Mindfulness Deepens

Facebook Live Replay w/ Miles Kessler

How deep are you? Are you a deep thinker? Do you enjoy deep conversation with others? Are you able to feel deeply into yourself… and into the world around you? Or, do you prefer to stay superficial, like a cork bobbing up and down on the surface of the water? In this blog post I am exploring what it means to be deep… and the fundamental practice where “Mindfulness Deepens.”

Dharma Bite w/ Miles Kessler

Mindfulness Between Stimulus & Response

Facebook Live replay w/ Miles Kessler

The late Austrian psychotherapist and  Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl famously said “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” Not only is this brilliant quote profoundly true, but it is also a very powerful description of how mindfulness actually works. I invite you to join me in the below Facebook Live replay as I unpack the profound meaning of the “Mindfulness Between Stimulus & Response”. 

Facebook Live Replay w/ Miles Kessler

Meditation, Narcissism, & The “I”

Dr. Dominique Cassidy & Miles Kessler

Are you a narcissist? Or have you overcome your narcissist tendencies with meditation? Well, if you were raised in our highly individualized western culture, then there’s a good chance that at least a little narcissism drives your life. Your professional life, your personal life, and perhaps even your spiritual life. This is the topic I dive into in the “Dharma Bite” I had with Aikido Sensei, meditation teacher, and psychiatrist Dr. Dominique Cassidy about “Meditation, Narcissism, & The “I.

Meditation, Narcissism, & The "I" | "Dharma Bite" w/ Dr. Dominique Cassidy & Miles Kessler

3 Key Bridging Practices For Aikido

Plus 1 Bonus Practice

Being skilled in Aikido or any other “path practice” does not mean that you are also skilled in every aspect of your daily life. The sad truth is that the development you gain in the dojo does not automatically translate into the world. In order to take your Aikido from the dojo to the world, you need more. You must create “bridging practices” that will help you with the important practice of integration. In this blog post, I’m going to teach you 3 Key Bridging Practices For Aikido that will effectively help you take your Aikido from the dojo to the world.

Aikido & The Absolute Perspective

Community Call w/ Dan Messisco & Miles Kessler

What is the difference between the “relative” and the “absolute”? And how do these 2 perspectives relate to Aikido? Recently I held another “Aiki-Discussion” in the Integral Dojo Community Call series on this very topic. In this call, I was joined by Dan Messisco Sensei and members from our global sangha, as we explored “Aikido & The Absolute Perspective.”

Dan Messisco & Miles Kessler | "Aikido & The Absolute Perspective"

The Mindfulness Of Aikido

5 Characteristics Of "ZANSHIN" (Encore Post)

The biggest trend in personal development these days is “mindfulness.” The popularity of Mindfulness today is especially interesting because even though it is adopted as a post-modern practice, it has been the core transformative practice of spiritual awakening traditions for millennia. Mindfulness also happens to be the primary awareness training that lies at the heart of Aikido practice. We call it “Zanshin” – the mindfulness of aikido.

Miles Kessler On Zanshin

“From Emptiness To Spontaneity”

Teja "Fudo Myo" Bell & Miles Kessler

The below “Dharma Bite” is an excerpt from a longer dialogue I did with Teja “Fudo Myoo” Bell Roshi for our “Meditation For Aikidoka” online course members. We had such a wonderful dialogue that I decided to share this excerpt here with my blog readers on “From Emptiness To Spontaneity”.

Self, Identity, & Flow

"Aiki-Discussion" w/ Eran "Junryu" Vardi & Miles Kessler

I recently had an “Aiki-Discussion” with Aikido Sensei and Zen Roshi Eran “Junryu” Vardi for my “Meditation For Aikidoka” online course. We had a wide-ranging conversation on Aikido, Meditation, and enlightenment and I was left with the feeling that we had only scratched the surface. I have taken an excerpt from our discussion to share with you here called “Self, Identity, & Flow”.

Have Few Desires, But Have Great Ones

Diane Musho Hamilton & Miles Kessler

How intentional are you about your practice and what do you ultimately hope to gain? Do you even consider your desired outcome? In this “Dharma Bite” with Zen teacher and author Diane Musho Hamilton, we discuss how meditation gradually brings you into a greater sense of simplicity in your life. But part of gaining this simplicity is understanding what it means to have few desires, but have great ones.

Diane Musho Hamilton & Miles Kessler