Mindfulness Regina
3018 Doan Drive S4V 1M1 Regina, SK, Canada

When I am sharply judgmental of any other person, it's because I sense or see reflected in them some aspect of myself that I don't want to acknowledge.

This is a great intro to the science of Mindfulness. Enjoy and breathe!

Weekly body scans are a proven method of reducing anxiety and increasing the bodies ability to heal. Try this thirty minute body scan two or three times each week and feel the difference! Peace. Dr. Todd

Be where you are; otherwise you will miss your #life. #buddha #mindfulness #meditation #wellness

This is a lovely practice to start your day every day! The three fold practice of acknowledging our brokenness, recognizing the availability of healing and embracing it. Wonderful. Peace filled.

Nice practice for a relaxing weekend! Peace. Dr. Todd

Writer George Bernard Shaw on living a life that burns bright: "This is the true joy in life: being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. ... I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community, and as long as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no "brief candle" for me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations." See more

In these times our kids need to be heard! Listen love and learn!

"Your beliefs become your thoughts; your thoughts become your words; your words become your actions; your actions become your habits; your habits become your values; and your values become your destiny." -Mahatma Gandhi Spend ten minutes today meditating on your beliefs. Following your in breath and out breath and seeing your beliefs float by as if on clouds in the sky. Reflect upon which beliefs you want to hold and which beliefs you need to let go. Peace. Dr. Todd

The greatest part of our #happiness depends on our dispositions and not on our circumstances.

White Privilege I am white. Most of my immediate ancestors came out of the Ukraine or from England, my skin is pale. I am Caucasian. I was born and raised in very white parts of Canada. I am as white as a Canadian can get and in my neighborhood, if you are not white, you are under suspicion. My life has been lived in white communities, in almost exclusively white schools and in mostly white churches, Yet, for most of my life I was completely unaware that I was white. I ...did not think of or consider color, I did not experience racism first hand and had only a vague understanding of what it was and how it was experienced. (A Self-Study: Being a White Psychologist in an Indian World, Todd Sojonky, Peter Lang Publishing, 2010, p. 25) It seems to me that we have made every mistake possible in how we treat each other. We have enslaved, belittled, beaten, killed, raped, stole, beaten, warred, abused, starved, cheated and neglected. Perhaps it is because we have lived our lives through the primary emotion of fear. Fear is the source of all negative emotion. We live either through Fear or Love. It seems to me that we have lived through fear. The Black Lives Matter movement has brought focus to decades of hurt and shame that as oppressors, those with white privilege have an unwillingness to see. White privilege is like carrying a pocket full of money we are unaware of and grants us access to rights and privileges we ignore. In my hometown it is usually racism directed at First Nations people. The protests of our present times should resonate deeply within our souls and awaken the kindness that we have access to. Kindness rooted in our soul. The very essence of who we are. Kindness is the response to death and violence. All change comes from kindness. Through Love. It begins in your home. In your shoes. In how you buy groceries and how you do your job. In how you talk to those you meet and how you look in the mirror. Kindness brings change. Peace. Dr. Todd Sojonky, Ph.D.

Inner #happiness equals resilience.

Whatever you do, don’t shut off your pain; accept your pain and remain vulnerable. However desperate you become, accept your pain as it is, because it is in fact trying to hand you a priceless gift: the chance of discovering, through spiritual practice, what lies behind sorrow. Grief, Rumi wrote, can be the garden of compassion. If you keep your heart open through everything, your pain can become your greatest ally in your life’s search for love and wisdom. -Rigpa

Whenever we harm others, we are directly harming ourselves, and whenever we bring them happiness, we are bringing ourselves future happiness. The Dalai Lama says: If you try to subdue your selfish motivesanger and so forthand develop more kindness and compassion for others, ultimately you yourself will benefit more than you would otherwise. So sometimes I say that the wise selfish person should practice this way. Foolish selfish people are always thinking of themselves, and the result is negative. Wise selfish people think of others, help others as much as they can, and the result is that they too receive benefit.

Greetings and peace. In the last twenty four hours I have been through the death of my much beloved dog Sam and the death of my dear father Stan. As difficult as death can be it is a powerful teacher in regard to the value of life. When we realize that death is a certainty it frees us to live in each moment with all of our attention. Sogyal Rinpoche said: "When we finally know we are dying, and all other beings are dying with us, we start to have a burning, almost heart...breaking sense of the fragility and preciousness of each moment and each being, and from this can grow a deep, clear, limitless compassion for all beings." Yes I have been sad this weekend and filled with a feeling of absence. But there wells up within me a clear understanding of the treasure of friends, neighbors, family and those I happen to meet. Each exchange with another person is a gift. We can create kindness in everything we do. So I am happy this morning to have lived and loved and to challenge myself to give more and be kinder in all that I do. Peace. Dr. Todd

The times when you are suffering can be those when you are open, and where you are extremely vulnerable can be where your greatest strength really lies. Say to yourself: I am not going to run away from this suffering. I want to use it in the best and richest way I can, so that I can become more compassionate and more helpful to others. Suffering, after all, can teach us about compassion. If you suffer, you will know how it is when others suffer. And if you are in a position to help others, it is through your suffering that you will find the understanding and compassion to do so. -Rigpa

Although laden with wealth and stars there is a resonance of how we are one.....how we can with kindness change the world....be kind.....live through love not fear. Peace. Dr. Todd and enjoy a bit of retro this weekend!!!

Always recognize the dreamlike qualities of life and reduce attachment and aversion. Practice good-heartedness toward all beings. Be loving and compassionate, no matter what others do to you. What they will do will not matter so much when you see it as a dream. The trick is to have positive intention during the dream. This is the essential point. This is true spirituality. -Rinpoche

Wonderful teaching!!!

There is a famous saying: If the mind is not contrived, it is spontaneously blissful, just as water, when not agitated, is by nature transparent and clear. I often compare the mind in meditation to a jar of muddy water: The more we leave the water without interfering or stirring it, the more the particles of dirt will sink to the bottom, letting the natural clarity of the water shine through. The very nature of the mind is such that if you only leave it in its unaltered and natural state, it will find its true nature, which is bliss and clarity. -Rigpa

If you spent one-tenth of the time you devoted to distractions like chasing women/men or making money to spiritual practice, you would be enlightened in a few years! RAMAKRISHNA

Dudjom Rinpoche used to say that a beginner should practice meditation in short sessions. Practice for four or five minutes, then take a short break of just one minute. During the break, let go of the method, but do not let go of your mindfulness altogether. Sometimes when you have been struggling to practice, curiously, the very moment when you take a break from the methodif you are still mindful and presentis the moment when meditation actually happens. That is why the break is just as important a part of meditation as the sitting itself. Sometimes I tell my students who are having problems with their practice to practice during the break and take a break during their meditation! -Rigpa