In a time when fear and outrage feel increasingly normalized, a small group of Theravāda Buddhist monks is walking 2,300 miles from Texas to Washington, D.C., sharing a message of peace, loving-kindness, and compassion. They aren’t selling anything or making grand statements. They’re simply walking, day after day, reminding us that peace begins with presence, intention, and care. Their walk draws from the ancient tudong tradition, where walking itself becomes a form of spiritual training. It’s a quiet invitation to practice more kindness, steadiness, and goodwill in our own lives.
If we can't be happy now, then when? Waiting for life to calm down keeps us stuck. Peace grows from the inside when we stop waiting for life to behave the way we want it to. There are practical ways to protect your heart, work with attention, and let happiness grow right here, in the middle of the mess.
Yoga does not promise an easy life. It offers guidance for meeting fear, loss, and anger. Name the source of distress, then practice the opposite through goodwill and non-harming.
In this meditation, you will reflect on the inherent worth of every person, including yourself. Through mindful awareness and compassion, you will explore the shared humanity that connects us all, cultivating a deep sense of value and respect for everyone.
In a world where it can feel overwhelming to make a difference, small, consistent actions rooted in kindness and inclusivity matter. The Unitarian Universalists (UUs) recently took a powerful stand for transgender, nonbinary, and intersex communities. You can make a difference too. Simple steps, like posting an “All are welcome here” sign, adding pronouns to your email signature, or wearing rainbow colors, show respect and solidarity. These small gestures create change, just like ripples in water.
This rejuvenating meditation is designed to foster inner peace and tranquility. It incorporates relaxation techniques, mindfulness practices, and loving-kindness meditation to help you ground yourself, alleviate stress, and cultivate a sense of calm. Take this time to prioritize mental and emotional well-being while enhancing resilience.
Life has a way of surprising us with little moments that carry more meaning than we initially realize. One such moment happened to me on a bike ride this past summer, and it’s led me to a practice I’d like to share with you — a simple way to offer peace to others, whether you’re on two wheels or simply moving through your day.
Whether you call it loving-kindness meditation, metta meditation, well-wishing meditation, or something else, this kind of meditation has been shown to increase positive emotions, decrease negative emotions, increase empathy, and a whole lot more. In this practice we will cultivate feelings of kindness, goodwill, and warmth towards others.
To leave a comment about this episode, visit matthewtift.com/prettygood/72. The theme music is "Maxixe" performed by Edson Lopes under CC BY 3.0.
Sometimes loving-kindness meditations focus on categories of people, starting with you, and then moving to someone who is easy to love, then family, friends, acquaintances, people that you do not like, people you've never met, etc. Other times, loving-kindness meditations take a more geographical approach, such as starting with you, the people you live with, neighbors, people that live in the same city, state, nation, or world, etc. In this meditation, we drop most of those categories and focus on the feeling of loving-kindness.
To leave a comment about this episode, visit matthewtift.com/prettygood/67. The theme music is "Maxixe" performed by Edson Lopes under CC BY 3.0.
