Take it easy today, ladies and gentlemen, before the fall madness gets into full swing, before Obama’s Speech Wednesday on Health Care Reform, before we all die sooner than we think. Relax. That’s really the point (or one point) of meditation anyway – to learn how to labor day by day more consistently, and relax completely into the discipline of mindful living.

Here’s a quote from my Buddhist teacher, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, on how to reduce stress completely. Seriously, could a guy who wasn’t relaxed and comfortable pull off a top like that? I think not. Relaxation and fashion go hand in hand.

“True relaxation suggests a deep underlying confidence in our
enlightened nature. We do not have to manipulate, because we trust who
we are. In an argument with a coworker, instead of trying to outwit
them, we use our energy to gather our breath, relax, and appreciate the
inherent goodness of ourselves and others. With this deep level of
relaxation, we are settling into the Buddha‘s territory, seeing the
world through enlightened eyes.”

—Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche