Fill the shoes you are in.

Take a look at your shoes. Those are the shoes we need you to fill.

Not a bigger pair. Not a better pair. The shoes you have.

We need you to take a stand in the world in which you live.

Not in a world you would like to see. Not in the life you would like to be living. In this world, this life.

Don't fill someone else's shoes. Don't compare the size of your shoes to others. Don't worry about the quality or the presentation or the style.

Your shoes, just as they are, that's what we need. We need you. Come as you are. Share the gifts you have to bring. If you don't know what those gifts are, put your damn shoes on and go find them.

Upcoming Online teachings

We have some online events coming up in the next few days and weeks.

Waking Up Humanity: Online teachings by Younge Khachab Rinpoche
April 11 at 8am PDT
Rinpoche will be offering practical advice for Dharma practitioners during these difficult times.

Tsa Lung Course
April 12 - May 3, 2020
Tsa Lung is a Tibetan healing yoga and pranayama used to purify the body. Rinpoche has advised all of his students practice Tsa Lung to strengthen our immune systems and to promote a calm and stable mind during these challenging times. This four week online course will teach you the Tsa Lung yogas and provide foundational materials for understanding the practice.

Not doing is hard work.

Now that we are all stuck inside all the time, we can start to appreciate how much of our days are organized around relieving tension. In the old days, a couple weeks ago, when you started feeling uncomfortable or had some problems to work out, you could always avoid them by going somewhere. Keeping busy and doing things was a coping mechanism.

Are you feeling more sensitive right now? It might be because you cannot duck out of tricky situations as easily now.

Are you noticing more problems coming up? It might be because they were always unresolved but before it was easy to just go do something as soon as you noticed them on the horizon.

Are you easily triggered? It might be because you were really good at controlling your environment and interactions, and now you don't have that same level of control.

When you cannot go anywhere you are forced to work with things as they are. You'll probably lose it at some point, but you get to keep trying to figure this out. Take a look at your expectations, schedule beliefs, and to do's, do they have to look just like they used to?

Avoidance is a really accessible coping mechanism. When you have to stay put, you have to learn a new skill set. You have to learn how to be present, and that is hard work.