Tools and Practices

In her book Radical Self-Acceptance, Tara Brach, describes a simple spiritual practice for reframing how you see yourself:

Incorpora más amor, perdón y compasión en tu vida a través del pensar, discutir y actuar. Utiliza estas tarjetas cuando estés solo o cuando tengas la compañía de tus amigos, familiares, estudiantes, compañeros de clase o colegas. Selecciona una tarjeta. Lee la cita en voz alta; luego voltea la tarjeta y encuentra las sugerencias sobre qué discutir y cómo actuar. También disponible en Inglés: Conversation Cards.

Descarga, imprime (en ambos lados en papel de 8.5 x 11 pulgadas), y corta.

Is there a hurt or thought you keep replaying that you’d like to release? We’re thrilled to relaunch our popular and updated “Letting Go Practice.” Use this interactive resource to help let go of a hurt, injury, or issue in your life. Like forgiveness, it may be something you’ll want to revisit again and again. Take a few minutes to try it and let us know what you think.

A compliment is more than something nice you say to someone. It demonstrates what you value and also strengthens that quality in yourself. Here are ways to practice.

In The Art of Forgiveness, Lovingkindness, and Peace, Jack Kornfield describes an African forgiveness ritual: "In the Babemba tribe of South Africa, when a person acts irresponsibly or unjustly, he is placed in the center of the village, alone and unfettered. All work ceases, and every man, woman, and child in the village gathers in a large circle around the accused individual.

Martin Luther King reminded us how interdependent we are when he wrote: “All men are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.” This web of mutuality King refers to extends even further. As all sentient beings, we're connected. As all living things, we’re connected. As part of the universe or something greater, we're connected. This connection is easily forgotten as we go about our daily lives. 

In The Kabbalah of Envy, Rabbi Nilton Bonder explains a practice that will reinforce love in any situation. "Yiddish has a very special verb, unknown to most other languages: farginen. It means to open space, to share pleasure; it is the exact opposite of the verb to envy. While envy means disliking or resenting the happiness of others, farginen means making a pact with another individual's pleasure or happiness."

Think of an incident in your life for which you would like to be forgiven or for which you would like to forgive another.

Write or record a short description of the situation from your perspective. Now imagine that you are the other person in the situation and write or record a short description from that person's perspective. How are the two stories different? Have you ever thought about the situation from the other person's perspective? Does it make you more willing to consider forgiveness in this situation?

A beauty stroll can be taken any day of the year, but its appeal is most obvious in spring. Each green bud emerging after a hard winter is a tiny wave of relief and anticipation, each sign of new life as welcome as the moist, refreshing air.

There is something about love that just can't be put into words. Like a gorgeous sunset or the smile of a young child, it takes your breath away. Love is characterized by moments of wonder. We reinforce this feeling when we are mindful of surprises, awe-inspiring sights and situations, and other daily wonders of our lives.