Category Archives: Mindfulness

Spaciousness

Posted on May 15, 2020 by Esther Hizsa

More and more I’ve noticed that I live on a continuum between panic and peace. A misplaced click makes a document disappear, and suddenly I’m in “fight, flight, or freeze. My body, mind, and focus are constricted; my ability to … Continue reading →

Posted in Creation, Mindfulness, Reflections | Tagged Death Star Trash Compactor, Diana Robinson, Esther Hizsa, Manoel Lemos, Palouse, Psalm 118:5, Psalm 31-7-8, Psalm 56:12-13, Psalm 18:19, spaciousness, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, Tara Brach, the exponential benefits of trees, Transe of Anxiey, Tree of All Trades, wide-open spaces | 1 Comment

Embracing the Power I Have

Posted on May 8, 2020 by Esther Hizsa

If Jesus were my spiritual director and had read Becoming What I Eat and Drink, he wouldn’t ask me about my desire to be Mr. Rogers. He would ask me about the agitation I felt watching that scene from Jesus … Continue reading →

Posted in compassion, Mindfulness, Poetry, Reflections, Stories | Tagged cautious kitty, courage, Esther Hizsa, Jeff Imbach, jridgewayphotography, Living from the Heart, Probably Tomfoolery, Riik@mctr, SoulStream, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, The Great Realisation | Leave a comment

God Let Me Drift

Posted on April 3, 2020 by Esther Hizsa

At 8:55 am, I clicked on the link to the Zoom gathering of SoulStream‘s Leadership Team. I like to be early so I can greet each person as they arrive. I was feeling unusually peaceful. I’d given myself enough time … Continue reading →

Posted in Lent, Mindfulness, Reflections, Songs | Tagged Accent Inns, Adrift, Chris Mann, Esther Hizsa, Feather 2, Hello, Jim Champion, Leanne O'Sullivan, Leaving Early, Matthew 11:28, My Corona, Pádraig Ó Tuama, Poetry Unbound, Scott Wylie, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, Thank U Frontline, United Way | 2 Comments

A Meditation for These Uncertain Times

Posted on March 27, 2020 by Esther Hizsa

Pause with me. Take a deep breath and let it out slowly. Then take another. Continue to breathe slowly and deeply. Notice where your body feels tense and send your next breath there . . . to your shoulders, neck, … Continue reading →

Posted in compassion, Lent, Mindfulness, Prayer, Reflections, Resource | Tagged Adriene Mishler, anjan58, Artotem, Blue Skies of Scottsdale, Christine Valters Paintner, coracle, David Wise, Dru Bloomfield, Esther Hizsa, Giving Hands, It is well with my soul, Lamentations 3:22-23, Mike Prince, Nashville Cell Phone Choir, Parker J. Palmer, Pema Chodron, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, uncertainty | 1 Comment

Being Counted

Posted on March 6, 2020 by Esther Hizsa

“I talked to a nurse practitioner about my gastric reflux,” I said to my spiritual director. “I changed my diet, don’t eat after supper and raised the head of our bed. And that’s not all I’ve been doing to care … Continue reading →

Posted in community, compassion, Ignatian Spirituality, Lent, Mindfulness, Mystical, Reflections, Spiritual Direction, Stories, Stories of an Everyday Pilgrim | Tagged Être homme, body, c'est précisément être responsable, Community meal, Esther Hizsa, Five Contemplations, Ignatian Spirituality, Ignatian Sprititual Exercises, Jean-François Millet, Millet, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, St. Stephen the Martyr Anglican Church, The Potato Planters, Thich Nhat Hanh, Vassilis Londos, vegan | 4 Comments

What Is Your Focus?

Posted on January 31, 2020 by Esther Hizsa

Where attention goes, energy flows. Day 23 of Home, a 30-day yoga journey with Adriene. The theme for today is focus. We return to rest after a challenging pose that has stretched us. Adriene asks, “Where in your body is … Continue reading →

Posted in Mindfulness, Reflections | Tagged 30 Day Yoga Jouney, BNSF, Esther Hizsa, John Mueller, margery Williams, Mother Teresa, Radical Compassion, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, Tara Brach, The Velveteen Rabbit, Yoga with Adriene | Leave a comment

Turn to Wonder

Posted on November 15, 2019 by Esther Hizsa

Everything belongs: God uses everything. There are no dead ends. There is no wasted energy. Everything is recycled. –Richard Rohr, Everything Belongs Saturday morning of the opening weekend of Living from the Heart in Abbotsford, we gathered for morning prayers … Continue reading →

Posted in community, Mindfulness, Reflections, Stories | Tagged Audrey Hoehn, Brent Unrau, Donelda Seymour, Esther Hizsa, Everything Belongs, Jessie Wilcox Smith, John 3:29, Living from the Heart, Moonbeams, Parker J. Palmer, Richard Rohr, Romans 8:28, SoulStream, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver | 2 Comments

Frogs in My Bowl

Posted on September 6, 2019 by Esther Hizsa

I checked my pockets for the third time, but my new credit card wasn’t there. “I was sure I brought it along,” I said to Fred anxiously. Then I remembered that a bunch of my cards fell out of my … Continue reading →

Posted in Ignatian Spirituality, Mindfulness, Prayer, Reflections, Stories | Tagged Esther Hizsa, Everything Belongs, fail fail again fail better, Father Thomas Keating, frogs in a bowl, Ignatius of Loyola, Jean-Pierre de Caussade, Pema Chodron, Prayer of Examen, Prince Ea, Richard Rohr, Romans 8:28, Seth Godin, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, The Farmer Story, The Sacrament of the Present Moment | 2 Comments

Fail Better

Posted on August 30, 2019 by Esther Hizsa

I ended my eight-day retreat with a keen desire to be more compassionate. But within days, I acted on a judgment and hurt someone. Soon afterward, I read Pema Chödrön’s fail fail again fail better. Chödrön says that when things … Continue reading →

Posted in compassion, Mindfulness, Mystical, Prayer, Reflections | Tagged Esther Hizsa, fail, fail fail again fail better, Heart's Desire, Isaiah 48:6-7, Last Day, Pema Chodron, Rachel Titiriga, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, Ted Rheingold, Welcoming Prayer | 1 Comment

Get Real Still

Posted on July 19, 2019 by Esther Hizsa

I’m on retreat right now. So I here’s a post from a few years ago for you. It was easy to pick out our grandson in the line-up of swimmers. The eight-year-old wore a life jacket and was a foot or two shorter than … Continue reading →