None of us is ever OK, but we all get through everything just fine.

Meditation takes us just as we are, with our confusion and our sanity. This complete acceptance of ourselves as we are is called maitri, or unconditional friendliness, a simple, direct relationship with the way we are.

Just where you are-that's the place to start!

All the terrible things we do to ourselves and others from alcoholism to character assignation to abuse to murder come from one cause: the inability to stay present with an uncomfortable feeling in the body and seek short-term relief.

By becoming intimate with how we close down and how we open up, we awaken our unlimited potential.

It's helpful to remind yourself that meditation is about opening and relaxing with whatever arises, without picking and choosing.

Feel the feelings and drop the story.