(The 4000 year old skeleton is of a young man in what is now Vietnam - he had a spinal disability and was cared for by his community until he died around age 20 - evidence of our caring nature, which is essential for our survival. See the lectures on Self Compassion and Compassion in Difficult Times for more details.)

Hi all,

Our San Francisco warmth abruptly turned to chill this week, and night is falling faster. Many of us go through seasonal changes in our moods, affected by the changing light and shorter days. No wonder so many cultures light up this time of year with festivities. We're fast approaching Thanksgiving, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, and New Year's, and some traditions celebrate the Enlightenment of Buddha in December as well. We just passed the Festival of Lights, or Diwali, in the Indian tradition, which celebrates the triumph of good over evil in each person's heart. I certainly view mindfulness, compassion and relationship as lights in these dark times, helpful year round but especially for dealing with difficult emotions.

My SF Love Dojo 2019 lecture series is now online. I covered Asian American men’s and women’s psychology, narcissism and relatedness in the American psyche, the psychology of technology, internet addiction and cyberbullying, and self compassion and compassion in difficult times. I think the best lecture is probably the last, on Relatedness, Narcissism, Technology and Power in the American Psyche, which brings together a lot of the themes I've been thinking about recently.

Also, in January-February 2020, I will be offering an 8 week Compassion Cultivation Training workshop in SF. Earlybird pricing through December 6th :)

T-SHIRT FUNDRAISER!!!!

Just like Umami is the fifth flavor that makes food tasty and delicious, friendliness and compassion are that extra taste that makes our inner lives and relatedness more tasty and delicious! Remind yourself and everyone to add some umami to whatever they are experiencing, and support SF Love Dojo with your T-shirt purchase :) Proceeds to help fund sliding scale spots for my upcoming workshop. Please share with your friends and family!

Buy a T-shirt and support SF Love Dojo

Warmly,

Ravi