I originally wrote this Himalayan salt lamp meditation for my third book, Sleep Rituals. Not only is a salt lamp a helpful focal point for meditation, its warm glow encourages the brain to switch into "night mode.” Let's combine the elements of ritual and sensory delight for some well-deserved peace of mind tonight.

This is a prayer for peace for all of us who've known the power of grief and the balm of friendship, who've been touched by the hands of despair but who still choose life. Wherever you are now -- wherever you've been and wherever you're going next -- may you open your heart to the freedom that's still available to you, whatever it is you decide that freedom means for you.

Here’s an enchanting candle gazing meditation that’s easy to do and doesn’t require a whole lot from you. It’s from my book Sleep Rituals, reworked and given an appropriate name: Burn Your Thoughts. Give yourself that mental space — to clear away whatever isn’t letting you be fully in the moment, or fully in your life.

I think it’s important to fall in love with the world as it is before you set out to make a difference in it. One of the best ways to do that is through the language you use every day. These mantras can be part of your meditations, but more powerful than that — they can be part of your everyday life. They can help you think in new ways, can bring you back to your own heartbeat on a stressful day. It's a practice of honoring the world around you and within.

If celebrating the holidays after loss is something you either struggle with or look forward to, here are a few ideas on how you can turn this into a season of moments dedicated to the beauty you’ve found because of the people you so miss. This season especially can be a devotion to the lives who’ve gone before your own. It can be a window into the love and bond you still share. A time to celebrate being alive is also a time to celebrate their lifetime.

Life after the most difficult things isn't easy, but I’d rather live one lifetime like that — heartbreak, love, heartbreak, love — than a thousand lifetimes with my heart closed, feeling nothing at all. Read this letter if you need inspiration for how you live your "life after."

A shattered heart needs to be held together, and prayer is an age-old ritual that can heal and mend the spirit like nothing else can, or when nothing else can. However you pray, even if you don't, I hope these quotes about prayer inspire you to open your heart, and to consider that, itself, a form of prayer.

A cloudy day is the perfect chance to meditate on the miracle of your own being here. No matter how old you are, there’s a certain wonder and lightheartedness in watching the clouds drifting through the sky. To rekindle your interest in the world above you, try this cloud meditation. Keep looking up and you might just see that you too, can let the light shine through. That you too, have an influence on the world.

For some of us, we only have to go out into nature to find whatever it is our soul is missing. If you're like me and find everything you need in a walk in the woods, this poem is for you. It's a way of saying, "thank you, I love you" to the beauty still left all around you.

This heartbeat meditation is a beautiful way to connect with your “inner flame” and the simple joy of being alive. It's uplifting and centering, as practical as it is sacred. As you sync with your inner rhythm, you might sense a flicker of light still on inside — even after everything, even the middle of everything.