“Sound is a way to extend the territory you can affect, so people can walk into you way before they can get close to your body. And certainly the communal singing that people do together is a way of announcing that we’re here, that this is real. And so anybody who comes into that space, …Read More
Author: Dr. Joel Ying, MD
Physician-Educator-Storyteller. Integrating the power of story into medicine, healing sessions, workshops, speaking and performance.
Poetry 180: God Says Yes to Me
God Says Yes to Me —by Kaylin Haught I asked God if it was okay to be melodramatic and she said yes I asked her if it was okay to be short and she said it sure is I asked her if I could wear nail polish or not wear nail polish and she said …Read More
Jill Bolte Taylor – My Stroke of Insight
Seeking nirvana? enlightenment? Struggling to escape control of the mind chatter? Trapped in the baggage of the past? Stuck in the anxiety of the future? Disconnected from the world? Jill Bolte Taylor, a neuroanatomist, describes how a stroke and near-death experience turned off her LEFT BRAIN and gave her an insight into the RIGHT BRAIN …Read More
Richard Rohr “The Naked Now”
“The Naked Now” describes the mystical experience as a place of deep presence. Standing on the rim of the Grand Canyon for the first time, I was struck by the intersection of the past and the future in a single moment of eternal now. I sensed the immense forces that carved this gorge in the …Read More
Fire and Ice ~ Robert Frost
Fire and Ice —by Robert Frost Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice. From what I’ve tasted of desire I hold with those who favor fire. But if it had to perish twice, I think I know enough of hate To say that for destruction ice Is also great And would …Read More
Four Agreements – Personal Freedom from Drama
The Four Agreements – by Don Miguel Ruiz 1. Be Impeccable with your Word Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the Word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your Word in the direction of truth and love. 2. Don’t Take Anything Personally Nothing others …Read More
In Pursuit of Flow
“Flow is the peak performance state where you feel your best and you perform your best.” —Flow Genome Project (www.flowgenomeproject.com) Have you ever felt like you were “in the flow?” The artist that is connected to their “muse” with the “creative juices flowing.” The athlete that is “in the zone.” Part of a team where …Read More
Art and Spiritual Awakening
“True art takes note not merely of form but also of what lies behind.” —Mahatma Gandhi The 20th century brought us into the age of scientific reasoning. The promise of objective knowledge eroded religious and mythological beliefs to create a new culture of science and materialism. Even today, science continues to advance human knowledge and …Read More
Poem: Smiling Is Infectious
Smiling Is Infectious Smiling is infectious, you catch it like the flu, When someone smiled at me today, I started smiling too. I passed around the corner and someone saw my grin. When he smiled I realized I’d passed it on to him. I thought about that smile, then I realized its worth. A single …Read More
Hope is the thing with feathers
“Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul…” —Emily Dickinson When I can’t find faith, I look for hope. Emily Dickinson’s poem brings me hope. I feel the rustling of feathers within me whenever I read this opening line to her poem. Some inner knowing awakens: “It’s going to be OK.” Even …Read More