In this video, from the Mindfulness and Compassion conference back in March, Bardacke talks about adapting Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) into her Mindful Childbirth and Parenting program. She talks about some of the unexpected stressors on pregnancy and how mindfulness can help—a key part of Mindful’s feature story on Bardacke’s class in the August 2013 issue of Mindful magazine. “Why bring mindfulness to expectant families? Well first of all, pregnancy is pretty stressful even if it’s happy....

Research indicates that people, even the most calculating leaders, make decisions emotionally and then rationalize that decision with logic. In other words, what we now know is that the work of our conscious mind is to rationalize, not to be rational. And so it is with change. It’s not enough to understand the benefit of change—we must also reach the same conclusion emotionally. Navigating Change as a Leader When change happens, it’s usually because changing feels better than staying the same....

The research work that led Gurrlock to develop the program began ten years ago, and was based on the theory that mindfulness meditation practice increases the space around the neurons in your brain, allowing faster communication between neurons, which accounts for all of the positive attributes of mindfulness. The more spaced-out brain is also lighter, because it is more densely packed with energy rather than matter, allowing for more room for communication to pass between the various parts of the brain....

Wellness in the House This spring a program with potential to ease stress in the nation’s capitol launched at the US House of Representatives. The House Wellness Center brings wellness education and services—including mindfulness—to members and staff of the House. On tap: lunchtime seminars on topics including work–life balance, sleep essentials, and gratitude; assistance with life-management issues, such as childcare; a newsletter providing informational articles, a guide to resources, and wellness tips; and instruction in mindfulness-based stress management, among other skills....

The entryway of the Boulder Valley Humane Society smells like wood chips. There is a stack of hamster cages by the front door, placed like intended impulse purchases, like Chapstick and breath mints at Target. “May I help you?” The pleasant lady behind the counter says with a mouth that is more gums than teeth. I tell her we’d like to visit a dog or two that are especially in need of love....

Before launching into what we can look for in 2018, I want to start the year by specifically thanking all of you who helped make our end of 2017 funding campaign a success. As a nonprofit, your support is both critical and inspiring. Not only does a successful funding campaign mean that 2017 ended on a high note, but it importantly sets us up to be strong and energized to expand our efforts in 2018....

For example, consider attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder. ADHD is a medical disorder. Its genetic inheritance is similarly strong to that of height, its rate similar around the world (in spite of how it is often presented), and it includes brain differences that have been documented in multiple studies. As with any health condition, handling ADHD well means coming to terms with its full range of effects. ADHD affects a person’s life management, not only their attention....

In his interview with Mirabai Bush for the Working with Mindfulness webinar series with More Than Sound, Dr. Davidson touches upon the possibilities of using our experiences to positively shift our self-perception—and retrain our brains. Here’s what he had to say. “What we often refer to when we speak in that way are differences that we perceive in ourselves, in our emotional reactions, the way we respond to adversity, and the kinds of moods that we often inhabit....

“We’re equipped with mechanisms for care and nurtuance,” says Emiliana Simon-Thomas, science director of the Greater Good Science Center. “And they’re as original as any we have for self-preservation and competition.” For a peek into the evolution of our thinking about human nature, this collection of articles—originally published at Greater Good—touches on a range of aspects, from new research looking at our impulses to collaborate, our consumption patterns, and how we stack up in the animal kingdom....

She is author of the upcoming book The Mindful Child: How to Help Your Kid Manage Stress and Become Happier, Kinder, and More Compassionate. She also developed the website Mindfulness Together and the Inner Kids program, designed to teach young kids vital skills toward a more peaceful and compassionate world. Susan will be speaking at the Bridging the Hearts and Minds of Youth Conference in San Diego on February 4 – 5, 2012....

His qualms about flesh-eating had started a few days earlier, when he learned that while soy burgers were made from soybeans, salmon burgers were not, in fact, made from salmon beans. (“Not a fish that swims in the sea!” he had laughed in disbelief when I explained what a salmon was. And then, concerned: “How do they get it to stop swimming in the sea and be a burger?”) Now I was pushing him through the produce aisles, as he perched in the basket of a heaped shopping cart gnawing on a sesame-seed bagel....

So it made me turn my head when I found out that Hearst Publications, a major U.S. media company, took on the workplace stress issue by hiring a meditation teacher. Mirabai Bush, founder of the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society, helped establish Google’s Search Inside Yourself program and has taught mindfulness practices to other big businesses, such as Monsanto. Recently, Bush shared some of her techniques in an hour-long audio CD called “Working with Mindfulness....

Being able to identify the need for a “personal moment” is critical. However, the reality is most of us are already pretty good at this part of the equation. Where we tend to fall short is acting on our own recognition. It’s not enough just to notice that low fuel light inside your head. You have to do what it’s telling you – pull over, put it in park, and refuel....

In what sense does your hyphenated surname—Murphy-Shigematsu—speak to the integration that’s so present in your work? I found a sense of purpose in making meaning of an existence that was created by two people from different worlds—an Irish-American father and a Japanese mother. They were people from different sides of a great war who came together in peace and created children. Your career has shifted from providing individual psychotherapy to working exclusively with groups....

Having said that, hedge-fund managers and CEOs, as well as politicians in the US and UK, are meditating. But they’re not just doing it for the bottom line. You don’t meditate to “make a killing.” You do it so work doesn’t kill you. When Arianna Huffington, founder of The Huffington Post, collapsed from exhaustion, injuring her head, it was a rude awakening for her about how she was running her business and her life....

For this visualization practice, imagine you and your partner are at the end of your lives. You’ve had a great run together. And now, it’s time to say “goodbye.” From this perspective, you will write a letter to them. But first, to help you go even deeper into this perspective, we encourage you to listen to the radical generosity love letter meditation. We’ve also included a few prompts below in case you need inspiration....