I release what doesn’t serve me, hold on to what does, and relax in the knowing I’ll recognize the difference.

I always find myself in dreams like this when I’m on the cusp of change, feeling bigness before me in an emptiness of waiting

We are living in an accelerated space and time right now and life is intense. It’s worth learning to be mindful of where our attention lies

Staying in the moment is the key to managing anxiety and stress. Mindfulness means creating an intention, giving it full attention with...

I value our meditation community. I held the space and others showed up to be connected in this challenging time.

Our minds are powerful entities. Our intentions can create our physical reality. How do I respond to a medical emergency?

Why am I never enough I ask? Everything I do has a label I’ve attached that I lack I’m not fast enough I’ll make a mistake I’m late I’m old I’m out of date Right then and there In the middle of a rant I grab a pen And write this chant Interrupting a rant Of self-criticism and judgment Redirects my path On my terms A list of ten things I like about myself Listing one after the other While keeping count I am a great mother I love to cook I’m a loyal friend I love a good book I

By Shirley Riga I find myself sitting at a table Arm wrestling for control knuckles white hands shaking with my opponent called time I harness my breath In my struggle to win A routine of sorts Is emerging zoom appointments are menacing what happened to my space? My days are filling up With more expectations I am frustrated with How easily I have slipped Into the demands and Inner pressure creeping in Yesterday my GYN office called to confirm my appointment For my annual visi

I watched the documentary Becoming last night Michelle Obama’s new book She inspires me Her drive to keep on going In spite of the push back she’s received Every person she meets She asks what brings you joy Riding on her inspiration Within a millisecond Of a moment I ask myself What brings me joy? If I imagine I live In an energy world With no forms Only color energy I would see children And four-legged beings As bright colors Moving bouncing exploring I would see houses bur

I’ve been thinking about my childhood lately Which was out of control A mishmash Emotional and physical Fear, confusion and anger Swirling around my hope Anger turned inward to despair Never understanding why The anger, sadness, confusion Constantly hanging in the air What right does an adult Have to screw up a child? I don’t want them in my head I have had steel walls Barring them from entrance and They drop in again I will not be victimized By my childhood pain The thought

by Shirley Riga Our soles carry our souls Years ago a woman came to me for a reading A stranger I sat with And I’ll never forget the message About her feet Most all of us are born with little feet So innocent and soft Uncalloused by the weight of life Our feet accompany us On our life’s journey Standing as witness to our decisions Our loves, our losses Our choices and our demands We make decisions And our feet comply We enjoy celebrations And our feet comply We mourn losses A

by Shirley Riga I feel communities pushing Impatient for the normal holding denial in their hands looking toward familiar routine I want people to get it Act responsibly Feel their consequences react from their heart I’m mindful of the hat I wear The filters I see through Aware of my fear Holding love in my hand When I leave the house I’m wearing my Awareness with caution My trust and smile Before I know it Fear slips in Filter changes False evidence appears real So easy it i

Gateways by Shirley Riga Silent meditation has become a source of comfort for me Space to just be Held in time like a safe boundary Where I explore nothingness Yet feel the richness of presence Tingling with the essence of connection To my higher wisdom I am grateful Yet annoyance gets my attention Because my body needs the bathroom. My stomach is growling And I need a shower. Welcome to the gateway I am human I am spirit I am the totality of both Gaining access to the gates

Thinking of Angels by Shirley Riga Thinking about angels today Recalling 14 years ago No wings no halo He emerged as a survivor Of a fatal accident Of my spouse Broken bones And heart wide open He reached out to console the family I pushed back to the stranger His consistency warmed my pain The door was opened His name is George Caring, loving, thoughtful, surviving George His eyes witnessed Lizzie’s last words His heart shared the moment His presence soothed my heart His bod

How to make a blessing from a recipe of love By Shirley Riga First, I need a large vessel of cooperation. I am present in the now and hold an open mind and heart. I add in an intention. The intention could be anything you find worthy on your shelf of life and has signs of well-being. Stir with expectancy until well blended. It is important to stay present in the moment. Add in a whisper of a painful life experience to ground it and a spoonful of wisdom harvested from your col

Once a month I have tea with an old friend via Zoom. We grew up in the same town, went to the same schools, attended Brownies and Girl Scouts together, learned to drive together, kept in touch in college, stood up in each other’s weddings and then life happened and we separated. We lost touch with each other for years. My life changed dramatically as I figured out who I was and what I wanted. We eventually reconnected years later when we met at a volleyball game for LGBTQ fol

As I walked this morning, I came across a snail and picked it up moving it back to the grass. It reminded me of a story I was told back in 2010, that a friend experienced in her garden. “I was watering my flower garden in the early evening and I looked down. There near my feet was a small puddle and lots of snails nearby. Many times I have seen people just crush snails in their shells because they represent destruction to their garden plants. With that in mind, I notice a