The Mindful Growth

2-minute read I've got a confession to make, Reader. Here it comes: The sun is giving me anxiety. And the weirdest part? I’m pretty sure mindfulness is to blame. Let me explain: ☀️ There’s a bit of FOMO like, I should be outside! I should be rolling in daisies like a Disney princess on a sugar high! Why am I indoors?! 🔥 I grew up in Italy, so you’d think I’d be a sun-powered solar panel, but nope. My body has officially adapted to the nortern weather (fair after 7 years in Berlin + 2 in...

2-minute read Let's talk about Nirvana, Reader, shall we? No, not those Nirvana. The other one. In our last letter, we talked about how mindfulness isn’t just about stress reduction. So what is it about, then? "Mindfulness is about reaching nirvana," might sound a little... woo woo. So let's beak it down. What Even Is Nirvana? Nirvana is a Pali word (the language at the time of the Buddha) that literally means “going out”, like a flame being extinguished. So when we talk about nirvana, we’re...

1-minute read In our Intro to Mindfulness Meditation training so far, we've been delving deep into what mindfulness REALLY is. We've dissected it, put it under a microscope 🔬 tried to figure out how it fits into the whole Buddhist puzzle, and explored how it's broken down into the 4 establishments. In the first two classes, we went through mindfulness of the Body and mindfulness of Feelings (how the mind, in Buddhist psychology, is seen as a base sense, Reader 🤯). This week, it's the turn of...

2-minute read Dear Reader, Stress is present for me this week. I am hosting this training that is very close to my heart, started a few new things, closed a big project, a relationships' friction, someone visiting and blablabla... Nothing big, just life, lifing. The point is: It would be easy for me to start judging myself and fall into the story "I shouldn't feel this way, I don't want to feel stressed" But last Friday, in our Intro to Mindfulness Meditation, we talked about the first Noble...

2-minute read The world needs your best, most centered, and most aware self Reader. We keep hearing that "just 3 breaths before a meeting" can do wonders. But honestly, in my experience, it doesn't. You might have tried those 3 breaths before a meeting and found it changed absolutely nothing. Maybe you even concluded that this mindfulness stuff is BS, Reader. 🤷♀️ Me still hating Jakob from Accounting after 3 breaths Don't get me wrong Reader, every little bit counts, and it's important to...

1-minute read I am aware that this might be controversial, Reader. Sometimes, offering something valuable for free can raise questions, and I want to be open about it. As you know, our Mindfulness Training for Leaders and Changemakers begins in just one week, on Friday, February 21st, at 4 PM GMT, and today I had a conversation with other business owners about: Why am I offering this for FREE? You can listen to it here if you're curious: 🎥 In short, my reasons are these: These teachings are...

2-minute read Dear Reader, I see you (not in a creepy way). If you're here, chances are that you're interested in mindfulness meditation. You might have tried to meditate, you probably even downloaded one or two apps, joined a meditation series, or listened to a few talks.. Maybe you recharge in other ways too! Yoga, art, dancing, sports, spending time in nature… or maybe just hiding in the bathroom with your phone (Again, I see you 🚽) And yet, chances are you still don't have a consistent...

3-minute read Last night, I was bouldering (still very much a newbie), staring up at the next hold with a mix of uncertainty and terror. 😅 Photo for attention (this was back in August with my sister, but you get the idea!) Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a fellow climber watching me struggle. "What's up?" he asked. "It's just... so high! I bailed on my first try. Fear got the best of me." He smiled. “ The secret is doing it scared." 🎤 Mic drop. Not all Buddhas wear pink leggings 🧘♀️...

3-minute read 📖 I remembered hearing this story from one of my teachers: *cue deep breath in here* A mindfulness student was struggling with untangling difficult emotions and went to their teacher for advice. The teacher listened and then said: “Go for a meditation retreat. You’ll feel better.” Taking the advice, the student went on a retreat but found it extremely challenging. Most of the time, they were completely overwhelmed by difficult emotions: peaks of rage, sadness, self-doubt,...

2-minute read Dear Reader, Writing this love letter to you from my phone, currently bumping along on a train to Newton Abbot, west England 🚂 destination: Vipassana retreat. I’ve been to a few retreats in my time, but this one feels different… because my husband’s coming with me. *I wanted to add a picture of his regret-filled face here, but poor internet connection is doing him a favor, please imagine it yourself.* And let me tell you, he’s diving straight into the deep end: 7 days of: No...