JoAnn Saccato

Mindful Impressions

  • Home
  • Events
    • Ongoing
    • Free Workshops
    • Mindful Resilience Course
    • A six week introductory course in mindfulness
    • Half Day Retreats
    • Full Day Retreats
    • Self-paced opportunities
    • Scholarships
  • Working with JoAnn
  • Blog
  • About
  • Books
  • Donate
  • Tambo Elephant Fund
  • About Mindfulness
  • Contact

3/24/2018

Seeds of Humility from Thailand (Part IV) - Empowered Action

0 Comments

Read Now
 
Picture
Elephant sculpture at Wat Chiang Mun, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Here's a summary of the seeds of humility I gathered in our latest trip to Thailand (Part I, Part II, Part III):

  1. Bringing the most awareness I can to a situation is a valuable contribution; I can dedicate any merit from my actions, however small, to the betterment of others--whoever I choose.
  2. We can come together in our families, neighborhoods and communities with shared values that include courtesy, cooperation, and a desire for others to be safe, successful and happy.
  3. There are other ways to be entertained that don't include harming animals or humans.

Each seed informs how I am choosing to step into empowered action.

“Courage is the commitment to begin without any guarantee of success.” ~ JoHann Wolfgang von Goethe


Read More

Share

0 Comments

3/17/2018

Seeds of Humility from Thailand (Part III)

0 Comments

Read Now
 
Picture
Continuing on from Part I and Part II, where we explored how  people can dedicate themselves to the well-being of others (monks and nuns) and how a whole community can choose to prioritize safety and kindness (transportation in Thailand), the final seed of humility I experienced in our recent trip to Thailand was the treatment of elephants and other animals so that tourists like myself can be entertained.

I was the youngest of six kids in our rowdy Italian family. As much as I liked to tease my siblings that Mom and Dad stopped having kids after me because "they finally reached perfection," the reality was we were all invariably at the brunt of a lot of jokes and put downs.



Read More

Share

0 Comments

3/17/2018

Seeds of Humility from Thailand (Part II)

1 Comment

Read Now
 
Picture
Traffic in Chiang Mai, Thailand
Taking up from Part I, if the good we do in this life can be given, or dedicated, to others, what happens when you live in a culture where everyone is working toward least harm and the greater good of all? What happens when everyone comes together in their community for the the very best of not only themselves, but everyone around them?

I witness this in Thailand not in overly overt ways, but see it built into the very fabric of life. It's seamlessly invisible until you tease apart patterns and behaviors.


Read More

Share

1 Comment

3/10/2018

Seeds of Humility from Thailand (Part I)

3 Comments

Read Now
 
Picture
Santichaiprakarn Park, along the Chao Praya River, Bangkok, Thailand.
{Whether it's a moment of awe-inspiring grandeur or a situation that wins against my ever-so-arrogant ego, I'm used to humility slamming me upside the head--either knocking me flat on my face or at least to my knees.  In the last few days of our two month journey to Thailand, while it was a little less dramatic than this, humility had me on my knees yet again.}

We often stay along the Chao Praya River when in Bangkok. It's situated near the major tourist attractions (The Grand Palace, National Museum, various important wats, and Thammasat University). It's also far enough away from the hustle and bustle of Bangkok's mega-malls, skyscrapers and intense traffic, which helps us transition in and out with a little more grace.

There's rarely a place you can go in Thailand where, within a few blocks, there isn't a wat (Buddhist monastery). Jim and I are used to stopping at one or more as a regular part of our day--whether as tourists to explore the grandeur of the Buddha images and grounds, make an offering of incense or flowers, visit with a dog or two, or just sit in quiet stillness, bringing our attention inward.

One of our favorite things is to experience monks chanting. Without knowing the words, the melodious sounds spoken tend to lull my heart into soft knowing.


Read More

Share

3 Comments
Details

    RSS Feed

    Subscribe to Mindful Enews

    * indicates required

     Subscribe in a reader

    Archives

    December 2020
    November 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    October 2019
    September 2019
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015

    Categories

    All
    3 Rs
    Alan Watts
    Amygdala
    Anger
    Anxiety
    Appreciation
    Asia
    Attention
    Autumn
    Backpacking
    Bear Encounters
    Bill Phillips
    Black Lives Matter
    Boggs Demonstration Forest
    Breath Awareness
    Buddha
    Buddhism
    Buddhist
    California
    California H.O.P.E.
    Carl Stewart
    Change
    Cobb
    Cobb Mountain
    Commitment
    Community
    Community Resiliency
    Companion Circle
    Compassion
    Compassionate Container
    Compassion Based Mindfulness
    Compassion-based Mindfulness
    Compassion-based Practices
    Death
    Democracy
    Depression
    Detox
    Disaster Resiliency
    Disaster Response
    Divine Mystery
    Dr. Rick Hanson
    Elephant Nature Park
    Elephants
    Elephant Valley Thailand
    Equanimity
    Fight
    Fire
    Flight Or Freeze
    Generosity
    Gratitude
    Greta Mae
    Happiness
    Home
    Hot Springs
    Humility
    Inner Peace
    Intention
    Intention Vs. Expectation
    Italy
    #JerusalemFire
    Jim Leonardis
    JoAnn Saccato
    John Muir Trail
    Kelly McGonigal
    Kindness
    Lake County
    Lake Family Resource Center's California HOPE Project
    Layna Joy
    Lek Chailert
    Life
    Loss
    Lost Coast
    Loving Kindness
    Meditation
    Meditator Of Convenience
    Mendocino Complex Fire
    Millennials
    Mindful And Intentional Living
    Mindful Eating
    Mindfulness
    Myanmar
    Nathan DeHart
    Negativity Bias
    Neuroscience
    Oxytocin
    Pacific Crest Trail
    Passion
    Peace
    Philosophy
    Poetry
    Politics
    Pre-frontal Cortex
    Raven's Haven
    Reflection
    Resiliency
    #RockyFire
    Sacred
    Sacredness
    Sangita Iyer
    Setting Intention
    Shylila Lassie Moon
    Sleep
    Sleep Difficulties
    Soothing Touch
    Stress
    Stress-related Illness
    Stress Response
    TED Talks
    Thailand
    Thai Massage
    The Wisdom Of Insecurity
    Touch
    Travel
    Tree
    Tri Uplifting
    Trust
    #ValleyFire
    Valley Fire
    Vicki Crystal
    Violence
    Vision Statements
    Voice For Asian Elephants Society
    Walter Robinson
    Women
    World Peace
    Yosemite

    RSS Feed

    Author

    Write something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview.

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • Events
    • Ongoing
    • Free Workshops
    • Mindful Resilience Course
    • A six week introductory course in mindfulness
    • Half Day Retreats
    • Full Day Retreats
    • Self-paced opportunities
    • Scholarships
  • Working with JoAnn
  • Blog
  • About
  • Books
  • Donate
  • Tambo Elephant Fund
  • About Mindfulness
  • Contact