01.09.2026 Finding Shelter in Practice   This past Wednesday, Lion’s Roar’s weekly online meditation brought many people together from around the world for a twenty-minute practice. We joined together from a variety of settings — from kitchens, offices, living rooms, and even cars — to sit together with an open heart. As January’s resident teacher, I’ve been grateful for these last two weeks of coming together, and for how technology allows us to practice in community in a way that would otherwise be difficult. That sense of interconnectedness is something I hold with a lot of appreciation. In our practice this week, I invited us to simply notice what’s arising for us from moment to moment. When we slow down and really drop in, we often discover how much can change and shift in just a short period of time. Emotions that can feel fixed or overwhelming can turn out to be more gentle and loving than we might expect. When we allow ourselves the space to stop thinking, planning, or remembering, we can more easily bring our body, mind and heart into the same place at the same time. Given the troubling, anxious state of flux many of us are aware of globally, I’ve been reflecting on what we can genuinely lean into for support. One word that keeps returning for me lately is shelter. In practice, we come back again and again to the body as an anchor, to the natural in-and-out of the breath. Even knowing there is noise beyond us, we can take refuge here, in a safe place of shared shelter.  This kind of practice isn’t about fixing or improving ourselves. It’s about true self-care and giving ourselves the gift of inner stillness in a noisy world. We do it so we can build resiliency, and ultimately show up for others with more openness, responsiveness, and kindness. Below are three teachings that explore this idea of caring for and coming home to ourselves so that we can hold each other and the world with appreciation and kindness.  —Beth Wallace, Associate Publisher, Lion’s Roar PS: Lion’s Roar members can join me on Thursday, January 22 for a live talk on how to cultivate kindness and positive change as you continue into the new year. Not a member yet? Learn more here. Come Home to Yourself Your true home is this body. This mind. This moment. There, says Kaira Jewel Lingo, you’ll find peace and freedom. There are numerous ways we can go home to ourselves: by being aware of our breath, by being aware of body sensations or bodily movements, and by connecting with the reality around us, like the sounds in our environment. And when we come back home in these ways, we are able to take stock and survey the territory of our being, seeing clearly what parts of our inner landscape need more support, where we need to pay more attention. It is especially tempting in times of transition and challenge to abandon our homes, to leave our territory, in search of answers, perhaps by worrying about what will happen in the future. This is precisely the moment when we need to return to the present moment, feel our bodies, and take good care of ourselves now. Because the future is made of this moment. If we take good care of this moment, even if it is very difficult, we are taking good care of the future. ADVERTISEMENT How to Practice “Self-Care” Koshin Paley Ellison on why true self-care begins with understanding that there’s no separation between self and other. Our own arms are not enough. We need the thousand arms of Guanyin, which can only be found when we surrender both our isolation and fixation on “self,” giving ourselves over to the prickly, uncontrollable, contrary, diverse, healing, nourishing, wise, educational, and essential reality of true community. So, the next time you’re feeling guilty because of your lack of self-care, set it down gently. Slow down, rest, and find the help you need. Then rest in the nondual mind and the bodhisattva’s relentless intention of compassion. Join the dance of Guanyin’s thousand arms, moving together in the flow of a beloved community. Let it carry you. The Joy of Self-Caring We’ve been sold on the idea that self-care means chocolates and bubble baths, but Cyndi Lee says real self-caring is a practice, not a treat. You might be right that your life is super stressful and you deserve a special treat now and then. But applying a materialistic approach to our pain, boredom, need for attention, or aching back is just a band-aid. The discomfort will cycle back up and then we will “do” another self-care activity, and then another when we feel bad again. The momentary relief of a pedicure is like a painkiller that works so well it discourages us from trying to remove the thorn in our foot that is causing our suffering. Besides, it’s our suffering that makes us feel deserving of the yummy self-care goodies. What our suffering really deserves is compassion.