepherding school children.Three vest clad women, one vest clad mana Santa Claus beardPerhaps a grandpa.Or merely a good neighbor.A generous offering.A lovely way totake good care of children.These are the things we can do in this messy lifewhere nature wreaks havoc24-hour news cycle shaking you for attention.It might be standing on a street corner,shielding your eyes from the sun,holding a stop sign.Holy, stop, perfect.

-Holy Stop, by Julie Potiker.

Goodness Meditation - You Matter

Julie Potiker — Sat, 18 Jan 2025 12:50:31 -0500

Breathe in goodness...for yourself...and others through this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, "You Matter", by James Crews.You Matter, by James Crews

All we can do in times like theseis offer things to say to others:You matter to me. The Mason jarof chicken soup given to a neighbor,or the clay mug shaped by the handsof a friend, with a dog and goldfinchpainted on the side - how it arrivedin the mail unbroken. A phone call out of the blue, or message that says:Thinking of you. Let's wrap each otherin gestures so true, no one ever doubtshow much they belong, no one everquestions whether or not to stay.-You Matter, 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, 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 on iTunes, iHeart, Blubrry and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

New Year Meditation

Julie Potiker — Tue, 07 Jan 2025 13:39:00 -0500

Find your center as you move into the New Year with this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Life and Death", by Mary F. Lenox.

Life and Death, by Mary F. Lenox On the day of our birth, We begin our journey toward deathNeedless to say,Every living being on this planet today will not be here in 120 years.That’s twelve decades from now Most will be gone soonerI certainly willSo, what does that mean? Time matters!Each day is a gift from the divineThe cells of the body are in continuous cycles of hello and goodbyePeople come and go in our livesThe world we inhabit is changing before our very eyesIf I live 20 more years, I will be approaching my 100th birthdayI know not the day or hourWhen I will leave this earthly planeNor do othersThe answer is clear to meLoveNow!Celebrate life Now!Smile at trees, birds, and the seaNow!Love beautyNow!Love MusicNow!Let go of anything that does enhance my lifeNow!Speak the truth with an open heartNow!Honor, respect, and care for my body, mind, spirit, emotionsNow!Be gratefulNow!Respect all lifeNow!Love me, and youNow!Love GodNow!Life and Death by Mary F. Lenox(San Diego, CA)

Note from poet Mary Lenox.This poem is significant to me since my sister, Doris Washington, passed away on Sunday, December 29, 2024. She was 86 years. Doris and I talked on Saturday, and my other sister, Trueannie Oaddams, talked with Doris on Sunday morning as they did every day for 20 years. Soon thereafter, Doris left this world, sitting in her favorite chair. Please keep me and my beloved family in your prayers.Thank you!-Mary

Soft Front Meditation

Julie Potiker — Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:00:00 -0500

Join Julie Potiker as she guides you through this meditation focusing on what it is you need - for yourself. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Try Softer", by James Crews.

"Try Softer", by James CrewsHonor wherever you arewhether the door to your lifehas blown off its hinges,or you find the simplest joysitting in a patch of winter sunon that corner of the carpetwhere you love to stretch.Try softer, not harder—giving yourself a safe placeto land your attention, restingin this threshold momentthrough which wind, snowand light all enter alike.—James CrewsFind 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 on iTunes, iHeart, Blubrry and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Hanukkah Candle Guided Meditation

Julie Potiker — Fri, 27 Dec 2024 13:18:00 -0500

Breathe in and visualize a Hanukkah candle - lit with love, glowing. Julie Potiker completes the meditation with the poem, "The Back of Our Hands", by Annette Friend.

"The Back of Our Hands," by Annette Friend.My nephew's afternoon wedding in upgradedJersey City - a rose covered Chuppah overlooksthe sun-speckled Hudson River, the jagged NYC skyline.My granddaughter, six, sits on my lap,in a flowered pink dress, beige patent leathershoes with tiny bows, softly touches the backof my hand, traces brown liver spots, blue veins,red splotches of skin damaged by too much sun,baby oil slathered teenage skin at the Jersey Shore.Her pure, pink skin, unblemished, smoothas rose petals, in stark contrast to my time splatteredcovering. She maps the spots up and down my armas if trying to decipher clues about my life."What happened her?" she whispers,points to a thin white scar on my thumb."Cut myself with a knife making latkes.I'll be more careful when I come to visit,and we make latkes for Hanukkah."Her pearly fingertips mark up my saggy arm,"Your skin is squishy like Jello, Granny A."I laugh, she giggles snuggling against me.Does it matter if my skin tells tales of timepassing when she's here with me in the sunshinesmiling on this happy, sparkling day?We watch the bride and groom paradeback down the aisle to applause, the groomhas finally smashed the glass after five tries.All Jewish celebrations are tinged with ancientadversity, the broken glass, some say, a reminderof the Temple we lost thousands of years agoWhen I was young these customsmade me shrug my shoulders, annoyed, we Jewscan never just kick up our heels, relax and enjoy.Now my skin proclaims me an old relic as I watchfresh young lives around me begin to bloom, I realizestories of the past show us our strength, the beautyand pain all of our history contains, the pastentwined in all the moments that we are alive,part of a tradition that teaches us how to survive.In this moment, the past, the present, the youngand the old, the sun sets, yet rises, on a new marriage,and our two hands, my granddaughters and mine,side by side woven in gold."The Back of Our Hands," by Annette Friend.

What You Need - Guided Meditation

Julie Potiker — Sun, 22 Dec 2024 13:40:00 -0500

In this guided meditation, led by Julie Potiker you will be focusing on your gifts and what it is you need right now. She completes the meditation with the poem, "At the Market", by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer.

"At The Market", by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer

Now when I walk through the marketI think of how someone else herebeside the stir-fry cart and the tie-dye tenthas just lost a belovedand is hiding tears behind sunglasses.Not knowing who they are,I try to treat everyone with kindness.Meanwhile the day is beautifulfor everyone, no matter how whole,how broken our hearts. It gathers us allin a grand blue embrace.I stroll through the gift of a Fridaymorning surrounded by arugulaand strawberries, muffins, lilies,and all these other fragile hearts,all of us saying Excuse me, Good morning,How are you, It's nice to see you today.

-At The Market, by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer(from "The Unfolding poems").

Gifting Yourself and Others

Julie Potiker — Thu, 12 Dec 2024 15:18:19 -0500

What would be most helpful for you to hear right now. Is it hope, healing, peace? Julie Potiker guides you through this meditation and finishes with her poem, "Considering Poetry".Considering Poetry, by Julie PotikerNo furrowing of browsNor squinting of earsI like the message to ripple on clear fresh waterPerhaps a river streamFlowing over stones smoothed by the agesPerhaps more rhythmicallyDynamicallyThe pull of the moonStacking up the seaAs it breathes in and outIn and outNever endingCreating the sandDrenching it with giftsEnduring through time

-Julie Potiker

What Do I Need to Hear - Guided Meditation

Julie Potiker — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 13:35:36 -0500

Right now, in this moment, what is it you need to hear? Julie Potiker helps you focus on that question through this guided meditation. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Reciting Poems to Each Other in a Difficult Time", by Rosemerry Wahtola TrommerReciting Poems to Each Other in a Difficult Time, by Rosemerry Wahtola TrommerIt might have looked as if we stayedin our respective squares—nine separate rooms made of pixels—but for an hour the poems we shared leapedthrough the screen and into our bloodstreamuntil all our lines were gloriously blurredand our wounds were gently tendedby the medicine of Berry’s day-blind starsand Wellwood’s ferocious dance of no hope,Hopkins’s shining from shook foiland Roethke’s wondering Which I is I?In another time, there would have beena fire at the center. Someone would play a drum.But in this time, I felt it inside me, the fire,as poems blazed to meet the great cold.I felt it inside me, the human drum,that reminds me the heart beatsnot for itself, but the world.For an hour we spooned each otherthe honey of poetry. Alone now,I still taste it, unfiltered and raw,this astonishing sweetness on my lips,this salt of lyric communion,still feel the warmth of that blaze,the spark still dazzling in the dark.–Rosemerry Wahtola Trommerfrom A Hundred Falling Veils

Gratitude and Thankfulness Meditation

Julie Potiker — Wed, 04 Dec 2024 13:34:25 -0500

Enter the holiday season and finish the year with gratitude and thankfulness - for those who helped you throughout your life. Who has helped you become the person you are today? Breathe in acknowledgment of their contribution to your life's journey - breathe out thankfulness. Julie Potiker completes her meditation with the poem, "Thank You", by Ross Gay.

Thank You, by Ross Gay.If you find yourself half nakedand barefoot in the frosty grass, hearing,again, the earth's great, sonorous moan that saysyou are the air of the now and gone, that saysall you love will turn to dust,and will meet you there, do notraise your fist. Do not raiseyour small voice against it. And do nottake cover. Instead, curl your toesinto the grass, watch the cloudascending from your lips. Walkthrough the garden's dormant splendor.Say only, thank you.Thank you.-Thank You, by Ross Gay

Open Heart Meditation

Julie Potiker — Sat, 23 Nov 2024 12:21:35 -0500

Open your heart to compassion through this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with a reading of the poem, "So I Can't Save the World", by —Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer"So I Can't Save the World", by —Rosemerry Wahtola TrommerSo I can’t save the world—can’t save even myself,can’t wrap my arms aroundevery frightened child, can’tfoster peace among nations,can’t bring love to all whofeel unlovable.So I practice opening my heartright here in this room and being gentlewith my insufficiency. I practicewalking down the street heart first.And if it is insufficient to share love,I will practice loving anyway.I want to converse about truth,about trust. I want to invite compassioninto every interaction.One willing heart can’t stop a war.One willing heart can’t feed all the hungry.And sometimes, daunted by a task too big,I ask myself, What’s the use of trying?But today, the invitation is clear:to be ridiculously courageous in love.To open the heart like a lilac in May,knowing freeze is possibleand opening anyway.To take love seriously.To give love wildly.To race up to the worldas if I were a puppy,adoring and unjaded,stumbling on my own exuberance.To feel the shock of indifference,of anger, of cruelty, of fear,and stay open. To love as if it matters,as if the world depends on it.—Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer

We Are Helpful Meditation

Julie Potiker — Sat, 16 Nov 2024 14:04:02 -0500

This meditation led by Julie Potiker focuses on our connection to others. We are the light, we are connected, and we are the helpers. She completes the meditation with the poem, " Look for the Helpers", by James Crews.

"Look for the Helpers", by James CrewsToday, I will look for the helpers-the woman pouring sunflower seedsfrom an orange bag into the feeder,and a chickadee, having eaten its fill, lifting offso another can feast there.Someone holding open the fogged-over door of the coffee shopfor a stranger who smiles and says thank you in spite of the news.I will watch workers dressed in neon vests with shovels and buckets,filling potholes across the city, the asphalt steaming as they spread itover the street, then tamp it down, repairing what they can.-"Look for the Helpers", by James Crews

Hope, Guided Meditation

Julie Potiker — Wed, 13 Nov 2024 14:47:00 -0500

Using your breath, breathe in peace and hope through this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with a reading of the poem, "Hope", by Lisel Mueller."Hope", by Lisel Mueller

It hovers in dark cornersbefore the lights are turned on,it shakes sleep from its eyesand drops from mushroom gills,it explodes in the starry headsof dandelions turned sages,it sticks to the wings of green angelsthat sail from the tops of maples.It sprouts in each occluded eyeof the many-eyed potato,it lives in each earthworm segmentsurviving cruelty,it is the motion that runs the tail of a dog,it is the mouth that inflates the lungsof the child that has just been born.It is the singular giftwe cannot destroy in ourselves,the argument that refutes death,the genius that invents the future,all we know of God.It is the serum which makes us swearnot to betray one another;it is in this poem, trying to speak.

-Hope, by Lisel Mueller

Settling Into Stillness Guided Meditation

Julie Potiker — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 14:48:57 -0400

Find a quiet place to settle into your own stillness through this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Natural Silence", by James Crews.Natural Silence, by James CrewsIt'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.-Natural Silence, by James Crews (from "Unlocking the Heart; Writing for Mindfulness, Courage, and Self-Compassion", by James Crews).

Loving Kindness Meditation

Julie Potiker — Sun, 13 Oct 2024 15:37:57 -0400

While sitting in quiet meditation - bring in phrases of loving kindness to yourself; may I be safe, may I be happy, and may I find moments of ease. Julie Potiker completes the meditation with the poem, "Choices", by James Crews."Choices", by James CrewsYou can grieve the leaves strippedfrom the maple, all that emptyspace between bare branches,or you can bless the abundanceof light shining through, buffingthe pine boards of the floor untilthey turn the color of clover honey.You can mourn the cone-flowersnow shriveled and brown, saythe whole world’s gone to ruin,or you can stand at the windowwatching the lively yellow blossomof a goldfinch feasting on eachcrown of seeds, sending more thana few back home, down intothe open ground, which knowshow to receive them.—James Crews

Slowing Down

Julie Potiker — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 18:22:27 -0400

Take some time to slow down your mind and your body - as you sit, relax and breath through this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with her poem, "Self-Care.""Self-Care", by Julie PotikerSelf-care is in my spine, stampedin my vertebrae after a decadeof teaching mindful self-compassion.It keeps my skeleton fro collapsingin a heap on the earth when disaster strikes.It raises me a little taller when joy, awe,or ecstasy bursts out of me like a hoseaimed at a five-alarm fire. It saved my life,this practice of seeing and allowing all of me,the jagged and sticky bits included.It orients me to a wider lens, my feetin other shoes, with an impulse to help,if i can. The nuts-and-bolts changebased on circumstance, but there areconstraints - the breath, feet rootedon solid ground, hand on heart, prayersspooling out, connecting with peoplewho love me and whom i love,and remembering I belong, I am enough,I am complete -- and so are you.

"Self-Care", by Julie Potiker

All Things Connected

Julie Potiker — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 15:22:22 -0400

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.

Breathing Compassion In and Out

Julie Potiker — Sun, 22 Sep 2024 15:04:20 -0400

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 Crews

For 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.

Quietly Breathing Healing Meditation

Julie Potiker — Mon, 16 Sep 2024 12:32:44 -0400

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.com

Color of Breath Guided Meditation

Julie Potiker — Sun, 15 Sep 2024 15:04:15 -0400

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!A rare vibrant specimen, gorgeous Rose-breasted Grosbeak,his feathersred like summer tomatoesred like fire-engine crya red blazing sunrise cutting through the skyand I've been teaching simile and metaphor all morningto fourth-graders at the school down the road,so all I see are figurative languages in the way he perches there--a rose blooming in mid air,the roses on my shirt,the roses in my heart rising,rose-breasted chest bested onlyby this flying mirrored birdsongquiet flutterfeeding on seeds during my lunch-breakour binoculars glinting in the noonday sun.

Guided Meditation - Goodness In and Out

Julie Potiker — Wed, 04 Sep 2024 21:09:44 -0400

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.

Quiet Compassion Meditation - Awakening

Julie Potiker — Sun, 11 Aug 2024 13:48:22 -0400

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-Regier

Healing Breath Meditation

Julie Potiker — Sat, 10 Aug 2024 12:58:40 -0400

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 outside of Detroit. Yes, I said, Cleveland, too, but in those places, we would have fireflies. I wish we had fireflies too.

Loving Kindness Meditation

Julie Potiker — Tue, 23 Jul 2024 13:37:37 -0400

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 mountain valley.Saraswati, standing four-feet tall,buried under seven feet of snowonly ten weeks ago, is once againdancing her eternal circle of protectionby the front door.Strawberry Full Moonsteadily travels her courseto illuminatethe multitudinous miracles of startdustThe Forest of Cloudless Night.-Joan/MJ Koerper

Mindful Morning Meditation

Julie Potiker — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 19:01:08 -0400

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 nectar like the bees do, work with othersto make honey, and then offer spoonful after spoonfulto those who have forgotten that no matterhow bitter the bitter, still and always—we can gather nectar, still and always, we canfall asleep, and wake, in the flowers.

(©Julia Fehrenbacher, www.juliafehrenbacher.com/Pinterest)Image found on Pinterest. SIgned copies of her book, "Staying in Love," are available at www.juliafeh.etsy.com).

Quiet Mind Meditation

Julie Potiker — Thu, 04 Jul 2024 15:49:00 -0400

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 in the partial sun.Maybe I should always read about flowers before closing my eyesand slipping into sleep, it makes for garden dreams!"Garden Dreams", by Julie Potiker

Loving Kindness Meditation with poem "Sea Glass"

Julie Potiker — Wed, 19 Jun 2024 19:56:00 -0400

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 Heart

Summer Guided Visualization

Julie Potiker — Sun, 16 Jun 2024 17:46:24 -0400

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 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 on iTunes, iHeart, Blubrry and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Quiet Compassion Meditation

Julie Potiker — Mon, 10 Jun 2024 14:42:40 -0400

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.

Peace In Your Heart Guided Meditation

Julie Potiker — Wed, 29 May 2024 15:27:30 -0400

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 summer time feels so poignant to me, with things already going to seed even as so much has yet to bloom, reminding us of the never-ending cycles of life and renewal in the natural world.)

This podcast is available on iTunes, iHeart, Blubrry and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Loving Breath Meditation

Julie Potiker — Mon, 06 May 2024 11:20:00 -0400

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?

Loving Kindness Guided Meditation

Julie Potiker — Sat, 27 Apr 2024 12:52:10 -0400

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.

Easy Compassion Meditation

Julie Potiker — Sat, 13 Apr 2024 15:21:16 -0400

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 yourself

to learn a new language or write a book

or take up an instrument.

Nothing will come of forcing yourself

to compete your way out of trauma.

Take this time to look at the stars.

Take this time to look at how the sky

still 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 raises

her soft neck to watch the sun rise

over her meadow.

Somewhere else monarch butterflies begin

their long migration, knowing many of them

will not make it home.

Remember that you do not need to earn

your right to the precious minutes you have

on this planet. They are already yours,

like the fawn and the butterflies.

The universe beckons you to enjoy this life

it has given you through a heart

that beats to the rhythm of

its very own cosmic song.

-"The Fawn", by Nikita Gill

(After Mary Oliver's "Wild Geese")

Guided Visualization Meditation

Julie Potiker — Sat, 30 Mar 2024 14:59:00 -0400

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 earthly problems,flight from this one precious life.What could be better?

Waves of Compassion Meditation

Julie Potiker — Wed, 20 Mar 2024 14:47:17 -0400

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.

Gratitude and Compassion Meditation

Julie Potiker — Fri, 15 Mar 2024 15:46:31 -0400

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.

Loving Kindness for All

Julie Potiker — Sat, 02 Mar 2024 11:34:10 -0500

Bring in kindness to yourself and others through this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Holding the Light", by Stuart Kestenbaum.

Holding the Light, by Stuart Kestenbaum-for Kait RhoadsGather up whatever isglittering in the gutter,whatever has tumbledin the waves or fallenin 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 where the 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 togetherwhat beauty there is, stitch itwith compassion and wire.See how everythingwe have made gathersthe light inside itselfand overflows? A blessing.

Compassionate Breath Meditation - Holding Court

Julie Potiker — Tue, 27 Feb 2024 13:58:46 -0500

Join Julie Potiker as she guides you in this compassionate breath meditation. She completes the meditation with her poem, "Holding Court".Holding Court, by Julie PotikerScattered about, Western Sycamore leaves forever remind me of book pages - undone, unglued, unloved, discarded.Feeling this dip in mood, I make my way to the caged veggie garden below in search of something yummy.Bright green cauliflower lifts my spirits. I wrestle it out of the rich soil with the help of Cutco kitchen scissors. I really must get some garden shears. Been a year that I’ve been saying that in my head, and sometimes out my mouth.It’s 5pm now, so the buzz saws, trucks, and workmen’s chatter are silenced.Two heads cauliflower filling my hands, I’m stopped in my tracks by the sounds and sights of happy hour in full swing in the Scrub Pine.Standing stock still, I search for movement along the branches. Birds the size of pine cones, and dark smooth pine cones that look like birds tucked in tight among the spikey needles in the fading light.Bewick’s Wren was holding court. His friends, Bushtit, Warbler and Towhee singing a cappella. A refrain rang out from Crow, he was winging it, he may have lost the score. Above it all, Red Tailed Hawk was conducting.What a blessing. I stand a while, take it all in. Darkness is descending and with it the last of the temperate air. The chill nudges me to move along, it’s time to make dinner, my soul restored.-"Holding Court", by Julie Potiker.

Compassionate Breath Meditation

Julie Potiker — Wed, 31 Jan 2024 15:39:00 -0500

Julie Potiker guides you through this breathing meditation focusing on compassion. She completes the meditation with the poem,"Guru in Disguise", by Julia Fehrenbacher.

"Guru in Disguise", by Julia FehrenbacherThere is something about the waymorning light resets an old, mossy oakthat quiets the loud in me, invitesme to set everything down.As I step closer, I seethat she has wrinkled and grayed with age,as weathered seasons, storms-indifference.Still, she stands.She is a resting place for gentle,winged ones, a playground for frolicking graysquirrel. A sharer of secrets to anyone who takes time tolisten. She is shelter for those who are worn.Someday, she will be gonewill have turned into something else.For now, though, she is heresharing secrets, catching sunshine, inviting usto turn toward the lightand listen.-"Guru in Disguise", by Julia Fehrenbacher, from "Staying in Love".

Rooted Compassion Meditation

Julie Potiker — Sun, 28 Jan 2024 12:01:16 -0500

Feel your body rooted to the earth as you meditate to this compassion meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes this guided meditation with the poem, "The Forest", by Nikita Gill.

The Forest, by Nikita GillOne day when you wake up, you will find that you have become a forest.You have grown roots and found strength in them that no one thought you had.You have become stronger and more beautiful,full of life giving qualities.You have learned to take all the negativity around youand turn it into oxygen for easy breathing.A host of wild creatures live inside youand you call them stories.A variety of beautiful birds rest inside your mindand you call them memories.You have become an incredibleself sustaining thing of epic proportions.And you should be so proud of yourself,of how far you have come from the seeds of who you used to be.

-"The Forest", by Nikita Gill.

Loving Kindness "Soft Morning" Meditation

Julie Potiker — Thu, 18 Jan 2024 15:09:00 -0500

Ease your body into this early morning loving kindness meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes this guided meditation with her poem, "Soft Morning".

Soft Morning, by Julie PotikerThe birds sound mutedA beetleNo bigger than a black nickelMakes its way on faded ceramic tilesto cream and red brick paversHe is headed somewhere fastSwift for his kindNo wingsJust short legsImpossibly thin pencil marksscurrying him alongThe longer I am stillmy ears collect bird songsI tuck each jingle into my heart with a smileand note of thanksIt seems Morning Dove and Spotted Towheecan always be counted onAlso, Bewick’s WrenThat should be enough, I thinkThen joy arises as Lesser Goldfinch, not less to me,and Northern Mockingbird gift their tunes to the scoreSurveying the scene from high in the skyRed-tailed HawkReleases his plaintive cryAs I witness ever earth boundTucked in my chairUnder the eavesSnug as a bugSoftly breathing.-"Soft Morning", by Julie Potiker

Compassion Meditation

Julie Potiker — Sat, 13 Jan 2024 17:32:00 -0500

Sit back as you relax into this compassion meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Church", by James Crews.

Church, by James CrewsWhen I ask how you are,imagine a field of untouched snowstretching blank between us,waiting for the answer of your steps –perhaps hesitant at first, thenmore certain as you begin to sharethe sorrows and joys that sitlike unwrapped offeringson the altar of your heart.Here, there is time for you to sayall the words that have weighedyou down, hidden in the bodyfor years like unasked prayers.No matter how far apart we stand,I promise to listen for as longas you need, in this open-air churchwe enter together wheneverwe agree to speak of deeper things.-"Church", 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, 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 on iTunes, iHeart, Blubrry and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Year-End Gratitude Meditation

Julie Potiker — Sun, 31 Dec 2023 14:12:00 -0500

In this end-of-the-year guided meditation led by Julie Potker you will use your breath to breathe in healing, awareness, and gratitude. She completes the mediation with the poem, "For the End of the Year", by Donna Ashworth.

'For the End of the Year", by Donna Ashworth.Why do we start a new year, with promises to improve?Who began this tradition of never-ending pressure?I say, the end of a year, should be filled with congratulation,for all we survived.And I say a new year should start with promisesto be kinder to ourselves, to understand better just how much we bear,as humans on this exhausting treadmill of life.And if we are to promise more, let’s pledgeto rest, before our bodies force us.Let’s pledge to stop, and drink in life as it happens.Let’s pledge to strip away a layer of perfectionto reveal the flawed and wondrous humanitywe truly are inside.Why start another year, gifted to us on this earth,with demands on our already over-strained humanity.When we could be learning to accept,that we were always supposed to be imperfect.And that is where the beauty lives, actually.And if we can only find that beauty,we would also find peace.I wish you peace in 2024.Everything else is all just a part of it.Let it be so.

`"For the End of the Year," by Donna Ashworth

So Much Love - Guided Meditation

Julie Potiker — Wed, 27 Dec 2023 14:02:10 -0500

Focus on what makes you happy, and who makes you happy - as Julie Potiker leads you through this guided meditation of peace and love. She begins the meditation with the reading of the poem, "Hold Out Your Hand", by Julia Fehrenbacher. She completes the meditation with her poem, "So Much Love," by Julie Potiker .

Hold Out Your Hand, by Julia Fehrehbacher

Let's forget the world for a whilefall back and backinto the hush and holyof noware you listening? This breathinvites youto write the first wordof your new storyyour new story begins with this:You matter.You are needed--emptyand nakedwilling to say yesand yes and yes.Do you seethe sun shines, day after daywhether you have faithor not, sparrows continueto sing their songeven when you forget to singyours.Stop asking: Am i good enough?Ask only: Am I showing up with love?Life is not a straight lineit's a downpour of gifts, please--hold out your hand.

So Much Love, by Julie PotikerI sit tucked under the eavescozy in my flannel pajamas, soft from so many washingsThe late December sun is throwing shadows across the pages of the poetry bookDelivered in the mailSigned by the poet’s handMy oatmeal man hands me a painted Mexican ceramic bowlcinnamon and peanut butter wafting from the steaming oatsI love that manLove the bowl bought on vacationLove the nourishing oatsA House Wren is trillingIt’s astonishing that sound can emanate from a creature that could fit in the cup of an upturned handI love the WrenGlancing back at the book in my lapI notice how synchronis the moment-“Staying in Love” by Julia FehrenbacherSo many little triangles folded downHer love waiting to be shared by meI love that I can do it.

Love In - Peace Out, Guided Meditation

Julie Potiker — Thu, 14 Dec 2023 12:41:21 -0500

Embrace love and peace through this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with her poem, "December 1, 2023, Coffee Poem"."December 1 , 2023, Coffee Poem", by Julie Potiker.My flannel pajama bottoms got wet when I folded myself into my morning sit spot

That’s okIt didn’t prompt me to moveJust to feel the dampness on the back of my thighs.I wonder whether my morning coffee meditation rituals are getting repetitiveAfter all, it’s the same locationSame coffeeSame meSame sameBut yet, what I really want to say is it’s always newAlways differentNow the Allen’s HummingbirdNow the California Scrub JayThe Western BluebirdConstruction equipment humming and beeping a yard awayMy big dogs barking their heads offThe faded terracotta tiles and bricks have dark patches where water still seeps into claycurled carob leavesSome yellowish greenSome brownarranged haphazardly hither and yonA perfect design wrought from a powerful rain.~"December 1 , 2023, Coffee Poem", by Julie Potiker.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 on iTunes, iHeart, Blubrry and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Healing Breath Meditation

Julie Potiker — Sun, 03 Dec 2023 13:47:59 -0500

In this guided meditation, led by Julie Potiker, you will imagine breathing in a healing golden light -creating peace within your body. She completes this guided meditation with the poem, "Still Breathing".

Still Breathing, by Anonymous

I will stand with you,though I am shaken to my core.I will pray with you,though I question who might hear. I will cry with you,though the pain I feel cannot compare with your suffering.I will sing with you,because my hope will not be shattered.I will take your hand,because my heart is infinite.I will hold my breath with you for another day,though anguish, fear, love, and resolve,because we are still here, blessed with breathing.

-Still Breathing, by Anonymous.

Embodied Love Meditation

Julie Potiker — Mon, 06 Nov 2023 13:39:11 -0500

"Only love is big enough to hold all the pain in this world", (Sharon Salzberg). Julie Potiker leads you in this guided meditation of peace and love. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Only Love," by James Crews.

Only Love, by James Crews.And so I image the entire earthas one beating heart held in the spaceof this universe, inside a larger bodywe can't fathom, filling with enoughlove to lead each of us out of the caveof our personal pain and into the light-enough love to lead all humans as oneout of collective fear, rage, and hateinto a place of peace that is found onlywithin our own hearts, beating in syncwith the pulse of this planet we wereborn to inhabit, despite the daily stormswhich overtake us and make us forgetwe are the lifeblood pumped into theseveins, every particle of love we generaterunning into rivers, lakes, and creeks,evaporating into the air we breathe,give back, and breathe again.-Only Love, by James Crews

Peace for Israel Meditation with " Kiddish Poem"

Julie Potiker — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 12:39:19 -0400

Julie Potiker guides you through this meditation for peace for Israel. She completes the meditation with "Kiddish Poem, by Marge Piercy." Kiddish Poem," by Marge PiercyLook around us, search above us, below, behind.We stand in a great web of being joined together.Let us praise, let us love the life we are lentpassing through us in the body of Israeland our own bodies, let’s say amen.Time flows through us like water.The past and the dead speak through us.We breathe our children’s children, blessing.Blessed is the earth from which we grow,blessed the life we are lent,blessed the ones who teach us,blessed the ones we teach,blessed is the word that cannot say the glorythat shines through us and remains to shineflowing past distant suns on the way to forever.Let’s say amen.Blessed is the light, blessed is the darknessbut blessed above all else is peacewhich bears the fruits of knowledgeon strong branches, let’s say amen.Peace that bears joy into the world,peace that enables love, peace over Israeleverywhere, blessed and holy is peace, let’s say amen.

-Kiddish Poem," by Marge Piercy

The Mourners Kiddish: Oseh shalom bi-m’romav, hu ya’aseh shalom aleinu v’al kol yisrael, v’imru amen.May the One who brings peace to the universe bring peace to us and to all the people Israel. And let us say: Amen.

Healing Meditation for Peace - Israel

Julie Potiker — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 12:05:54 -0400

Join together for this meditation of faith, hope and peace for Israel. Julie Potiker completes the meditation with a prayer by Rabbi David Wolpi, "El Maleh Rahamim - Compassionate God".

El Maleh Raḥamim — Compassionate GodWe pray not to wipe out hatersbut to banish hatred.Not to destroy sinnersbut to lessen sin.Our prayers are not for a perfect worldbut a better onewhere parents are not bereavedby the savagery of sudden attacksor children orphaned by bladesglinting in a noonday sun.Help us dear God,to have the courage to remain strong,to stand fast.Spread Your light on the dark heartsof the slayersAnd Your comfort to the bereaved heartsof families of the slain.Let calm return Your city Jerusalem,and to Israel, Your blessed land.We grieve with those wounded in body and spirit,pray for the fortitude of our sisters and brothers,and ask You to awaken the world to our struggleand help us bring peace.-El Maleh Raḥamim — Compassionate God, by Rabbi David Wolpi

Loving Breath Meditation

Julie Potiker — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 15:40:33 -0400

Use this guided meditation to breath in love for yourself and others. Julie Potiker completes the meditation with the poem, "Monarch", by James Crews.

Monarch by James Crews

The butterfly does not break free triumphant.Once it claws through the chrysalis,it stands there shivering, new wings achingas they slowly fill with blood. It must keepits tiny eyes shut tight at first againstthe brightness and shimmer of a worldit has never seen before––not like this.It must listen until a deeper voice whispers:The flowers are waiting. Leave the skinof the old life far behind. Open your eyesand give in to the blue air that will carry youeverywhere you need to go.

-Monarch by James Crews

Healing Breath - Perseid Star Party

Julie Potiker — Mon, 11 Sep 2023 15:06:10 -0400

In this guided meditation, led by Julie Potiker, you'll concentrate on using your breath's healing power - with the backdrop of the 2023 Perseid meteor shower.

Perseid Star Party, Julian, California 2023, by Julie PotikerAm I in your way?I can’t see her face in the inky darknessNo, it’s straight up in the skyA zillion pin pricks of lightMy spirit is huge, I say with a smile in my voiceNo worries, the jacketed jellybean person replied, folded into her black canvas camping chair -I can see right through itHow did she know my spirit is translucent?Tower of BabelI hear chips of Chinese, Spanish, EnglishHumans seeking the divine throughout space and timeIncredible telescopes - all different black chunks hooked up to gizmosRed light doohickeys retrofitted for their cool kid villageCode understood by manyA community that does this - monthly or more…Us, first timers fearlessly wading into the night skyI think they’ll be asleep when the show gets frantic - if it doesI’ll be awakeMy down jacket zipped up to my neckHead tipped back in this camping chair to witness the meteors streaking through the dark skySeeking Awe.

-Perseid Star Party, Julian, California 2023, by Julie PotikerFind 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 on iTunes, iHeart, Blubrry and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Golden Healing Breath

Julie Potiker — Tue, 05 Sep 2023 11:29:25 -0400

Embrace a golden healing light as you use your breath to calm and restore. Julie Potiker completes this guided meditation with the poem, "Be a Prayer", by Carolyn Riker.Be a Prayer, by Carolyn Riker.Today when you brush your hair,reach for a mugh, listen to a sonbe a prayer.Today if all you do is walkor sleep, or drawbe a prayer.Today if you call a friend,hold a hand, stir your teaor sing softlybe a prayer.Today I only ask of youto reach, listen and holdwhat is inside of youbecause you are a prayer.we need you.We make each other whole.-"Be a Prayer", by Carolyn Riker, from The Colors I Hear; Poems & Prose to Inspire Creativity.

Loving Kindness Guided Meditation

Julie Potiker — Sun, 03 Sep 2023 13:17:29 -0400

This relaxing loving kindness meditation led by Julie Potiker will help you breathe in kindness for yourself and others. She completes the meditation with her poem, "Finery".

Finery, by Julie PotikerIn the late 1940s, and early 1950s, as a teenager, he was impeccably dressedFrom stories of elegant supper clubsI imagineErmine and pearlsCuff links winking in the candlelightGrandma Esther made her own patterns out of bed sheetsCut and tailored like a proSkill tucked into her skirts as she journeyed across the Atlantic Oceanbetween the Great War, and WWIINo wonder her American born son who looked so fine became known as finery.For 67 years, he and my mom took care in their wardrobe, in their appearance.Even after she became ill, her body shrinkingSmaller and smaller sized clothes were brought in, some from my closetI held back some of his shirts when he passed awayKnowing I would want to wear themTo feel the soft cotton on my chestTo sport them as tunicsCuffs rolled up on my forearmsI shipped a stack in blues and yellows, ocean and sunset colorsto a textile artist who quilted them into a glorious throw blanketeach square a sweet memoryYesterday I got so many compliments on his shirtEach comment a giftAs he came alive in my replyI slid a pair of my mom’s post earrings through my earlobesJust in case she’d notice and feel slightedJust in caseJust in case she feels how light and uncomplicated my longing for my Dad.I don’t know what her indomitable spirit might see, or feel, or know, or understand.

Cool Breeze Guided Meditation

Julie Potiker — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 11:11:00 -0400

Sit back, relax, and focus on a cool breeze washing over you during this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, " The Once Invisible Garden," by Laura Foley.The Once Invisible Garden, by Laura Foley.How did I come to bethis particular version of me,and not some other, this morningof purple delphiniums blooming,like royalty - destinedto meet these three dogsasleep at my feet, and not others -this soft summer morning,sitting on her screened porchbecome ours, our wind chime,singing of wind and timeyellow-white digitalisfeeding bees and filling me-and more abundance to come:basil, tomatoes, zucchini.What luck or fate, instinct,or grace brought me here? -In shade, beneath hidden stars,a soft, summer morning,seeing with my whole being,love made visible."The Once Invisible Garden", by Laura Foley, from "How to Love the World: Poems of Gratitude and Hope, edited by James Crews.

Peaceful Visualization Guided Meditation

Julie Potiker — Sun, 06 Aug 2023 12:18:00 -0400

Release your breath as you breathe into this peaceful visualization meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with a reading of her poem, "Morning Time in July".Morning Time In July, by Julie PotikerIt must be a backhoe.And maybe a dump truck backing upBeep beep beepI’m folded into my sit spotMy favorite cushioned cane chairUnder the eavesFaded green and yellow scraps with brown spots are scattered on the multi-hued gravel at my feetThe leaves let go of the carob tree and land with a thwackCoffee in one of my mom’s tall lavender mugsNew poetry bookAnd peach from our treeRest on the cream cement side tableMy favorite post-it tabs lift their orange, yellow and blue squares in a helloready to be plucked and smoothed on lovingly selected pages of poetryA lizard doing push-ups in the dappled lightBees kissing the wild white rose bushespetals making bright thumb prints in the rich brown earthThe Spotted Towhee breaks through the airwaves with his trillUnder or over his sound there is a chorus fromHouse FinchHouse SparrowNorthern MockingbirdAmerican CrowWrentitHummingbirdThe low cooing of Morning DovesA Red Tailed Hawk might be having a behavior problem - screaming in circles against the clear blue sky, a scoop of moon stuck straight up like a pale white upside down smileNow my dogs are barkingHearing the men at the construction site behind our Garden of EdenCacophony of noise and dazzling colorSo much lifeSuch gratitude

Morning Time In July, by Julie Potiker

Shifting Awareness Guided Meditation

Julie Potiker — Tue, 01 Aug 2023 11:23:00 -0400

In this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker, you will shift your awareness to your senses; what you see, hear, feel, and taste while in meditation. She completes the meditation with a poem by Brad Aaron Modlin.

What You Missed That Day You Were Absent from Fourth Grade, by Brad Aaron Modlin.Mrs. Nelson explained how to stand still and listento the wind, how to find meaning in pumping gas,how peeling potatoes can be a form of prayer. She tookquestions on how not to feel lost in the dark.After lunch she distributed worksheetsthat covered ways to remember your grandfather'svoice. Then the class discussed falling asleepwithout feeling you had forgotten to do something else -something important -and how to believethe house you wake in is your home. This promptedMrs. Nelson to draw a chalkboard diagram detailinghow to chant the Psalms during cigarette breaks,and how not to squirm for sound when your own thoughtsare all you hear; also, that you have enough.The English lesson was that I am is a complete sentence.And just before the afternoon bell, she made the math equationlook easy. The one that proves that hundreds of questions,are feeling cold, and all those nights spent lookingfor whatever it was you lost, and one person.add up to something.-What You Missed That Day You Were Absent from Fourth Grade, by Brad Aaron Modlin, from "Poetry of Presence II; More Mindfulness Poems", edited by Phyllis Cole-Dai & Ruby R. Wilson.

Golden Light - Compassion Meditation

Julie Potiker — Wed, 26 Jul 2023 11:49:47 -0400

The glow of a golden light of compassion surrounds you in this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, "How It Might Continue", by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer.

How It Might ContinueWherever we go, the chance for joy,whole orchards of amazement -one more reason to always travelwith our pockets full of exclamation marks,so we might scatter them for otherslike apple seeds.Some will dry out, some will blow away,but some will take rootand grow exuberant grovesfilled with long thin fruitsthat resemble one hand clapping -so much enthusiasm as they flutter back and forththat although nothing's heardand though nothing's really changed,people everywhere for years to comewill swear that the worldis ripe with applause, will filltheir own pickets with new seeds to scatter.-"How It Might Continue", by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer, from "How to Love the World, Poems of Gratitude and Hope", edited by James Crews.

Calming Breath - Self Care

Julie Potiker — Sun, 09 Jul 2023 17:38:50 -0400

Using your breath to calm yourself is the focus of this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Self-Care", by James Crews.

Self-Care, by James CrewsSome days it feels like a foreign languageI'm asked to practice, with new worldsfor happiness, work, and love. I'm still learninghow to say: a cup of tea for no reason,what to call the extra honey I drizzle in,how to label the relentless urge to do moreand more as useless. And how to translatethe heart's pounding message when it comes:enough, enough. This morning, I search for wordsto capture the glimmering sun as it liftsabove the mountains, clouds already closing inas fat droplets of rain darken the deck.I'm learning to call the stillness self-care too,Just standing here, as goldfinches scatter upfrom around the feeder like broken piecesof bright yellow stained-glass, reassemblingin the sheltering arms of a maple.-Self-Care, by James Crews.

Appreciation for Your Body - Guided Meditation

Julie Potiker — Tue, 20 Jun 2023 23:14:19 -0400

Take a few moments as you sit in meditation to express appreciation for your body. Your hands, feet, and knees, all keep you going all day. Julie Potiker completes the meditation with the poem, "Improvement", by Danusha Lameris.

Improvement, by Danusha LamerisThe optometrist says my eyesare getting better each year.Soon he’ll have to lower my prescription.What’s next? The light step I had at six?All the gray hairs back to brown?Skin taut as a drum?My improved eyes and Iwalked around town and celebrated.We took in the lettersof the marquee, the individual leavesfilling out the branches of the sycamore,an early moon.So much goes downhill: our jointswearing out with every mile,the delicate folds of the eardrumexhausted from years of listening.I’m grateful for small victories.The way the heart still beats timein the cathedral of the ribs.And the mind, watching its parade of thoughtsenter and leave, begins to see themfor what they are: jugglers, fire swallowers, acrobatstossing their batons in the air.

-Improvement, by Danusha Lameris.

Precious Time Meditation

Julie Potiker — Wed, 14 Jun 2023 17:57:17 -0400

In this meditation you will focus on a golden healing light filling your body with joy and awareness. Julie Potiker completes this guided meditation with her poem, "Morning Light" .

Morning Time, by Julie Potiker I am busy From the outside I might not appear as such Yet I dedicate this time to me.This precious timeWhen the house hums it’s mechanical hum, that sounds sometimes like a musical track is embedded in the low staticBirdsong fills my ears The Wrens soprano 1 and soprano 2 are joined by the Spotted Towhee, whose croaking tune my ear recognizes instantly now, like turning a doorknob in my mind.The Song Sparrow is aptly named, and I’m instantly cheered that it too, is here.There can be more and more, all included, none denied I’m thinking as a Mourning Dove layers it’s low cooing into the loop. They have all the time in the world.This cherished timeWhich is anything but quietIs noisy in all the best ways.My mug feels warm in my cupped handsI feel my heart beating it’s low slow rhythm in my chestMy back and hips are comfortably supported in my favorite chair, it’s cane frame and soft cushion welcoming me each morning.Picking up a book of poemsI’m filled with love that humans arrange words for each other across timeHumans gift one another these linesBorn from treasured timeJust like this.-Morning Time, by Julie Potiker.

Breathing Goodness In and Out

Julie Potiker — Wed, 24 May 2023 11:44:04 -0400

In this guided meditation you will breathe in goodness for yourself and breathe out goodness to the world. Julie Potker completes the meditation with the poem, "Down to Earth", by James Crews.Down to Earth, by James Crews.

The heart of a farmeris made of muscleand clay that achesfor return to earth.And when the skyreleases a steady rain,massaging each rowof sprouted beans,my husband leans outof the car windowand opens his handto hold that waterfor a single instant,his heart now beatingin sync with rainseeping through layersto kiss the rootsof every plant aliveon this living, breathingplanet on whose backwe were grantedpermission to livefor a limited time-"Down to Earth", by James Crews. from his book, "How to Love the World: Poems of Gratitude and Hope".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 on iTunes, iHeart, Blubrry and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Loving Kindness Meditation

Julie Potiker — Mon, 08 May 2023 14:45:15 -0400

Breathe in peace and kindness for yourself and others through this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, "The Principle of Enoughness," by Toko-Pa.The Principle of Enoughness by Toko-PaIn a time that would have us believe there is always more to strive for, more to accumulate, more enlightenment to reach - the most radical stance we can take is enoughness.What if we quit trying to be spiritual and aspired to be human instead?What if there is nothing to fix because we are already whole?What if there was no time to prove ourselves, because we're consumed with marveling at life?What if there is no reason to hold back our gifts, because they are meant to be given?What if every morsel, every glance, every moment and every breath is a miracle of enough?-The Principle of Enoughness, by Toko Pa.

Compassion Meditation - Breathe In and Out

Julie Potiker — Tue, 02 May 2023 17:23:46 -0400

Sit back and relax, breathe in compassion and love for yourself and others. Julie Potiker completes this guided meditation with the poem, "Love's Exquisite Freedom," by Maya Angelou.Love's Exquisite FreedomMaya AngelouWe, unaccustomed to courageexiles from delightlive coiled in shells of lonelinessuntil love leaves its high holy templeand comes into our sightto liberate us into life.Love arrivesand in its train come ecstasiesold memories of pleasureancient histories of pain.Yet if we are bold,love strikes away the chains of fearfrom our souls.We are weaned from our timidityIn the flush of love's lightwe dare be braveAnd suddenly we seethat love costs all we areand will ever be.Yet it is only lovewhich sets us free.-Love's Exquisite FreedomMaya Angelou

Loving Kindness Guided Meditation for the Earth

Julie Potiker — Wed, 12 Apr 2023 16:01:56 -0400

Breathe in loving kindness for yourself, those you love, and for people all around the planet - through this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with her poem, " What's It Like Being You?".

What’s It Like Being You? By Julie PotikerWhat’s it like being You?Cradling the smooth stones, chunks of jasper, garnet and opalStacks of pale grey branches, hiding places for otters, snakes and troutWhat’s it’s like being you?Sometimes a mere trickleSometimes a rushing torrentAt the mercy of the snow pack aboveEach year uniqueA place of refugePeace to my heartWhat’s it like to be you?Glittering in the sunshineBlanketed in ice and snowAlways movingNever StoppingWhat’s it like to be you, river, what’s it like to be you?For the elk who water there,What’s it like to be you?To be beheld with such wonder by meTo be searching for food constantlyTo be so majesticTo be hunted for sportTo be hunted for food What’s it like to be you?To grow a huge rack of antlers every year, Just to have them drop to the ground each spring, snapped up by lucky antler shed hunters to make chandeliers.What’s it like to be you, Elk?What’s it like to be you?To be so loved by me.-What’s It Like Being You? By Julie Potiker

Golden Healing Light - Passover

Julie Potiker — Wed, 05 Apr 2023 15:44:26 -0400

Bask in the golden healing light of this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Passover 2023", by Joan Tiger Bass. Happy Passover to all who celebrate and may everyone find freedomPassover 2023Barbara Joan Tiger Bassbuds begin to opensoft apple blossom scent waftsover years of cyclic repetitionplague riddled stories askquestions of bondageand narrow escapeacross seemingly endless sandthrough parted seas the orderedpromise of hopean open door welcomeseach and every seekerlibations of liberation.

-"Passover 2023", by Barbara Joan Tiger Bass.

Healing Prayer Meditation - Mi Sheberach

Julie Potiker — Sat, 01 Apr 2023 22:16:28 -0400

This meditation takes you on a journey of healing and renewal of body and spirit. Julie Potiker uses 'Mi Sheberach', a prayer for healing, in this guided meditation. She completes the meditation with the poem, "The Power of One", by Victor Fuhrman.

The Power of One, by Victor FuhrmanThe energy flows from the love of the sun and charges a soul,The power of one.That energy shared with a spirit that’s new, a heart opens up,The power of two.Ebbing and flowing between women and men, hearts on the wavelength,The power of ten.And when all of the millions with compassion run, the birth of the new mind,The power of one.-The Power of One, by Victor Fuhrman

Healing Meditation with poem, "Clear a Path"

Julie Potiker — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 14:00:12 -0400

Join Julie Potiker as she guides you through this healing meditation. She completes the meditation with her poem, "Clear a Path, Version 2".

Clear a Path, Version 2, by Julie PotikerSettleAllow your thoughts to drift downGently sweep them aside with a soft broom, hand made from natural grassesLittle piles of noteson the perimeter of awarenessthings to return to laterkeep them safeOther notesbest releasedworries that woke you at 4amToss that sticky stack into the small round fire bowl the smoke swirling as that which does not serve you - evaporatesSettle your mind to clear a path to your heart - where joy and suffering slosh Your heart – which when broken miraculously goes on beatingYour heart - captain of your mind/body/spiritAllow the hands in your mindto close the hatches of your heart when too much suffering threatens to drop youto the inky bottom of the seaOpen the porthole a peepFeel into whether it’s ok right now tolet waves of tears move through youToo much?Crank it downSteer your mind to translucent watersThat’s skillful maneuveringTurn your attention towards joy in that momentNotice beauty out the windowLet a song stir your soulEnjoy the perfect cup of teaRelish the sound of your friend’s voice on the phoneOr my favorite, the sound of my voice in my head, calling myself sweetheart and letting me know that this too shall pass, both the good and the bad, in waves of beginnings and endings.Clear a Path, Version 2, by Julie Potiker

One for You, One for Me - Compassion Meditation

Julie Potiker — Wed, 22 Mar 2023 15:11:00 -0400

Tap into your heart and feel compassion through guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, "The Peace of Wild Things", by Wendell Berry.

The Peace of Wild Things by Wendell BerryWhen despair for the world grows in meand I wake in the night at the least soundin fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,I go and lie down where the wood drakerests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.I come into the peace of wild thingswho do not tax their lives with forethoughtof grief. I come into the presence of still water.And I feel above me the day-blind starswaiting with their light. For a timeI rest in the grace of the world, and am free.Wendell Berry, from The Peace of Wild Things And Other Poems (Penguin, 2018)Copyright (c) 2012 by Wendell Berry, reproduced by permission of Counterpoint

Gratitude Meditation with poem 'Shades of Gratitude'

Julie Potiker — Wed, 22 Mar 2023 13:00:00 -0400

What or who are you grateful for? Join Julie Potiker in this guided meditation focusing on gratitude, for you, your loved ones and those around the world. She completes the meditation with her poem, "Shades of Gratitude".

Shades of Gratitude, by Julie PotikerGratitude may feel bouncyLike a big rubber ballGratitude may feel floatyLike the leaves in the fallGratitude may feel sweetLike a babies little feetGratitude may feel neatLike a perfectly wrapped treatGratitude may feel sadLike the end of the storyGratitude may feel lowLike you can’t feel the gloryGratitude may be a yearningFor a time that’s now lostGratitude may leave you burningFor the bridge you did not crossGratitude can shine a lightOn the choice you did makeFor those days that are lemonsAs you make lemonadeSo good for youAs you walk this roadSteering your attitudeTowards gratitudeTo lighten your load

Cozy Meditation for a Blustery Day

Julie Potiker — Wed, 01 Mar 2023 14:03:00 -0500

The cold winter snap has many of us staying inside trying to stay warm. Join Julie Potiker as she leads you in this guided meditation to help get you through these blustery days.

White-Eyes by Mary OliverIn winter all the singing is in the tops of the trees where the wind-bird with its white eyes shoves and pushes among the branches. Like any of us he wants to go to sleep, but he's restless— he has an idea, and slowly it unfolds from under his beating wings as long as he stays awake. But his big, round music, after all, is too breathy to last. So, it's over. In the pine-crown he makes his nest, he's done all he can. I don't know the name of this bird, I only imagine his glittering beak tucked in a white wing while the clouds— which he has summoned from the north— which he has taught to be mild, and silent— thicken, and begin to fall into the world below like stars, or the feathers of some unimaginable bird that loves us, that is asleep now, and silent— that has turned itself into snow.White-Eyes, by Mary Oliver

Wishing Well Guided Meditation

Julie Potiker — Thu, 23 Feb 2023 19:43:18 -0500

What is it you need right now? In this guided meditation Julie Potiker takes you on a journey to a Wishing Well. She completes the meditation with her poem, "Aspen Trees, Version 3".

Aspen Trees Version 3 by Julie PotikerThe pale grey trunks welcome metheir black eyes and thick painterly designs beckon thousands of delicate arms sway in the wind.A blink in time later, the branches are bedeckedin shimmering green vestmentsmillions of sequins dancing in the sun.Above the soft roar of the river,birds flaunting spangled dressesin flashes of lemon, ruby and emeraldcommunicate in precious bird language.I wish I could discern what type of bird belongs to each trillbut even if I could(and I might)their stories will remain hidden.A majestic secretThat fills my heart with wonderand what feels likehope.-Aspen Trees, by Julie Potiker

Compassion Meditation -Turkey & Syria

Julie Potiker — Sun, 12 Feb 2023 16:51:31 -0500

Focus on yourself and the world around you - especially those in Turkey and Syria in the aftermath of devastating earthquakes in the region. Julie Potiker leads this compassion meditation where you'll breathe in light and breathe out light to others.

Loving Kindness Guided Meditation

Julie Potiker — Thu, 09 Feb 2023 15:22:54 -0500

Julie Potiker guides you through this loving kindness meditation with familiar phrases of comfort. May you be safe, may you be happy and may you live your life with ease. She completes the meditation with her poem, "Par Avon".Par Avion, by Julie PotikerI remember feather light lettersMessages I don’t want to forgetPale blue onionskin paperRed and blue dashesTriangle wings folded inAnd sealed with spitHer elegant cursive handwritingwith my name in tight loops on the frontA complete synopsis of the tv show Dynasty insidein her small and splendid scriptMy housemates in Earls Court Squareamassedfor the weekly letter from my mom,all us lucky juniors from American collegesexperiencing London, Englandon our parents’ dime.Those weekly letters were memorable,and made me feel special, too.I’m not surethat Iever saidan appropriateThank You.I wish I had saved one of those letters,I’d like to feel it’s airiness it in my hand,trace the writing with my finger, andsmell the old paper, by now assmooth as sand.Where - everyou are mom,I want to give you praise.Thank you for making the effort,andtaking the time,to stay connected in that way.You wouldn’t believe in 2017They rebooted DynastyDanielle and I binged all 5 seasons - in 2022.I told her about our love of the showHow we dished about the characters on the phoneHow you wanted Linda Evans jaw line – which you hadand your carefully crafted letters in 1982.If you’re not too busy, momorganizing things in your domain,I would love it if you dropped me a linesometimeAirmailEven if not by plane!

-Par Avion, by Julie Potiker

Starry Sky Visualization with poem Cats of the Solar System

Julie Potiker — Thu, 02 Feb 2023 21:40:03 -0500

This visualization is connected to the Green Comet making its closest approach to earth in 50,000 years. Julie Potiker completes the meditation with her poem, "Cats of the Solar System, 2/1/20223".Cats of the Solar System, 2/1/2023 by Julie PotikerIt makes me feel dreamy.Considering that 50 thousand years agoHumans gazing at the heavensGlimpsed the Green Comet aglow.The same comet visiting usTonight and tomorrow nightFebruary 1st and 2nd.Yes, that’s right!I hope it is bright.I never knewThat those in the knowCall comets, Space Cats!How divine.A feline traveling through spaceAnd time.Their long tressesHeated by the sun.Transformed to gasses.Star dust seen by everyone.But only if you are looking.I like to imagineChildren throughout timeFaces raised to the starsBrimming with aweAt the magic of the comet.It’s cat tail informing their path here on earthLike Halley and Kepler.So tonight and tomorrow nightAs we lift our gazeWe can visualizeIn our minds eyeWe… UsAll the Inhabitants of planet earthWelcoming the Cat from the Oort CloudOnce in our lifetime.Cats of the Solar System, 2/1/2023 by Julie Potiker

Grounding Love Meditation

Julie Potiker — Tue, 31 Jan 2023 11:50:22 -0500

Ground yourself to the earth and breathe in love for yourself and those around you. Julie Potiker completes this guided meditation with her poem, "Hardware Store Love".Hardware Store Love by Julie Potiker I love the smell of hardware stores.Dixieline, Ace, and Home DepotThey remind me of the J & B Discount Store in Elyria, Ohio.My dad opened this magnificent place when I was just a girl.He drove a great distance every day to keep us in better schools.When I read about huge pileups on the Ohio Turnpike in the snowI think of all he sacrificed so we could learn and grow.Grow in a place that had people like us, where antisemitism would be less major.Because Hanukkah candles would be lit in the homes of many of our neighbors.On special occasions I would travel to his big, wonderful store where employees were like family.My father, they adored.I’d wander the isles of plumbing, tools, shampoos, clothes, and toys and think about how lucky I was to have all this and more.Whenever I feel a longing to connect with my fabulous dad, I can take a big stroll through a discount store.For that I will always be glad.

Hardware Store Love, by Julie Potiker

Mostly Quiet Guided Meditation

Julie Potiker — Wed, 25 Jan 2023 14:19:00 -0500

Settle in, quiet your mind, and listen as Julie Potiker leads you through this guided meditation. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Volcano of Tender Power", by Susan Frybort.

Volcano of Tender PowerPrimordial sputtering,graveyard of stuttering sounds,hot lava flowing.I know this place.Holy stillin this placeI acknowledge this innermost ground,this volcano of my being,for its primal call.Sputtering, squeaking, groaning.Akin to a birthing.I have not fully understood thisvolcanic core.I have seen it as too muchthrough the lens of the overculture.I have seen it as woundedthrough the lens of therapy.I have seen it as weaknessthrough the lens of my critic.Now this lava of tendernesscannot be contained.It bubbles forth as a voice,it flows through as clarity,it erupts as empowerment.This volcano of tendernessin its full powermirrors the divine feminine,Sacred Mother Earth,my great mother,no longer unseenand misunderstood.

-Volcano of Tender Power, by Susan Frybort, from from, "Weaving Myself Awake; Voicing the Sacred Through Poetry".

Breath Meditation for the New Year

Julie Potiker — Tue, 10 Jan 2023 15:28:45 -0500

Use your breath to glide into the New Year with help from this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with a reading of her poem, "A New Year". A New Year by Julie Potiker A stack of days Turning the pageHours MinutesSeconds Weeks Months A year gone by Lived, used, experienced Wrung out Hung to dry In front of you now A crisp stack of paper Blank, blindingly bright How will you write your moments? Moments strung into hours Days Weeks Months With judgement? With love? With love I say For love feels good Let’s write our moments with love.

Breath Meditation with Christmas Morning Poem

Julie Potiker — Sat, 31 Dec 2022 15:52:55 -0500

A guided meditation to quiet your mind as you breathe in compassion and peace. Julie Potiker completes the mediation with her poem, "Christmas Morning Meditation".

-Christmas Morning Meditation, by Julie Potiker

The carob trees are packed with bees

A susurrus of sound

My mind this morning a busy place

Thoughts bouncing all around

I drop my awareness to my feet

Plant them firmly on the ground

Return my awareness to my breath

And let myself drop down

Down to peace and quiet

At least for just a bit

Then pop pop comes another thought

This one could make me quit

I give myself a hug and smile

I see where this is going

A poem is arising

From yesterdays brave knowing

A woman shared her challenge

In quieting her mind

I said the work is noticing

And bringing it back each time

I know she has inspired me

To create this little rhyme

To those that meditated with me

yesterday

I thank you - it was sublime!

Christmas Morning Meditation by Julie Potiker.

Winter Solstice - Guided Meditation

Julie Potiker — Thu, 22 Dec 2022 12:27:00 -0500

The Winter Solstice bringing us longer daylight hours as we reflect on the end of the year and new beginnings. Julie Potiker leads you through this guided meditation focusing on the light within and around you. She completes the meditation with a reading of the poem, "Snowy Night", by Mary Oliver.

Snowy Night, by Mary OliverLast night, an owlin the blue darktossed an indeterminate numberof carefully shaped sounds intothe world, in which,a quarter of a mile away, I happenedto be standing.I couldn’t tellwhich one it was –the barred or the great-hornedship of the air –it was that distant. But, anyway,aren’t there momentsthat are better than knowing something,and sweeter? Snow was falling,so much like starsfilling the dark treesthat one could easily imagineits reason for being was nothing morethan prettiness. I supposeif this were someone else’s storythey would have insisted on knowingwhatever is knowable – would have hurriedover the fieldsto name it – the owl, I mean.But it’s mine, this poem of the night,and I just stood there, listening and holding outmy hands to the soft glitterfalling through the air. I love this world,but not for its answers.And I wish good luck to the owl,whatever its name –and I wish great welcome to the snow,whatever its severe and comfortlessand beautiful meaning.

-Snowy Night, by Mary Oliver

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life. You can learn about mindfulness at MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. This podcast is available on iTunes, iHeart, and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Loving Kindness Guided Meditation

Julie Potiker — Thu, 08 Dec 2022 12:08:28 -0500

Receive and pass along loving kindness through this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with a reading of a poem, "Prayer", by Elaine Starkman.Prayer, by Elaine Starkmanlord, let my soulsour above my roomlet her dance on the wallsto songs of violinsleap rooftopsto pages of poetrypraisean orange, a horsea mountain, a breezelet her transcend all limitsof my small life.Prayer, by Elaine Starkman.

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life. You can learn about mindfulness at www.MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. This podcast is available on iTunes, iHeart, and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Season of Thankfulness

Julie Potiker — Thu, 01 Dec 2022 13:52:00 -0500

Throughout this season take the time to remember what you're grateful for. During this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker we focus on being thankful.

Eagle Poem, by Joy HarjoTo pray you open your whole selfTo sky, to earth, to sun, to moonTo one whole voice that is you.And know there is moreThat you can’t see, can’t hear;Can’t know except in momentsSteadily growing, and in languagesThat aren’t always sound but otherCircles of motion.Like eagle that Sunday morningOver Salt River. Circled in blue skyIn wind, swept our hearts cleanWith sacred wings.We see you, see ourselves and knowThat we must take the utmost careAnd kindness in all things.Breathe in, knowing we are made ofAll this, and breathe, knowingWe are truly blessed because weWere born, and die soon within aTrue circle of motion,Like eagle rounding out the morningInside us.We pray that it will be doneIn beauty.In beauty.

Healing Gratitude Meditation

Julie Potiker — Fri, 18 Nov 2022 16:21:28 -0500

Join Julie Potiker as she guides you through this Healing Gratitude meditation. She completes the meditation with a reading of the poem, "Mysteries, Yes", by Mary Oliver.

Truly, we live with mysteries toomarvelous to be understood.How grass can be nourishing in themouths of the lambs.How rivers and stones are foreverin allegiance with gravitywhile we ourselves dream of rising.How two hands touch and the bonds will never be broken.How people come, from delight or the scars of damage,to the comfort of a poem.Let me keep my distance, always, from those who think they have the answers.Let me keep company always withthose who say "Look!" and laugh inastonishment, and bow their heads.~Mary Oliver, "Mysteries, Yes"

Guided Meditation - Hope

Julie Potiker — Sun, 13 Nov 2022 14:10:00 -0500

Feel the energy of hope as you sit back listen, and breathe into this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. You will be focusing on hope that's all around you - and around the planet. She completes the meditation with a quote from Eric Liu.

“To be optimistic is to assume things will work out. To be hopeful is to realize things can work out if you work at them. Hope requires responsibility and agency; optimism relieves us of both. In rooting for your sports team, choose optimism. In rooting for democracy, choose hope.”— Eric Liu

Moments of Ease - Loving Kindness Meditation

Julie Potiker — Wed, 02 Nov 2022 14:15:20 -0400

Julie Potiker leads you in this loving kindness meditation where you'll relax into moments of ease. She completes the meditation with a reading of the poem, "Let Me Begin Again," by Major Jackson.

Let Me Begin Again, by Major JacksonLet me begin again as a quiet thoughtin the shape of a shell slowly examinedby a brown child on a beach at dawnstraining to see their future. Let me beginthis time knowing the drumming in my dreamsis me inheriting the earth, is morninglighting up the rivers. Let me burnmy vanities: old music in the pines, siftersof scotch, a day moon like a signatureof night. This time, let me circlethe island of my fears only once thenlive like a raging waterfall and growa magnificent mustache. Let me not ever bethe birdcage or the serrated blade orthe empty season. Dear Glacier, Dear Seaof Stars, Dear Leopards disintegratingat the outer limits of our greed; soon we willencounter you only in motivational tweets.Reader, I should have married you sooner.This time, let me not sleep like the prophet whobelieves he’s seen infinity. Let me runat break-neck speeds toward sceneriesof doubt. I have no more dress rehearsalsto attend. Look closer: I am licking my lips.

Let Me Begin Again, by Major Jackson

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life. You can learn about mindfulness at www.MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's newly released book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. Her podcast is "Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker", available on iTunes, iHeart, and everywhere you listen to podcasts

Shifting Awareness - Healing Light Meditation

Julie Potiker — Wed, 26 Oct 2022 23:51:03 -0400

Join Julie Potiker as she leads you in this healing light meditation. She completes the meditation with her poem, "Bird World Orchestra".

Bird World Orchestra, by Julie Potiker.

Sitting in a comfy chair under the cool canopy of a black locust tree,I’m serenaded by the Bird World Orchestra.The acorn woodpecker appears to be hosting a happy hour and salon at 5pm.His guests swoop in and flit out.The Northern Mockingbird,Yellow-rumped warbler,and the American Robin drop in for a drink.The tiny Bush-tit, not embarrassed by it’s nameis joined by Allen’s and Anna’s Hummingbirds.The California Scrub Jay and the American Crownot wanting to be outdone by the singing of the precious little House Finch screechthey are on their way.The California Scrub Jay may be having a nervous breakdown.It’s difficult to know.Hopefully he will make it to the party,have some juice,and calm down.-Bird World Orchestra, by Julie Potiker

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life. You can learn about mindfulness at www.MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's newly released book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. Her podcast is "Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker", available on iTunes, iHeart, and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Joy - Guided Meditation

Julie Potiker — Sat, 15 Oct 2022 17:08:48 -0400

Where do you find joy? Within yourself, through others? In this guided meditation Julie Potiker helps you tap into your own healing energy infused with joy.

Joy, by Donna AshworthJoy does not arrive with a fanfare,on a red carpet strewn with the flowers of a perfect life.Joy sneaks in, as you pour a cup of coffee,watching the sun hit your favorite tree, just right.And you usher joy away,because you are not ready for it.Your house is not as it must be,for such a distinguished guest.But joy cares nothing for your messy home,or your bank-balance,or your waistline, you see.Joy is supposed to slither through the cracks of your imperfect life,that’s how joy works.You cannot invite her, you can only be ready when she appears.And hug her with meaning, because in this very moment,joy chose you.

Joy, by Donna Ashworth

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life. You can learn about mindfulness at www.MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's newly released book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. Her podcast is "Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker", available on iTunes, iHeart, and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Six Senses Guided Meditation

Julie Potiker — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 12:21:47 -0400

Tap into all your senses through this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with her poem, "Softly Raining".

Softly Raining, by Julie Potiker.An Acorn Woodpecker joined me as I sipped my morning coffee. Soon we were joined by a House Finch then an Allen’s Hummingbird.Sitting under the carob trees I heard a crackling sound, a gentle snapping, as rain drops landed on the round green leaves, and dripped from the long leathery carob pods. Some of the drops make spots on the outdoor sofa, a drop now and then wetting my ankle, wrist and hair.As the rhythm of the water gets faster, and more complex, it smells like fresh baked brownies, and maybe something too ripe, and sour, fermenting. The rain is now singing, the birds a mere whisper. I make my way inside to shelter from the rain, hoping to hear the bird symphony again tomorrow.

-Softly Raining by Julie Potiker

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life. You can learn about mindfulness at www.MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's newly released book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. Her podcast is "Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker", available on iTunes, iHeart, and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Forgiveness Guided Meditation

Julie Potiker — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 13:18:53 -0400

In this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker you'll focus on forgiveness, for yourself and others. She completes the meditation with the reading of a quote from Thich Nhat Hanh.Most of us walk without chains, yet we aren’t free.We’re tethered to regret and sorrow from the past.We return to the past and continue to suffer. The past is aprison. But now you have the key to unlock the doorand arrive in the present moment. You breathe in, youbring your mind home to your body, you make a step,and you arrive in the here and now.-Thich Nhat Hanh from the book, “How to Walk”.

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life. You can learn about mindfulness at www.MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's newly released book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. Her podcast is "Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker", available on iTunes, iHeart, and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Breathing Peace Guided Meditation

Julie Potiker — Tue, 13 Sep 2022 23:05:17 -0400

Find yourself a comfortable spot, sit back, relax and breathe in peace through this guided meditation led by by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Walk Slowly", by Dana Faulds.Walk SlowlyIt only takes a reminder to breathe,a moment to be still, and just like that,something in me settles, softens, makesspace for imperfection. The harsh voiceof judgment drops to a whisper and Iremember again that life isn't a relayrace; that we will all cross the finishline; that waking up to life is what wewere born for. As many times as Iforget, catch myself charging forwardwithout even knowing where I'm going,that many times I can make the choiceto stop, to breathe, and be, and walkslowly into the mystery.Walk Slowly, by Dana Faulds

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life. You can learn about mindfulness at www.MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's newly released book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. Her podcast is "Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker", available on iTunes, iHeart, and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Breathing Love Guided Meditation

Julie Potiker — Tue, 30 Aug 2022 22:21:08 -0400

Use your breath to wrap yourself in love through this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with a quote from Jon Kabat-Zin.

Don't go outside your house to see the flowers.My friend, don't bother with that excursion.Inside your body there are flowers.One flower has a thousand petals.That will do for a place to sit.Sitting there you will have a glimpse of beautyinside the body and out of it,before gardens and after gardens.Written by Jon Kabat-Zin from his book, "Wherever You Go There You Are; Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life".

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life. You can learn about mindfulness at www.MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's newly released book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. Her podcast is "Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker", available on iTunes, iHeart, and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Breathing Compassion Meditation with Zach Beach poem, "Alive"

Julie Potiker — Tue, 30 Aug 2022 14:18:29 -0400

Find your breath, as you breathe in compassion through this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with a reading of the poem, "Alive", by Zach Beach.

AliveWe are alive every day,and alive for the moments we realize it.When,lost in thought,an ancestor or a god or a peck of pollenshakes us awake,and an ocean of small beautiesdemand our attention.The flowers themselves moving like music;The trees swaying instead of snapping;the summer breeze cooling our skin,dancing with our hair,and ticking our nostrilswith scents of faraway lands.The hummingbird,making its 10,000-mile journeywith such tiny wings,and you,smack dab in the middle of this painting:alive.What a gift.

Alive, by Zach Beach.

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life. You can learn about mindfulness at www.MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's newly released book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. Her podcast is "Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker", available on iTunes, iHeart, and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Compassion Breathing Meditation

Julie Potiker — Tue, 16 Aug 2022 15:11:40 -0400

Tap into your own warmth, caring and nurturing through this breathing meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with a reading of the poem, "My Symphony", by William Henry Channing.

My SymphonyTo live content with small means;to seek elegance rather than luxury,and refinement rather than fashion,to be worthy, not respectable,and wealthy, not rich;to study hard, think quietly,talk gently, act frankly,to listen to stars and birds,to babes and sages,with open heart,to bear all cheerfully,to all bravely await occasions,hurry never.In a word, to let the spiritual unbiddenand unconscious grow up through the common.This is to be my symphony.— William Henry Channing

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life. You can learn about mindfulness at www.MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's newly released book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. Her podcast is "Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker", available on iTunes, iHeart, and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Gratitude for Our Bodies Guided Meditation

Julie Potiker — Sun, 14 Aug 2022 11:50:16 -0400

In this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker, you will focus on appreciating every part of your body. She completes the meditation with a reading of "Morning Poem", by Mary Oliver.

Morning Poem, by Mary OliverEvery morningthe worldis created.Under the orangesticks of the sunthe heapedashes of the nightturn into leaves againand fasten themselves to the high branches–and the ponds appearlike black clothon which are painted islandsof summer lilies.If it is your natureto be happyyou will swim away along the soft trailsfor hours, your imaginationalighting everywhere.And if your spiritcarries within itthe thornthat is heavier than lead–if it’s all you can doto keep on trudging–there is stillsomewhere deep within youa beast shouting that the earthis exactly what it wanted–each pond with its blazing liliesis a prayer heard and answeredlavishly,every morning,whether or notyou have ever dared to be happy,whether or notyou have ever dared to pray.

Morning Poem, by Mary Oliver - from Dream Work (1986)

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life. You can learn about mindfulness at www.MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's newly released book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. Her podcast is "Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker", available on iTunes, iHeart, and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Healing Light Meditation with poem by Zach Beach

Julie Potiker — Thu, 04 Aug 2022 05:03:00 -0400

Focusing on a healing light will help you bring in calm, peace and compassion to yourself and the world around you. Julie Potiker completes the meditation with the poem, "Home", by Zach Beach,

Home, by Zach Beach

We are rarely where our body is.At the office, our mind is at home.At home, our mind is at the office.Holding our children,we are wonderingwhich emails to reply to first. Make the choice toinhabit the temple of your body.Be in your feet as you wake up your toes;Be in your hand as you wiggle each finger. Every path homepasses through the heart.It’s the strongest muscle that we have –it lifts our love.Let your palms be a stethescope –place them on your chest,Listen to the vibrational pulse inside you,and bring the worldsMost gentle word to your lipsSmile 'Home' by Zach Beach, from “108 Savasana Poems Blissful World; From the Heart of Yoga.

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life. You can learn about mindfulness at www.MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's newly released book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. Her podcast is "Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker", available on iTunes, iHeart, and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Simple Loving Kindness Meditation

Julie Potiker — Sun, 31 Jul 2022 15:39:04 -0400

Join Julie Potiker as she leads you through this loving kindness meditation. She completes the meditation with the poem, 'Living on the Razor's Edge', by Beth Kurland, Ph.D.

Living on the Razor's Edge, by Beth Kurland, Ph.D.I never was an ocean child —traveling each summer to the mountainson vacationsbecame homeat a young agethat familiar mass of solid rockimmovable, unshakeablestable and strongsteady and mostly unchangingthe way I longed for life to bethe way I longed for life to bewhen loss came too soonholding the grief of my 15 year- old heart,showing methe fragility and preciousness of lifeare inescapably one.But the oceanis wildis moving, ever-changingwith its waves dancing, crestingfalling, recedingrising and crashingin a cacophony of soundand furyunashamed.And strange, that in this uncertaintyin this troubled and challenging timeI long for the ocean.I long for my fear and sadnessto be held in these waters,tears finding their home in the salt of this earthlytreasure.Take me to the shore of this vast expansewhere I can watch the intensity of the waves —the fear, the grief, the sorrowthe fierce love, the kindnessof all kindred spiritsWhere from this vantage pointno wave is aloneno wave disappearsnothing solid,but Interconnected.Part of the wholewhere all of humanity is held.

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life. You can learn about mindfulness at www.MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's newly released book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. Her podcast is "Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker", available on iTunes, iHeart, and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Classic Loving Kindness Meditation

Julie Potiker — Thu, 21 Jul 2022 06:46:00 -0400

Sit back and relax into this guided Loving-Kindness meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with a quote from Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Ph.D., poet and author of many books, including, Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype.“The doors to the world of the wild Self are few but precious. If you have a deep scar, that is a door, if you have an old, old story, that is a door. If you love the sky and the water so much you almost cannot bear it, that is a door. If you yearn for a deeper life, a full life, a sane life, that is a door.” Quote by Clarissa Pinkola Estés.

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life. You can learn about mindfulness at www.MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's newly released book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. Her podcast is "Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker", available on iTunes, iHeart, and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Peaceful Compassion Meditation with poem, 'Take the Loving Path'

Julie Potiker — Fri, 15 Jul 2022 14:26:09 -0400

Breathe in and out healing energy through open awareness in this compassion meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes this guided meditation with the poem, "Take the Loving Path", by Zach Beach.

Take the Loving Path, by Zach Beach When you’re lost at sea,wondering where to goand who is safe to ask, take the loving path.With forgiveness in each stride,a backpack of kindness and a desireto do good for others’ behalf,take the loving path.Give freely, talk less, listen more,and when you find that one who is quite a catch,take the loving path.Every moment of every day,as you move into the future from the past,you have a choice,and I hope you decide totake the loving path

From "108 Savasana Poems; Blissful Words from the Heart of Yoga".

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life. You can learn about mindfulness at www.MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's newly released book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. Her podcast is "Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker", available on iTunes, iHeart, and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Waves of Compassion Meditation with poem "Unfinished Things"

Julie Potiker — Wed, 06 Jul 2022 11:55:18 -0400

Breathe in awareness and compassion in this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Unfinished Things", by Jessica Kantrowitz.

Unfinished Things

Peace to the things you left undonethe book abandoned, scarf half-knitThe call you meant to makethe friendship never rekindledThe time you did your hairand then stayed homePeace to the things that made nodifference in the endand those that may have.Peace to the never knowing. Unfinished Things by Jessica Kantrowitz

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life. You can learn about mindfulness at www.MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's newly released book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. Her podcast is "Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker", available on iTunes, iHeart, and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Copeful Compassion Meditation with Quote by John Muir.

Julie Potiker — Wed, 29 Jun 2022 00:32:24 -0400

Generate goodness and send it out into the world through this compassion meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with a reading of a poem by John Muir.

"The Sun Shines Not On Us But In Us", by John Muir

The rivers flow not past, but through us.Thrilling, tingling, vibrating every fiber and cell of the substance of our bodies, making them glide and sing.The trees wave and the flowers bloom in our bodies as well as our souls, and every bird song, wind song, and tremendous storm song of the rocks in the heart of the mountains is our song, our very own, and sings our love.” ― John Muir

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life. You can learn about mindfulness at www.MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's newly released book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. Her podcast is "Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker", available on iTunes, iHeart, and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Waves in the Ocean of Compassion Meditation

Julie Potiker — Wed, 22 Jun 2022 02:08:00 -0400

Ride the wave of relaxation and discovery in this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, 'Human Emotions', by Jessica Kantrowitz.

Human EmotionsI am human, and nothing human is alien to me – Terrence Good morning humans.What do you feel today?Fear, joy grief, longing,anger, love, frustration,happiness, exhaustion, bewilderment,anxiety, amusement, hope?I feel it, too.There is nothing in you however wild or strangethat is not in me, too.There is nothing weird in methat part of you does not recognize.We are somehow each entirely, beautifully unique.And the same, the same, the same. By Jessica Kantowitz from ‘Blessings for the Long Night – Poems and Meditations to Help You through Depression’.

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life. You can learn about mindfulness at www.MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's newly released book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. Her podcast is "Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker", available on iTunes, iHeart, and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Tranquil Breeze Guided Meditation

Julie Potiker — Mon, 20 Jun 2022 14:17:55 -0400

Close your eyes and feel the breeze gently brush against your skin as you sway along with the Aspen Trees in this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with a reading of her poem, 'Aspen Trees".

Aspen Trees by Julie Potiker When we arrived, the grey trunks were welcoming, their black eyes and symbols beckoning us to witness thousands of delicate naked arms swaying in the wind. Now, a blink in time later, the branches are bedecked in shimmering green vestmentsmillions of sequins dancing in the sun. Above the gentle roar of the river, birds wearing spangled dressesare communicating in their precious bird language. I wish I could discern what type of bird belongs to each trillbut even if I set my curiosity upon learning to discern what bird belongs to which sounds (and I might), their stories will remain a secret. A majestic secret filling my heart with wonderand what feels like hope.

Aspen Trees, by Julie Potiker.

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life. You can learn about mindfulness at www.MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's newly released book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. Her podcast is "Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker", available on iTunes, iHeart, and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Being Love - Guided Meditation

Julie Potiker — Thu, 09 Jun 2022 22:25:16 -0400

Breathe in compassion, energy, light, and love through this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with a reading of the poem, "Let Us Love", by Jessica Kantrowitz.Let Us Love Please let us be healthy,and if we can’t be healthy let us take care of each other in our illness.Let us be kind, and when we are not kind let us be honest and apologize, and try again.Let us be together,and when we can’t be together let us be together let us feel that we are not alone in our loneliness.Let us be okay,and when we are not okay when we are really nowhere near okaylet us acknowledge each other’s suffering and not be afraid of each other’s pain.In other words let us love, let us love, let us love. Let us Love, by Jessica Kantrowitz, from her book; Blessings for the Long Night; Poems and Meditations to help you through Depression.

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life. You can learn about mindfulness at www.MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's newly released book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. Her podcast is "Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker", available on iTunes, iHeart, and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Tonglen Meditation - Dealing with Disaster

Julie Potiker — Wed, 25 May 2022 22:37:18 -0400

Julie Potiker leads you through a Tibetan Buddhist meditation known as Tonglen. During this practice you will breathe in the pain and suffering of yourself and others and then exhale compassion and healing. She completes the meditation with a reading of the poem, "Another Daily Disaster," by Jessica Kantrowitz.Another Daily Disaster

I see you.

You who were just getting your feet back

under you

when disaster struck

Maybe a small, commonplace disaster

but enough to ruin sleep

raise blood pressure

shift things from almost okay

to not okay at all.

It was just when you thought you had

a little breathing room wasn't it?

Just then.

I see you, now

struggling to breathe

through another daily disaster.

by Jessica Kantrowitz, from Blessings for the Long Night, Poems and Meditations to Help You through Depression.

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life. You can learn about mindfulness at www.MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's newly released book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. Her podcast is "Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker", available on iTunes, iHeart, and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Guided Meditation - What Do You Need To Hear Right Now?

Julie Potiker — Wed, 25 May 2022 14:58:10 -0400

Think about what it is you need to hear right now as Julie Potiker leads you through this guided meditation. She completes the meditation with the poem, "A Short To-Do List for the Day", by Jessica Kantrowitz.A Short To-Do List for the Day Acknowledge that life is hardand often painfulNotice that life is nevertheless startlingly beautifulMake are in some small way – a poem a line of prose, a drawing, a songLove yourself the way you dream of being lovedTake care of someone else in some small way – a call, a text, a prayer, a song. by Jessica Kantrowitz, from her book, "Blessings for the Long Night, Poems and Meditations to Help you through Depression.

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life. You can learn about mindfulness at www.MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's newly released book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. Her podcast is "Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker", available on iTunes, iHeart, and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Healing Compassion Meditation with poem, "All of Us Here"

Julie Potiker — Tue, 17 May 2022 18:15:00 -0400

In this healing compassion meditation, you'll use your breath to find out what it is you need right now. Julie Potiker completes the meditation with the poem, "All of Us Here", by Jessica Kantrowitz, from her book, 'Blessings for the Long Night, Poems and Meditations to Help You Through Depression'.All of Us Here Out of everyone here, there arethose who found pockets of peace todayand those who could not.Among us, there arethose whose hearts liftedat the song of a birdfrom a newly opened window.And those who heard and closed the windowbecause the bird’s joy was so at odds withour sorrow.Do you hear the birdsongright now, where you are?If you don’t, it’s okay.Stay here with us.We’ll wait till you do.

by Jessica Kantrowitz, from her book, Blessings for the Long Night.

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life. You can learn about mindfulness at www.MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's newly released book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. Her podcast is "Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker", available on iTunes, iHeart, and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

What You Need Tonight - Compassion Meditation

Julie Potiker — Tue, 10 May 2022 21:34:37 -0400

Julie Potiker guides you through this compassion meditation where you will focus on what you need right now, for yourself and your community. She completes the meditation with a poem by Jessica Kantrowitz, "Community". Community by Jessica Kantrowitz,Maybe you’ll be in a placeto help someone todayor maybe you’ll have to ask for helpfor the nth day in a row.maybe you’ll be someone’s comfortOr maybe you’ll need their comfort.It’s not the numbers game, it’s communityand you’re part of it.you belongyou’re neededwe need you.

Community, by Jessica Kantrowitz, from Blessings for the Long Night.

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life. You can learn about mindfulness at www.MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's newly released book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. Her podcast is "Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker", available on iTunes, iHeart, and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Gifts of Compassion Meditation

Julie Potiker — Mon, 02 May 2022 15:22:04 -0400

Julie Potiker guides you to love, hope, faith, peace and compassion through this guided meditation. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Compassion", by Miller Williams.

Compassion by Miller WilliamsHave compassion for everyone you meet, even if they don’t want it.What appears bad mannersan ill temper or cynicism is always a sign of thingsno ears have heard, no eyes have seen.You do not know what wars are going ondown there where the spirit meets the bone.

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life. You can learn about mindfulness at www.MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's newly released book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. Her podcast is "Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker", available on iTunes, iHeart, and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Quiet Mind Compassion Meditation with poem, "A Calling"

Julie Potiker — Sun, 01 May 2022 03:40:00 -0400

Julie Potiker leads you to a quiet, peaceful place through this compassion meditation. She completes the meditation with a poem, "A Calling", by Susan Frybot.

“A Calling”, by Susan Frybot A callingisn’t concerned about fame,or interested in glory.Callings are not providers of comfortand sometimes lead to sacrifice.And not everyone will answerthe loud criescoming from something voraciousdeep inside that’swanting to wake theminto living full-on withpurposeful passion. “A Calling”, is from “Looking to the Clearing, Poems to Encourage”, by Susan Frybort.

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life. You can learn about mindfulness at www.MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's newly released book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. Her podcast is "Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker", available on iTunes, iHeart, and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Calm Compassion Meditation with Poem, "Walk Slowly", by Danna Faulds

Julie Potiker — Sun, 17 Apr 2022 15:34:44 -0400

Use your breath to breathe in calm and compassion for yourself, loved ones, and the world around you. Julie Potiker completes her meditation with the poem, 'Walk Slowly', by Danna Faulds.Walk Slowly, by Danna Faulds It only takes a reminder to breathe,a moment to be still, and just like that,something in me settles, softens,makes space for imperfection.The harsh voice of judgment drops to a whisper and I remember again that life isn’t a relay race;that we will all cross the finish line;that waking up to life is what we were born for.As many times as I forget,catch myself charging forward without even knowing where I’m going,that many times I can make the choice to stop,to breathe, and be,and walk slowly into the mystery.

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life. You can learn about mindfulness at www.MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's newly released book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. Her podcast is "Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker", available on iTunes, iHeart, and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Healing Compassion Meditation with poem "Unconditional" by Jennifer Welwood

Julie Potiker — Thu, 14 Apr 2022 12:08:00 -0400

Julie Potiker leads you through this healing compassion meditation. She completes the meditation with the poem, 'Unconditional', by Jennifer Welwood.

Unconditional, by Jennifer WelwoodWilling to experience aloneness,I discover connection everywhere;Turning to face my fear,I meet the warrior who lives within;Opening to my loss,I gain the embrace of the universe;Surrendering into emptiness,I find fullness without end. Each condition I flee from pursues me,Each condition I welcome transforms meAnd becomes itself transformedInto its radiant jewel-like essence.I bow to the one who has made it so,Who has crafted this Master Game;To play it is purest delight;To honor its form – true devotion. © Jennifer Welwood

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life. You can learn about mindfulness at www.MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's newly released book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. Her podcast is "Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker", available on iTunes, iHeart, and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Loving Kindness Meditation with poem 'Awakening Rights', by Mark Nepo

Julie Potiker — Sun, 10 Apr 2022 10:23:00 -0400

Treat yourself to some loving kindness for yourself and others - through this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Awakening Rights", by Mark Nepo.

Awakening Rights by Mark NepoWe waste so much energytrying to cover up who we arewhen beneath every attitudeis the want to be loved,and beneath every angeris a wound to be healedand beneath every sadnessis the fear that there will not be enough time.Our challenge each dayis not to get dressed to face the worldbut to unglove ourselvesso that the doorknob feels cold and the car handle feels wetand the kiss goodbye feels like the lips of another being,soft and unrepeatable.

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life. You can learn about mindfulness at www.MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's newly released book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. Her podcast is "Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker", available on iTunes, iHeart, and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

To Be Love - Finding Gratitude

Julie Potiker — Tue, 29 Mar 2022 14:39:38 -0400

Relax into this meditation of gratitude and love led by Julie Potiker. This was a meditation she presented to the Balanced Mind Meditation Center, in La Jolla, CA.

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life. You can learn about mindfulness at www.MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's newly released book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. Her podcast is "Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker", available on iTunes, iHeart, and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Orb Healing Light Compassion Meditation

Julie Potiker — Mon, 28 Mar 2022 15:28:23 -0400

Your focus during this compassion meditation will be the healing light of an orb. Julie Potiker completes the meditation with the poem, 'We Are Of A Tribe,' by Alberto Rios.

We Are Of A Tribe, by Alberto Rios

We plant seeds in the groundAnd dreams in the sky, Hoping that, someday, the roots of oneWill meet the upstretched limbs of the other. It has not happened yet.We share the sky, all of us, the whole world: Together, we are a tribe of eyes that look upward,Even as we stand on uncertain ground. The earth beneath us moves, quiet and wild,Its boundaries shifting, its muscles wavering. The dream of sky is indifferent to all this,Impervious to borders, fences, reservations. The sky is our common home, the place we all live.There we are in the world together. The dream of sky requires no passport.Blue will not be fenced. Blue will not be a crime. Look up. Stay awhile. Let your breathing slow.Know that you always have a home here.

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life. You can learn about mindfulness at www.MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's newly released book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. Her podcast is "Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker", available on iTunes, iHeart, and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Meditation for Peace

Julie Potiker — Tue, 15 Mar 2022 15:21:05 -0400

Use this meditation practice to send compassion, safety, protection, and peace to those around the world who are in harms way. Julie Potiker completes the meditation with a reading of the poem, 'For Peace', by John O'Donohue.For Peace, by John O’Donohue, Irish poet and philospher. As the fever of day calms towards twilightMay all that is strained in us come to ease. We pray for all who suffered violence today,May an unexpected serenity surprise them. For those who risk their lives each day for peace,May their hearts glimpse providence at the heart of history. That those who make riches from violence and warMight hear in their dreams the cries of the lost. That we might see through our fear of each otherA new vision to heal our fatal attraction to aggression. That those who enjoy the privilege of peaceMight not forget their tormented brothers and sisters. That the wolf might lie down with the lamb,That our swords be beaten into ploughshares And no hurt or harm be doneAnywhere along the holy mountain. From John O'Donahue's book, Benedictushttps://johnodonohue.com/

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life. You can learn about mindfulness at www.MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's newly released book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. Her podcast is "Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker", available on iTunes, iHeart, and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Compassion Meditation for Ukraine

Julie Potiker — Tue, 08 Mar 2022 12:22:53 -0500

Julie Potker leads this timely compassion meditation, sending peace, hope, and protection to the people of Ukraine. She completes the meditation with a reading of her poem, "Don't Ask Me".

Don’t Ask Me, by Julie Potiker

Don’t ask me how I am

As sorrow flows through me

Don’t ask me

If your ears must close to the truth

Don’t ask me

If your heart must harden to the pain

Don’t ask me

If your hands hang useless at the end of your limp arms

Don’t ask me

When your arms become animated and pulse with energy, pulling me in for a warm embrace

I’ll know I’ve been seen

When your heart softens and shares my sorrow

I’ll know I’ve been felt

When your ears open to my quivering voice

I’ll know I’ve been heard

Then go ahead

Ask me how I am.

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life.You can learn about mindfulness at www.MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's newly released book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. Her podcast is "Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker", available on iTunes, iHeart, and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Calming Compassion Meditation

Julie Potiker — Tue, 01 Mar 2022 21:51:04 -0500

Feel the calm wash over you through this guided compassion meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with a reading of the poem, "Recipe for Joy", by Mort Cohn.

Recipe for Joy, by Mort Cohn

-for Jonah

Begin by waking up

next, move to the beat of your heart

then stir lightly outside sniff the air

look up at the sky

at a clous passing by

Magritte baguette

a mushroom omelet

open wide your eyes

see the world anew

In the fertile mind’s eye

then turn around and tune your ear

to the hum of a hummingbird

that just flew into your garden

to drink the honey

from a trumpet flower

hum along

with the ruby throated dancer

ecstatic,

rink on pollen

bird and flower

suspended in air

and if you feel the beat

spread your wings

join the dance

and if not too dizzy

spin ‘round and ‘round

and sing

(don’t worry if a little off key)

it’s only a vibration that you hear

from the inner chamber of your ear

that echoes outward like ripples on a pond

warbling to the edge of the morning.

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life.You can learn about mindfulness at www.MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's newly released book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. Her podcast is "Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker", available on iTunes, iHeart, and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Waves of Compassion Guided Meditation

Julie Potiker — Wed, 23 Feb 2022 17:58:08 -0500

Let the waves of compassion wash over you through this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with her poem, "Space".

Space, by Julie PotikerDust rings Gaps Torquegravitational pull2 trillion galaxies 200 billion trillion stars Red, white and blue Smaller to biggerCooler to hotter Farther to closer Black holes collidingMaking a sound And me Orbiting others Attracting Repelling SpinningStanding still Smaller to biggerCooler to hotter Closer to fartherMaking a sound A speck of dust Star dust

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life.You can learn about mindfulness at www.MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's newly released book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. Her podcast is "Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker", available on iTunes, iHeart, and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Classic Metta Meditation with Poem, "Where I'm From", by Julie Potiker

Julie Potiker — Tue, 15 Feb 2022 10:01:00 -0500

Sit back, close your eyes and breathe in compassion for yourself and others through this guided meditation. At the end of this loving kindness meditation, Julie Potiker shares her poem, "Where I'm From".

Where I’m From Poem, by Julie Potiker

I am from The Random House Dictionary, on its’ own built-in desk in the library, near the gold colored Flokati Rug – a rug that could tell tales. From Fig Newtons and Grandma Claire’s oatmeal cookies, delivered in the oatmeal cylinder box covered in brown paper and sent through the mail. I am from the flagstone and wood house with 2 big blue spruce trees in the front yard, 2 apple trees and 2 pear trees in the backyard. I am from Lilac bushes running the length of the hedge, and my mom’s green thumb making magic in colors, textures and scents – red, orange, yellow, pinks and purples – which I sometimes helped push into the rich dark soil. I'm from matzo balls and brisket and be dressed in the foyer at 5pm. From the Jacobowitz’s, and the Scherr’s. I'm from whomever guesses the color of the door at the next motel gets a treat from the vending machine, and always keep your options open. From C’s are not acceptable in this house, and you won’t be in trouble if you tell the truth. I'm from the scholarship of the Chachem Zvi to the atheists and everything in between. I'm from Cleveland, Ohio – Poland and Russia. From Chocolate Ice Cream and Black Licorice. From my parents eloping at age 18, and being together for 67 years until death did part them. From my father supporting my mother in her career aspirations in the 60s, before men did those things – she soaring in healthcare administration, authoring 5 books, and lecturing around the globe with him. From Dozens of photo albums in storage – but my mom’s perfume bottle collection, cow collection and owl collection gracing my shelves. My Dad’s cashmere sweaters and throw blankets keeping me warm and connected, and a pile of his shirts lovingly made into a quilt that my eyes and heart love. I am a link in the chain – going backward through time, and forwards forever.

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life.You can learn about mindfulness at www.MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's newly released book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. Her podcast is "Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker", available on iTunes, iHeart, and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Golden Healing Light - Guided Meditation

Julie Potiker — Tue, 08 Feb 2022 09:41:00 -0500

In this guided meditation, led by Julie Potiker, you'll be embraced by a golden healing light filling you with warmth, love and energy. Potiker completes the meditation with a poem from the book, “Passages”, by Mort Cohn.

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life.You can learn about mindfulness at www.MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's newly released book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. Her podcast is "Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker", available on iTunes, iHeart, and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Magical Journey Guided Meditation with poem, "Tech and Me"

Julie Potiker — Mon, 31 Jan 2022 07:56:00 -0500

Unplug and relax with Julie Potiker as she takes you on a magical journey where you will find peace, connection, compassion and balance. She completes this guided meditation with her poem, "Tech and Me".

Tech and Me by Julie Potiker Intuitively I slow my breathingFeel my bottom in the chairUnplug cords in the many cord stripUnplug cords in my chest, arms and handsPlug little blocks back inShut down, restartShut downRestartIs that the same as sleeping?The monitor is a luminous black blankMy laptop plugged in is a shade of navy blue, reflecting my unwashed face in glasses, my sleeping sweater bought by a dear friend that I wear when I want to feel her hugI wear it so much it is frayingLight!A monitor filled with little squaresIlluminated post it notes of productivityChaos on the screen that somehow feels cozyStill unable to connect to zoomStill unable to use my phone as a hot spotTiptoeing into the bedroomIt’s cold in hereMy tech support man is in a cave of blankets and pillows, the dog’s paws drying on the rug after an early walk down the snow filled drivewayThere are ice-cycles dripping from the satellite dishCould that be the cause of lack of connectivity?It’s 10 minutes until ZoomI’ve been patiently quietly trying for 30 minutes, or moreDo I wake him?Oh…if the network cable is plugged in, turn off WI-Fi on the tool bar at the top he mutters, see if you get GoogleNo…unplug, re-plug… if it doesn’t work, come get meHe’s here now, in his sleepy headThis is interesting he saysGot to restart it - I already did thatSince we know the internet is workingAnd the WI-Fi is workingTherefore, the problem is in your computerDo you understand that the problem is in your computer itself?Ummmm…He did it! My people! My tribe, there they are! 25 beautiful souls!New faces along with old favoritesI let go of the wish I had on a bra, contacts, make up – be here now!

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life.You can learn about mindfulness at www.MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's newly released book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. Her podcast, "Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker", available on iTunes, Spotify, iHeart, and everywhere you listen to your podcasts.

Relaxing the Body - Compassion Meditation with poem, "Worried"

Julie Potiker — Tue, 25 Jan 2022 00:41:32 -0500

Julie Potiker leads this compassion meditation focusing on relaxing your body.She completes the meditation with a reading of the poem, "I Worried", by Mary Oliver.

"I worried", by Mary Oliver

I worried a lot. Will the garden grow, will the riversflow in the right direction, will the earth turnas it was taught, and if not how shallI correct it?Was I right, was I wrong, will I be forgiven,can I do better?Will I ever be able to sing, even the sparrowscan do it and I am, well,hopeless.Is my eyesight fading or am I just imagining it,am I going to get rheumatism,lockjaw, dementia?Finally, I saw that worrying had come to nothing.And gave it up. And took my old bodyand went out into the morning,and sang.

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life.You can learn about mindfulness at www.MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's newly released book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. Her podcast is "Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker", available on iTunes, iHeart, and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Calm Compassion Meditation with poem, "Birthday Blessing", by Janice Steinberg

Julie Potiker — Sun, 16 Jan 2022 22:38:50 -0500

In this compassion meditation Julie Potiker guides you to a place of calm and peace. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Birthday Blessing", by Janice Steinberg.

Birthday Blessing by Janice SteinbergWhatever makes you weepmay it open your eyesto beautyWhere your heart has hardenedmay it crack open and letthe light flood inWhatever worry squirrel-cages in your mindmay it animate your creativityWhatever pettinessworms through your doormay it teach you to laugh gentlyat your very human selfMay all the wrong turns you’ve takenthe fumbles, stumblesevery epic screw-uplead you to thismeadowthis riverthis belovedthis workthis burning bushthat was waiting for you

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life.You can learn about mindfulness at www.MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's newly released book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. Her podcast is "Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker", available on iTunes, iHeart, and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Year-End Release and Envision Meditation with poem, "Clear a Path"

Julie Potiker — Wed, 29 Dec 2021 09:39:00 -0500

Relax, unwind and envision yourself in the New Year through this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with her poem, "Clear a Path".

Clear a Path by Julie Potiker

Clear a path

Settle

Allow your thoughts to drift down

Gently sweep them aside with a soft broom, the kind that looks hand made from natural grasses

Some of the little notes now in piles on the perimeter of your awareness are things to return to later, not now, but later so you keep them safe

Other notes are best to release - the worry, the rumination that woke you at 4am

Go ahead and toss that sticky stack into the small round fire bowl

The smoke swirling as that which does not serve you de-materializes

Settle your mind to clear a path to your heart where joy and suffering slosh

Your heart – which when broken miraculously goes on beating

Your heart safety valves, allowing your mind to crank the hatches shut, when too much suffering threatens to drop you to the inky bottom of the sea

You can open the hatch a peep

Feeling into whether it’s OK right now to let tears move through you

Too much? Crank it down to steer your mind to translucent waters

That’s skillful maneuvering

Turning your attention towards joy in that moment

Noticing beauty out the window

Letting a song stir your soul

Enjoying the perfect cup of tea

Relishing the sound of your friend’s voice on the phone

Or my favorite, the sound of my voice in my head, calling myself sweetheart and letting me know that this too shall pass, both the good and the bad, in waves of beginnings and endings.

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life.You can learn about mindfulness at www.MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's newly released book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. Her podcast is "Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker", available on iTunes, iHeart, and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Calm and Settle Meditation with poem "Unbuckle"

Julie Potiker — Sun, 26 Dec 2021 19:24:03 -0500

Allow your body to feel content and peace through this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with her own poem, "Unbuckle".

Unbuckle by Julie Potiker

This morning as I lay in bed I heard from my left hip flexor, it had a high pitched tone, too tightly strungThen my right ankle joined the songThen my left toeI rolled onto my belly and imagined unbuckling my hips Unbuckling my ankles Dragging my arms down to my sides I unbuckled my shoulders Has anyone ever written about unbuckling the heart, I wondered? Unbuckling the heart, Letting the disappointment flow out of the chambers The sadness and grief tucked into the mitral valve might need a little scraping to flush it out The existential angst at all that is lost every day in our human familyThat blows away in places like Kentucky and the Philippines this timeNext time some other village or town will lose to nature - our blue marble in danger making itself known again and again After the heart is unbuckled, and drained into the river, there is room for the packages to arrivePrecious squares of moments intentionally wrapped and delivered to you, from the person that knows you best Unwrap the smile you remember in a child’s eyesUnwrap the light flashing on the waterUnwrap the wind blowing through the mountain treesUnwrap your unique pearls of awe Unwrap the truth that love resides here

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life.You can learn about mindfulness at www.MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's newly released book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. Her podcast is "Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker", available on iTunes, iHeart, and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Compassion In - Compassion Out meditation, with poem, "Resolute"

Julie Potiker — Mon, 20 Dec 2021 11:12:00 -0500

Relax into this compassion meditation led by Julie Potiker. You'll be breathing in compassion for yourself and others. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Resolute", from the book, "Call Us What We Carry", by Amanda S.C. Gorman.Gorman is the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history. She is an award-winning writer and cum laude graduate of Harvard University. Her work focuses on issues of oppression, feminism, race, and marginalization, as well as the African diaspora.

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life.You can learn about mindfulness at www.MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's newly released book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. Her podcast is "Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker", available on iTunes, iHeart, and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Peaceful Place Compassion Meditation

Julie Potiker — Mon, 13 Dec 2021 00:08:27 -0500

Journey to a safe, secure, and peaceful place through this guided meditation, led by Julie Potiker. You'll use all your senses in this visualization. Potiker completes the meditation with a reading from the book, "Call Us What We Carry", by Amanda S.C. Gorman.Gorman is the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history. She is an award-winning writer and cum laude graduate of Harvard University. Her work focuses on issues of oppression, feminism, race, and marginalization, as well as the African diaspora.

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life.You can learn about mindfulness at www.MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's newly released book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. Her podcast is "Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker", available on iTunes, iHeart, and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Thanksgiving Gratitude Meditation with "Eagle Poem"

Julie Potiker — Thu, 25 Nov 2021 00:38:05 -0500

Gratitude is the focus of this Thanksgiving meditation led by Julie Potiker. Who are you grateful for in your life? Who influenced you along the way?She completes the meditation with the poem, "Eagle Poem", by Joy Harjo. Harjo, an American poet, is the incumbent United States Poet Laureate. She's the first Native American to hold the honor.

Eagle Poem, Joy Harjo To pray you open your whole selfTo sky, to earth, to sun, to moonTo one whole voice that is you.And know there is moreThat you can’t see, can’t hear;Can’t know except in momentsSteadily growing, and in languagesThat aren’t always sound but otherCircles of motion.Like eagle that Sunday morningOver Salt River. Circled in blue skyIn wind, swept our hearts cleanWith sacred wings.We see you, see ourselves and knowThat we must take the utmost careAnd kindness in all things.Breathe in, knowing we are made ofAll this, and breathe, knowingWe are truly blessed because weWere born, and die soon within aTrue circle of motion,Like eagle rounding out the morningInside us.We pray that it will be doneIn beauty.In beauty.

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life.You can learn about mindfulness at www.MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's newly released book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. Her podcast is "Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker", available on iTunes, iHeart, and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Resting Compassion Meditation with poem "Simply Resting" by Zach Beach

Julie Potiker — Thu, 18 Nov 2021 13:20:39 -0500

Relax as you breath into this resting compassion meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes this guided meditation with a reading of the poem "Simply Resting", by Zach Beach.

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life.You can learn about mindfulness at www.MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's newly released book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. Her podcast is "Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker", available on iTunes, iHeart, and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Peaceful Compassion Meditation with poem, "Swan", by Mary Oliver

Julie Potiker — Mon, 18 Oct 2021 22:23:46 -0400

Tune out and relax into this compassion meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with a reading of the poem, "Swan", by Mary Oliver.

Mary Oliver - Swan: Poems and Prose PoemsOrdinarily, I go to the woods alone, with not a single friend, for they are all smilers and talkers and therefore unsuitable.I don’t really want to be witnessed talking to the catbirds or hugging the old black oak tree. I have my way of praying, as you no doubt have yours.Besides, when I am alone I can become invisible. I can sit on the top of a dune as motionless as an uprise of weeds until the foxes run by unconcerned. I can hear the almost unhearable sound of the roses singing.If you have ever gone to the woods with me, I must loveyou very much.”

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life.You can learn about mindfulness at www.MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's newly released book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. Her podcast is "Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker", available on iTunes, iHeart, and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Loving Kindness Meditation with poem "Come to Dust"

Julie Potiker — Sun, 17 Oct 2021 22:41:57 -0400

Bring kindness and peace to yourself and others through this loving-kindness meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with a reading of the poem, "Come to Dust", by Ursula K. Le Guin

Come to Dust – by Ursula K. Le GuinSpirit, rehearse the journeys of the bodythat are to come, the motionsof the matter that held you.Rise up in the smoke of palo santo.Fall to the earth in the falling rain.Sink in, sink down to the farthest roots.Mount slowly in the rising sapto the branches, the crown, the leaf-tips.Come down to earth as leaves in autumnto lie in the patient rot of winter.Rise again in spring's green fountains.Drift in sunlight with the sacred pollento fall in blessing.All earth's dust has been life, held soul, is holy.Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life.You can learn about mindfulness at www.MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's newly released book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. Her podcast is "Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker", available on iTunes, iHeart, and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Cozy Peaceful Meditation with poem, The Sun, by Mary Oliver

Julie Potiker — Tue, 05 Oct 2021 06:47:00 -0400

Slip into Fall with this Cozy Peaceful Meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes this guided meditation with the poem "The Sun," by Mary Oliver.

The Sun, by Mary Oliver.

Have you ever seen anything in your life

more wonderful than the way the sun, every evening,

relaxed and easy, floats toward the horizon and into the clouds

or the hills, or the rumpled sea,

and is gone--and how it slides again out of the blackness,

every morning, on the other side of the world,

like a red flower streaming upward on its heavenly oils,

say, on a morning in early summer,

at its perfect imperial distance--and have you ever felt

for anything such wild love--do you think there is anywhere, in any language,

a word billowing enough for the pleasure that fills you,

as the sun reached out, as it warms you as you stand there

empty-handed--or have you too turned

from this world-- or have you too gone crazy for power, for things?

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life.

You can learn about mindfulness at www.MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's newly released book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. Her podcast is "Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker", available on iTunes, iHeart, and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

One for Me; One for You, with Poem for Autumn

Julie Potiker — Sun, 26 Sep 2021 11:22:00 -0400

Sit back and relax into autumn in this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the poem with a reading of, "Poem Beginning with a Line from It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown", by Maggie Smith.

"Poem Beginning with a Line from It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown," by Maggie Smith

Just look—nothing but sincerity

as far as the eye can see—

the way the changed leaves,

flapping their yellow underbellies

in the wind, glitter. The tree

looks sequined wherever

the sun touches. Does anyone

not see it? Driving by a field

of spray-painted sheep, I think

the world is not all changed.

The air still ruffles wool

the way a mother’s hand

busies itself lovingly in the hair

of her small boy. The sun

lifts itself up, grows heavy

treading there then lets itself

off the hook. Just look at it

leaving—the sky a tiger eye

banded five kinds of gold

and bronze—and the sequin tree

shaking its spangles like a girl

on the high school drill team,

nothing but sincerity. It glitters

whether we’re looking or not.

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life.

Forgiveness Meditation - with Ho'oponopono Affirmation

Julie Potiker — Sat, 18 Sep 2021 23:19:53 -0400

Julie Potiker leads a forgiveness meditation for Yom Kippur, incorporating the Hawaiian Ho'oponopono Affirmation Meditation.

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life.

Grounding Compassion Meditation -with poem, "I Carry Your Heart"

Julie Potiker — Sun, 04 Jul 2021 16:55:16 -0400

Feel strength, compassion and grounding through this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with a reading of the poem, "I Carry Your Heart", by E.E. Cummings.

I Carry Your Heart, by E.E. Cummings

i carry your heart with me (i carry it in my heart)

i am never without it (anywhere i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done by only me is your doing, my darling)

i fear no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) i want no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)

and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows

(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows higher than soul can hope or mind can hide) and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life.

Compassion Meditation - Safe Place

Julie Potiker — Sat, 26 Jun 2021 18:17:08 -0400

Find your safe place through this compassion meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with a reading of the poem, "Untitled", by Willow Harth

"Untitled", by Willow Harth

This poem is not meant for you unless you too have been underground choking on your life's debris, and playing peek-a-boo with death seriously then the surprise of ten thousand buttercups out of nowhere on every side where they'd never been before on my daily walk might have had the effect on you it did on me because suddenly I wanted to understand how these particular flowers came to be—the whole evolutionary history of mosses, ferns and angiosperms, the miracle of photosynthesis and DNA, not to mention the longings of the Milky Way to reflect itself in the form called flowers and in these buttercups, which seemed like a visitation from the sun, urging me to tell you, in case like me you had forgotten we are the universe's latest way of blooming.

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life.

Calm and Settle Meditation - Morning Mind

Julie Potiker — Sun, 20 Jun 2021 17:32:00 -0400

Settle in and find your calm through this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation by reading a self-composed poem, "Morning Mind".

Morning Mind Flow, by Julie Potiker The first thing I notice is the sound. A wall of high fidelity sound. I fold myself into the pale turquoise cushion on the chair and let it in: There’s twilling, tweeting, and something that sounds like call and response singing, an octave above high C. Underneath, or on top of all that sound is the constant gentle roar, yes, a roar but sweet, of the river - sort of like a white noise machine, or maybe it’s pink noise, or brown noise. I feel my palms and the underside of my fingers getting hot, wrapped around my white ceramic mug, with the artist rendering of an elk, his antlers partially covered by my thumbs. The next thing to come online is my vision. The bright green heart shaped leaves of the Aspen Trees are shimmering and quaking on their delicate stems. Bugs, flying things, butterflies and bees are flitting around in the sunlight slanting through the shadows of the trees. I rest my mug on the arm of the chair and pull my cozy flannel pajama top around me in a hug. The thin bamboo hot flash preventing nightgown isn’t enough to keep off the chill of an Idaho summer morning. My fleece lined slippers enclose my feet, as I notice where the fresh cool air is making contact with my skin. I’m reminded of summer camp, cool mornings in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, using a rake to make patterns in the dirt in front of our cabin at Interlochen National Music Camp, red knee socks pulled all the way up to my worn navy corduroy knickers (pants that button below the knee, not underwear for my U.K. friends!), hoping to win the best cabin award each week. My mind back now to the present, a carpenter ant, running across the rough stones. How does he move so fast? There must be some small animal in the eaves, because there are crumpled dry leaves and stems arranged haphazardly on the stones below the roof, right next to the sliding doors to the breakfast room. Perhaps a soft furry little house guest is joining me for breakfast, while I enjoy my coffee in her world.

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life.

Relaxing Compassion Meditation with poem by Daniel Baylis

Julie Potiker — Sat, 12 Jun 2021 16:33:02 -0400

Take the time to find compassion for yourself and others in this relaxing compassion meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with a reading of the poem, "A Collection of Atoms", by Daniel Baylis.

A Collection of Atoms, by Daniel Baylis

Working together

In temporary harmony

Before being dispersed

Back into the universe

Your earthly task

Is to help those atoms radiate

Imagine the simplicity

You need not

Achieve anything but

Gently glow

-Daniel Baylis

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life.

Tree Meditation with poem "I Love You To The Moon And..."

Julie Potiker — Sat, 05 Jun 2021 17:27:00 -0400

In this guided meditation you'll visualize a majestic tree - and ground yourself through its roots into the earth. In celebration of Pride month, held every June, Julie Potiker completes the meditation with the poem "I love you to the moon and..." by Chen Chen.

I Love You To The Moon And by Chen Chen

Not back, let’s not come back, let’s go by the speed of queer zest & stay up there & get ourselves a little moon cottage (so pretty), then start a moon garden

with lots of moon veggies (so healthy), i mean i was already moonlighting as an online moonologist most weekends, so this is the immensely

logical next step, are you packing your bags yet, don’t forget your sailor moon jean jacket, let’s wear our sailor moon jean jackets while twirling in that lighter,

queerer moon gravity, let’s love each other (so good) on the moon, let’s love the moon on the moon

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life.

Safe Resourced Connected - Compassion Meditation

Julie Potiker — Sat, 29 May 2021 14:31:49 -0400

Feel your body release and relax as you melt into this compassion meditation led by Julie Potiker.

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life.

Loving Body Scan with Prayer for Peace in Israel

Julie Potiker — Sun, 23 May 2021 17:03:00 -0400

Scan your body and breathe in love and appreciation through this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with timely words from Rabbi Jordan Braunig, "A Prayer for Peace".

A Prayer for Peace, Rabbi Jordan Braunig

It is possible to pray for peace. Our prayer life need not know our boundaries.

No green lines, no dashes, no subtle demarcations.

Our longings can transcend our political ideologies, cut across our keen analyses.

Earnestness, cast out of our public discourse, still has a place in the language of our hearts.

We have the capacity to pray for the old couple crouched in their stairwell in Ashkelon and the terrified child in his pajamas in Gaza.

We can spread our prayer like a tattered shawl like a billowing canopy like a sparkling firmament over the tired shoulders of these and across the narrow frames of those.

We are not naive, not cowards, nor traitors to pray for peace.

We are told to get in line, to stand with them or to stand with the other,

but we pray to a Holy One who resides in the space between, diminished by their missiles, laid low by their rockets, exhausted, but still listening for our prayers.

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life.

Compassion Meditation - I Will Catch Me

Julie Potiker — Mon, 17 May 2021 22:41:43 -0400

In this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker you'll focus on compassion - for yourself an others.

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life.

Moon Eyes Meditation - with Poem by Hafiz

Julie Potiker — Sun, 09 May 2021 19:04:07 -0400

Connect to yourself - and others through this loving kindness meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with a reading by Hafiz, "With That Moon Language".

With That Moon Language, by Hafiz (translated by Daniel Ladinsky)

Admit something:

Everyone you see, you say to them,

“Love me.” Of course you do not do this out loud;

otherwise, someone would call the cops.

Still though, think about this, this great pull in us to connect. Why not become the one who lives with a full moon in each eye that is always saying, with that sweet moon language, what every other eye in this world is dying to hear?

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life.

Breathing In What Your Need - Releasing What You No Longer Need

Julie Potiker — Sun, 02 May 2021 15:32:00 -0400

In this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker you'll breathe in what you need right now - and breathe out what no longer serves you. She completes the meditation with a poem by Franciscan Brother Richard, Ordinary Miracles.

Ordinary Miracles by Brother Richard, a Capuchin Franciscan priest-friar, living and working in Ireland.

Today I am so tired - I have no space in me for big. I must return to the small ordinary miracles; to the way the cup and the bowl laid upon this table, once earth themselves, now, after fire's touch, are something else entirely, and give themselves freely with the simple symmetry of their curved line to the holding of emptiness or fullness. Or I will drink tea, and follow it's warmth and healing touch within and without, and mingle my breath with its vapor and touch the journey of its essence from faraway lands to here, to now, to me. Or spend time simply remembering that between the covers of the books upon my shelves are held minds, lives, worlds, stories, wisdom that will all last longer than this little body of mine. Or marvel at the striped stones upon the shore that tell deep time, layer by layer and recall wild days of disaster and dancing in their still sea vigil, slowly loosing their grains and building beaches for children's hands to make sand castles with until the next tide sets them swimming again.

Or just knowing that already I have seen a seed

become a tree become a log become a fire become dust and become soil for seed's planting. Or watch the sky and know that the blue is still behind the clouds and the stars still shine even in the day. Or simply sit with the slow rhythm of breath knowing its biology as blessing, its divine anchoring as presence and prayer. Today, I am so tired I have no space in me for big questions, queries, feelings, problems, pains, plans, whether mine or others, so I will just sit with the small ordinary miracles of being; breathing, watching, touching, tasting the now, and in the now knowing the love from which all that is, is. I will dwell there, today, in the wonder of it all, in the wildness of the small ordinary miracles of being.

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life.

What Do I Need To Hear - Receiving and Giving

Julie Potiker — Fri, 23 Apr 2021 17:37:58 -0400

Are there any words that would describe what you need to hear right now? Such as, " I am worthy? It's okay? I've got this? Join Julie Potiker in this guided meditation where you'll focus on breathing in those words and phrases while also sending them out to others.

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life.

Guided Visualization - Love Travel

Julie Potiker — Mon, 19 Apr 2021 01:13:32 -0400

Who is it that puts a smile on your face and warms your heart? In this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker, you'll bring this being on a journey with you to your favorite place - feeling the warmth, affection and love you have in your heart for your them. Julie Potiker completes the meditation with a reading of a poem by Ed Crowley.

"I asked many Masters how I should sit in formal meditation.

I naturally received countless answers, all deeply sincere from experienced Masters..."

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life.

A Link in the Chain - For Yom HaShoah

Julie Potiker — Fri, 09 Apr 2021 14:08:59 -0400

Contemplate your link in the chain of history - as you settle into this meditation led by Julie Potiker, marking Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. She completes the meditation by combining quotes from Paul Tsongas and Rabbi Tarfon.

Quotes:

"We are a continuum. Just as we reach back to our ancestors for our fundamental values, so we, as guardians of that legacy, must reach ahead to our children and their children. And we do so with a sense of sacredness in that reaching", Paul Tsongas

In Pirkei Avot - Ethics of Our Father’s, Rabbi Tarfon taught, "It is not your responsibility to finish the work [of perfecting the world], but you are not free to desist from it either".

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Settling Compassion Meditation with Reading from "Wintering..."

Julie Potiker — Sun, 04 Apr 2021 23:24:55 -0400

Settle into this compassion meditation led by Julie Potker. She completes the meditation with a passage from the the book ,“Wintering: The power of rest and Retreat in Difficult Times”, by Katherine May.

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Passover - Love and Being Loved in a Pandemic

Julie Potiker — Fri, 26 Mar 2021 19:57:47 -0400

We mark Passover 2021 - with a meditation of love and being loved in a pandemic. Join Julie Potiker for this guided meditation where she brings you comforting words from poet Ralph Waldo Emerson to inspire and help you make it through difficult days.

“This is my wish for you: Comfort on difficult days, smiles when sadness intrudes, rainbows to follow the clouds, laughter to kiss your lips, sunsets to warm your heart, hugs when spirits sag, beauty for your eyes to see, friendships to brighten your being, faith so that you can believe, confidence for when you doubt, courage to know yourself, patience to accept the truth, Love to complete your life." From Ralph Waldo Emerson.

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Golden Healing Light Meditation with poem, "Poppies", by Mary Oliver

Julie Potiker — Sat, 20 Mar 2021 20:06:06 -0400

In this guided meditation, Julie Potiker helps you bring the warm, golden light of Spring into focus. She completes the meditation with a reading of the poem "Poppies", by Mary Oliver.

Poppies by Mary Oliver

The poppies send up their orange flares; swaying in the wind, their congregations are a levitation

of bright dust, of thin and lacy leaves. There isn’t a place in this world that doesn’t

sooner or later drown in the indigo's of darkness, but now, for a while, the roughage

shines like a miracle as it floats above everything with its yellow hair. Of course nothing stops the cold,

black, curved blade from hooking forward— of course loss is the great lesson.

But I also say this: that light is an invitation to happiness, and that happiness,

when it’s done right, is a kind of holiness, palpable and redemptive. Inside the bright fields,

touched by their rough and spongy gold, I am washed and washed in the river of earthly delight—

and what are you going to do— what can you do about it— deep, blue night?

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Visiting Yourself with poem "You Have Become a Forest", by Nikita Gill

Julie Potiker — Sun, 14 Mar 2021 15:47:00 -0400

Sit into your own space, your imagination, your peace - as Julie Potiker leads you through this relaxing guided meditation. She completes the meditation with a reading of the poem, "You Have Become a Forest", by Nikita Gill.

One day when you wake up, you will find that you have become a forest. You have grown roots and found strength in them that no one thought you had. You have become stronger and more beautiful, full of life giving qualities. You have learned to take all the negativity around you and turn it into oxygen for easy breathing. A host of wild creatures live inside you and you call them stories. A variety of beautiful birds rest inside your mind and you call them memories. You have become an incredible self sustaining thing of epic proportions. And you should be so proud of yourself, of how far you have come from the seeds of who you used to be.

– Nikita Gill, You Have Become a Forest

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Tree and Garden in Your Mind, with poem, "The Breather", by Billy Collins

Julie Potiker — Sat, 06 Mar 2021 16:07:00 -0500

Take a journey into a garden, sit under a tree, and bring an umbrella - because it might rain - as you listen to this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with a reading of the poem," The Breather", by Billy Collins.

The Breather, by Billy Collins

Just as in the horror movies

when someone discovers that the phone calls

are coming from inside the house

so too, I realized

that our tender overlapping

has been taking place only inside me.

All that sweetness, the love and desire—

it’s just been me dialing myself

then following the ringing to another room

to find no one on the line,

well, sometimes a little breathing

but more often than not, nothing.

To think that all this time—

which would include the boat rides,

the airport embraces, and all the drinks—

it’s been only me and the two telephones,

the one on the wall in the kitchen

and the extension in the darkened guest room upstairs.

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Space Travel Meditation with poem "Antidotes to Fear of Death", by Rebecca Elson

Julie Potiker — Fri, 26 Feb 2021 13:48:38 -0500

Bring in the cosmos, the night sky, the planets and constellations as you consider the vastness of the universe while sitting in meditation in your safe space. Julie Potiker completes this guided meditation with a reading of the poem, "Antidotes to Fear of Death", by Rebecca Elson.

ANTIDOTES TO FEAR OF DEATH by Rebecca Elson

Sometimes as an antidote To fear of death, I eat the stars.

Those nights, lying on my back, I suck them from the quenching dark Til they are all, all inside me, Pepper hot and sharp.

Sometimes, instead, I stir myself Into a universe still young, Still warm as blood:

No outer space, just space, The light of all the not yet stars Drifting like a bright mist, And all of us, and everything Already there But unconstrained by form.

And sometime it’s enough To lie down here on earth Beside our long ancestral bones:

To walk across the cobble fields Of our discarded skulls, Each like a treasure, like a chrysalis, Thinking: whatever left these husks Flew off on bright wings.

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Interconnectedness - with poem, "Sojourns in the Parallel World"

Julie Potiker — Mon, 22 Feb 2021 19:08:00 -0500

Breathe in, breathe out...and connect to your inner-self and the world around you as Julie Potiker leads you through this guided meditation. She finishes the meditation with a reading of the poem,"Sojourns in the Parallel World" by Denise Levertoy.Sojourns in the Parallel World, by Denise LevertoyWe live our lives of human passions, cruelties, dreams, concepts, crimes and the exercise of virtue in and beside a world devoid of our preoccupations, free from apprehension—though affected, certainly, by our actions. A world parallel to our own though overlapping. We call it "Nature"; only reluctantly admitting ourselves to be "Nature" too. Whenever we lose track of our own obsessions, our self-concerns, because we drift for a minute, an hour even, of pure (almost pure) response to that insouciant life: cloud, bird, fox, the flow of light, the dancing pilgrimage of water, vast stillness of spellbound ephemerae on a lit windowpane, animal voices, mineral hum, wind conversing with rain, ocean with rock, stuttering of fire to coal—then something tethered in us, hobbled like a donkey on its patch of gnawed grass and thistles, breaks free. No one discovers just where we've been, when we're caught up again into our own sphere (where we must return, indeed, to evolve our destinies) —but we have changed, a little.

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Being A Blessing with poem "At My Window", by Mark Nepo

Julie Potiker — Mon, 15 Feb 2021 20:17:31 -0500

Enjoy this moment of self care as Julie Potiker leads you through this guided meditation. She completes the meditation with a reading of the poem, At My Window", by Mark Nepo."

At the Window, By Mark Nepo

I was at the window

when a fly near the latch

was on its back spinning —

legs furious, going nowhere.

I thought to swat it

but something in its struggle

was too much my own.

It kept spinning and began to tire.

Without moving closer, I exhaled

steadily, my breath a sudden wind,

and the fly found its legs,

rubbed its face

and flew away.

I continued to stare at the latch

hoping that someday, the breath

of something incomprehensible

would right me and

enable me to fly.

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This meditation is best hear through headphones. Do not drive or work machinery while listening.

Metta Meditation with poem "Your Mind Feels Big Today", by Ying Choon Wu

Julie Potiker — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 14:50:30 -0500

Julie Potiker leads this Metta meditation helping you bring love, compassion, positive energy and kindness to yourself and others. The meditation concludes with a reading of the poem, "Your Mind Feels Big Today", by Ying Choon Wu.

Your Mind Feels Big Today, by Ying Choon Wu

You watch as leaves skate off

on a gust of wind.

When you were five, you galloped—because you were a pony;

because the sun made streaks across the floor; because your legs could bend

and lips could whinny; because your thoughts were always flowing, flying—

tail and mane—through clouds and rainbows as you tied your shoes.

And now you ponder metaphors.

It’s August, and the clouds are fat like jellyfish, or cupolas.

You see distant sky over rust-red hills.

All your life, you’ve felt you’re headed somewhere.

You watch two sycamore leaves turn cartwheels side by side

along the sidewalk.

You still have far to go.

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This meditation is best hear through headphones. Do not drive or work machinery while listening.

All Things Connected with poem "Speaking Tree", by Joy Harjo

Julie Potiker — Fri, 29 Jan 2021 16:55:00 -0500

Sit back, close your eyes and feel your connection to everything around you through this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. Julie completes the meditation with a reading of the poem, "Speaking Tree", by Joy Harjo U.S. Poet Laureate.

(Tu'Bishvat is the New Year for the Trees in Israel)

Speaking Tree, by Joy Harjo

Some things on this earth are unspeakable:Genealogy of the broken—A shy wind threading leaves after a massacre,Or the smell of coffee and no one there—

Some humans say trees are not sentient beings,But they do not understand poetry—

Nor can they hear the singing of trees when they are fed byWind, or water music—Or hear their cries of anguish when they are broken and bereft—

Now I am a woman longing to be a tree, planted in a moist, dark earthBetween sunrise and sunset—

I cannot walk through all realms—I carry a yearning I cannot bear alone in the dark—

What shall I do with all this heartache?

The deepest-rooted dream of a tree is to walkEven just a little ways, from the place next to the doorway—To the edge of the river of life, and drink—

I have heard trees talking, long after the sun has gone down:

Imagine what would it be like to dance close togetherIn this land of water and knowledge. . .

To drink deep what is undrinkable.

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Unity for America -Inauguration and A New Beginning

Julie Potiker — Fri, 22 Jan 2021 13:46:08 -0500

It's been a month of transition for the United States as we ushered in a new president and look toward the future.

Julie Potiker brings you healing words and phrases from the inauguration including excerpts from the poem, "The Hill We Climb", by 22-year-old Amanda Gorman, the Inaugural Youth Poet Laureate of the United States. Gorman presented her timely poem before the nation during the inauguration of President Joe Biden.

Here's a short excerpt from Amanda Gordan's poem, "The Hill We Climb".

When day comes, we ask ourselves, where can we find light in this never-ending shade?

The loss we carry. A sea we must wade.

We braved the belly of the beast.

We’ve learned that quiet isn’t always peace, and the norms and notions of what “just” is isn’t always justice.

And yet the dawn is ours before we knew it.

Somehow we do it.

Somehow we weathered and witnessed a nation that isn’t broken, but simply unfinished..."

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Safe Orb Meditation - Visiting Galaxy with poem Singularity by Marie Howe

Julie Potiker — Mon, 18 Jan 2021 22:25:19 -0500

This guided meditation takes you on a journey through the galaxy, wherever you want to go, while in the safety of an orb. Julie Potker leads you through this guided meditation ending with a reading of the poem, "Singularity" by Marie Howe,which was composed in tribute to Stephen Hawking.

SINGULARITY by Marie Howe

Do you sometimes want to wake up to the singularity we once were?

so compact nobody needed a bed, or food or money —

nobody hiding in the school bathroom or home alone

pulling open the drawer where the pills are kept.

For every atom belonging to me as good Belongs to you. Remember?

There was no Nature. No them. No tests

to determine if the elephant grieves her calf or if

the coral reef feels pain. Trashed oceans don’t speak English or Farsi or French;

would that we could wake up to what we were — when we were ocean and before that

to when sky was earth, and animal was energy, and rock was liquid and stars were space and space was not

at all — nothing

before we came to believe humans were so important before this awful loneliness.

Can molecules recall it? what once was? before anything happened?

No I, no We, no one. No was No verb no noun only a tiny tiny dot brimming with

is is is is is

All everything home.

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The Cure of Troy - Meditation after the Siege

Julie Potiker — Thu, 07 Jan 2021 20:21:59 -0500

Use this guided meditation to heal the anger, sadness or confusion you may be feeling after watching the siege unfold at the U.S. Capitol. Julie Potiker finishes the meditation with a reading of "The Cure of Troy", Seamus Heaney's version of Sophocles' Philoctetes.

THE CURE OF TROYHuman beings sufferThey torture one another,They get hurt and get hard.No poem or play or songCan fully right a wrongInflicted and endured.The innocent in gaolsBeat on their bars together.A hunger-striker’s fatherStands in the graveyard dumb.The police widow in veilsFaints at the funeral home.History says, Don’t hopeOn this side of the grave…But then, once in a lifetimeThe longed-for tidal waveOf justice can rise up,And hope and history rhyme.So hope for a great sea-changeOn the far side of revenge.Believe that a further shoreIs reachable from here.Believe in miraclesAnd cures and healing wells.Call miracle self-healing:The utter, self-revealingDouble-take of feeling.If there’s fire on the mountainOr lightning and stormAnd a god speaks from the skyThat means someone is hearingThe outcry and the birth-cryOf new life at its term.It means once in a lifetimeThat justice can rise upAnd hope and history rhyme.

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Chanukah - Bearing the Beams of Love

Julie Potiker — Thu, 17 Dec 2020 11:36:52 -0500

A gift for you on this last night of Chanukah. Julie Potiker leads this guided meditation where you'll visualize beams of love moving through your body to radiate, love, peace, ease.

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Healing Light Meditation with poem "Home Alone" by Innarenko

Julie Potiker — Fri, 11 Dec 2020 14:07:00 -0500

Visualize light, white light golden light to help bring healing to those around you - and also yourself. Julie Potiker ends this guided meditation with a reading of the poem, "Home Alone," by Innarenko.

Home Alone, by Innarenko

My family's gone, there's no one home; It's only me - who's home alone. I should not hear a single squeak, There shouldn't even be a creak, So what's that thumping that I hear? It must mean one thing: death is near. "You're an adult, you'll be just fine", I tell myself as I dial "nine".. Was that a knock upon the door? My heart beats faster than before. I know it's closed, I've checked the lock, At least my killer knows to knock. I cannot sleep, though I'm in bed, I've made amends with God instead. If He decides that it's my time, Then this will be my very last rhyme. I hear a bang, and then a break, My head shoots up; there's no mistake! I turn my music volume high So I won't hear the way I die. I run upstairs, desk lamp in hand Over my head, ready to land.. And right before it did just that, I remembered: I have a cat.

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Metta Meditation with poem "The Afterlife", by Billy Collins

Julie Potiker — Sat, 05 Dec 2020 22:07:10 -0500

Connect to yourself and the world around you through this Metta meditation led by Julie Potiker. The loving kindness meditation concludes with a reading of the poem, "The Afterlife", by Billy Collins.

The Afterlife by Billy Collins

While you are preparing for sleep, brushing your teeth, or riffling through a magazine in bed, the dead of the day are setting out on their journey.

They’re moving off in all imaginable directions, each according to his own private belief, and this is the secret that silent Lazarus would not reveal: that everyone is right, as it turns out. you go to the place you always thought you would go, The place you kept lit in an alcove in your head.

Some are being shot into a funnel of flashing colors into a zone of light, white as a January sun. Others are standing naked before a forbidding judge who sits with a golden ladder on one side, a coal chute on the other.

Some have already joined the celestial choir and are singing as if they have been doing this forever, while the less inventive find themselves stuck in a big air conditioned room full of food and chorus girls.

Some are approaching the apartment of the female God, a woman in her forties with short wiry hair and glasses hanging from her neck by a string. With one eye she regards the dead through a hole in her door.

There are those who are squeezing into the bodies of animals–eagles and leopards–and one trying on the skin of a monkey like a tight suit, ready to begin another life in a more simple key,

while others float off into some benign vagueness, little units of energy heading for the ultimate elsewhere.

There are even a few classicists being led to an underworld by a mythological creature with a beard and hooves. He will bring them to the mouth of the furious cave guarded over by Edith Hamilton and her three-headed dog.

The rest just lie on their backs in their coffins wishing they could return so they could learn Italian or see the pyramids, or play some golf in a light rain. They wish they could wake in the morning like you and stand at a window examining the winter trees, every branch traced with the ghost writing of snow.

(And some just smile, forever on)

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Giving Thanks - For Our Bodies

Julie Potiker — Thu, 26 Nov 2020 16:09:00 -0500

Gratitude can help us navigate challenging times. In this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker we are reminded to give thanks to something that is always with us - our bodies. She completes the meditation with a reading of the poem, "Blessing for the Brokenhearted", by Jan Richardson.

Let us agree for now that we will not say the breaking makes us stronger or that it is better to have this pain than to have done without this love. Let us promise we will not tell ourselves time will heal the wound, when every day our waking opens it anew. Perhaps for now it can be enough to simply marvel at the mystery of how a heart so broken can go on beating, as if it were made for precisely this—as if it knows the only cure for love is more of it, as if it sees the heart’s sole remedy for breaking is to love still, as if it trusts that its own persistent pulse is the rhythm of a blessing we cannot begin to fathom but will save us nonetheless.

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Embracing the World Around You with poem "Two Chairs No One Sits In"

Julie Potiker — Mon, 23 Nov 2020 20:09:00 -0500

Your guided meditation practice - is a moment of self-care. Join Julie Potiker as she leads you on a journey through your senses where you'll embrace the world around you. The meditation concludes with the reading of the poem, "The Chairs That No One Sits In", by Billy Collins. Sit back, relax, enjoy.

“The Chairs That No One Sits In” by Billy Collins

You see them on porches and on lawns down by the lakeside,

usually arranged in pairs implying a couple who might sit there and

look out at the water or the big shade trees.

The trouble is you never see anyone sitting in these forlorn chairs though at one time it must have seemed a good place to stop and do nothing for a while.

Sometimes there is a little table between the chairs where no one is resting a glass or placing a book face down.

It may not be any of my business, but let us suppose one day

that everyone who placed those vacant chairs on a veranda or a dock sat down in them if only for the sake of remembering what it was they thought deserved

to be viewed from two chairs,side by side with a table in between.

The clouds are high and massive on that day. The woman looks up from her book. The man takes a sip of his drink. Then there is only the sound of their looking,

the lapping of lake water, and a call of one bird then another, cries of joy or warning— it passes the time to wonder which.

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Settle Into the Snow Globe Of Your Mind

Julie Potiker — Thu, 12 Nov 2020 14:45:00 -0500

Be still. Breathe in and settle the chatter in your mind - through this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker.

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Refuge Grounding - with poem "Blessing in the Chaos"

Julie Potiker — Thu, 05 Nov 2020 14:35:40 -0500

In this guided meditation, Julie Potiker helps you navigate through a season of uncertainty by finding refuge in grounding. She finishes the meditation with a reading of the poem, "Blessing in the Chaos", by Jan Richardson.

Blessing in the Chaos by Jan Richardson To all that is chaotic in you, let there come silence.

Let there be a calming of the clamoring, a stilling of the voices that have laid their claim to you, that you have made their home in you, that go with you even to the holy places but will not let you rest, will not let you hear your life with wholeness or feeling the grace that fashioned you.

Let what distracts you cease. Let what divides you cease.

Let there come an end to what diminishes and demands, and let depart all that keeps you in its cage Let there be an opening into the quiet that lies beneath the chaos, where you find the peace you did not think possible and see what shimmers within the storm.

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Election Grounding Meditation: Be The Change

Julie Potiker — Thu, 29 Oct 2020 14:07:55 -0400

Many of us can't wait until 2020 is over. So much stress and uncertainty this year between the Coronavirus pandemic along with the added stress of election season. But, what if 2020 is the most important year of them all? Join Julie Potiker as she leads an election grounding meditation where you are encouraged to "be the change". It concludes with the reading of the poem, "What if 2020 isn't cancelled", by Leslie Dwight.

What if 2020 isn’t cancelled?⁣What if 2020 is the year we’ve been waiting for?⁣A year so uncomfortable, so painful, so scary, so raw — that it finally forces us to grow.⁣A year that screams so loud, finally awakening us from our ignorant slumber.⁣A year we finally accept the need for change.⁣Declare change. Work for change. Become the change. A year we finally band together, instead of⁣pushing each other further apart.⁣⁣2020 isn’t cancelled, but rather⁣the most important year of them all.”⁣

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Loving Kindness Meditation with poem, To Be Hopeful in Bad Times

Julie Potiker — Thu, 15 Oct 2020 20:57:00 -0400

Relax to this loving kindness meditation with Julie Potiker. The meditation concludes with the poem, "To Be Hopeful in Bad Times", by Howard Zinn.

“To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness. What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places—and there are so many—where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction. And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.”

– Howard Zinn

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Sukkot Guided Visualization with poem by Lesli Koppelman Ross

Julie Potiker — Mon, 12 Oct 2020 13:46:00 -0400

Enjoy this Sukkot guided visualization led by Julie Potiker for the Balanced Mind Meditation Center. Sukkot, also known as the Feast of the Tabernacles, is a week long Jewish holiday. The meditation ends with the poem "Sukkot: The Heart of the Sukkah", by Lesli Koppelman Ross.

Sukkot: The Heart of the Sukkah

let the walls of my heart be easily moved as the walls of the Sukkah that sway in the wind

let the roof of my heart be porous to tears as the roof of the Sukkah that lets in the rain

let the space in my heart be open to guests as to Ushpizin who pass through each night

let the beat of my heart be a vital reminder that life here is transient – a temporary dwelling

let the walls, left unsealed, and the roof, with its lattice, frame the cracks that will let in the light

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Compassion Meditation During A Pandemic with Poem by Celeste Snowber

Julie Potiker — Mon, 05 Oct 2020 10:41:00 -0400

Take a moment to discover compassion for yourself and for others. It's especially important as we work to navigate through our new normal - dealing with the Coronavirus pandemic. Julie Potiker leads you through this compassion meditation and ends with a poem of hope, by Celeste Snowber, "Bodypsalm for Uncertainty".

May the plans you cancel return you to another life the one waiting as a patient lover wondering when you will arrive to the shore of your inner ocean.

In the midst of restrictions – self-isolation and social distancing take some ingredients for the journey probiotics for the soul the curiosity for small things quince and daffodil blooming sipping tea slowly the free range of kindness daily practices of breathing deep reading poems and calling a friend

Drink in kindness and compassion as you live in a time of not-knowing become intimate with shadow live creatively in dangerous times alive to what comes a meditation on wonder calling you to soften to the unknown.

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Yom Kippur - Forgiveness Meditation

Julie Potiker — Thu, 24 Sep 2020 15:39:00 -0400

Forgiveness is the focus of this meditation coinciding with Yom Kippur, also known as the Day of Atonement. Join Julie Potiker as she helps you release resentment and anger towards others and yourself...through forgiveness. The meditation finishes with the beautiful sound of the Shofar.

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Rooted in the Earth; Calm, with the poem, Blessing of the Senses, by John O’Donohue

Julie Potiker — Tue, 15 Sep 2020 11:27:00 -0400

In this guided mediation you'll find yourself rooted in the earth, grounded, calm. Julie Potiker completes the meditation with a reading the poem, "Blessing of the Senses", by John O’Donohue.

Blessing of the Senses:

May your body be blessed. May you realize that your body is a faithful and beautiful friend of your soul. And may you be peaceful and joyful and recognize that your senses are sacred thresholds. May you realize that holiness is mindful, gazing, feeling, hearing, and touching. May your senses gather you and bring you home. May your senses always enable you to celebrate the universe and the mystery and possibilities in your presence here. May the Eros of the Earth bless you.

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California Wildfires; Sending A Cloud Blanket of Love

Julie Potiker — Wed, 26 Aug 2020 21:41:00 -0400

Whether you're personally affected by the wildfires in Northern California or overwhelmed by witnessing the loss and suffering it's causing, this guided meditation can assist you in dealing with the devastation. Julie Potiker helps you visualize a "cloud blanket" of care, hope and love, and then wrapping it around the neighborhoods, towns, landscape and animals affected by the wildfires. Julie finishes the meditation with a look at the majestic Redwoods, with the written words from John Muir, Henry Ward Beecher, and also a Chinese proverb. John Muir: "A few minutes ago every tree was excited, blowing to the roaring storm, waving, swirling, tossing their branches in glorious enthusiasm like worship. But though to the outer ear these trees are now silent, their songs never cease."

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Grounded Mountain Meditation with poem, "When I Could Do Nothing", by Jane Hirshfield

Julie Potiker — Wed, 26 Aug 2020 11:50:00 -0400

Visualize yourself on a mountain, surrounded by nature and using your all of your senses to breathe in the experience all around you. Julie Potiker takes you on this grounding journey ending with the poem,"When I Could Do Nothing", by Jane Hirshfield. The poem comes at a time when many of us are attempting to navigate our lives during a pandemic. This meditation was led virtually for the Balanced Mind Meditation Center.

Today, When I Could Do Nothing

Today, when I could do nothing, I saved an ant.

It must have come in with the morning paper, still being delivered to those who shelter in place.

A morning paper is still an essential service.

I am not an essential service.

I have coffee and books, time, a garden, silence enough to fill cisterns.

It must have first walked the morning paper, as if loosened ink taking the shape of an ant.

Then across the laptop computer — warm — then onto the back of a cushion.

Small black ant, alone, crossing a navy cushion, moving steadily because that is what it could do.

Set outside in the sun, it could not have found again its nest. What then did I save?

It did not move as if it was frightened, even while walking my hand, which moved it through swiftness and air.

Ant, alone, without companions, whose ant-heart I could not fathom — how is your life, I wanted to ask.

I lifted it, took it outside.

This first day when I could do nothing, contribute nothing beyond staying distant from my own kind, I did this.

Get the latest by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life.

Flower Garden of Your Heart - Homage to Ayya Khema

Julie Potiker — Tue, 18 Aug 2020 10:38:01 -0400

In this guided meditation, Julie Potiker leads you through a beautiful, peaceful garden where you immerse yourself among flowers and nature. This meditation is an homage to Ayya Khema, who lived until 1997. She was a Buddist teacher who helped provide opportunities for women to practice Buddism. She founded several centers around the world.

This meditation was led virtually for the Balanced Mind Meditation Center.

Get the latest by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life.

Mountains, Rivers, and Ocean; Letting Life Live Through You, with poem, "Hokusai Says", by Roger Keys

Julie Potiker — Sat, 08 Aug 2020 23:43:00 -0400

Julie Potiker leads you through a guided meditation where you will visualize the outdoors around mountains, rivers and oceans allowing nature to live through you. The meditation ends with the poem "Hokusai Says", by Roger Keys. This was a virtual meditation for the Balanced Mind Meditation Center. Get the latest by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life.

Tisha B’av: Healing, Compassion and poem “Kindness”

Julie Potiker — Sat, 01 Aug 2020 01:14:00 -0400

I’m this guided meditation Julie Potiker observes Tisha B’av. This meditation of healing and compassion wraps up with the poem “Kindness” by Naomi Shihab. (This was recorded for the Balanced Mind Meditation Center)

"Kindness', by Naomi Shihab.

Before you know what kindness really isyou must lose things,feel the future dissolve in a momentlike salt in a weakened broth.What you held in your hand,what you counted and carefully saved,all this must go so you knowhow desolate the landscape can bebetween the regions of kindness.How you ride and ridethinking the bus will never stop,the passengers eating maize and chickenwill stare out the window forever.

Before you learn the tender gravity of kindnessyou must travel where the Indian in a white poncholies dead by the side of the road.You must see how this could be you,how he too was someonewho journeyed through the night with plansand the simple breath that kept him alive.

Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside,you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing.You must wake up with sorrow.You must speak to it till your voicecatches the thread of all sorrowsand you see the size of the cloth.Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore,only kindness that ties your shoesand sends you out into the day to gaze at bread,only kindness that raises its headfrom the crowd of the world to sayIt is I you have been looking for,and then goes with you everywherelike a shadow or a friend.

Get the latest by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life.

Honoring John Lewis - Meditating on His Words and Wisdom

Julie Potiker — Mon, 27 Jul 2020 22:56:18 -0400

“You are the light...hold only love, only peace in your heart…” (John Lewis)

In this guided meditation led for the Balanced Mind Meditation Center, Julie Potiker uses meditation to honor the late Congressman and civil rights leader. She uses his powerful words of peace, love and following your truth in this guided meditation.

“You are a light. You are the light. Never let anyone—any person or any force—dampen, dim or diminish your light. Study the path of others to make your way easier and more abundant. Lean toward the whispers of your own heart, discover the universal truth, and follow its dictates. […] Release the need to hate, to harbor division, and the enticement of revenge. Release all bitterness. Hold only love, only peace in your heart, knowing that the battle of good to overcome evil is already won. Choose confrontation wisely, but when it is your time don't be afraid to stand up, speak up, and speak out against injustice. And if you follow your truth down the road to peace and the affirmation of love, if you shine like a beacon for all to see, then the poetry of all the great dreamers and philosophers is yours to manifest in a nation, a world community, and a Beloved Community that is finally at peace with itself.”

― John Lewis, Across That Bridge: A Vision for Change and the Future of America

Get the latest by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life.

Guided Meditation - Compassion Tree with Poem by Miller Williams

Julie Potiker — Tue, 21 Jul 2020 21:42:46 -0400

In this guided meditation, Julie Potiker uses the image of a tree, its branches, and its roots, to help you find strength and compassion. Julie led this mindfulness meditation for the Balanced Mind Meditation Center.

The meditation ends with the poem, "Compassion", by Miller Williams.

"Have compassion for everyone you meet, even if they don’t want it.

What seems conceit, bad manners, or cynicism is always a sign of things no ears have heard, no eyes have seen.

You do not know what wars are going on down there where the spirit meets the bone."

Get the latest by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life.

Guided Meditation - Creating A Peaceful Enviornment

Julie Potiker — Mon, 20 Jul 2020 11:34:12 -0400

What is your go-to place for relaxation, peace? Is it a favorite chair, the beach or perhaps a forest? In this guided meditation, Julie Potiker takes you on a journey where you use your imagination to create your own peaceful environment.

Since social distancing is still in place due to the worldwide pandemic, this meditation was recorded via Zoom for the Balanced Mind Meditation Center.

The meditation ends with a poem called "Invictus", by William Ernest Henley.

Get the latest by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life.

Tonglen Meditation wiith Poem by John O'Donohue

Julie Potiker — Mon, 06 Jul 2020 16:12:00 -0400

Julie Potiker leads a meditation in the ancient practice of Tonglen. Tonglen is a Tibetan word meaning "letting go" and "accepting". During this meditation you will breathe in pain, suffering, and darkness – and then breathe out peace, joy, and light. It’s the perfect meditation during these times of uncertainty. This meditation ends with the reading of the poem, "For the Belonging", by John Donohue.

Poem: For Belonging, by John O'Donohue

May you listen to your longing to be free.

May the frames of your belonging be generous enough for your dreams.

May you arise each day with a voice of blessing whispering in your heart.

May you find a harmony between your soul and your life.

May the sanctuary of your soul never become haunted.

May you know the eternal longing that lives at the heart of time.

May there be kindness in your gaze when you look within.

May you never place walls between the light and yourself.

May you allow the wild beauty of the invisible world to gather you, mind you, and embrace you in belonging.

Get the latest by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life.

Warmth of the Sun Meditation with Poem by Hafiz

Julie Potiker — Wed, 24 Jun 2020 15:57:00 -0400

Feel the warmth of the sun in this mindfulness meditation led by Julie Potiker of the Balanced Mind Meditation Center. Imagine basking in the sun and feeling its heat as it softens your body. The meditation ends with a reading of the poem, "The Sun Never Sets", by Hafiz.

The Sun Never Sets

Even after all this time

The Sun never says to the Earth

"You owe me"

Look what happens with a love like that

It lights up the sky

Get the latest by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life.

Meditation for the Heart & Soul with Poem, "Take Shape"

Julie Potiker — Thu, 18 Jun 2020 12:22:35 -0400

In this guided meditation, led by Julie Potiker, you'll be using your breath to bring love, compassion and balance into your body. Breathe into your heart and your soul through this soothing meditation - ending with a reading of the poem, "Take Shape", by Zach Beach.

Get the latest by subscribing to Julie's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life.

Zach Beach can be found at www.ZachBeach.com

Compassion Meditation and poem; Life is Tenderness, by Zach Beach

Julie Potiker — Wed, 10 Jun 2020 19:30:00 -0400

Sit back, relax, close your eyes and breathe into your core as Julie Potiker guides you through this compassion meditation. Breathe in what you need - and breathe out what you need to let go. This meditation also allows you to send compassion to others and finishes with a beautiful poem by Zach Beach, Life is Tenderness.

Get the latest by subscribing to Julie's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life.

Zach Beach can be found at www.ZachBeach.com

ABOUT:

Julie Potiker helps others through mindful meditation at her practice in La Jolla, California and at also the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center where she founded the Balanced Mind Meditation Center.

At her practice, www.MindfulMethodsforLife.com Julie provides mindfulness training to groups, individuals, and organizations.

Shifting Your Attention; Outside, Inside, and All Around

Julie Potiker — Mon, 01 Jun 2020 16:01:00 -0400

Julie Potiker leads you through a guided meditation to help shine the light of attention on different senses - seeing, hearing and feeling - enabling you to strengthen your attention skill-building.

Get the latest by subscribing to Juile's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life.

ABOUT:

At her practice, www.MindfulMethodsforLife.com Julie provides mindfulness training to groups, individuals, and organizations.

Joy, Peace and Compassion for Ourselves and the Planet - Mi Shebeirach

Julie Potiker — Thu, 28 May 2020 18:09:00 -0400

Breathe in and breathe out joy, peace and compassion for yourself and the planet as Julie Potiker leads this loving kindness meditation. With social distancing still in place, Julie presented this healing meditation online - to the Balanced Mind Meditation Center. Please sing along to the Jewish Prayer of Healing, Mi Shebeirach, at the conclusion of the meditation.

Mi Shebeirach Lyrics;

Mi shebeirach avoteinuM'kor hab'racha l'imoteinu May the source of strength,Who blessed the ones before us,Help us find the courage to make our lives a blessing,And let us say, Amen. Mi shebeirach imoteinuM'kor habrachah l'avoteinu Bless those in need of healing with r'fuah sh'leimah,The renewal of body, the renewal of spirit,And let us say, Amen Get the latest by subscribing to Juile's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life.

ABOUT:

At her practice, www.MindfulMethodsforLife.com Julie provides mindfulness training to groups, individuals, and organizations.

Workshop for Yom Limmud - Cultivating Calm and Resilience in Challenging Times

Julie Potiker — Tue, 26 May 2020 16:27:00 -0400

This is a unique opportunity to hear Julie Potiker teach, as she provides insight to Guided Mindfulness Meditation and Compassion practices, at this year's Yom Limmud eFestival. She will also lead you on a special guided meditation. Come together in this virtual community through social connection and access your body’s innate capacity for healing. During this session you will learn evidence-based techniques that will help you: Handle difficult emotions with greater ease Soothe yourself in times of difficulty Practice mindfulness and compassion in everyday life Rewire your brain for more happiness and resilience Experience gratitude Build your immunity by reducing stress Get the latest by subscribing to Juile's YouTube channel and her Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life.

ABOUT:

At her practice, www.MindfulMethodsforLife.com Julie provides mindfulness training to groups, individuals, and organizations.

Loving Kindness & Letting Go

Julie Potiker — Fri, 22 May 2020 17:58:26 -0400

Get in touch with what you really need right now - and what you need to release that no longer serves you. Sit back, relax and breathe into this Loving Kindness & Letting Go meditation led by Julie Potiker for the Balanced Mind Meditation Center.

Poem: The Way It IsThere’s a thread you follow. It goes amongthings that change. But it doesn’t change.People wonder about what you are pursuing.You have to explain about the thread.But it is hard for others to see.While you hold it you can’t get lost.Tragedies happen; people get hurtor die; and you suffer and get old.Nothing you do can stop time’s unfolding.You don’t ever let go of the thread.By William Stafford, from The Way It Is, 1998

You learn about mindfulness at MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's newly released book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. Her podcast is "Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker". You can also subscribe to her YouTube channel and her Facebook page.

ABOUT:

At her practice, www.MindfulMethodsforLife.com Julie provides mindfulness training to groups, individuals, and organizations.

Compassion and the Guest House

Julie Potiker — Wed, 20 May 2020 00:35:33 -0400

Compassion in times of stress and uncertainty - for yourself and others. Join Julie Potiker as she leads this guided meditation at the Balanced Mind Meditation Center. The Guest House This being human is a guest house.Every morning a new arrival.A joy, a depression, a meanness,some momentary awareness comesas an unexpected visitor.Welcome and entertain them all!Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,who violently sweep your houseempty of its furniture,still, treat each guest honorably.He may be clearing you outfor some new delight.The dark thought, the shame, the malice.meet them at the door laughing and invite them in.Be grateful for whatever comes.because each has been sentas a guide from beyond. — Jellaludin Rumi

You can find more about mindfulness at MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's newly released book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. Her podcast is "Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker". You can also subscribe to her YouTube channel and her Facebook page.

ABOUT:

At her practice, www.MindfulMethodsforLife.com Julie provides mindfulness training to groups, individuals, and organizations.

Loving Kindness -Mindfulness Meditation

Julie Potiker — Fri, 15 May 2020 21:45:00 -0400

Self care is more important than ever. Sit back and relax while enjoying Julie Potiker lead a Loving Kindness meditation at the Balanced Mind Meditation Center.

ABOUT:

At her practice, www.MindfulMethodsforLife.com Julie provides mindfulness training to groups, individuals, and organizations.

Guided Meditation - Grounding

Julie Potiker — Fri, 15 May 2020 18:43:07 -0400

Do you wish you could feel as grounded as a tree? Join Julie Potiker, of Mindful Methods for Life, as she leads a guided meditation on grounding at the Balanced Mind Meditation Center.

You can find more about mindfulness at MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's newly released book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com Her podcast is "Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker".

ABOUT:

At her practice, www.MindfulMethodsforLife.com Julie provides mindfulness training to groups, individuals, and organizations.

Guided Meditation - Cultivating Calm

Julie Potiker — Thu, 07 May 2020 16:13:46 -0400

In this episode Julie Potiker leads you through a Guided Meditation from a recent workshop she co-hosted called "Cultivating Calm and Resilience in Challenging Times". Sit back, relax, and enjoy.

For the best listening experience use earplugs or headphones.

More information on mindfulness and Julie Potiker can be found at https://mindfulmethodsforlife.com/

Julie Potiker is the author of "Life Falls Apart But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods for Staying Calm in the Midst of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. She helps others through mindful meditation at her practice in La Jolla, California and also through the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center where she founded the Balanced Mind Meditation Center (also in La Jolla).

This workshop was recorded on April 28, 2020.

Soothing Touch - Cultivating Calm

Julie Potiker — Thu, 07 May 2020 16:10:42 -0400

In this episode Julie Potiker leads a Soothing Touch meditation. This meditation is from recent workshop Julie co-hosted called "Cultivating Calm and Resilience in Challenging Times". Sit back, relax, and enjoy.

For the best listening experience use earplugs or headphones.

More information on mindfulness and Julie Potiker can be found at https://mindfulmethodsforlife.com/

This workshop was recorded on April 28, 2020.

Loving Kindness During A Pandemic

Julie Potiker — Tue, 07 Apr 2020 21:01:17 -0400

Join mindful meditation practitioner Julie Potiker, as she leads you through a relaxing loving kindness meditation to combat the stress felt by many facing the Coronavirus pandemic.

ABOUT:

Julie Potiker helps others through mindful meditation at her practice in La Jolla, California and also at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center where she founded the Balanced Mind Meditation Center (also in La Jolla, CA). Through her practice, MindfulMethodsforLife, Julie provides mindfulness training to groups, individuals, and organizations. You can find more information on her website at MindfulMethodsforLife.com. Julie is also the author of "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To; Mindful Methods for Staying Calm in the Midst of Chaos.

Julie is a graduate of the Mindful Self-Compassion course at U.C. San Diego, is trained to teach the curriculum and has completed over a dozen courses in this field. She’s participated in meditation retreats from various disciplines – Judaic to Tibetan. B.G.S. University of Michigan; J.D. George Washington University

Practice the Pause - 0012

Julie Potiker — Fri, 01 Nov 2019 17:57:43 -0400

Practice the Pause. In today's episode of Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker you'll hear how mindfulness can be a tool to get you through some stressful times and how mindfulness - it's not the same as meditation.

Show notes:

Your kids are arguing. Your boss calls you into an unexpected meeting after your report didn’t go well. You’re expected to attend the extended family dinner for your sister’s milestone birthday, but you know exactly what kind of drama tends to ensue.

Whatever your next “oh, sh*t” moment might be, there’s a tool for that: mindfulness.

What is mindfulness?

It’s not worrying and not ruminating. We’re wired to ruminate and worry because we’re primates, and that’s what has kept us alive all these millennia, but mindfulness is the opposite of that. It’s being in the moment and knowing what you’re doing when you’re doing it.

And, for the record, it’s not the same as meditating, even though you can combine the two and do a mindfulness meditation – which I highly recommend trying!

Mindfulness gives you an opportunity to practice the pause.

Instead of going instantly into fight, flight, or freeze mode and drowning in your own reactivity, practice the pause. When you pause, you’ll be able to make a more skillful response.

So next time you’re headed into a situation that is likely filled with emotional chaos, set an intention to pause. Know in your body in advance what you’re likely to encounter, then in the moment, feel your feelings from the place of an observer.

“Oh, that’s anxiety. Oh, that’s anger. Oh, I feel like I can’t take this another minute.”

Practice the pause and become the observer, and you’ll create space to choose your response rather than autopilot right into reactivity. Practice mindfulness even when you don’t need it, so you have it handy when you do.

ABOUT:

Grounding - Dealing with Overwhelming News of Violence

Julie Potiker — Mon, 05 Aug 2019 15:43:44 -0400

Sometimes the news is just unbearable. Hearing of recent gun violence this past weekend in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio has many of us on edge, stressed or filled with anxiety. During these troubling times it’s helpful to ground yourself. In this episode of Balanced Mind, Julie Potiker leads us on a grounding meditation and offers tips on staying grounded in the midst of chaos.

When things in the news are horrific our tendency is to dive into the news to find out the backstory of everything. Julie suggests giving yourself a "news blackout" and to screen your social media in order to protect yourself and your heart. During mindful meditation you can give love to yourself while also sending loving kindness to others. We’re in this together.

Car Talk - Being Present

Julie Potiker — Fri, 02 Aug 2019 16:44:11 -0400

We're back - continuing with our series to help you in your mindfulness practice.

It’s called “Car Talk – Mindfulness in Action”…because who hasn’t at one time or another, escaped to their car to think through a situation? Now, that’s the time you could really benefit from mindfulness. In these candid recordings Julie shares a current situation she’s dealing with and how she works to get back to ‘being in the present’. And because life is a moving target Julie records from the front seat of her parked car! We hope through her life experiences you find some tips that help you in your mindfulness practice.(You can also view the video on Facebook & YouTube)

In this episode of "Car Talk" Julie tells us how she's holding on to her mindful methods ..."like there's no tomorrow"!

You can find more about mindfulness at www.MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com.

Car Talk - Mindfulness In Action

Julie Potiker — Wed, 27 Jun 2018 17:57:00 -0400

We’ve added a new series to help you in your mindfulness practice. It’s called “Car Talk – Mindfulness in Action”…because who hasn’t, at one time or another, escaped to their car to think through a situation? Now, that’s the time you could really benefit from mindfulness.

In these candid recordings Julie shares a current situation she’s dealing with and how she works to get back to ‘being in the present’. And because life is a moving target Julie records from the front seat of her parked car. We hope her experiences and tips help you in your mindfulness practice.(You can also view the video on Facebook)

Finding Joy

In today’s “Car Talk” Julie shares on a day where she really needed to find joy. Julie tells us how self-care and using items including a “Here & Now Stone" can help ground you and give you something to focus on when the world is spinning around you.

Lifes a Beach -Guided Visualization

Julie Potiker — Fri, 28 Jul 2017 13:19:00 -0400

Feel the warm breeze, the sand under your feet and the sound of the waves lapping on the shoreline as you're guided through this relaxing and peaceful visualization with Julie Potiker. For the best meditation experience use headphones. Episode 8

Guided Visualization - Compassionate Friend

Julie Potiker — Fri, 02 Jun 2017 14:28:00 -0400

Episode 007 This guided visualization is one of Julie Potiker’s favorite meditations. Close your eyes, sit back and enjoy as you create a peaceful, welcoming environment in your mind. This is a 15-minute guided meditation. - MEDITATION BEGINS AT :58.

Guided Meditation - Loving Kindness For You!

Julie Potiker — Tue, 09 May 2017 13:28:53 -0400

EPISODE: 006 Just breath and allow yourself to become gently aware of how it feels to be in your body right now as you listen to Julie Potiker guide you through this Loving Kindness for Ourselves meditation. You’ll be focusing on you - offering yourself words or phrases that fit your needs at this moment. If you’re suffering in anyway and want compassion you may bring the phrase, “May I be free from suffering” to mind. If you’re feeling fabulous the phrase might be “May I be happy". MEDITATION BEGINS AT :40 ABOUT: Julie Potiker helps others through mindful meditation at her practice in La Jolla, California and also at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center where she founded the Balanced Mind Meditation Center (also in La Jolla, CA). Through her practice, www.MindfulMethodsforLife.com Julie provides mindfulness training to groups, individuals, and organizations. Julie is a graduate of the Mindful Self-Compassion course at U.C. San Diego, is trained to teach the curriculum and has completed over a dozen courses in this field. She’s participated in meditation retreats from various disciplines – Judaic to Tibetan. B.G.S. University of Michigan; J.D. George Washington University

Giving & Receiving Compassion

Julie Potiker — Mon, 08 May 2017 12:22:37 -0400

Take the time to meditate compassion for yourself and others in this Giving and Receiving Compassion Meditation led by Julie Potiker. Sit back, relax and ground yourself in her calming words and soothing music in this 18-minute meditation. MEDITATION BEGINS :22 For the best meditation experience use headphones or earbuds when listening. Do not listen to this meditation while operating a vehicle. ABOUT: Julie Potiker helps others through mindful meditation at her practice in La Jolla, California and also at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center where she founded the Balanced Mind Meditation Center (also in La Jolla, CA). Through her practice, www.MindfulMethodsforLife.com Julie provides mindfulness training to groups, individuals, and organizations. Julie is a graduate of the Mindful Self-Compassion course at U.C. San Diego, is trained to teach the curriculum and has completed over a dozen courses in this field. She’s participated in meditation retreats from various disciplines – Judaic to Tibetan. B.G.S. University of Michigan; J.D. George Washington University

Caregiver Meditation

Julie Potiker — Wed, 03 May 2017 20:38:00 -0400

EPISODE: 004 A meditation designed specifically for those who give so much to others - caregivers. This guided meditation is especially helpful for anyone in a caretaking role. It’s called Giving and Receiving Compassion with Equanimity.

Mantra Meditation

Julie Potiker — Wed, 03 May 2017 18:54:00 -0400

EPISODE: 003 A mantra meditation focuses on a word or phrase to clear the mind of distractions. MEDITATION BEGINS AT :22. For the best meditation experience use headphones or earbuds when listening. Do not listen to this meditation while operating a vehicle.

The Air That I Breathe

Julie Potiker — Wed, 03 May 2017 18:26:00 -0400

EPISODE: 002 Focus your attention on your breath – the inhale and the exhale to clear your mind of distractions through this Affectionate Breathing meditation. By taking just five to ten minutes a day - this meditation can help you find inner peace ...

Loving Kindness Meditation

Julie Potiker — Wed, 03 May 2017 18:24:33 -0400

EPISODE: 001 Visualizing about an individual you love – someone who makes you smile is the focus of this Loving Kindness Meditation. You’ll be expressing unconditional love through the phrases; May you be safe. May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live your life with ease. MEDITATION BEGINS AT :19. For the best meditation experience use headphones or earbuds when listening. Do not listen to this meditation while operating a vehicle. ABOUT: Julie Potiker helps others through mindful meditation at her practice in La Jolla, California and also at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center where she founded the Balanced Mind Meditation Center (also in La Jolla, CA). Through her practice, www.MindfulMethodsforLife.com Julie provides mindfulness training to groups, individuals, and organizations. Julie is a graduate of the Mindful Self-Compassion course at U.C. San Diego, is trained to teach the curriculum and has completed over a dozen courses in this field. She’s participated in meditation retreats from various disciplines – Judaic to Tibetan. B.G.S. University of Michigan; J.D. George Washington University