Kimberly Wilson's Blog, page 32
August 24, 2020
Tranquility du Jour #503: The Way of Zen
In this week’s edition of Tranquility du Jour, I chat with Zen teacher Brad Warner about how his recent book, Letters to a Dead Friend about Zen. We discuss Zen practice has been a lifeline in a difficult world, what he wished he’d shared with his friend about spirituality and meditation, and how the book is a unique tribute to both a life lost and the one Warner has found.
http://traffic.libsyn.com/hiptranquilchick/tdj503.mp3
Direct download: Tranquility du Jour #503: The Way of Zen.
Subscribe in your favorite podcast app such as Spotify, Apple Podcast or Overcast.
Visit kimberlywilson.com/podcast for more episodes and the Tranquility du Jour Podcast App: iPhone and Android.
Upcoming Events
Fall TDJ Live on Sunday, September 20 from 8-9pm ET
Sign up to learn eight seasonal tranquility tips.
TDJ Lifestyle e-course coming this fall.
Join the waitlist.
New Year’s Virtual Retreat on January 1 from 2-5pm ET.
Join us.
Guest
Brad Warner is the author of Letters to a Dead Friend about Zen and numerous other titles including It Came from Beyond Zen, Don’t Be a Jerk, and Hardcore Zen. A Soto Zen teacher, he is also a punk bassist, filmmaker, and popular blogger who leads workshops and retreats around the world. In addition to his books, his writing appears in Lion’s Roar, Tricycle, Buddhadharma, and Alternative Press. He lives in Los Angeles where he is the founder and lead teacher of the Angel City Zen Center. Visit him online at www.hardcorezen.info.
Mentioned in the Podcast
Find Brad
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BradWarnerHardcoreZenTwitter: https://twitter.com/BradWarner
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/doubtboy
Books: http://hardcorezen.info/store
Let’s Connect
Join our TDJ Insider’s Facebook group. Share resources, get inspiration, make connections, be part of the online book club.
New to Tranquility du Jour? Learn more here.
Sign up for weekly inbox love, Love Notes: invites, inspiration, and more.
Browse my 6 Books and planner.
Follow along on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Shop seasonless, vegan, locally-made, eco-friendly fashion: TranquiliT.
Share a review on iTunes, Amazon, or Goodreads and you may hear it shared on the show. Deets on kimberlywilson.com/review.
Techy
To listen, click on the player at the top of the post or click here to listen to older episodes.
New to podcasting? Get more info at Podcast 411.
Do you have iTunes? Click here and subscribe to the podcast to get the latest episode as released.
Get the Tranquility du Jour apps to download the podcast “automagically” on iOS or Android
The post Tranquility du Jour #503: The Way of Zen appeared first on Kimberly Wilson.
Seated and Walking Meditation
Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet. —Thich Nhat Hanh
Over the past few weeks, I’ve released a series of mindfulness-themed podcasts and this week’s is no exception (coming shortly).
Mindfulness is one of the five TDJ Tenets and I find the practices to be a dose of fresh air infused with a waft of lavender. Two common practices are seated and walking meditation. On a silent meditation retreat, we alternate between the two and I’ve outlined the practices for you below.
(Click here and here for tips on creating your own silent meditation retreat)
1. Seated Meditation
Come to a comfortable seated position. Close your eyes and pay attention to your breath, body, thoughts, and emotions. As your mind wanders, bring it back to the breath to build concentration, observe your emotions, and notice physical sensations like clenching of the jaw. You will get distracted (repeatedly) and it doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong. The act of noticing you’re distracted and returning to your breath IS the practice of meditation. Stay here for two to twenty minutes.
2. Walking Meditation
Instead of getting from point A to point B, the point of walking meditation is to arrive in the present moment of each step. Notice the movement of each foot as you lift it, move it forward, and place it back down with each step. Lift, shift, place. Walk back and forth in a line at home or wander on a large lawn. Practice for five to twenty minutes.
This week practice being still, breathing, and observing your thoughts. Bisous. x
The post Seated and Walking Meditation appeared first on Kimberly Wilson.
August 20, 2020
Mindful Living Tips
One sunny June a few years ago, I sat in a large retreat center room filled with light-colored wood and rows of windows for a week to study with Jon Kabat-Zinn. Eager to drink in as much as possible from this mindfulness master, I joined 200 other mental health practitioners seeking to incorporate mindfulness-based stress reduction into our practices.
Kabat-Zinn defines mindfulness as “paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally.” Basically, instead of going down the rabbit hole with our thoughts (usually about the past or future), we make a conscious effort to catch ourselves and bring awareness back to the present moment.
After the first day of training on June 9, 2014, I wrote a blog post about the first three-hour lecture and shared this quote, “Real meditation practice is how you live your life—moment by moment by moment—whatever the circumstances you find yourself in.” Mindfulness is a way of living, not just a practice of sitting still and breathing.
One of my biggest aha moments came years before after reading the above Viktor Frankl quote. It emphasizes that we have a choice in how we respond to life’s challenges, whether it’s an upsetting email, a loss, or a delayed event.
Oftentimes we can feel that things are out of our control. However, we always have a choice in how to respond. And, as the quote reminds us, it’s between the stimulus (trigger) and response that our freedom is found.
It’s our freedom to choose. In theory, this is simple. In practice, it takes work to carve those new neuropathways and shift our automatic reactions.
I use it as a practice to better understand my triggers and myself. Hmmm, why does that email bother me so much? What about that comment upset me? Why do I feel sick to my belly when I think about X? Rather than an immediate reaction, it helps to notice what we’re experiencing, name it, and then navigate the situation with better understanding.
Emotions are like weather patterns that change and pass. Even when we’re experiencing sadness, anxiety, or rage, if we give these feelings space, they will gradually diminish. Consider Pema Chödrön’s wisdom, “You are the sky. Everything else is just the weather.”
Mindfulness helps us live with more ease and, ultimately, tranquility. Bisous. x
The post Mindful Living Tips appeared first on Kimberly Wilson.
August 19, 2020
Life Lately
It’s been awhile since I shared a “Life Lately” post, so I wanted to give an inside peek into my current reality.
What I’m reading:
* Just finished this month’s online book club pick (loved it!) and get to start a new book tonight. TBD.
Where I’m struggling:
* Decluttering (SO many books, plants, pets, pens).
* Carving out enough time to write and create.
* Saying goodbye to my office (move out on Friday since I’m all virtual right now).
* Inability to plan (I know you can relate).
* Missing seeing people in person, traveling, and attending live events.
What I’m working on:
* TDJ Lifestyle Ecourse.
* TranquiliT transition to “TDJ by Kimberly.”
* Next TDJ Live.
* Next book.
* Streamlined space.
What’s delighting me:
* Pug snores.
* Hydrangeas from the farmers’ market.
* Hanging plants in macrame holders.
* Gizmo’s smooth recovery from Monday’s surgery.
* Daily ballet classes.
* Sipping Stash Moroccan Mint and Organic India Tulsi Sweet Rose iced tea (blended).
* Time in my journal with washi tape and Crayola markers.
What I’m wearing:
* Uniform: 2in1 fitted top with a comfy bottom, a leopard-print scarf and face mask.
* Cruelty-free red lips, eye liner, and waterproof mascara (video).
* Loving this face oil (helps my rosacea and eczema).
* A dab of Tranquillité parfum oil.
What I’m eating:
* Green smoothies (video).
* An abundance of chips and pico de gallo.
* Meals from Purple Carrot.
* Nuggs (Tim and I are obsessed).
What I’m listening to:
* French jazz playlists like this Spotify one.
What I’m grateful for:
* Virtual ballet classes.
* Family’s health.
* A tranquil space to work.
* This online community.
* Breath.
* Insight Timer meditation app.
What I’m watching:
* Documentaries: Ultrasuede, Chasing Trane, I am Not Your Negro
The post Life Lately appeared first on Kimberly Wilson.
August 18, 2020
Tranquility du Jour #502: Yoga For All
In this week’s edition of Tranquility du Jour, I chat with Dui Turner about teaching yoga to veterans, adapting one’s teaching for the audience, and incorporating mindfulness into daily life.
http://traffic.libsyn.com/hiptranquilchick/tdj502.mp3
Direct download: Tranquility du Jour #502: Yoga For All.
Subscribe in your favorite podcast app such as Spotify, Apple Podcast or Overcast.
Visit kimberlywilson.com/podcast for more episodes and the Tranquility du Jour Podcast App: iPhone and Android.
Upcoming Events
Fall TDJ Live on Sunday, September 20 from 8-9pm ET
Sign up to learn eight seasonal tranquility tips.
TDJ Lifestyle e-course coming this fall.
Join the waitlist.
Guest
Duilia “Dui” Turner (MBA, YT-500hrs, Integrative Nutrition Certified) is the founder of Integrative World, a community focused on promoting balanced living. Dui’s passions include service, mindfulness, and making Yoga accessible to everyone. She has taught Mindfulness Practices and Adaptive Yoga to veterans at the Pentagon Athletic Center and various Air Force Wounded Warrior Camps.
She collaborated with the Give Back Yoga Foundation and Connected Warriors to create the “Yoga Readiness Initiative,” which provided hundreds of free Yoga kits for members of the military. She is also a contributing author for the book “Best Practices for Yoga with Veterans” (Service Council, 2016) and wrote the forward for the book “Mindful Yoga Therapy for Veterans – A Practice Guide” (MYT – 2013).
Dui is a happy wife and mother of twins and has been serving in the United States Air Force for over for over 22 years. Her most recent military function focuses on Women, Peace, and Security.
Mentioned in the Podcast
Find Dui
Webpage: integrativeworld.com
Facebook: facebook.com/IntegrativeWorld/
Instagram: integrative_world
YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCPUge0KR7BxuFPx6hlglmCA
Let’s Connect
Join our TDJ Insider’s Facebook group. Share resources, get inspiration, make connections, be part of the online book club.
New to Tranquility du Jour? Learn more here.
Sign up for weekly inbox love, Love Notes: invites, inspiration, and more.
Browse my 6 Books and planner.
Follow along on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Shop seasonless, vegan, locally-made, eco-friendly fashion: TranquiliT.
Share a review on iTunes, Amazon, or Goodreads and you may hear it shared on the show. Deets on kimberlywilson.com/review.
Techy
To listen, click on the player at the top of the post or click here to listen to older episodes.
New to podcasting? Get more info at Podcast 411.
Do you have iTunes? Click here and subscribe to the podcast to get the latest episode as released.
Get the Tranquility du Jour apps to download the podcast “automagically” on iOS or Android
The post Tranquility du Jour #502: Yoga For All appeared first on Kimberly Wilson.
August 12, 2020
The Beauty of Slow
The great benefit of slowing down is reclaiming the time and tranquility to make meaningful connections—with people, with culture, with work, with nature, with our own bodies and minds.—Carl Honore
I hope you enjoyed the latest podcast interview with the ladies of Lady Farmer. I love their focus on slow everything. In their book, The Lady Farmer Guide to Slow Living, they end with a 21-day plan to practice slow using three tools—identify a slow living practice, create gratitude awareness, develop a feeling inventory. All important details to a fully engaged life.
In 2017 I read In Praise of Slowness by Carl Honore. The book begins with a quote by Gandhi, “There is more to life than increasing its speed,” and then explores our addiction to do everything faster. Sometimes we have to ask, to what end? Filled with research and story, I learned how the slow movement began and grew (hello, Italy slow food) plus takeaway tips.
I also read Chasing Slow by Erin Loechner and loved her circuitous tale on trying to embrace slow. She also ends with tips such as ethical shopping, hydrate, lavender, mason jars, read, and yoga. All things I love!
Since reading these books, I’ve been surprised by my impatience with the indecisive person in front of me at the cafe counter, frustration while navigating carts left in the center of the grocery aisle, and eagerness to pass people who walk two abreast on narrow sidewalks. To name a few.
While these may seem like every day city-living challenges, they don’t have to be stressors. If I simply slow down.
And that’s one thing COVID has given us, the forced slowing down through quarantine, social distance, and fewer options. While I wouldn’t wish this pandemic on anyone, it has made me much more aware of the beauty of slow. Farmers’ markets, walks in the woods, quality time with my pups and partner, frequent contact with family, appreciation of my home as sanctuary, and the ongoing desire to simplify.
When I wrote HTC10 in 2016, I confessed how I’d operated under a “crazy busy” mindset for years. You know, when people ask how you’re doing and the response is, “Crazy busy!” I cringe at that now. It’s not how I want to live my life.
Instead, I want to embrace the beauty of slow, intentional, and essential, even in the midst of life’s many twists and turns. Especially in the midst of this time!
The best part? I don’t need a 10-step program, special equipment, or weekend away. These practices are free and most are available daily—meditate, walk, sit down to eat at a table, write, tend plants, read, spend time with family and friends, support ethical companies, sip tea, light a candle, donate what I no longer need. Think quality over quantity.
Slow also aligns with essentialism (art of discerning between external noise and internal voice) and minimalism (only allowing what aligns with our most important values to take up our space and our time).
What does slow look and/or feel like to you? Here’s to slowing down in our own unique way. Bisous. x
The post The Beauty of Slow appeared first on Kimberly Wilson.
August 11, 2020
Tranquility du Jour #501: Slow Living
In this week’s edition of Tranquility du Jour, I chat with Mary and Emma of Lady Farmer about their new book The Lady Farmer Guide to Slow Living. Learn how to sow seeds of slow living, why slow food and slow fashion are important, and all about their 21-day slow-living shift.
http://traffic.libsyn.com/hiptranquilchick/tdj501.mp3
Direct download: Tranquility du Jour #501: Slow Living.
Subscribe in your favorite podcast app such as Spotify, Apple Podcast or Overcast.
Visit kimberlywilson.com/podcast for more episodes and the Tranquility du Jour Podcast App: iPhone and Android.
Upcoming Events
Fall TDJ Live on Sunday, September 20 from 8-9pm ET
Sign up to learn eight seasonal tranquility tips.
TDJ Lifestyle e-course coming this fall.
Guest
Emma graduated from Sewanee: The University of the South with a degree in American Studies and a minor in French. Upon graduating, she worked in outdoor adventure education until moving abroad to teach English in France, then back home to study design & aesthetics with Joy Thigpen. She’s always loved clothes and developing her own style, but it wasn’t until learning of the environmental and humanitarian crisis that is the world’s fashion industry today that she realized she could combine this love with an honest purpose and mission. Lady Farmer was born in this intersection, and has evolved into so much more. Day-to-day, she works on designs, makes connections, and develops content while leaving time to get her hands dirty. Art and poetry keep her inspired, along with all of her Lady Farmer friends from whom she learns things on a daily basis.
Mary was born in Kingsport, Tennessee surrounded by the hills of southern Appalachia. Writing and a sense of place have always been an important part of her journey. As she continues to weave the narrative of her own life, the connecting thread is the desire to teach and share the stories and discoveries of each chapter. With two published works of fiction (Angel and All the Pieces) and the kids grown, she and her husband decided to realize a long held dream and made the move to a small farm in Maryland. The homesteading lifestyle has fit her like a pen to paper, as she spends the better part of everyday outside, living and learning close to the rhythms of the natural world. It has taught her that life is better, healthier and happier when we bring heart and passion to the basics. Being intentional about how we feed and clothe ourselves and ultimately how we live is her day-to-day goal. That’s why she has teamed up with Emma to create a community of conscious creators in this exciting new paradigm.
Mary is the writer, do-er, teacher, encourager, and idea developer behind Lady Farmer. She brings her homesteading experience and lots of heart to the table, and she’s so happy to join you here.
Mentioned in the Podcast
Find Lady Farmer
Website
Book
Podcast
Resources
The True Cost
Mindful Eating meditation
Wendell Berry
Conscious Closet
Overdressed
Eat on the Wild Side
Let’s Connect
Join our TDJ Insider’s Facebook group. Share resources, get inspiration, make connections, be part of the online book club.
New to Tranquility du Jour? Learn more here.
Sign up for weekly inbox love, Love Notes: invites, inspiration, and more.
Browse my 6 Books and planner.
Follow along on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Shop seasonless, vegan, locally-made, eco-friendly fashion: TranquiliT.
Share a review on iTunes, Amazon, or Goodreads and you may hear it shared on the show. Deets on kimberlywilson.com/review.
Techy
To listen, click on the player at the top of the post or click here to listen to older episodes.
New to podcasting? Get more info at Podcast 411.
Do you have iTunes? Click here and subscribe to the podcast to get the latest episode as released.
Get the Tranquility du Jour apps to download the podcast “automagically” on iOS or Android
The post Tranquility du Jour #501: Slow Living appeared first on Kimberly Wilson.
August 9, 2020
The Next Phase for TranquiliT
Over the past many months I’ve been mentioning a change for my locally-sewn, eco-friendly clothing line TranquiliT. I’m excited to share that it will be moving over to Tranquility du Jour this fall!
Never fear, our seasonless sustainable style isn’t going anywhere. We’re simply migrating the website here and I’m doing a lot of streamlining to the line.
Since selling my yoga studio Tranquil Space, I’ve been paring down and simplifying in earnest. You may have noticed the evolution of Tranquility du Jour over the years and the thread —tranquility — will now be woven through my clothing line in a new way.
✨I’m delighted to announce that TranquiliT will soon be TDJ by Kimberly.✨
Creativity remains an inherent part of TDJ by Kimberly: From the beautiful touches on the hem of a garment, to the harmony of layering pieces in a uniquely you way, to the intention of cruelty-free, chic, and cozy choices.
August 6, 2020
Musings on the 500th Podcast Soirée
Tranquility du Jour podcast fun facts
Started 15 years ago in September 2005 while at a wedding in Mexico, we’ve had over 3 million downloads, shared 500 episodes, and the podcast has been downloaded in 91 countries over past 3 months.
Sunday’s experience
Sunday Tim, Mookie, and I started the day at the farmers’ market picking up a few essentials—peaches, heirloom tomatoes, Bibb lettuce, lilies. After a drive through the West Virginia mountains, we spent the rest of the day prepping for the 500th Podcast Soirée—Tim immersed in the tech set up (three computers, two mics, one phone) and me tying a bow around the programming.
I read and reread all your great questions and comments on what would make the 500th episode special. Thank you for all your generous contributions! As we got closer to the start time, I had that jittery feeling I get when hosting events. It’s a twinge of excitement mixed with anxiety about wanting to create a meaningful experience (and, always, will the tech work?!).
When we hit “start” and I saw so many familiar faces and/or names joining us, I knew we were going to have a good time. Jamie Cat Callan—our most downloaded podcast guest—joined us for a surprise appearance to share innovative scarf-tying tips while Tim and I spent the rest of the Soirée reviewing the past (learn my favorite episodes/takeaways), discussing the present (hello, COVID), and sharing the future (transitioning TranquiliT to TDJ and phasing out international retreats after Paris 2021 and Italy 2022).
We culminated the celebration with an inspiring reading by John Lewis and a toast before staying together another 15 minutes to answer any remaining questions.
Since I wasn’t able to read the chat box during the event, I’ve saved it and went through it line by line today. You all LOVED Jamie’s tutorial, enjoyed the capsule wardrobe podcasts (more to come) and Tranquility Tour podcasts, accepted my Olive Garden and Garth Brooks love with kindness, expressed excitement over a TDJ Tenets e-course and podcast series on aging, asked for more YouTube/Pink Palace videos (forthcoming), and said SO many kind things, thank you!
As noted during the show, two big topics that I didn’t get to and will prioritize are aging (so much to say) and sharing a day in the life. Stay tuned!
I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for joining us in person and in spirit. For those of you who registered for the live event, stay tuned for an exclusive love note coming to your inbox shortly.
Here’s to 500 more episodes, ongoing evolution, and sprinkling tranquility into our every day! Thank you again for joining me on (and listening to) the Tranquility du Jour journey. Bisous. x
PS Enjoy this jazzy 500th Podcast Soiree Spotify Playlist, video replay, and podcast replay.
Photos
Spotted these thoughtful stories and posts on Instagram, thank you!
The last photo is me the morning after. I look like I had a big night out despite the fact I sipped sparkling water and was in bed by 11. That Besos lip gloss by Stila and waterproof mascara by Wet n Wild sure do last!
The post Musings on the 500th Podcast Soirée appeared first on Kimberly Wilson.
August 3, 2020
August Book Club Pick
Welcome back to the Tranquility du Jour book club!
From one bibliophile to another, I’d love to read stories with you that move us and make us think and to open up important conversations to encourage reflection and deeper understanding.
Together we’ll read books and discuss them over in our TDJ Insider’s Facebook group and hopefully in person someday soon. You in? Hope so!
August Book
The Chiffon Trenches: A Memoir by André Leon Talley
Description from Penguin Random House
From the pages of Vogue to the runways of Paris, this deeply revealing memoir by a legendary style icon captures the fashion world from the inside out, in its most glamorous and most cutthroat moments.
“The Chiffon Trenches honestly and candidly captures fifty sublime years of fashion.”—Manolo Blahnik
During André Leon Talley’s first magazine job, alongside Andy Warhol at Interview, a fateful meeting with Karl Lagerfeld began a decades-long friendship with the enigmatic, often caustic designer. Propelled into the upper echelons by his knowledge and adoration of fashion, André moved to Paris as bureau chief of John Fairchild’s Women’s Wear Daily, befriending fashion’s most important designers (Halston, Yves Saint Laurent, Oscar de la Renta). But as André made friends, he also made enemies. A racially tinged encounter with a member of the house of Yves Saint Laurent sent him back to New York and into the offices of Vogue under Grace Mirabella.
There, he eventually became creative director, developing an unlikely but intimate friendship with Anna Wintour. As she rose to the top of Vogue’s masthead, André also ascended, and soon became the most influential man in fashion.
The Chiffon Trenches offers a candid look at the who’s who of the last fifty years of fashion. At once ruthless and empathetic, this engaging memoir tells with raw honesty the story of how André not only survived the brutal style landscape but thrived—despite racism, illicit rumors, and all the other challenges of this notoriously cutthroat industry—to become one of the most renowned voices and faces in fashion.
Woven throughout the book are also André’s own personal struggles that have impacted him over the decades, along with intimate stories of those he has turned to for inspiration (Diana Vreeland, Diane von Fürstenberg, Lee Radziwill, to name a few), and of course his Southern roots and ongoing faith, which have guided him since childhood.
The result is a highly compelling read that captures the essence of a world few of us will ever have real access to, but one that we all want to know oh so much more about.
Why I Chose It
I wanted to choose a book by a Black author and I loved the documentary The Gospel According to André. I also thought a style book would be an enjoyable escape for us. Fun fact: André once came to Tranquil Space!
How to Join
Read the book (here’s a list of black-owned bookstores or download via an e-reader) and join us over on the TDJ Insider’s Facebook group for a discussion.
The post August Book Club Pick appeared first on Kimberly Wilson.
