Friends, I’m so happy to announce something new: private MedKNITation® sessions. Yes, now you and I can do a MedKNITation® together! In 2016, I started knitting and crocheting, and I noticed several similarities with various forms of traditional meditation I’ve learned over 30 years of studying Yoga and meditation. I put these elements together to form MedKNITation®, a way to meditate using knitting and crochet. Since then, MedKNITation® has been featured in the Wall Street Journal and KnitScene Magazine, and I’ve taught it through sold-out lectures attended by hundreds at Vogue Knitting Live ..read more

Where’s this Kind Heart going? Straight to Soap S.A.C.K.s! Friends: A few months ago, we made Kind Hearts for Knit the Rainbow’s charity garments. Ready to make some more hearts and spread kindness everywhere? Get your hooks and needles ready! This time, please join me in making Kind Hearts for Soap S.A.C.K.s, the charity run by Stacy Weiner, who distributes cotton sacks/washcloths filled with bars of soap that go to the homeless, people in shelters, veterans’ clinics, and anyone who needs this basic toiletry. Wouldn’t it be awesome if Stacy could attach Kind Hearts to her Soap Sacks, so the p ..read more

Friends: Recently, I told you about Knit the Rainbow, the wonderful new organization that’s collecting hand-knitted and -crocheted garments to distribute to homeless LGBTQ+ youth. Since I’m a meditative process stitcher (read: it takes me forever to make a garment), I decided to make Kind Hearts, like the ones I gave out at Vogue Knitting Live, with messages of love. When I was a guest on Knit in the Pit recently, I told everyone about this—and everyone wanted to join in. When I mentioned the Kind Hearts Rainbow Pride edition on Instagram, more Kind Heart-ed people started making hearts! This ..read more

The Kind Hearts Project is back. As you may remember, last year I shared over 400 crocheted hearts with messages of kindness at Vogue Knitting Live. I took the hearts to the streets and handed them out and left them where people might find them. I figured the world could use a little more kindness, and these little hearts did their part. Then, people from all over the world started making their own Kind Hearts and spreading them around. A kind movement was created! In March, the Kind Hearts had to be put on hold. Everyone was on lockdown, and even when we came outside, handing little hearts t ..read more

Selfie drawn by me. GROWTH: Friends, for me, and I’m sure for you too, everything has been feeling very tight and restricted for the past few months. During the lockdown, we hibernated for a while for everyone’s safety, as well as our own. This was a time of introspection and taking inventory. For me, this was the tail end of a year-long process of being inward. There are times in life where you get to engage in a process of self-study, and this year has been one of those times. The purpose was to re-evaluate my Svadharma, my path. I wanted to ask some important questions: Who am I now? What c ..read more

Friends: The 5 Days/5 Ways Meditation Challenge is about to begin! If you’ve been having trouble meditating (too stressed? I get it), or you’d like to try other meditative practices, this is the challenge for you. The challenge lasts for 4 weeks. Over 3 weeks, I’ll send you 5 different ways to meditate, along with tips to help you reduce stress. Each practice will be brief, cheerful, and designed to fit into your busy day. It’s not a lot of sitting and chanting; you can do that on your own. These practices will turn daily parts of your life into beautiful opportunities for meditation. On week ..read more

Have you been having trouble meditating lately? (Or forever? I know; it’s not that easy.) I’ve heard a lot of people say that, since the health crisis began, meditation is more difficult to do than ever. The reasons are clear. Stress, of course—it’s a sad irony that meditation is most difficult when we really, really need it, like now. Another reason is Zoom fatigue. Yeah, that’s a thing. We’re spending more time than ever online to stay connected, but a side effect of that is feeling worn out and mentally scattered. Plus we have to learn new ways of doing everything, from working to shopping ..read more

I just wrapped up a week of teaching MedKNITation (meditation with knitting and crochet) and morning meditations at Virtual Knitting Live, Vogue Knitting Live’s online fiber love-fest. We had a wonderful time meditating together, doing breathing practices, and finding the calm center we need right within ourselves. So let’s keep those good vibes going. Now through Memorial Day 2020, get 20 percent off either or both of my guided audio meditations, Deep Relaxation and MedKNITation. You can download these audio meditations to your phone or laptop and listen whenever you want. Just visit the Sho ..read more

With everything that’s been going on lately, some of us may have forgotten to get Mother’s Day gifts. That’s okay—you can still get a gift to your Mom, or another favorite person in your life, by next Sunday, May 10. And if you’re looking for suggestions, I have a few (and a gift for you!):  A gift of strength. Cherries in Winter: My Family’s Recipe of Hope in Hard Times is about my Mom telling me the stories of our family’s resilience and strength during the Great Depression, World Wars, and other calamities. It will remind you of your own family stories of strength, and ..read more

Recently I saw a photo on Instagram of my friend Louis Boria, who you may know as @brooklynboyknits. He’s a knitting superstar, and he’s also a hospital worker—which means he’s a superhero, working with other superheroes on the front lines of this health crisis. In the caption for the pic, Louis talked about how he’d contracted covid-19, and, thankfully, recovered. He was in full PPE and back at work, and he said, “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.” Like you, I think about healthcare workers, first responders, and other essential workers all the time. Every time I hear an ambulance go by ..read more