Featured on CNN, viralmindfulness.com, HIV Plus Magazine, The Gay HotSpot, and the cover of Positively Aware—my work as a mindfulness teacher and artist encourages you to discover your spiritual rhythm. I earned a Master of Social Work (MSW) from the University of Utah in 2003, and a Bachelor of Science from Brigham Young University (1999). During migration from a basement office (with no windows) at Salt Lake Community College’s Health & Wellness Services, I resigned from the traditional cl ...
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Hosted by the University of Utah College of Social Work's Dean Philip Osteen, we engage innovative thinkers and cutting-edge researchers to discuss big ideas in social work.
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"In Chinese lore, the Fifth Season is late summer, when the glare is gone and only the color of things as they are can reach us. It takes all the seasons to become this bare. All the turmoil to be worn of edges. All the loss to hold on to nothing. All the seasons to wear our hands open. Landing here, I no longer want things. I only want moments. In…
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"How Can We Possibly Be Joyful In A Moment Like This?"
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Join me for an early morning cup of coffee next to a cozy campfire in Copake, New York. We'll discuss joy as an opportunity, even a "calling -- precisely in a moment like this" (Krista Tippett). My joy dances intimately with the pain, struggle and impermanence of modern life. Can you create space to hold joy while you're navigating difficulties? I'…
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Behind the scenes of my Spring Piano Recital and Watercolour Series: Romance With Rainwater. Harvey Rose and John Harvey Cates pop in with a little audio fun from their garden in New City, NY. All things Alexander → viralmindfulness.com → Get your tickets for my recital next weekend. XXOO Yours Bluely…
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In this 20 minute guided meditation we'll explore a garden within your heart and mind's eye, as we simmer on the words of Maria Papova:"The life of a garden is a vivid reminder that anything of beauty and radiance takes time, takes care, takes devotion to seed and sprout and bloom, gardens have long been living cathedrals for the creative spirit.An…
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LIVE from Taos, New Mexico, Part 2 Conversations On Fear
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Kitty girls, squirrel friends and soul siblings! We just hit 20,000 downloads on the podcast. Thanks for the love! Are you ready to sashay your way along the trails with me? Honey, we're talking about Flagstaff, Arizona, and Santa Fe, New Mexico, serving you trail realness. As I make my pilgrimage to Taos, New Mexico, this episode is a journey pack…
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LIVE from Santa Fe, New Mexico | Conversations On Fear
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LIVE from Santa Fe, New Mexico | Conversations On Fear by Alexander Smith | Mindfulness TeacherBy Alexander Smith | Mindfulness Teacher
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It's My New Year! And Harvey Texted Me For The First Time Today!
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This is the second year I'm celebrating the New Year at the Spring Equinox. I thought March 25th, being the full moon and all, would be the perfect beginning. Do you know about my Guided Meditation Starter Kit? I'll tell you about it. Don't just take my word for it, Bryce Orvin recently left me a comment after practicing one of the guided meditatio…
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A Pause In Decades: My 21st HIV Birthday (March 17, 2024)
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Watch the CNN interview, explore pictures from my World AIDS Day Keynote (2011), and learn more about Dime Stories (today's reading) → blessyourvirus.comBy Alexander Smith | Mindfulness Teacher
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Winter's Edge: My Melancholy and a Public Service Social Worker Announcement (PSSWA)
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Winter's Edge: My Melancholy and a Public Service Social Worker Announcement (PSSWA) by Alexander Smith | Mindfulness TeacherBy Alexander Smith | Mindfulness Teacher
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In this episode I talk about my Midwinter Melancholy and how music is at the top of my "treatment plan." I read an essay I wrote in 2002 applying for an international Summer practicum in Eastern Europe (Bulgaria). It's called, MUSIC LESSONS. I got the internship and had an epic summer (circa 2002). I finish the episode offering you a blessing from …
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Snotty tales of mucus, textiles (my new bedding) and cashmere of course. I've emerged from a January whirlwind. Let's start with the cold/flu/covid which drop kicked me into bed for seven days. Thank Goddess I bought new flannel sheets and two down pillows (with Mulberry silk cases) in December. I'll share a juicy quote from Katherine May's WINTERI…
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Starry Night Yosemite | Foresta, CA, 9PM PT, Sept 10, 2023
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Make sit happen under the stars of nighttime in Yosemite National Park.By Alexander Smith | Mindfulness Teacher
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Starry Morning Yosemite | Foresta, CA, 5AM PT, Sept 11, 2023
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Make sit happen under the stars of an early morning in Yosemite National Park.By Alexander Smith | Mindfulness Teacher
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Make Sit Happen - Forgiveness - The riddle and process known as forgivenss
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I'm not sure forgiveness is real. I like to think of it as a riddle. May this guided meditation encourage ideas related to "forgiveness." It's a process, not a decision or an event. You don't have to forgive everyone. Here are the three phrases we'll work with: 1. I forgive you for the harm you have caused2. Knowingly or in ignorance, you were suff…
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"If everything around seems dark, look again, you may be the light" (RUMI).I'm writing on Winter's Eve to remind you that your light matters.The darkness and sorrow within my life is the reason I can hold authentic joy, peace and playfulness.Lebanese-American poet and philosopher Kahlil Gibran suggests "the deeper that sorrow carves into your being…
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Daddy Drag, My Desert Of Dementia With Cardell W Smith (My Father)
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I've been a little quiet here on the podcast as I've been processing big events, including time with Dad, in my Desert of Dementia (Arizona). He's been living with dementia since 2015 and this was our first time face to face where he didn't know who I was most of the 5 days. This episode presents in a "Blue's State of the Union Update" highlighting…
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Martell Teasley on the Grand Challenge to Eliminate Racism
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During this episode, Martell Teasley, the University of Utah’s associate provost for strategic academic initiatives, discusses a few of the ideas covered in his new book, Social Work and the Grand Challenge to Eliminate Racism: Concepts, Theory, and Evidence Based Approaches, which he co-edited with Michael Spencer and Melissa Bartholomew.…
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Let me intimate my response and thoughts on a few sentences from Gabor Maté's book, 'The Myth Of Normal.' Inside you. Think of your trauma as an inner injury. “Trauma is not what happens to you but what happens inside you.” Details about Late-Fall Wise Circles which start the week of November 13 and run for five weeks. Early bird discount on tuitio…
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While visiting Yosemite I did some reading about John Muir and his adventures in the Sierra Nevada, including Yosemite. I found a phrase by an author named Gretel Ehrlich that left an impression; she was referencing John's early life and his lack of "intellectual interludes." I carried the word interlude with me along the trails and rivers of Yosem…
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Make Sit Happen: Healing Trauma, A Guided Meditaion Journey, Written by Belleruth Naparstek
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Make Sit Happen: Healing Trauma, A Guided Meditaion Journey, Written by Belleruth Naparstek by Alexander Smith | Mindfulness TeacherBy Alexander Smith | Mindfulness Teacher
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BLUE NOISE: Foresta Falls in Yosemite National Park (60 Minutes)
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Swap your brown noise, green, white, or violet for this unique Yosemite waterfall. Blue Noise, an offering from Foresta Falls, which is deep on the edge of Yosemite National Park (in Foresta, CA). Recorded live, on location, Saturday, September 9, 2023 at 6:02PM PT.By Alexander Smith | Mindfulness Teacher
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Make Sit Happen: Crane Creek in Foresta, CA (Yosemite National Park)
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Enjoy the beautiful voice of Crane Creek in Foresta, California. On the edge, right in Yosemite National Park.By Alexander Smith | Mindfulness Teacher
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May Your Life (and Pain) Carve a Yosemite-Like Canyon Within You (Inner Strength and Beauty)
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I spent last week in Yosemite National Park for 7 nights. I have some ideas I want to share with you. Details about Fall Wise Circles. Piano Recitals With Watercolour Giveaways THIS WEEK. Four to choose from. 45 minutes on ZOOM. Thursday, Sept. 21, 7PM-7:45PM PT, Friday, Sept. 22, 6PM-6:45PM PT, Saturday, Sept. 23 (First Day of Autumn), 2PM-2:45PM …
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And Just Like That... I Turned 50 Years Old In August
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I’m home from Summer on the East Coast, ready to begin Second Summer in Southern California (find out what this means). I talk about my big blue birthday party on Broadway and the surprise visitors who flew across the country. In this episode I welcome new listeners I met (in-person) in Boone, North Carolina through Laura McKowen’s weekend retreat …
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"Muscular Hope" Your Invitation To Take An Imaginative Leap
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I'm simmering this summer with two words: MUSCULAR HOPE. Krista Tippet has inspired this adventure in idea."I talk about hope being a muscle.It’s not wishful thinking, and it’s not idealism. It’s not even a belief that everything will turn out OK. It’s an imaginative leap, which is what I’ve seen in people like John Lewis and Jane Goodall. Thes…
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In a snack-size, Summer's almost here episode, I share one of my favorite four-letter words. COAX always arrives, right on time, and encourages me. Coax is like a mantra, or prayer, that influences a shift, with gentle persuasion, flattery, etc. Even cajole! Only one more rainwater poppy painting available to purchase: viralmindfulness.com/gallery…
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Dear Alexander! Question From a Potential Wise Circle Traveler
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Question from a Potential Wise Circle Traveler: "I have been subscribed to your newsletter for a bit, and also interested in what group therapy might offer me. I've been exploring the stuff on your wise circle. Could you explain a little bit about how this functions as group therapy, and what makes it different?" Welcome to Dear Alexander! Share in…
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Maria Papova paints with words: "The life of a garden (wise circle, podcast) is a vivid reminder that anything of beauty and radiance takes time, takes care, takes devotion to seed and sprout and bloom." Thank you for being a part of my podcast! If you'd like to go deeper with me, in a small group setting, I just opened enrollment for my Spring Wis…
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Question from Tara: "Dear Alexander, How do I witness a loved one's pain and be supportive without becoming overcome with their pain myself?" Welcome to Dear Alexander! Share insight, beauty and aha's. Ask me a question: viralmindfulness.com/dear-alexander.By Alexander Smith | Mindfulness Teacher
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Winter's Edge 13 The Practice of Writing, Learn from it, write from it, teach from it!
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Winter's Edge 13 The Practice of Writing, Learn from it, write from it, teach from it! by Alexander Smith | Mindfulness TeacherBy Alexander Smith | Mindfulness Teacher
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Winter's Edge (Guided Meditation) Tend to the Waves of Mind
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Winter's Edge (Guided Meditation) Tend to the Waves of Mind by Alexander Smith | Mindfulness TeacherBy Alexander Smith | Mindfulness Teacher
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Winter's Edge 12 The Practice of Meditation, Explore My Guided Meditation Starter Kit
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The ultimate guided meditation starter kit. An affordable (must have) mindfulness resource for the beginning meditator and those with courage to 'begin again' and trust a fresh field guide (that's me). Make sit happen now → viralmindfulness.com/meditateBy Alexander Smith | Mindfulness Teacher
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Winter's Edge 11 (Spring Equinox) Stop and Notice and Thaw and Melt and Soften
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Winter's Edge 11 (Spring Equinox) Stop and Notice and Thaw and Melt and Soften by Alexander Smith | Mindfulness TeacherBy Alexander Smith | Mindfulness Teacher
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Winter's Edge 10 (Guided Meditation) Drawing Compassion for Yourself and Others
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In this 24-minute guided meditation we'll DRAW compassion for yourself and others. I know it's a long one, but it's juicy! Inspired and read from the REFUGE RECOVERY (book) and appendix. With additional "drawing" metaphors added throughout the meditation by Yours Bluely.By Alexander Smith | Mindfulness Teacher
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Winter's Edge 09 The Practice of Drawing, "Everything is better when you draw together!" (Wendy Mac)
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Winter's Edge 09 The Practice of Drawing, "Everything is better when you draw together!" (Wendy Mac) by Alexander Smith | Mindfulness TeacherBy Alexander Smith | Mindfulness Teacher
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Winter's Edge 08 (Guided Meditation) Listen to the Deep Melody of Your Own Soul
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In this ten-minute guided meditation we'll focus on the melody that lives deep within you.By Alexander Smith | Mindfulness Teacher
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Becoming Blue (Original Song) Written By Alexander Blue Feather
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I wrote this song and it's traveled with me for decades. At 13 I started this composition in the mountains of Salt Lake City, Utah, and finished it at age 16 in sunny Southern California. I remained 'Untitled' until recently when I officially named it BECOMING BLUE.By Alexander Smith | Mindfulness Teacher
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Winter's Edge 07 The Practice of Music, Become the Song of Your Heart
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Winter's Edge 07 The Practice of Music, Become the Song of Your Heart by Alexander Smith | Mindfulness TeacherBy Alexander Smith | Mindfulness Teacher
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Winter's Edge 06 (Guided Meditation) Bring Soul Light Into Your Body
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Inspired by the words of John O'Donohue, we'll relax into the body, and imagine a light all around you (the soul light) and with your breath draw that light (love, energy, i.e.) into your body. "The soul is not within the body as a little light or white spirit somewhere but the body is actually in the soul."…
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Winter's Edge 05 The Practice of Movement & Loving Attention Toward Your Body
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Practice is essential to my path, and I always start with movement of body. "Your body is a community of organs, all living with consciousness, that work together to house you in this story (Joy Harjo, 'Poet Warrior')." Move your body. Offer loving attention to your body today. It sounds simple and yet we struggle. You're not alone. I'll share some…
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I typed this in a note on my phone:Ditch perfection, be gentle with progress, indulge in practice and demand playfulness.The episode I wanted to call: A Mouthful of P's.We're talking progress, perfection, practice, playfulness, politics, pedestals, pretending and pretension.By Alexander Smith | Mindfulness Teacher
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Winter's Edge 03 (Guided Meditation) Daily Suggestions and Mantras of Spirit
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Short phrases that invite you into this moment. With background water sounds from a small creek in Bryce Canyon. I like to call them Viral Mindfulness Invitations or VMI's. Drop into your own being or presence. Even into silence or stillness. You’re welcome to sit, or to make this a moving meditation. Carry me with you as you gently walk. Access th…
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Winter's Edge 02 How To Organize Your Mini (At Home) Spiritual or Silent Retreat
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Do you ever catch yourself wondering what the hell your friend is talking about when she says: "I just got back from a silent retreat." Musing from Alexander on how to wrap your mind around a mini spiritual retreat (at home); even a silent retreat!By Alexander Smith | Mindfulness Teacher
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Winter's Edge 01 Spiritual and Soul Solutions
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Winter's Edge 01 Spiritual and Soul Solutions by Alexander Smith | Mindfulness TeacherBy Alexander Smith | Mindfulness Teacher
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"We are smothered and saturated without being in the least satisfied."
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Feeling dissatisfaction is a natural part of the human experience. I believe it's connected to depression, anxiety and stress. What you do with your dissatisfaction is an invitation. In today's episode I'll share my best solution to combat your Midwinter's dissatisfaction. "We are smothered and saturated without being in the least satisfied" (John …
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You Are The MapMaker Of Your Life (Wonder, Wander, Winter)
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Let me sing 'Every Breath You Take' by The Police. In this episode we'll explore the truth about therapists and counselors. We don't know what you should do! For decades we've gotten it all wrong. We're not hear to empathize, feel your pain and walk in your shoes. We need to listen, trust, believe you, and help you write the map -- you are the mapm…
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Weather check! It's midwinter... How's your emotional weather? Welcome back to the podcast with my first episode of 2023. Let's start at my piano with a gorgeous song written by Alexandra Stréliski. I'll talk about a tender experience Harvey Rose and I shared while playing make believe during our last weekend together. Viral Mindfulness Academy pre…
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Harvey Rose and I sing the Christmas carol, 'O Christmas Tree.' Let's talk about cravings! I'm uncovering why I reach for technology, chocolate, and "I must buy one more cashmere sweater!" Using a few paragraphs from the Recovery Dharma book, I'll walk you through my normal desires and how they move into stronger cravings, even an unsettled and agi…
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Make Sit Happen: Waterfall in Lower Calf Creek Falls, Boulder, Utah
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Do go chasing waterfalls baby... Sit next to this waterfall and practice for five minutes. Use the sound of water-only for a five-minute guided meditation. Explore my guided meditation starter kit. It's an affordable **Must Have** mindfulness resource for the beginning meditator and those with courage to “begin again” and trust a rresh field guide …
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Make Sit Happen: Mossy Cave Trail and Waterfall Creek (Bryce Canyon Utah)
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Sit for five minutes next to this lovely creek run-off from Mossy Cave Waterfall in Bryce Canyon, Utah.By Alexander Smith | Mindfulness Teacher
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