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writer and teacher of heart-centered living

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  • Meet Maria
  • Writing
  • Living
    • Yoga
    • Testimonials
  • Blog
  • HeartCampsDC
  • #HeartCenteredMedia
  • Contact
  • ananda-leeke-maria-de-los-angeles
    podcast

    Mindfulness in the Media Storm

    September 19, 2019 /

    What can Hurricane Dorian teach us about mindfulness? The storm begs a question: ‘who am I without the chaos?’

  • farmers-market-peach-tantra
    tantra

    Shawn Roop Talks Tantra and Sex

    November 14, 2018 /

      Tantra coach Shawn Roop’s talk “You Think You Know Sex?” offered juicy insight about spiritual tantric practices. “Dang, that looks so good,” I thought. “Imma eat one right now.”

  • tantric-sex-busy-couples
    review

    Book Review: Tantric Sex for Busy Couples

    November 14, 2018 /

    Tantric Sex for Busy Couples by Diana Daffner looks at the physical and spiritual benefits of practical tantra exercises. Tantra for one? You’re probably wondering why I’m reviewing a book about…

  • alzheimers-holding-hands
    caregiving

    Alzheimer’s as call to love: why caregiving is more than a job

    July 19, 2018 /

    Open yourself up to the challenge of a diagnosis to understand the role of Alzheimer’s in your own spiritual growth.

  • fishhooks-story-maria-fathersday
    stories

    Fishhooks: A Caregiver’s Story

    June 16, 2018 /

    When I became a caregiver, visits to dad’s nursing home shored up childhood memories. Alzheimer’s robbed him of memory, but gave back love.

  • gillian-anderson-x-files
    living

    Suicides and near-deaths: a tether snaps even when heaven is now

    June 8, 2018 /

    This week’s celebrity suicides are a reminder of how fragile our ties are to the body, and a moment to shift into a practice of love.

  • march-for-our-lives
    media

    What is #heartcenteredmedia?

    April 10, 2018 /

    One jaded writer’s fresh take on producing and consuming media in the age of #fakenews: #heartcenteredmedia holds space in mindfulness to hone in on truth.

  • warrior-pose-epic-yoga-dc
    yoga

    Think outside the yoga mat

    March 29, 2018 /

    Do you really need a mat to practice yoga? Here’s one yogi’s lesson in detachment.

  • andrew-wyeth-christina-world
    yoga

    Catharsis is everything

    November 26, 2017 /

    A yogi’s look at the role of catharsis in everyday life.

  • red-riding-hood-mondongo
    weight loss

    A weight loss lesson from Little Red Riding Hood

    September 18, 2017 /

    I thought I had lost weight simply through diet and exercise, but a chance reminder of an old fairy tale gave me new insight. Three years ago, about a month after…

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  • FIRST AMENDMENT Another year. It's fascinating to observe women from left and right in the same crowd. Sister and sister fighting at the trenches. Only ego polarizes. All bodies bleed. Someone asked me why a mystically inclined one such as me goes to witness a political rally. Because I can, my dear. Because I can. And that is a mystically profound right.
  • We’re on into that #2020vision #influenceracademy #ceocentric #wealthywomen #heartcenteredmedia #passionmeetspurpose #saturday
  • DANCING JOY Beethoven's birthday week and the upcoming holidays -- what better time to share the memorable experience I had meeting filmmaker Kate Tsubata whose film Dancing Joy premiered in D.C. late summer. . The film, which describes itself as "a love letter to the world," captures dancers the world over in culturally-specific choreography set to Symphony No. 9. The well-known choral finale "Ode to Joy" is transformed here into a thrilling, exquisitely paced montage of humanity at its best: dancing together. . I met with Kate over coffee soon after I saw the film. This fellow creative spirit told me about the daunting challenges of filming in many countries -- an accomplishment that deepened my admiration of the cinematic journey. . As a dancer who never thought she'd dance again, I sat enthralled for the entirety of screening. I cried a little, because I've busted through my own limiting beliefs, but what about collective limiting beliefs that prevent us from connecting to our potential, the joy of finding and sharing joy from within? This wordless language is core what humanity has in common -- from Irish stepdance to Polynesian hula and every other cultural heritage of movement in between, Dancing Joy is an expression of the very words Schiller wrote in 1785: . Your magic binds again / What custom strictly divided; All people become brothers, / Where your gentle wing abides. . If you aren't familiar with world dances, this film is an excellent primer. And if you are, it will further delight! Learn more and links to trailer @dancingjoymovie.
  • AUTUMN EMBERS At long last and at just the right time, I am thrilled to invite you all to my first D.C. #heartcamp style production, a collaboration with Robb Saffell of Harmonic Introductions and poet Reuben Jackson. 🍁 My interest in sound healing has brought me here. Remember how I landed in D.C. for the job that wasn't the right fit? It was still alignment! And now my passion for music and language come together with some amazing folks in the acoustically rich sanctuary of my church, where the stained glass offers colorful, soothing light in the afternoon. During this liminal hour, we'll create a container of exquisite sound from overtones, sound bowls and recited poetry as we contemplate what it means to slow down and be grateful in the otherwise hectic season. Come bask in the moment! 🍂 New to overtones? Simply put, it's what happens when a singer distinctly sings two notes at once, and the effect is dazzling! 🍁 Free with donation warmly accepted. Invite page for this MUSIC WITH THE ANGELS series here or see link via bio on Linktree: tinyurl.com/autumnembers
  • PLANK LIKE RBG I literally did today at woman-owned @flock_dc, a branch of a property management company that's also interested in developing community. They commissioned this glorious mural by @rose_inks,, located near the heart of U Street, an area dotted with several larger-than-life colorful wall paintings. . Folks showed up to support #girlpower as proceeds from class, taught by @bikerbarre, went to Girls on the Run - DC @gotrdc . One of my students is part of the organization, so I tailor her yoga to include extra hamstring stretches and breathwork every week. Getting a 9-year-old to hold plank position after school? That's MY lesson in patience 😂 However, teaching her to be fit of body, to act mindfully, to evolve into a just, strong, compassionate young woman? I'll plank all day ... . ⭐ #planklikerbg shirt by @theoutrageonline
  • THE STATE OF THE FIRST AMENDMENT "It's the blue collar amendment. It goes to work every day. That's its power." . It's disappointing to see the @newseum close but thankfully @newseumed and the other educational institutions devoted to media literacy and religious freedom will stay active. It speaks volumes about our culture that a museum dedicated to the five freedoms of the first amendment, located just steps from Congress, wouldn't get overwhelming support in the era of fake "news" and fake "readers" ... as Murrow, the father of broadcast journalism would ask: what is truth? . The beauty of democracy is that we can ask the question. . . I'm at the Teacher's Open House today, and inspired even more to keep talking about the intention of #heartcenteredmedia, which thinks about the responsibility we all have to be discerning and deeply human as we enjoy our rights to free religion, speech, press, peaceful assembly, and petition. . If you have a chance to visit before the deadline, the walk through the Pulitzer photo gallery alone is worth the price of admission.
  • "Art is not necessary at all. All that is necessary to make this world a better place to live in is to love - to love as Christ loved, as Buddha loved." -- Isadora Duncan . And to dance, Isadora, dance with an open heart, adoring the Beloved. . An amazing experience in support of Helping Hearts Through the Arts yesterday, moving ourselves and audiences along the warm breezes of Lake Manassas. Learn more: helpingheartsthroughthearts.com
  • HURRICANE DORIAN AS TEACHER: WHO ARE YOU WITHOUT THE CHAOS? When fellow teacher and soul sister @anandaleeke asked me to address "how activists, changemakers & everyday people use mindfulness to navigate the media, fake news, and the 2020 elections," I took a deep breath. Wow. That's a mouthful, yes? But let's step back for a moment. The center of a hurricane is space, a no-thing, a formless peace, stillness -- surrounded by the pressurized chaos of spinning, spiraling reality. Let's step back even more and see that at the center of all media, is you, as the citizen in a democracy, owning your own media company everytime you open your mouth to speak, or share information -- hopefully taking a moment to discern. YOU are #heartcenteredmedia. YOU have the power to shift into compassion. You are that imprint. Am I truly coming from a place of love? Or is my life dominated by knee-jerking headlines that spiral out of control? . I live in a city surrounding the seat of power of the United States where there are thousands of organizations employing people trying to change the world. Who holds power? To me, the mom breastfeeding her baby on the bus is just as much a changemaker. We are ALL changemakers, activists in today's world, even in the littlest ways. . After reading the Heart Sutra last night at meditation, I realized even more fully that an even deeper practice is to navigate personal and collective outrage while imagining who you'd be as that center, the place where you let go. Sounds counterintuitive, but it's not. . Does this mean you ignore the problem? No. It means that no matter what life throws at you, you pivot accordingly from stillness, and this makes you a helluva lot stronger. Easier said than done, I know, and I realize my privilege. Still, took me fifty years to find serenity. I shouldn't even be alive. And that's why mindfulness is a practice ... the heart sutra says: "there is no attainment," because, in fact, it always just is, can't be helped, there you are: a consciousness with full potential in every breath. Every breath you take is the beginning of change. The center is breathing you. . Link to #podcast via linktree bio and in comments. Repo
  • HURRICANE DORIAN AS TEACHER: WHO ARE YOU WITHOUT THE CHAOS? When fellow teacher and soul sister @anandaleeke asked me to address "how activists, changemakers & everyday people use mindfulness to navigate the media, fake news, and the 2020 elections," I took a deep breath. Wow. That's a mouthful, yes? But let's step back for a moment. The center of a hurricane is space, a no-thing, a formless peace, stillness -- surrounded by the pressurized chaos of spinning, spiraling reality. Let's step back even more and see that at the center of all media, is you, as the citizen in a democracy, owning your own media company everytime you open your mouth to speak, or share information -- hopefully taking a moment to discern. YOU are #heartcenteredmedia. YOU have the power to shift into compassion. You are that imprint. Am I truly coming from a place of love? Or is my life dominated by knee-jerking headlines that spiral out of control? . I live in a city surrounding the seat of power of the United States where there are thousands of organizations employing people trying to change the world. Who holds power? To me, the mom breastfeeding her baby on the bus is just as much a changemaker. We are ALL changemakers, activists in today's world, even in the littlest ways. . After reading the Heart Sutra last night at meditation, I realized even more fully that an even deeper practice is to navigate personal and collective outrage while imagining who you'd be as that center, the place where you let go. Sounds counterintuitive, but it's not. . Does this mean you ignore the problem? No. It means that no matter what life throws at you, you pivot accordingly from stillness, and this makes you a helluva lot stronger. Easier said than done, I know, and I realize my privilege. Still, took me fifty years to find serenity. I shouldn't even be alive. And that's why mindfulness is a practice ... the heart sutra says: "there is no attainment," because, in fact, it always just is, can't be helped, there you are: a consciousness with full potential in every breath. Every breath you take is the beginning of change. The center is breathing you. . Link to #podcast via linktree bio and in comments.

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Heart-Centered Journalism

hurricane-grief-trauma

Confronting the Emotional Toll of Hurricanes  — The time to put life on hold gives an opportunity to shatter the conventional illusion that everything is stable.

Stories on Medium

pomegranates_acai_bowlOf Pomegranates and Pain — The currency of forgiveness won’t always feed the hungry, but choosing compassion over condemnation is the right price for a meal.

recent posts

  • ananda-leeke-maria-de-los-angelesMindfulness in the Media Storm
  • farmers-market-peach-tantraShawn Roop Talks Tantra and Sex
  • tantric-sex-busy-couplesBook Review: Tantric Sex for Busy Couples
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