Meditation can boost focus and resilience, says Daniel Goleman, but only if we practice this key mental rep. Athletes get into “the zone.” Creatives tap into “flow state.” We may obtain a heightened sense of awareness in these moments, but they are exactly that: temporary. Once the...
Read MoreI never knew my dad’s outlet until just now. Driving into work this morning, I felt blank. Void. I didn’t have any words to say outwardly, but I needed to express myself inwardly. “I need to write,” I thought, making a mental note to post that...
Read MoreIn a world driven by competition and comparison, Sharon Salzberg contends shifting our definition of love might be the key to reconnecting to what matters most. As part of the “Real Love with Sharon Salzberg” event hosted by Women of Wisdom and Mindful, meditation teacher and author Sharon Salzberg discussed...
Read MoreBy pausing to notice the way we respond to others, we can open ourselves up to more honest communication. Recently my friend Nancy, who I haven’t seen in years, sent me an email with some photos attached. “You’ll love these,” she wrote. The photos circulating through the...
Read MoreIn high-stakes scenarios, we tend to panic—and mess up things we usually do with ease. Here’s why that happens, and how to stop it. A star athlete misses a penalty shot in overtime. A famous singer bungles the national anthem. A great actor forgets their lines...
Read MoreTrail-bound or office-bound, here are a few ways to mindfully celebrate the nature around us. There’s a considerable amount of pessimism surrounding our relationship to the planet and what we’ll have to do going forward to keep things on even keel. And new research suggests we tend to think we’re...
Read MoreWhen self-doubt takes over, we can begin to lose our sense of purpose and identity. Here’s how you can be more confident in the choices you make. “Know thyself” is a nugget of wisdom that has survived since it originated in Ancient Greece all the way...
Read MoreResearch suggests that thinking about the future—a process known as prospection—can help us lead more generous and fulfilled lives. Mindfulness is all the rage these days, and for good reason. Focusing on the moment can improve our well-being, foster compassion, and help our relationships. What about going beyond the present...
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 MoreAs technology becomes better at distracting us, being more conscious of how we use our attention is essential. Here's how you can regain focus and control. Have you noticed? There is a war being waged for your attention. In the so-called “Attention Economy” your attention is now...
Read MoreUnderstanding your personal values, and making choices that match them, may be the secret to a purposeful life. Psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl suggested that the search for meaning is the primary motivation in human beings. It is an essential part of our existence, from...
Read MoreA new book explains how we can learn empathy and have better social interactions. It’s hard to watch someone who is suffering. We may feel their pain or absorb their sorrow; we may worry that we won’t know what to do or say. Those uncomfortable moments...
Read MoreReleasing anger and frustration can actually help you regain control over a hectic day or win back productivity after feeling frazzled. But you have to do it in a mindful way. On the surface, these three people live worlds apart: Stefan works as a family practice nurse...
Read MoreA new study suggests that we judge ourselves more harshly than others do when we put ourselves out there. We all know the experience of vulnerability, even if we don’t call it by that name. It’s that feeling you get when you’re about to tell someone...
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 More↓ We can’t seek the deepest rest. We can relax the activity that obstructs our contact with it. Several years ago, I suffered a heart attack resulting in a triple bypass surgery and many months of recovery. One morning, my old friend Martha and I were sitting meditation....
Read More↓ Happiness is a choice. But we continually need to be reminded by people to make that choice. ↓ One big mistake people make is not realizing that happiness is an individual choice. But every choice is influenced by the people in our lives. If you change your...
Read More↓ With strong social support, we can accomplish impressive feats of resilience and even extend our lives. ↓ Our need for social support isn’t just in our heads. Evolutionary psychology explains that the innate need to form social bonds is wired into our biology. When we make a...
Read More↓ Generosity doesn’t have to be a big production. 1. Make someone’s day. As children, our parents tell us to make up for misbehaving by doing something nice for someone. As adults, we help friends move into a new house; we bring hot meals to new mothers; we might...
Read More↓ The year is coming to an end, so we’re all starting to think about holiday binge-ing and new year’s resolutions. The reason they’re so popular is that January represents a new start. In reality, the sun rises just like it does on any other day....
Read More♥ Hey, you. It’s me. I mean you. I’m you, 15 years ago. Remember me? I’ve noticed lately you seem a little stretched to the limit. Your to-do list is as long as your arm. Your time is more in demand, maybe even in overdrive. Don’t lose...
Read MoreCooking came into my life in an old-fashioned way. I grew up in Russia in the 90’s, when housekeeping was still a part of the curriculum for girls in secondary school. The most popular part of the subject was dedicated to cooking classes. The content of the...
Read MoreWHAT MY DOG TAUGHT ME ABOUT JOY For most of my life, I have been a cat person. I have lived with little house-tigers that sharpened their claws on my couches, played midnight hockey with my hair ornaments and dragged my dirty laundry from the hamper to...
Read MoreOn a cloudless Sunday afternoon in April, a 100-year-old woman named Ida Keeling laced up her mustard yellow sneakers and took to the track at the Fieldston School in the Bronx. Her arrival was met without fanfare. In fact, no one in the stands seemed...
Read MoreDo Mindful People Have a Stronger Sense of Self? ↓ Mindful people might be happier because they cultivate non-judgmental awareness of their thoughts, which allows them to better understand who they really are, suggests a new study. We all experience moments of self-doubt. Maybe we’re faced with a...
Read More