In this Mindful Monday, Emilía shares a story from a recent outing that demonstrates the power of our assumptions, where assuming friendliness in a challenging situation left the possibility open for the situation to change completely.

“It never hurts to see the good in someone, they often act the better because of it.” - Nelson Mandela

The same lesson has implications for our inner world, demonstrating how we can befriend Mara when he shows up in our lives.

In this Mindful Monday, Emilía reads a powerful story from Frank Ostaseski's Five Invitations demonstrating the healing power of love.

"In the horror of my own suffering, I always had held out the hope that one day someone would rescue me. I had imagined that I would be saved by love coming toward me. Just the opposite. I was rescued when love came through me." - Frank Ostaseski

As we interpret conflict in our lives, we can easily identify with our thoughts and beliefs, often to our detriment. Tsoknyi Rinpoche coined the phrase "real but not true" which honors the reality of our emotional experience. This meditation offers the possibility of coming home to the truth and experiencing a sense of freedom when we are gripped by a storyline where someone is failing in some way.

In this first Mindful Monday, Emilía shares one of her favorite quotes from Father Gregory Boyle and some of the questions this wisdom encourages us to ask ourselves.

“Jesus says, “You are the light of the world.” I like even more what Jesus doesn’t say. He does not say, “One day, if you are more perfect and try really hard, you’ll be light.” He doesn’t say “If you play by the rules, cross your T’s and dot your I’s, then maybe you’ll become light.” No. He says, straight out, “You are light.” It is the truth of who you are, waiting only for you to discover it. So, for God’s sake, don’t move. No need to contort yourself to be anything other than who you are.”

In this first episode of Heartful: Practices to Awaken the Heart, Emilía Rún shares a glimpse of the rewards to be reaped from incorporating these practices into your life.

Emilía touches on:

• When times are especially divisive, our potential for awakening is so great because we’re so far from our nature. Even just a little bit of meditation and slowing down can help us realize, amidst the uncertainty, what’s truly important, both individually and societally.
• As we continue on our own unique paths, we may find areas of our lives where we too are not living in alignment with our own hearts. Meditation as something to check off our lists in the mornings doesn’t tell the whole story. The spiritual path is full of wonder and joy, and it also often full of raw emotions, denial, and doubt… and then rebuilding as we find our way in the world a little differently than before.
• Spiritual practice can help us deepen the relationships around us. Our capacity for loving and communicating expands, and we more easily tap into our patience, understanding and compassion for others and their suffering.
• Media and culture can push us into perceiving a “bad other”, and we are all affected because our nervous systems resonate with each other. This creates disconnection and unease as it relates to how we view the outside world.
• These practices and teachings reorient the heart towards joy, compassion, love, and kindness. We water these seeds in our hearts so that they can continue to grow and help us act our purest intention, to live from the truth of who we are.
• Spiritual practice can help us turn towards our human challenges; it helps us have tea with Mara as the Buddha would describe. The invitation is to use our spiritual awareness to experience this human life more fully.
• Our growth edges and challenges are our greatest opportunities for growth. It takes a courageous heart turn towards our suffering.

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Emilía hosts weekly community mindfulness classes on RUNGA's platform, The Tribe.

What does it mean to live from the heart and what will it take from us? On Heartful, mindfulness meditation and kundalini yoga teacher Emilía Rún answers these questions while touching on many of the challenges we face in our lives. These talks and meditations are designed as guides to help us befriend our lives and regularly water the seeds of joy, love, and compassion in our hearts. Drawing from Buddhist wisdom, the resources and practices you will find on Heartful will help you awaken your heart and remember your true nature.