Left Brain Buddha
the modern mindful life
Welcome to Left Brain Buddha! We’ve got all sorts of ideas and resources here to help you live your modern mindful life.
Happy Father’s Day!
A rare Sunday post to say Happy Father's Day!! To all the amazing dads out there ~ including my husband, and my dad ~ Happy Father's Day!
Transition Time: The Hardest Part of My Day
It's 5 pm. Do you know where your sanity is? For busy moms, it may be nowhere in sight. As a teacher, I am well-versed in the concept of "transition time." A big part of teaching is carefully managing transitions from one activity to the next. In fifteen years of...
“Mind in a Jar”: Teach Mindfulness to Your Kids
"But I don't know HOW to calm down!" Frequently, when we implore our children to "Calm down!" {yes, the exclamation point is ironic} or "Breathe!", those are the responses we get. A fun way to teach kids how to calm down when they're upset or overwhelmed is to make a...
Wordless Wednesday: Breathe
{You know a left-brain Buddha couldn't do anything completely wordless!} Join in at Wordless Wednesday!
A Love Note {and Some Confessions} to My Son on His Fourth Birthday
My Sweet Liam, I think I am supposed to start this letter with something like, “Are you really four years old already? It’s gone so fast!” But honestly, it hasn’t... And I also think I’m supposed to say, “Oh, how I miss those days of your babyhood!” But honestly, I...
Breathe + Smile: Monday Mindfulness and Gratitude
Words for a Mindful Moment with the Breath I've been thinking about gratitude a lot lately. This passage comes from Brene Brown's research on wholehearted people, from her book The Gifts of Imperfection: "Without exception, every person I interviewed who described...
Of Toddlers and Tyrants: The Anatomy of Tantrums
“PUT IT IN THE GARBAGE!” “PUT IT IN THE GARBAGE!” “PUT IT IN THE GARBAGE!” {Yell at the highest volume possible, repeat for four straight minutes, include tears, wails, and kicking, and insert strange guttural vocalizations at random intervals}. And you have my son’s...
The Courage to Say “I’m Sorry” to My Children
It’s been a rough couple of days around here. What happened? On their own, each of these stressors isn’t all that bad. But together, they created a nasty concoction. My daughter’s dance rehearsal ran late Wednesday night and we didn’t get home until 9:30 (two hours...
Breathe + Smile: A Mindful Moment for your Monday
Words for a Mindful Moment with the Breath My favorite scholar of religion is former-nun Karen Armstrong. I love her writings about how religion is more about practice than creed. This week's passage comes from her book The Spiral Staircase: My Climb Out of Darkness....
My Summer Reading List!
School's almost out... so I'm already planning my summer reading! I have been so inspired by all the Summer Reading lists people are posting that I have decided to share mine with you {organized by category, of course!}. I am sharing the Amazon links for these, but...
Adding “Coloring” to My To-Do List
Can you remember how you envisioned yourself as a mother before you had children? I distinctly remember, while pregnant with my first child, envisioning serene days at home with a sweetly sleeping baby, gently rocking my tiny bundle in a clean and organized nursery,...
Breathe + Smile: A Mindful Moment for your Monday
Left Brain Buddha is reclaiming Mondays! Not manic, but mindful. Each Monday I share a short passage or mantra for a moment with the breath. I share highlights from my Smile File for the week ~ and I hope you’ll take time to reflect on your smiles from the past...
What I’m Reading… With My Kids!
I love books, and I love sharing with you the books I am reading ~ I am usually reading at least three at once! I also treasure reading time with my children, and find that even the simplest or goofiest stories can help teach them important lessons. Here's a peek at...
The Tooth-Fairy Fail: Discovering the Call to Mindfulness
Yep, I’m blaming it on the Tooth Fairy. It’s really my fault, but I couldn’t bring myself to call it a “Mommy Fail.” Here's the scene: Adorable six-year-old loses her 5th tooth, is so excited to put the tooth under her pillow, even predicts that the Tooth Fairy will...
Breathe + Smile: A Mindful Moment for your Monday
Left Brain Buddha is reclaiming Mondays! Not manic, but mindful. Each Monday I share a short passage or mantra for a moment with the breath, accompanied by a photo from my photographer {my husband 🙂 }. I share highlights from my Smile File for the week ~ and I...
Breathe + Smile: A Mindful Moment for your Monday
Left Brain Buddha is reclaiming Mondays! Not manic, but mindful. Each Monday I share a short passage or mantra for a moment with the breath, accompanied by a photo from my photographer {my husband 🙂 }. I share highlights from my Smile File for the week ~ and I...
Teacher Appreciation Week: Why I Love Teaching!
Teachers are burnt out, overwhelmed, and unappreciated. Or fed up with the demands of testing and all the media reports claiming we aren’t doing enough. At least this is what we hear, right? There has been a spate of recent postings from teachers drafting angry...
Breathe + Smile: A Mindful Moment for Your Monday
Left Brain Buddha is reclaiming Monday mornings! Not manic, but mindful. Each Monday I share a short passage or mantra for a moment with the breath, accompanied by a photo from my photographer {my husband 🙂 }. I share highlights from my Smile File for the week ~...