It’s taken me a while to find a path toward the Middle Way, that Buddhist principle that rests firmly on common sense and shows us how to find moderation instead of swinging between one extreme or another. The Middle Way can offer us some peace as we find a balance between the extremes of self-indulgence, busyness, and wanting, or on the other side, toward extreme self-denial or self-discipline.

The Middle Way offers a nuanced path that embraces the ease and equilibrium of living with moderation. In this episode, I’ll use some illustrative examples from my life to discuss how to find this moderate way, and what benefits it can hold for us.

I’ll also touch on the concept of impermanence and its relationship to the Middle Way. How our cravings and clinging, perhaps in an attempt to control situations, ultimately backfire as we watch situations change in an instant. How can we find a reasoned approach to going after our wants and needs without doing so in a desperate, extreme way, and with the knowledge that change (in many directions) is inevitable? I’m reasoning this out too, with poetry, musings, and music.

Welcome to my reflections from the bright side of the beat.

Want to reengage with yourself and put creative self-care back on your to-do list? Head over to lettheverseflow.com and sign up for my free newsletter, the Me-Time Mixtape. Three times per month, I’ll send you 3 essential, hand-curated links/resources on creative self-care tips, tools, and strategies.

Music: All music for my podcast is sourced and licensed for use via Soundstripe.)

Poem: The Middle Way

Songs in this episode: See You In Sao Paulo by Chelsea McGough; Slide by GEMM; Cool by EILOH; Pyaar Kee Seemaen by Cast of Characters

Journal Prompts:
1. What areas of my life might benefit from me taking a balanced, moderate approach?
2. Do I tend to lean toward self-indulgence or self-denial in my life? Why is this and what do I think about this tendency?
3. Are there any obstacles in my thinking to embracing a Middle Way in life? What are they and how does clinging to them help or hurt me?

Prefer to read this episode? Read the complete episode in blog format here: https://www.lettheverseflow.com

What do you do when you’ve lost your fight and slip back into sloppy habits that make you miserable? You pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and get back in the game. In this episode, I’m exploring habits, the cues and triggers that govern them, the benefits they provide, and how to replace “bad” habits with better ones. I’m discussing my long, weight loss saga, and the way I’m moving forward, as a woman in my late 50s, to rebuild my healthy eating and exercise habits. It’s a rational approach, made tolerable by the soothing sounds of my spoken word poetry. In this episode, I explore:

• What habits are and how they work
• The hows and whys of replacing a “bad” habit with a better one
• How habit stacking can help
• How to problem solve when unhealthy habits persist
• How to plan for failure so you don’t lose your mind when you slip up
• My weight-loss (and weight-gain) story and how I’m moving my habits back into a healthy direction with the help of my trusted friend, music

Welcome to my reflections from the bright side of the beat.

Want to reengage with yourself and put creative self-care back on your to-do list? Head over to lettheverseflow.com and sign up for my free newsletter, the Me-Time Mixtape. Three times per month, I’ll send you 3 essential, hand-curated links/resources on creative self-care tips, tools, and strategies.

Listener Survey: As I head into year 2 of the podcast, I'd love to get your insight and ideas for the show. Please take this short survey. Note: The survey is anonymous, and I will NOT share your data. Listener Survey

Music: All music for my podcast is sourced and licensed for use via Soundstripe.)

Poem: Stop Lying

Songs in this episode: On Loop by Nu Alkemi$t; Slide by GEMM; I Don’t See You Fighting by Sam Barsh; Hey Marie by Tony Sopiano; Pyaar Kee Seemaen by Cast of Characters

Resources:
James Clear: How to Break a Bad Habit and Replace It With a Good One; How to Build New Habits by Taking Advantage of Old Ones (Habit Stacking); How To Start New Habits That Actually Stick (Four Stages of a Habit)

Related Episodes:
#12: Compare Less/Grateful More

Journal Prompts:
1) What bad habit do I want to change? Why is this the habit to change?
2) Write about the four stages of your habit – what are the cue, craving, response and reward of your habit? See the show notes for the article entitled How to Start New Habits That Actually Stick to read more on these four stages.
3) Write about a new habit you want to replace the old habit with, noting the benefits it will give you and how it will address the need that your old habit fulfilled.

Prefer to read this episode? Read the complete episode in blog format here: https://www.lettheverseflow.com

This episode is about how deep self-listening helps us construct better personal growth goals and the power of connecting that listening to essential self-truths that form the basis for our choices and actions.

In this episode:

• I talk about how a recent Being Well podcast episode on manifesting sparked new thoughts on intention setting and dedicated action to achieve personal growth goals.
• I summarize the three elements the Hansons discussed – believing in yourself, clear goal setting, and taking consistent action.
• I discuss tools to help facilitate deep self-listening including mindful activities, meditation, restorative sleep and journaling.

It’s a heady episode, but that’s why we have poetry!!

Welcome to my reflections from the bright side of the beat.

Want to reengage with yourself and put creative self-care back on your to-do list? Head over to my website: lettheverseflow.com and sign up for my free newsletter, the Me-Time Mixtape. Three times per month, I’ll send you 3 essential, hand-curated links/resources on creative self-care tips, tools, and strategies.

Listener Survey: As I head into year 2 of the podcast, I'd love to get your insight and ideas for the show. Please take this short survey. Note: The survey is anonymous, and I will NOT share your data. Listener Survey

Music: All music for my podcast is sourced and licensed for use via Soundstripe.)

Poem: Dear One

Songs in this episode: Rabbit by Midnight Daydream; Slide by GEMM; Rain On The Leaves by In This World; Pyaar Kee Seemaen by Cast of Characters

Resources:
Being Well Podcast (the Psychology of Manifesting)

Yoga Nidra 20-Minute Guided Meditation

How Journaling Can Help You Sleep

Related Episodes:
#23: Overcoming Overthinking and Worry with Journal Writing & Meditation

#24: Affirmation Meditation to Overcome Overthinking and Worry

Journal Prompts:

1. What patterns of thoughts, feelings or ideas keep coming up to me as important?
2. Take a nature walk or sit for a meditation for 15 minutes then write about whatever comes to mind. Don’t censor it, just write whatever thoughts you have.
3. Write about 1 or 2 problems that you have struggled with often during your life. Are you ready to tackle one of these problems with a well-intentioned goal?

Prefer to read this episode? Read the complete episode in blog format here: https://www.lettheverseflow.com