Tending to Change with Jeni Juarez

Practice-Only Episode: Metta (Loving-Kindness) 8-Minute Practice

This is a special practice-only episode in which I guide listeners through an 8-minute Buddhist practice called Metta or Loving-Kindness.
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Do you love this content and want to support the show?Buy Me A Coffee at: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/JeniJuarezllcI sincerely appreciate your support!
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Learn More About Live Events in Grand Rapids, MI
✦Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/TendingtoChange ✦Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/tendingtochangewithjeni/
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Tending to Change is hosted by Jeni Juarez, a 500-hr Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT), a mother of four, and a dedicated student on the path of the heart. Having struggled with trauma, addiction, and debilitating anxiety, she has deep gratitude for the power of nature, stillness practices, and loving community to completely change the trajectory of one’s life.
Jeni believes there is a significant undervaluation of emotional resilience and cultivating peace of mind in our fast-paced, over-achieving culture, and she’s excited to be a part of the momentum that is actively working to change that narrative.
____________________________
Please know that…
The intent of this podcast is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being.
Content presented or posted on this channel is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or a professional therapeutic relationship. In the event you use any of the information in these episodes for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the creator assumes no responsibility for your actions.

Shadow Work: The Parts of Me That I Cannot See Part 2

This episode is a continuation of last week's discussion on shadow work. I begin with a reading of what's known as the Eleventh Hour Hopi Elders Prophecy before I revisit a working definition of what a shadow is and offer some examples of how people's shadows might manifest.
I then share an example of my own shadow, how it impacts my relationship to my husband, and how I consciously work with it. It's important to remember that we all possess light and shadow. We are all flawed and imperfect humans, and yet there is an aspect of us that remains untouched by our failures. This is our true nature, and it's what connects us to every other being in the vast web of life.
I invite us to a different, more spacious perspective that allows us room to grow and evolve, rooting our relationships in presence, understanding, and compassion. And I reflect on how, when we blame others for our life circumstances, we give away our power and our capacity to write our own story.
I continue with a sincere, vulnerable exploration of many of my own shadow aspects that I've come to accept and integrate with the support of self-compassion practices. In doing so, I have learned how to forgive myself, forgive others, and appreciate that our shortcomings are not failures, but a part of our unfolding story of becoming our authentic selves. 
The episode ends with an invitation to practice seeing the divine nature in the eyes of everyone we meet. Or as Ram Dass would say, "Learning to see everyone as God in drag."
____________________________
Do you love this content and want to support the show?Buy Me A Coffee at: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/JeniJuarezllcI sincerely appreciate your support!
____________________________
Learn More About Live Events in Grand Rapids, MI
✦Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/TendingtoChange ✦Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/tendingtochangewithjeni/
____________________________
Tending to Change is hosted by Jeni Juarez, a 500-hr RYT, a mother of four, and a dedicated student on the path of the heart. Having struggled with trauma, addiction, and debilitating anxiety, she has deep gratitude for the power of nature, stillness practices, and loving community to completely change the trajectory of one’s life.
Jeni believes there is a significant undervaluation of emotional resilience and cultivating peace of mind in our fast-paced, over-achieving culture, and she’s excited to be a part of the momentum that is actively working to change that narrative.
____________________________
Please know that…
The intent of this podcast is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being.
Content presented or posted on this channel is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or a professional therapeutic relationship. In the event you use any of the information in these episodes for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the creator assumes no responsibility for your actions.

Shadow Work: The Parts of Me That I Cannot See Part 1

This episode offers an introduction to shadow work. Our shadow includes all of the denied aspects of ourselves–the parts of us that we can’t accept, and so we push out of our conscious awareness.
The problem with voting our unsavory aspects off of the island of “me” is that these shadow parts continue to heavily influence how we interact with the world around us. And they can have profoundly negative impacts on our relationships as well as our ability to live a fulfilling life.
The process of shadow work involves turning toward these rejected parts with the intention of accepting and integrating them back into our self-concept. This reclamation of our wholeness is key to revealing our intrinsic loving, peaceful, compassionate nature.
While shadow work can seem intimidating or scary at first, it is liberating and empowering work. And it’s a necessary step for gaining emotional maturity, deepening relationships, and showing up authentically and joyfully in your life.
I end the episode with a helpful method for identifying our shadow and a guided meditation for cultivating nonjudgmental awareness.
____________________________
Do you love this content and want to support the show?Buy Me A Coffee at: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/JeniJuarezllcI sincerely appreciate your support!
____________________________
Learn More About Live Events in Grand Rapids, MI
✦Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/TendingtoChange
✦Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/tendingtochangewithjeni/
____________________________
Tending to Change is hosted by Jeni Juarez, a 500-hr RYT, a mother of four, and a dedicated student on the path of the heart. Having struggled with trauma, addiction, and debilitating anxiety, she has deep gratitude for the power of nature, stillness practices, and loving community to completely change the trajectory of one’s life.
Jeni believes there is a significant undervaluation of emotional resilience and cultivating peace of mind in our fast-paced, over-achieving culture, and she’s excited to be a part of the momentum that is actively working to change that narrative.
____________________________
Please know that…
The intent of this podcast is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being.
Content presented or posted on this channel is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or a professional therapeutic relationship. In the event you use any of the information in these episodes for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the creator assumes no responsibility for your actions.

Emotions: Enemy or Information?

This episode begins with an acknowledgment of what most of us are feeling these days: full of big emotions and deeply unsettled. Many of us are witnessing our relationships undergo profound shifts–some are even breaking apart.
Emotions are a powerful form of energy. Some of us might fear them, so we squash them down and avoid them. Others of us let them rip, giving very little thought to the potentially destructive impact our emotional reactions may have.
This is due to a tendency we each have–to identify with the thoughts and emotions we experience instead of the awareness that is witnessing them. We get caught in ego consciousness, misidentifying ourselves as the weather instead of the sky that holds it all.
But what if we could shift our perspective - just a little - and create some space for an alternative view? One that sees emotions as information instead of an enemy? This is what I endeavor to do throughout the episode. 
Although rooted in the work of Nonviolent Communication champion Marshall Rosenberg, I first came upon this teaching through the book Say What You Mean, written by meditation teacher and Nonviolent Communication trainer Oren Jay Sofer. And this reframing suggests that emotions provide information to us about whether or not our basic human needs are being met.
This is a profoundly empowering view of emotions. And it offers us a rich framework with which to sort out and process them in a way that leads to a more fulfilling life. Join me for this valuable conversation which concludes with a short fictional story I wrote about my own process of transforming my emotions from enemies to information.
 
SHOW NOTES: 
✦Oren Jay Sofer book - Say What You Mean: https://www.orenjaysofer.com/book-audio 
✦Bay Area Nonviolent Communication - List of Needs: https://baynvc.org/list-of-needs/
✦Bay Area Nonviolent Communication - List of Feelings: https://baynvc.org/list-of-feelings/
____________________________
Do you love this content and want to support the show?Buy Me A Coffee at: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/JeniJuarezllcI sincerely appreciate your support!
____________________________
Learn More About Live Events in Grand Rapids, MI
✦Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/TendingtoChange
✦Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/tendingtochangewithjeni/ 
____________________________
Tending to Change is hosted by Jeni Juarez, a 500-hr RYT, a mother of four, and a dedicated student on the path of the heart. Having struggled with trauma, addiction, and debilitating anxiety, she has deep gratitude for the power of nature, stillness practices, and loving community to completely change the trajectory of one’s life. 
Jeni believes there is a significant undervaluation of emotional resilience and cultivating peace of mind in our fast-paced, over-achieving culture, and she’s excited to be a part of the momentum that is actively working to change that narrative.
____________________________
Please know that…
The intent of this podcast is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. Content presented or posted on this podcast is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or a professional therapeutic relationship. In the event you use any of the information in these episodes for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the creator assumes no responsibility for your actions.

Resilience: Finding Wisdom in the Darkness

When our hearts become awakened to reality, it can be quite painful and challenging to observe the suffering in our own lives as well as the suffering in the lives of others. But no matter how we might try, once we’ve woken up, there is no going back to sleep. We may avoid, repress, numb, or rage out, but reality will beckon us forward on our path of evolution again and again.
And that’s actually a good thing. From the perspective of Eastern spiritual traditions, it is very rare for a human being to willingly turn toward pain with curiosity, courage, and compassion. It’s only by facing the pain that we discover a space inside of us that remains untouched by it. And this awakened, tender heart is what reminds us that we are alive. It compels us to act in ways that are in alignment with the whole; we evaluate our impact on the world around us. 
Through spiritual practice, we cultivate inner resilience: an ability to recover from difficulty. We learn to bend without breaking. Now more than ever, we are being challenged to stand strong in our integrity and our values. But I want you to understand that we are not without tools and resources right now. Many have been involved in the work of overcoming oppression for decades if not centuries and millennia.
And to my mind, what’s most important in this moment is that we continue to build community. The only way for us to reimagine a just, compassionate, equitable society is to create it, brick by brick, together. Much of that work has already been in play. It just may be time for you to join in or lend more of your energy to it.
 Let’s work together to take the meaningful action necessary to support ourselves and each other. Let us be stretched and challenged in ways that bring out the very best of ourselves–for our benefit and for the benefit of all beings, everywhere.
 
SHOW NOTES: 
✦Valarie Kaur speech | https://youtu.be/qQ7QlKG70LE?si=uy52oQg4jXZDHqhK
✦Valarie Kaur - Revolutionary Love Project | https://revolutionarylove.org/
____________________________
Do you love this content and want to support the show?Buy Me A Coffee at: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/JeniJuarezllcI sincerely appreciate your support!
____________________________
Learn More About Jeni's Live Events in Grand Rapids, MI
✦Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/TendingtoChange
✦Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/tendingtochangewithjeni/
____________________________
Tending to Change is hosted by Jeni Juarez, a 500-hr RYT, a mother of four, and a dedicated student on the path of the heart. Having struggled with trauma, addiction, and debilitating anxiety, she has deep gratitude for the power of nature, stillness practices, and loving community to completely change the trajectory of one’s life. 
Jeni believes there is a significant undervaluation of emotional resilience and cultivating peace of mind in our fast-paced, over-achieving culture, and she’s excited to be a part of the momentum that is actively working to change that narrative.
____________________________
Please know that…
The intent of this podcast is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. Content presented or posted on this podcast is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or a professional therapeutic relationship. In the event you use any of the information in these episodes for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the creator assumes no responsibility for your actions.

The Obstacle is the Path: How to Get Unstuck

Marcus Aurelius, a Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher once wrote “The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way”. This reflects the Zen teaching that reminds us that “the obstacle is the path.”
Often, when things don’t go how we expect or want them to go, we feel that we have failed or are helpless victims of our lives. But what if the obstacle you’re facing is your greatest teacher in this moment? What if it’s guiding you toward your next step?
In this short but valuable episode, I share about an obstacle that I have recently faced and how self-reflection and mindful action supported me in reframing the challenge as an opportunity to refine my daily habits and grow as an individual. 
Cultivating self-awareness is very important. It helps us slow down, notice what mind state we're in, and figure out how to shift it if necessary. Taking action in the face of obstacles, as opposed to giving up or avoiding them, strengthens our resilience, our fortitude, and our stamina. We rediscover how powerful we are and increase our confidence in our capacity to face whatever life brings our way.
The episode concludes with a message of hope and an Awareness of Breath practice.
 
____________________________
Do you love this content and want to support the show?Buy Me A Coffee at: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/JeniJuarezllcI sincerely appreciate your support!
____________________________
Learn More About Live Events in Grand Rapids, MI
✦Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/TendingtoChange
✦Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/tendingtochangewithjeni/
____________________________
Tending to Change is hosted by Jeni Juarez, a 500-hr RYT, a mother of four, and a dedicated student on the path of the heart. Having struggled with trauma, addiction, and debilitating anxiety, she has deep gratitude for the power of nature, stillness practices, and loving community to completely change the trajectory of one’s life. 
Jeni believes there is a significant undervaluation of emotional resilience and cultivating peace of mind in our fast-paced, over-achieving culture, and she’s excited to be a part of the momentum that is actively working to change that narrative.
____________________________
Please know that…
The intent of this podcast is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. Content presented or posted on this podcast is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or a professional therapeutic relationship. In the event you use any of the information in these episodes for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the creator assumes no responsibility for your actions.

Practice-Only Episode: 8-Minute Just Like Me Compassion Meditation

This is a special practice-only episode in which I guide listeners through an 8-minute compassion practice called Just Like Me.  
____________________________
Do you love this content and want to support the show?Buy Me A Coffee at: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/JeniJuarezllcI sincerely appreciate your support!
____________________________
Learn More About Live Events in Grand Rapids, MI
✦Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/TendingtoChange
✦Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/tendingtochangewithjeni/
____________________________
Tending to Change is hosted by Jeni Juarez, a 500-hr RYT, a mother of four, and a dedicated student on the path of the heart. Having struggled with trauma, addiction, and debilitating anxiety, she has deep gratitude for the power of nature, stillness practices, and loving community to completely change the trajectory of one’s life. 
Jeni believes there is a significant undervaluation of emotional resilience and cultivating peace of mind in our fast-paced, over-achieving culture, and she’s excited to be a part of the momentum that is actively working to change that narrative.
____________________________
Please know that…
The intent of this podcast is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. Content presented or posted on this podcast is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or a professional therapeutic relationship. In the event you use any of the information in these episodes for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the creator assumes no responsibility for your actions.
 

Swadharma: Living Beyond Purpose

In this episode of Tending to Change, I explore the concept of life purpose through the lens of swadharma, a Sanskrit term that refers to one's own duty or unique role in the world. Honoring our swadharma goes deeper than what we do as a profession. It means living in accordance with our innate nature, gifts, and talents. 
Drawing insights from the Bhagavad Gita, I discuss the importance of understanding our personal responsibilities and how they contribute to the world around us and to future generations. I emphasize the journey of self-discovery, the significance of our roles, and the need to embrace our unique paths in life. 
The episode concludes with a guided visualization meditation.
 
____________________________
Do you love this content and want to support the show?Buy Me A Coffee at: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/JeniJuarezllcI sincerely appreciate your support!
____________________________
Learn More About Live Events in Grand Rapids, MI
✦Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/TendingtoChange
 
✦Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/tendingtochangewithjeni/
____________________________
Tending to Change is hosted by Jeni Juarez, a 500-hr RYT, a mother of four, and a dedicated student on the path of the heart. Having struggled with trauma, addiction, and debilitating anxiety, she has deep gratitude for the power of nature, stillness practices, and loving community to completely change the trajectory of one’s life. 
Jeni believes there is a significant undervaluation of emotional resilience and cultivating peace of mind in our fast-paced, over-achieving culture, and she’s excited to be a part of the momentum that is actively working to change that narrative.
____________________________
Please know that…
 
The intent of this podcast is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. Content presented or posted on this podcast is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or a professional therapeutic relationship. In the event you use any of the information in these episodes for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the creator assumes no responsibility for your actions.

Spanda: Riding the Inhale and Exhale of the Universe

This episode begins with an acknowledgment of resonance. There’s a reason that we’re drawn to practices and teachings like the ones found in this podcast. They affirm something that we’ve been sensing, even if we haven’t put words to the experience. And as though we’re being tugged by our own hearts, we now find ourselves on a quest.
We might not even know what we’re actually looking for, but we have become seekers. We’ve encountered a depth dimension of life that we previously didn’t know existed, and now we long to return to this profound sense of wholeness – of feeling at home within ourselves.
This is a journey inward. It’s a journey of self-recognition – of the true self; the unchanging essence within this constantly changing world. It’s not that we reject our very real lives or our roles and responsibilities. It’s that we also reclaim this subtler aspect - this primordial mystery - and we reintegrate it into our daily lives.
And then, the journey turns back outward. We recognize our interconnection within the web of life, and how our actions and energy impact the world around us. We take responsibility for what is ours, and we begin to ask ourselves how we can give back even a fraction of what has so generously been given to us. 
We conclude the episode with a call to action – to understand that we are collectively co-creating the reality we’re experiencing, and that it’s up to each of us to tap into the vast well of creativity and inspiration within as we reimagine a more just, compassionate, loving society. We end with a meditation that helps us connect with spanda - with the sacred tremor - the creative pulsation of consciousness.
 
____________________________
Do you love this content and want to support the show?Buy Me A Coffee at: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/JeniJuarezllcI sincerely appreciate your support!
____________________________
Learn More About Live Events in Grand Rapids, MI
✦Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/TendingtoChange
✦Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/tendingtochangewithjeni/
____________________________
Tending to Change is hosted by Jeni Juarez, a 500-hr RYT, a mother of four, and a dedicated student on the path of the heart. Having struggled with trauma, addiction, and debilitating anxiety, she has deep gratitude for the power of nature, stillness practices, and loving community to completely change the trajectory of one’s life. 
Jeni believes there is a significant undervaluation of emotional resilience and cultivating peace of mind in our fast-paced, over-achieving culture, and she’s excited to be a part of the momentum that is actively working to change that narrative.
____________________________
 
Please know that…
 
The intent of this podcast is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. Content presented or posted on this podcast is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or a professional therapeutic relationship. In the event you use any of the information in these episodes for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the creator assumes no responsibility for your actions.

Fixed Versus Growth Mindset: Are You Your Own Worst Enemy?

This episode begins by pointing out that a major theme for this entire podcast series is our capacity to shift and transform our perspective. Perspective is the lens through which we view and interpret the world around us. But its ramifications are profound - our unique mental coloring of the world informs how we live, what choices we make, how we interact in our relationships, and so much more. 
I then thread the value of perspective-taking – of our ability to imagine the world through the eyes of another – to a conversation around the psychological concepts of fixed mindset versus growth mindset. If we’re stuck in a fixed mindset, we’ll waste all our precious energy on posturing to make it look like we’re intelligent and know what we’re doing. By contrast, a growth mindset will inspire us to harness that energy for curiosity, exploration, and personal empowerment. Our beliefs influence our ability to adapt and thrive in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges. 
The conversation then shifts to a global perspective of the profound paradigm shift we are collectively experiencing. We are each being called to face our fears around change so we can draw on the power of our imagination as we co-create a new reality – one that’s rooted in mutual care for the collective versus a hierarchical power structure where the many are ruled by the few. We conclude with a meditation practice aimed at creating some space between our awareness and our thoughts so we can make room for fresh possibilities – new perspectives – to come in.
____________________________
Do you love this content and want to support the show?Buy Me A Coffee at: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/JeniJuarezllcI sincerely appreciate your support!
____________________________
Learn More About Live Events in Grand Rapids, MI
✦Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/TendingtoChange
 
✦Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/tendingtochangewithjeni/
____________________________
 
Tending to Change is hosted by Jeni Juarez, a 500-hr RYT, a mother of four, and a dedicated student on the path of the heart. Having struggled with trauma, addiction, and debilitating anxiety, she has deep gratitude for the power of nature, stillness practices, and loving community to completely change the trajectory of one’s life. 
Jeni believes there is a significant undervaluation of emotional resilience and cultivating peace of mind in our fast-paced, over-achieving culture, and she’s excited to be a part of the momentum that is actively working to change that narrative.
____________________________
Please know that…
 
The intent of this podcast is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. Content presented or posted on this podcast is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or a professional therapeutic relationship. In the event you use any of the information in these episodes for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the creator assumes no responsibility for your actions.