Identify the tilt towards masculine energies (e.g., pushing, striving) in your individual practice and community, then consciously integrate more feminine qualities like receptivity, gentleness, nourishment, and connection to achieve greater balance.
Notice how our world and practices are tilted toward masculine energies (e.g., hard, fast, active) over feminine energies (e.g., soft, slow, passive), recognizing this imbalance contributes to cultural sickness.
Avoid ‘New Year, New You’ narratives that imply complete reinvention and are often based on shame and self-loathing, instead exploring a science-based approach to self-love.
Look at everyone as if they might be a future Buddha, which can help counteract judgmental tendencies and assume greatness in others.
When encountering bad behavior in yourself or others, try to see it as stemming from confusion and suffering rather than innate badness, fostering a more compassionate response.
Combine deep compassion with fierce dedication, perseverance, and grit, recognizing that compassion is not just soft but can also drive strong, determined action.
For those in positions of privilege, listen to the cries of those being left out and advocate for them, taking a stand even if it might be difficult or unpopular.
Avoid intense pushing, striving, and solitary effort in spiritual practice, recognizing it’s a connected journey where you need to keep yourself well-fed with beauty, relationships, art, and rest.
Cultivate qualities like nurturance, tenderness, gentleness, relationship, support, and nourishment in your spiritual practice, fostering a ‘heartfulness’ that grounds you in the body rather than transcending it.
When experiencing intense doubt during meditation, reorient your practice from transcending ‘up and out’ to coming ‘down and in’ by grounding yourself, metaphorically or literally touching the earth.
Consider that living a life fully engaged in the world can be an equal opportunity path to awakening, rather than needing to renounce everything or retreat to a monastery.
Understand that awakening involves shifting your perspective to see the same things in new ways, and take this up as a contemplation to potentially change your experience.
Engage in personal reflection on the stories and perspectives shared, viewing them as an invitation to find your way into a more balanced practice, life, and world, rather than as criticism.
Dial 646-883-8326 to leave a voicemail with questions or reflections for the New Year series, including meditation questions, by December 7th.
Subscribe to the 10% Happier app at a 40% discount by visiting 10percent.com/November before December 1st to access guided meditations and other features.