Jenifer Madson - Head to Heart: Mindfulness Moments for Every Day

Madson captures the heart of the simple. These daily thoughts can emphatically change any moment in anyone's life. Each day's suggestion is captured in the simplicity of the thought, making it magical, joyful, meaningful, and doable. I loved it. All of it. You will, too.

KAREN CASEY, PHD, author of The Good Stuff from Growing Up in a Dysfunctional Family

I love Head to Heart. Love. It is so much more than a book of daily meditations. It reads like a life map guiding you from thoughtful, relevant concepts to the only path that makes a differenceaction. With this book I found that every day I had new thought patterns with action steps that enabled me to bring them into my life in a way that both motivates and brings me peace. All I can say is thanks for writing this book!

JANETTE BARBER, bestelling author and six-time Emmy Award winner

Inspiration, comfort, and peace of mind are within reach when you set your day in a positive direction by reading Jenifer Madson's Head to Heart. In only minutes, you will transform your day and your experience by absorbing these uplifting, energizing passages. Powerfully compelling!

DEBBIE PHILLIPS, founder, Women On Fire

First published in 2014 by Conari Press, an imprint of

Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC

With offices at:

665 Third Street, Suite 400

San Francisco, CA 94107

www.redwheelweiser.com

Copyright 2014 by Jenifer Madson

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC. Reviewers may quote brief passages.

ISBN: 978-1-57324-598-2

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available upon request.

Cover design by Jim Warner

Cover photograph: aspen leaves(Populus tremuloides) on the forest floor Exactostock / SuperStock

Interior by Maureen Forys, Happenstance Type-O-Rama

Typeset in Adobe Caslon Pro and Futura Pro

Printed in the United States of America.

EBM

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T o my incomparable teacher, Venerable Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche, and all the sages and saints before you and after, for your wisdom, light, and love for all sentient beings.

A wakening isn't a one-time occurrence, although moments of clear realization can feel quite sudden.

Awakening is a process; a gradual awareness; a growing insight which must be cultivated to be sustained.

Awakening to a new idea or way of being is usually a mixture of poetic consideration and practical application.

This is the practice of meditation: taking your awareness of the countless workings of everyday life from your head to your heart and thenno matter how joyful or painful they may beembracing them and growing from them all.

It is an extraordinary practice, whether you seek to create a deeper connection with the higher power of your understanding, to generate more compassion or love, to better understand your mind and surroundings, to find answers to specific challenges, or all of the above.

And this practice can happen anywhere, at any time: on the mat or on the move, while sitting or walking, in silence or conversation, alone or with a group. In short, whenever or wherever you are consciously pointing your mind toward greater clarity and service while connecting with Spirit you are meditating and preparing to awaken.

This book not only provides points for meditation and awakening, but also questions and suggestions that will inspire you to take specific actions to grow in love and usefulness, creating an unshakable sense of well-being with which to meet all of life's demands.

Few things in life are as precious as a true friend, the one who always sees what is good and possible in you and for you, who lifts you up while keeping you grounded, who can tell you hard truths without tearing you down.

Make time to celebrate such a friend: Call or write to one of them, and acknowledge a specific difference they have made in your life.

Take it one step further, and tell them how their support will positively affect your future.

Give your friend a very special gift by specifically telling them how they've impacted your life. The better they know just how they've helped you, the better able they are to do the same for others.

When compassion is present, there is no room for condemnation, anger, or confusion.

Think of someone you are angry with, someone you often find yourself judging or criticizing.

As you think of them, replace your feelings of frustration with statements of compassion, such as, I am willing to understand this person even if I don't agree with them, and I wish them every happiness.

Think, write, or say these things over and over, until the anger and judgment dissolve and are replaced with a sense of empathy.

Compassion is the perfect space in which to cultivate kindness and understanding; there is no better principle on which to rest your mind.

Sit comfortably and begin to breathe naturally, not forcing the depth or pace of your breath.

After a moment, as you breathe in, imagine your capacity for patience, tolerance, and understanding growing as your lungs expand.

Then, imagine your frustrations leaving as you exhale.

Continue this until you feel completely relaxed and composed.

Consciously breathing in this way literally clears the air by calming your nerves and balancing your thoughts. This is the place from which to respond rather than react, making you of greatest benefit to all concerned.

Practice patience, tolerance, and understanding, not for the sake of temporary relief in the face of another trial, but so they may become your code, making you of better service to all.

We live in a crazy world, one that seems pretty intent on having its own way for its own sake. It is easy to get caught up in that rush, to find ourselves grasping to get our share. When we give in to such selfishness, we suppose a limit on abundance and create a mindset based on nothing but fear, blocking our connection to the vast resources that surround us.

Scarcity sounds like: There isn't enough...

Abundance sounds like: There is more than enough...

Scarcity feels small, constricted, and helpless.

Abundance feels vast, expansive, and magnanimous.

Scarcity looks at all the problems of the world.

Abundance looks at all the solutions in the world.

To see abundance we must be abundantabundantly positive, loving, generous, and hopeful in our thoughts, language, and actions.

Help others do the same, and watch this sense of abundance multiply and magnify until you can no longer believe in anything but.

Sometimes we steel ourselves against the world by literally holding our breath, as if doing so keeps us safe in the face of uncertainty. In reality, it increases our anxiety by literally cutting off the oxygen our brain so desperately needs to function properly.

Take several minutes to connect your breath to each of your five senses. See it in your mind's eye, smell it, taste it, hear it, and touch it, one at a time until you feel the amazing support that your breath brings to all aspects of your being.