I just got some really terrible and sad news last night. The best friend of my youngest sister was found dead in a river up in Oregon. She was just 26. They'd been best friends since early elementary school and our family knew her well as she was a fixture around our house growing up. I was shocked that this wonderful, happy-go-lucky person that had everything going for her was driven to commit suicide. It shows that you just don't always know what is going on inside a person. My heart just goes out to my sister's friend for the pain she had that led her to that point.

As I talked and cried with my family last night, I remembered when I was in the depths of depression when I was fifteen. I just felt like I was in a dark hole where no one could pull me out and I couldn't see anything positive beyond it. I thought about suicide a lot and even had a plan for how I would do it, where I would go so my body wouldn't be found by anyone until it was too late. Would I have gone through with it? I don't know, but it struck me how lucky I am to have gotten out of that place and not ever been back there. It could've been me in that river of depression and I am so grateful to not be there. It's a hole I never want to be in again and I am so fortunate to have the tools and support to pull me out when I start to slide because I know how easy that pit is to get sucked into.

I hope that wherever Carly is now that she is out of pain and her spirit is at peace. We miss you, Carly.

I volunteer for a number of nonprofit organizations and you what I've found to be the most important part of being an advocate for a cause is? The elevator pitch. Yup, that's articulating the mission of your organization in a way that is succinct but truly demonstrates the passion and importance you feel for it.

So there's a great opportunity for organizations to refine that sound bite--literally, into a sound!

This year's Heart & Soul grant program, put on by the CTK Foundation challenges organizations to write an original four- to eight-line poem or stanza that reflects the work or mission of your nonprofit. No poets on staff? Ask your supporters to write a poem for you.

The 1st place winner will receive $10,000 and will have their submission turned into a song to be used in public education or awareness. The song will be written and recorded by songwriter Bill Dillon -- who was recently exonerated after 27 years in prison thanks to Innocence Project of Florida -- and produced by Jim Tullio of Butcher Boy Studios. The contest is open to all nonprofits in the United States, Canada and the UK.

 

The winning nonprofits will receive one of the following awards:

• 1st place award is the song, plus a cash grant of $10,000 (US) or it's value in foreign currency
• 2nd place award is a cash grant of $5,000 (US) or it's value in foreign currency
• The 2011 Blogger's Choice Award, where a randomly selected blogger participating in spreading the word among nonprofits about the H&S Grant Award Program will choose a nonprofit applicant to receive a $1,000 cash grant or its value in foreign currency
• 2 steel-stringed guitars, signed by all members of Los Lonely Boys (which you can auction for fund-raising)
• Up to 20 technology grants, valued at $10,000, to nonprofits that indicate an interest

There is a quick turnaround on these grants. You must submit an application by midnight on March 28, 2011, and you'll be notified if you've won on April 10. Visit www.communitytech.net to apply.

Follow the effort on Twitter at #ctkgrant.

There's nothing like hearing Meng Tan (aka "Jolly Good Fellow") speak at the Wisdom 2.0 Conference to remind a person that humor and mindfulness can absolutely go hand in hand. Here are some of the funny, often touching, always wise quotes that stuck with me from this terrific conference.

 

Top 10 Words of Wisdom from the Wisdom 2.0 Conference

1. Go back to your intention and let this dictate your actions in everything you do "Don't let strong emotion betray everything you care about", advises Jack Kornfield. Meng Tan lets his intention of creating conditions for inner and world peace drive everything he does. "Anything else is just a detail."

Photo courtesy of @rjenbarr

I love this old black and white picture not just because it shows the glories of an old 1970s yard swing, but because it shows me as grinning youngster among family.

More than twenty-five years later, I can say that some things don't change. I am so grateful to still be surrounded by my wonderful family. My cousin Kristin, the older cousin guiding us all on the swing, now has two daughters of her own. Maya, now 9, just starred in a community theater production of "The Sound of Music." Needless to say, there were more family members that could fit a theater row in the audience to cheer her on.As we gathered together to socialize after the show, I was struck by how lucky I am. Not many families would voluntarily trek across the bay area to watch a relative perform, much less talk and laugh uproariously together until we all looked at our watches and realized the late hour.

But this is hardly a unique occurrence. When my dear Great Aunt Agnes passed away, everyone was there to show their condolences. When I announced my engagement to my husband, the family showered me with congratulations and celebration. When the San Francisco Giants, a team long-loved by generations of the Keane family, won the World Series, I think the revelry of my family rivaled the festivities of the Giants ballplayers in Houston that night.

I am truly grateful that wherever I go in the world, whatever fears face me, and however the circumstances, I have the comfort of knowing that I have this amazing family out there rooting for me along the way. And speaking of family, I marvel on a daily basis how it is that I've been so lucky to get such a wonderful little family of my own that's now a part of this larger family.

So much gratitude and I haven't even gotten to all the other important people in my life: my Forrest Yoga peeps, my wonderful friends, fellow One Brick-ers, my students, terrific nonprofit folks I get to interact with on a daily basis at my job, and the list goes on.

 

Thanks to Epic Thanks for prompting me to put into words the gratitude I feel inspired to share. Happy Thanksgiving!

 

What's better than climbing Mt. Tam? Climbing Mt. Tam with a husband that isn't the most avid hiker, but who willingly joins you for the trek because he knows it means a lot to you.

And what makes that trek even better? Hiking to support a wonderful cause, At the Crossroads (ATC), who provides outreach services to homeless youth in San Francisco.

ATC's small staff does amazing amounts of good on very little resources and a lot of heart and dedication. I think what makes ATC so special is their fundamental belief that every person deserves to have a happy, good life. This philosophy is conveyed in everything they do, Instead of just providing used clothes or the obvious leftovers, ATC takes care to get donations of brand new clothing and assembles quality snack and candy packs to distribute to their clients. Now these may seem like small things, but they make a huge statement--that they value the person receiving them. Their care continues through the tireless work of their counselors who see thousands of clients over the course of a year.

At the Crossroads is one of my favorite places to volunteer. Not only do they do a great job of organzing volunteers, they truly make it a special experience for you, just as they do for your clients. The founder, Rob, is usually there with a plateful of fresh farmers market fruit and truffles to pass around, along with a mix of music playing for you, and he never forgets a funny, thoughtful email to thank you afterward for your efforts.

I love hiking so when I heard ATC was having their Summer Fun Hike, I knew I had to sign up. I brought a dear friend, Terry, from my walking group and my terrific husband, who surprised both himself and me by feeling pretty good physically at the end of our 8-mile trek. In true ATC fashion, it was a fabulously organized and enjoyable event. From the well-marked trails, to the best array of snacks and goodies I think I've ever had on a fundraising event, to getting to chat with other ATC supporters, it was a fantastic way to spend the day. And since I always seem to want to do a yoga pose in moments of happiness (and after hearing about the Sirsasana (headstand) challenge), I decided to do so at the mountain top.

And speaking of inspired, if hearing a little more about ATC's work made you happy to know an organization like this exists, I'd love it if you took a moment to help support ATC through my I Think I Can Campaign. Every little bit means a little bit more time ATC staff can spend with their clients so any little bit you can give makes a big difference.

You can also find our more about how to get involved with ATC here or come like 'em on Facebook.

 

 

Forrest Yoga is known for a lot of things, but laughter is not usually one of them. One of the joys that I've found through getting more into Forrest Yoga is finding the humor and joy of the practice in life. Here's a sampling of some of the funny Ana-isms from Ana Forrest when she was in town last weekend. Okay, some of the humor is a little sadistic, but it's amazing how these moments of laughter in class will get you out of that negative or self-pitying frame of mind and remind you that while you can take your yoga practice seriously, you don't have to be serious all the time!

 

Top 10 Forrest Yoga Funnies (as heard from Ana)

 

There was so much information in my Forrest Yoga teacher training that my big training manual binder and my notebook full of scribbled notes doesn't even begin to cover it. "But what if you had to boil it down to one thing; one specific lesson, what would it be?" asked my fellow trainee, Diane, and I posed the same question to the other trainees I hung out during Ana's SF weekend workshops.

Two months out from the training, here were our answers:

"One word: breath. That's what makes the whole thing happen. And I realize how imperative it is to breathe when you're teaching, not just in Forrest Yoga classes, but also in those power yoga classes where the room is 85+ degrees C. Breath." --Drew

"I learned not just how to do a pose, but why. I like that everything is explained and every pose as a purpose. For example, some of the reason we always do abs is to protect the lower back, improve posture, strengthen and connect to our abdominal muscles." --Diane

"That the content of what you teach matters less than showing up and truly being present for what your students need in each moment. Quite the lesson for me as a control freak/perfectionist." --Megan (me)

"Finding my own voice in teaching. I'd taken different movement-based trainings and received various certifications prior to this training. The Forrest Yoga training helped me find me and my own unique teaching amidst all the information I'd assimilated." --Stefanie

II like this concept of one thing because it's very accessible. You may not have time to do a 2-hour yoga practice, but can you find one yoga pose to do? Reflect on one thing that you learned from my practice and life today? What's one thing of beauty you noticed? These are the kind of one things I'm reflecting on.

Cross-posted on TechSoup Blog

The first of its kind, the Wisdom 2.0 Conference brought together people from a variety of different disciplines to explore the concept of how we can live mindfully amidst fast-paced streams of information and technologies that are becoming the daily reality for many people. Speakers ranged from Google executives to Zen priests to Twitter VCs to small business owners to nonprofit consultants. The conference organizer and founder, Soren Gordhamer, framed the weekend's speakers by exploring the challenge and possibilities of whether it is possible to be mindful while being highly connected and having constant multiple demands on our attention. Over the past few years, the growth social media and other connective technologies has exploded. Now that these tools have been around awhile, we seem to at the next stage of "post-modern mindfulness", if you will, of figuring out how we can make the most of these technologies, yet still live meaningful, productive lives.

Many of the conference themes resonated for not just the technology world, but for any sector you happen to work with. My notebook (yes, an old-fashioned one with paper, not the electronic kind) was jammed packed with notes and insights I got from the terrific speakers there, but here were some of the key points that resonanted for me:

• Be selective: It's easy to get sucked into the small tasks of the day and lose track of the big picture. In the same way a nonprofit organization drafts a mission statement, you must decide what your purpose and values are. From there you can focus on what key tasks will make the most impact and move you further towards your goals. Intent.com asks users, "What is my intent today?" This is a terrific way to re-affirm your larger values and acts as an anchor for your day. When you find yourself veering off-track, you can re-connect to this intention to guide you back to your purpose. Remember your presence and focus is the greatest gift you can give. Gopi Kallayil tries to approach each conversation, even if it's just a coworker coming by his desk to ask a question, as a moment of spirtiual connection and a way to practice being in service to others.

 

• Get out of email: Email is the great time suck. Time and again speakers focused on the importance of limiting email time and having scheduled time away to work without distraction as the cost of context-switching is huge. For some jobs like customer service where prompt email response is crucial, this can be more challenging. Tami Simon examines her motivations for wanting to impulsively check that email or pull up her mobile phone and acknowledging when and why she is using it as a distraction or procrastination. Instead, Simon reminds us of how we can make the most of the value of giving and receiving communication through email. Ever had that thoughtful email from a friend or colleague that really makes your day? You have the ability to do the same for another person. Even if it's just a short or routine email, a thank you or personal touch goes a long way. Leah Pearlman of Facebook takes it a step further with sending "Friday haiku emails" that bring not only a sense of humor, but good reminders of the importance of brevity and purposefulness to email correspondence.

 

• Schedule uninterrupted time to focus on important projects: Besides getting out of email, it's important to schedule in time on our calendar where we focus on the projects that will bring us the most value. Beth Kanter uses her son's time-out timer to track her email and social media time to help her stay on track. Sometimes that means getting very clear to others about what you are and are not going to be paying attention to. Often times it means making hard decisions about what isn't getting read or getting done. As counter-intuitive as it seems, doing one thing at a time really is more effective.

 

• Integrate mindfulness in the flow of your day: While it's important to carve out "unplugged" time away, be it vacation or a walk in nature, we can find ways of bringing mindfulness into the flow of activities in our day. "Don't lose yourself in the rest of your life," said Zen Abbot, Roshi Joan Halifax. She gave the example in meditation of focusing on the flame of a candle but then shifting that focus to a larger flow. When we learn how to focus on one thing at a time, we can then learn to deal with many demands on our attention. Several speakers used the example of Twitter as a flow. It's a constant stream of information that can be diverting but we pop in and find moments that create meaning that couldn't exist before. Other times we let it flow by and there will be thinks we will miss, but if it's important enough news, it will resurface again.

 

• Small things do make a difference: Kallayil keeps mindfulness manageable and doable by asking folks to do one yoga pose and one minute of breathing a day. Most people can find time to do that--and that often leads to further yoga poses and longer periods of conscious breathing. Maybe you don't have time for that 90 minute yoga class, but you can take a short stroll outside around the office to rechargeLeah Pearlman advocates small ways of injecting mindfulness into the day. She and her coworkers send gratitude texts every day where they say one thing they're grateful for that day. Get creative with finding little ways to infuse even the busiest times with doses of joy.

 

• "Don't give up even when it all falls apart.":This advice from Meng Tan (aka "Jolly Good Fellow") of Google, for what to do when despite your best intentions, you find yourself sucked into the craziness of everyday life. In the nonprofit arena, the challenge is always trying do more with less time and resources and often the first thing to go off the list is self-care. Just as compassion is key in our work to make a difference in the world, that same compassion is crucial for our own effectiveness in making a difference. The Wisdom 2.0 Conference showed me that none of us are alone in the struggle. Whether you're a high-level CEO, a Zen priest, or just your average joe, we're all in this challenge together of using and living with technology to its fullest mindfulness, as well as productivity, potential.