Weeding has become an essential self-soothing routine these weeks at home lately. On the worst of days it’s a task to distract me. Other days it feels more like a sacred meditation, or an intimate dialog between me and Her. In this therapy session with nature, she reminds me that things are not always as they seem. Labels are deceiving. A “weed”, after all, is only a flower growing in a place where someone doesn’t want it.
Read MoreForty five minutes from San Fransisco lies Green Gulch Farm, a Japanese Zen Buddhist Monastery, which is set in a forest of ancient redwoods. This was the setting for my two week zen meditation retreat; a transformative experience I will never forget. To give you a glimpse into this illuminating experience, I’ve shared some of my journal entries and many photos of the beautiful zen center.
Read More“In the wholeheartedness of concentration, world and self begin to cohere. With that state comes an enlarging: of what may be known, what may be felt, what may be done.” Beautiful words by Jane Hirshfield. As a creative, being present is intimately tied to being inspired, becoming, and producing anything of quality. As a human, being present is even more intimately tied to quality of life and perception of reality. This is the art of being present.
Read MoreMy name is Brianne Dela Cruz – Brianne Italia, actually. I’m a native Utahan – born from a Brazilian immigrant Father with roots that extend deep into the soil of northern Italy, and a blonde-haired, blue-eyed Cuban Mother… … I was crippled with heartbreak, anger, confusion, anxiety, and serious depression. So, I ran away to the mountains where I drowned the noise in my head with wind and rolling waters. I massaged the anxiety away with headstands and thousands of sun salutations. Over-time I learned to self-soothe. I learned to listen and to feel in truth – not by dictation. I learned how to become aware. My walls broke down, my lenses were removed, my mind and body were renewed. Slowly I began to see the world in a new way.
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