No matter what kind of storm life whips up for you, a simple notice-allow-breathe practice can help you find your calm. ♣ It’s hard to breathe; the air enveloping us is hot, stagnant. I look around a bit frantically at the other passengers packed tightly in the...
Read More↓ The skills we cultivate by playing tennis can also help us be more mindful—even if you've never before picked up a racket. Success in tennis is based on a simple principle: The present is all that matters. It sounds easy, except it’s not. A Harvard study showed that...
Read More↓ These tools will help you keep your cool through the chaos of the holidays. The holidays can be exciting times, full of celebration, love, and joy. But they can also bring stress and anxiety to the surface—even if you love spending time with your family, the holidays...
Read MoreExplore this mindfulness practice to witness and let go of bad habits, instead of becoming trapped by them ↓ ↓ When it comes to the universally-not-so-fun experience of craving, it goes something like this: my old job gave me an iPhone to keep me in the loop,...
Read MoreWe in the modern West assume that the normal mind is a healthy one. But a "healthy mind" is still subject to many types of distress, including depression, anxiety, frustration, restlessness, boredom, and resentment. Only when such imbalances are excessive are we advised to seek...
Read MoreDo you have a relationship with Planet Earth—your home? Taking time to focus on and appreciate the place you live creates a feeling of connection and health. ↓ Want to feel happier and more fulfilled in your daily life? You might start by considering how you view...
Read MoreNew research finds that those who meditate can focus their minds and control their impulsivity better than those who do not meditate. Your brain is actually shaped by your thoughts and your behaviors, which is why stress can take a toll on brain function over time. While some...
Read MoreLearning to befriend all moments places us firmly in the life we are living, rather than the ideal life we are prone to imagine or strive towards. There are several attitudes of mind that are pivotal to the transformation and liberation of the mind: befriending, compassion,...
Read MoreThis week we present good reasons to stock up on avocadoes, an intriguing link between depression and constipation, and people wigging out while meditating. Intrigued? Read to learn more. The Moody Gut: Constipation and Depression I’ve heard of moody cats and moody teens, but “moody gut” was...
Read MoreStruggle to stay focused when you meditate? Learning to listen like a musician can deepen both your meditation practice and your mindfulness. Musically minded people are naturally deep listeners. The variety of nuances and qualities that they can discern within a few bars of music is absolutely...
Read MoreThis simple yet effective form of deep breathing defuses the stress feedback loop and teaches your brain and body to relax. Taking a deep breath or two to relax in and of itself isn’t new. Many people take a few deep breaths when they’ve feeling overcome...
Read MoreWhen we deny what's difficult by putting our heads in the sand, we create more suffering. Here's a 10-minute meditation to reverse the tendency to start digging. Can you feel the heat? ↓ Life feels a little more intense these days: at home, work, out in the world....
Read MoreInformal mindfulness practices for those of us who don’t have five minutes to contemplate a raisin. ↓ I can still remember the raisin from that first mindfulness class I took in a family friend’s basement office, almost twenty years ago. I myself was only 20 years old...
Read MoreSusan Kaiser-Greenland guides us through one of the oldest meditation practices called "Sit and Know You're Sitting. ♠ One of the oldest meditation practices is also one of the simplest: Sit, and know you’re sitting. Let’s give it a try: 1. Get comfortable, with your back straight. Close your...
Read MoreOn autopilot, we might not notice all the stress we carry around — Explore this brief mindfulness practice to unwind your body and mind. ↓ By Elisha Goldstein | August 14, 2018 ◊ ◊ In order to deeply relax and be present in life, it’s important to understand how we hold our...
Read MoreThis 5-minute mindfulness practice cultivates gratitude for life's small delights as you move through the senses. ↓ By Elaine Smookler | August 6, 2018 Waking up this morning, I glanced at my cell phone and noticed the weather app ominously predicting many days of snow and icy temperatures ahead....
Read More↓ When we practice investigating judgments and diffusing them we can learn to choose how we look at things and react to them. Of all the wondrous array of thoughts that are possible, negative judgments about ourselves and others are one of the mind’s compulsive obsessions. It’s...
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Take a break and boost your mood with this 10-minute walking meditation. ↓ Before you begin your meditation, find a quiet space to walk. It could be outdoors, or in a hallway, or even a large room, walking back and forth. ↓ Walking meditation can be a formal practice,...
Read More↓ How to Cultivate Mindfulness by Listening to Your Thoughts ↓ Try this exercise to develop mindfulness by meditating on one’s thoughts. Perhaps at some time you have sat quietly by the side of an ocean or river. At first there is one big rush of sound. Listening quietly,...
Read More↓ Listening: The Supreme Skill Listening is an act of surrender. - Brian Eno ↓ Listening is the powerful, soothing agent of all communication. Listening is the best tool there is to lower anxiety, diminish division, and open into sameness, into togetherness. Listening will help almost anyone who is triggered...
Read More5 Things You Need to Know Before You Go on a Meditation Retreat Thinking about going on a meditation retreat this summer? Here's what you need to know. ↓ 1) What’s the Setting? Urban-ish or rustic, vegetarian or vegan, silent or guided, beach or mountain, solitary or group—retreats come in...
Read More↓ 7 Affirmations for Daily Walking Meditations Many new studies suggest that mindful walking is good, not only for mental health, but also to relieve stress. Moreover mindfulness, in general, is shown to improve chronic inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and asthma. Psychological...
Read More5 Things You Need to Know Before You Go on a Meditation Retreat ↓ Thinking about going on a meditation retreat this summer? Here's what you need to know. ↓ 1) What’s the Setting? Urban-ish or rustic, vegetarian or vegan, silent or guided, beach or mountain, solitary or group—retreats come in...
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By focusing on the breath while doing some simple mindful movements you can synchronize your mind and body with breath and rhythm. ♠ Mindful movement can help you tap into that space beyond your busy mind where you are already calm and clear. By focusing on the breath while...
Read MoreMeditation Is Hard When You Hate Yourself * Maybe at some point, you decided to try meditation—thinking it might help you resemble those placid, robe-draped figures chanting in the documentaries. Maybe you marveled at those scientific studies linking meditation with reduced anxiety and better sleep. Maybe you started...
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