Mindfulness and Moderation: The Power of the Middle Way

Let the Verse Flow: Personal Growth Thru a Creative Lens

It’s taken me a while to find a path toward the Middle Way, that Buddhist principle that rests firmly on common sense and shows us how to find moderation instead of swinging between one extreme or another. The Middle Way can offer us some peace as we find a balance between the extremes of self-indulgence, busyness, and wanting, or on the other side, toward extreme self-denial or self-discipline.
The Middle Way offers a nuanced path that embraces the ease and equilibrium of living with moderation. In this episode, I’ll use some illustrative examples from my life to discuss how to find this moderate way, and what benefits it can hold for us.

I’ll also touch on the concept of impermanence and its relationship to the Middle Way. How our cravings and clinging, perhaps in an attempt to control situations, ultimately backfire as we watch situations change in an instant. How can we find a reasoned approach to going after our wants and needs without doing so in a desperate, extreme way, and with the knowledge that change (in many directions) is inevitable? I’m reasoning this out too, with poetry, musings, and music.

Welcome to my reflections from the bright side of the beat.

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Music: All music for my podcast is sourced and licensed for use via Soundstripe.)

Poem: The Middle Way

Songs in this episode: See You In Sao Paulo by Chelsea McGough; Slide by GEMM; Cool by EILOH; Pyaar Kee Seemaen by Cast of Characters
Journal Prompts:
1. What areas of my life might benefit from me taking a balanced, moderate approach?
2. Do I tend to lean toward self-indulgence or self-denial in my life? Why is this and what do I think about this tendency?
3. Are there any obstacles in my thinking to embracing a Middle Way in life? What are they and how does clinging to them help or hurt me?

Prefer to read this episode? Read the complete episode in blog format here: https://www.lettheverseflow.com

After today's episode, I'll be taking a short break from the podcast over the holidays. I'll be back in the new year, on January 1, with the first episode of season three, and I have some surprises in store for you. It's time to mix things up with some famous and timeless verses. We'll start with a Khalil Gibran quote and the topic of overthinking in the first season three episode. Look for it on January 1st!

Until then, I hope you share the holidays with the people y