Nourishing

by Laura Crosby
This article is for the book lovers, the tender hearts, the deep(ish) thinkers, and anyone exploring life’s existential questions. It is a compilation of resources to nourish your heart-mind on a path of deepening peace and freedom. 
 
But first ...
 
The Buddha said, “Nothing can survive without food.” A simple truth that speaks as literally to the state of the heart and mind as to that of the body. The sights, sounds, and ideas we consume every day condition our consciousness. 
 
Wholesome states like compassion, gratitude, and equanimity thrive and grow with nourishment, and can wane significantly without it. So too with unwholesome states — fear, hatred, anger. When we pay attention, we see this; feel this; know this. 
 
Thich Nhat Hanh taught that, “Mass media is the food for our eyes, ears, and minds … images, sounds, and ideas that are toxic can rob our body and consciousness of their well-being.” In fact, he once vowed, “to ingest only items that preserve well-being, peace, and joy in my body and my consciousness.”  
 
While this path may seem extreme, it points to the agency we can have over how and what we ingest (for the heart-mind) and what we nurture in doing so.  
 
Going deeper, it invites awareness, intention, discernment, and mindful choice around what will best preserve our own well-being, peace, and joy. In that spirit, offered here is a medley of works curated for their potential to soothe, nourish, and sustain. May something in them feed your peace and freedom.  
 
Meditations + Music

• “Mini Centering for Emotional Integration” by Jennifer Piercy (Insight Timer)
• “Letting Go … Letting Be”” by Tara Brach, 1.31.24 (Tara’s podcast and website or YouTube)
• “Nourish and Connect Meditation” by Jack Kornfield, 12.20.21 (Jack Kornfield’s website or YouTube)
• “Closer to Fine,” song by Indigo Girls
• "Parashakti” song by Wah! (better than coffee in the morning!)

 
Voices + Insights

• “Listening to the Voice of Another with Wise Attention,” by Brian Lesage, Dharma Seed Podcast, (12.2.23)
• “Love of Waters,” Alan Watts Being in the Way Podcast, Ep 27, (1.15.24)
• “Where to Find Joy and How to Cultivate It,” by Christina Feldman and Jaya Rudgard, Tricycle Magazine, January 28, 2024 (1.28.24)

 
Art + Books

• “May You Fall Madly In Love,” a poem by Rachel Lamb
• “Looking at Mindfulness, Twenty-five Paintings to Change the Way You Live,” Christophe André
• “Near Enemy of the Truth, Avoid the Pitfalls of the Spiritual Life and Become Radically Free,” Christopher D. Wallis
• “The Unwinding and Other Dreamings,” Jackie Morris (see above art)

“Be mindful of what you watch, read, and listen to, and protect yourself from the fear, despair, anger, craving, anxiety, or violence they promote. The material goods they promise are only quick, temporary fixes.” ― Thich Nhat Hanh, Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life

---