Imagine your thoughts as a garden filled with a variety of flowers, each representing a different emotion or idea. Which flowers are blooming brightly, and which ones are wilting? Consider how the sunshine of positivity and the rain of challenges nurture this garden. What weeds of negativity need to be pulled to allow your most beautiful flowers to flourish? Write about the care and attention your mental garden requires to thrive.

Take a moment to visualize or write about a time when chaos led you to a new understanding or brought about a significant change. How did you navigate through it? What did you discover about yourself? Embrace the unpredictability and let it guide you to uncover hidden strengths and opportunities within your inner world.

We are all part of this great tapestry of life woven together, each occupying a unique but interconnected place.

Who and what are you connected to? Call to mind who and what you are connected to. As you call each person, place, or thing to mind, notice how your body responds. Do you feel any sensations? Can you find ease where there is tension? Do you want more of that connection or less? Can you find gratitude for your place in the connection, or is it time to focus elsewhere?

Find a quiet place with a clear view of the horizon. This could be a beach, a hilltop, or even a cityscape with a distant view. Sit comfortably and take a few deep breaths, allowing your body to relax. Focus on the horizon line, letting your eyes rest there. Notice the colors, the shapes, and the way the sky and land meet. Let your mind settle on this visual anchor while you breathe slowly through your nose.

"All cultures develop through ways of listening."

"Deep Listening is listening in every possible way, to everything it’s possible to hear, no matter what you are doing."

-Pauline Oliveros

Use any kind of paint and paper to play with shapes. Explore the beauty of not knowing. What will come when you don’t have to have a plan or agenda?

Let your breath be an emotional flashlight. Start at your toes, shining your breath in all the nooks and crannies of your body as you make your way to your head. Note any sensations you find and try to let your awareness couple those sensations with emotions.

The sky is a never-ending source of inspiration. The next time you find a sky that moves you, notice how you experience it. Is it how you think about its beauty? Or how you feel the colors in your body? Notice the quality of your sensations and thoughts. Write some of it down or dance it out. Let awe be your motivation.

Ever touched some thing that filled you with disgust? How about deep pleasure? Check out the next piece of wood or the bag of beans in your cupboard. Find the words to describe what you feel.

Consider the “touch” of light. It can be harsh, gentle, opaque, sensuous, or illuminating. Notice how it shapes your perspective or feelings when you focus on how it’s lighting something rather than on the thing it’s lighting.

Oxalis, or sweetgrass, is a flower that grows abundantly in San Francisco. Pick one and chew the stem. Notice where the tart crispness lands on your palate.

Next time you pass a flower, take a moment to notice the pistil in the center. As you take it in, notice how and where you feel the experience in your body. Write at least three sentences to describe it.

The Light Date

Take yourself on a date with light. Use any medium you want to capture the way light in all its varied ways impacts or moves you.

Gratitude for the Little Things

Find a couple minutes in your day to take 5 slow breaths. On the inhale, first thought best thought here, send thanks to someone or something that brought you joy. On the exhale send love there.

Organize a space with curiosity and care. Pick up an item you want to put away. Take a deep breath through your nose and ask what this object means to you. On the exhale give it thanks for its purpose. If you find it has none pass on to someone else. 

Close your eyes and focus on your breath, allowing it to flow naturally. Feel the sensation of your breath blending with the rhythm of your heartbeat. Sense how your muscles, bones, and skin are interconnected, creating a harmonious blend within you. Explore any areas of tension or discomfort, and imagine them softening and blending with the more relaxed parts of your body. Allow yourself to experience the fluidity and interconnectedness within.

Chaos is constant. We navigate it all the time by focusing. Notice how you manage chaos. Do you lean on your device to soothe? Do you go on walks or numb yourself with distractions? Do you make time to connect with people you love? What happens if you try a new approach instead of whatever the one is that leaves you feeling overwhelmed?

Close your eyes and imagine yourself as a beautiful flower. As you inhale deeply through your nose, visualize yourself drawing in sunlight and nourishment through your pistil. Hold your breath for a moment, feeling the energy and vitality it gathers. As you exhale slowly through your mouth, imagine releasing any tension or stress, letting your petals relax and open wider. Repeat this cycle, allowing each breath to nourish and rejuvenate you, just like a flower thriving with each intake of sunlight.

Exploring the incredibly varied and beautiful sounds of the Organelle from Critter & Guitari

Choose a color that speaks to you, or represents a feeling you are aware you are currently feeling. Choose two other colors that support the waves of your experiencing that feeling. Without planning paint or draw with those three colors, letting them interact and find new combinations of shape and color. Notice if you can allow your feelings to move as freely without planning, managing, or fixing.

Notice what you do in states of boredom. When you are, can you take time to sit with boredom as you would a friend? Can you use your curiosity to notice what boredom wants to relieve and delve into any discomfort? Can you listen for what insights boredom offers about your emotional state, your sense of satisfaction, or curiosity? Are there any needs you haven't met boredom is urging you to notice.

Imagine looking through a fogged-up window, where everything outside is hazy and unclear. How does this blur affect your perception of the world and your connection to it? What feelings do you notice arising. Reflect on moments when the clarity of your life felt obscured by a similar fog. What thoughts emerge from this blurred view? Write about your journey in seeking clarity and finding ways to wipe away the fog, revealing the world in sharper focus once again.

Take a moment to focus on your senses. Imagine yourself in a lush garden, surrounded by the scent of blooming flowers, the feel of soft grass beneath your feet, and the sound of birds singing. How does the gentle touch of a breeze on your skin make you feel? Reflect on a time when you felt fully immersed in a sensory experience. Write about how embracing your senses enhances your connection to the world and to yourself.

Envision your life as flowing water, flowing steadily through various landscapes. What kind of terrain are you currently navigating—calm meadows, rocky rapids, or serene valleys? Reflect on how the river adapts to obstacles, carving new paths and shaping the land around it. How do you navigate the bends and currents in your own journey? Write about the lessons your river teaches you about resilience, change, and the continuous flow of life.