1. Recognize the situation that exists in public education today. It’s a conservative system, says Jennings, where positive initiatives and good ideas circulate and then seem to peter out before they’re realized. Add to that the “political winds” changing the discussion around what parents and teachers ought to be concerned about. Any mindful initiative will have to navigate these waters and be respectful of the rules, such as the overarching rule that teachers become in locos parentis, or, in the place of a parent, during school hours....

Bailey mentions a statistic that is gaining traction among those talking about the impact of stress on the workforce: the World Health Organization estimates that American businesses lose $300 billion annually due to stress. That statistic was mentioned recently in a Huffington Post Live conversation with Janice Marturano, founder of the Institute for Mindful Leadership and former VP of General Mills, Depty Counsel. That WHO statistic is also part of a growing conversation about how compassion and slowing down might actually make business leaders more effective....

We are in some seriously wild days. Waves of anxiety, fear, confusion, anger, sadness, loss are spreading. Uncertainty brings that to our doorstep. With mindfulness, we can let it in. We can feel all of that and more. We can ride big, big waves of thought and emotion as we remember to breathe, remember to pause, slow down, and allow ourselves a moment, maybe even to close our eyes, soften our body and focus on inhaling and exhaling....

Actually, mindfulness is a tuning to what we already are, a freeing from the tyranny of shoulds, oughts, and wishes to be better, faster, and more efficient, which are endemic in workplace settings. It is an undoing more than a doing, a recognition that grasping for improvement and success (whether in the form of profit, status, recognition or identity) is stressful in itself, tending to make work an unhappy endeavour....

But… ew, what is “loving-kindness?” Sounds supremely syrupy and annoying, according to bestselling author, anchorman, and skeptic Dan Harris . When he first heard the term “loving-kindness” he thought it was so touchy-feely, ooey-gooey, and squishy, that it made him feel uncomfortable. “It felt like something we’d get lectured about in kindergarten and that I’d ignore anyway,” says Harris. What turned it around for him was the science. The research on loving-kindness meditation shows that qualities like loving-kindness and compassion actually make us happier, which means we’re more resilient and capable....

Neuroplasticity isn’t a given. Epidemiological research finds that how a brain ages depends on a number of factors including diet, physical exercise, lifestyle choices, and education. The healthier and more active one’s lifestyle, the more likely he or she will maintain cognitive performance over time. And meditation may be a key ingredient for ensuring brain health and maintaining good mental performance. Here’s what recent research suggests about how mindfulness meditation practice may help keep aging brains fit and functional....

After my oxygen levels dropped to a life-threatening low, and finding myself unable to breathe on my own, I was rushed to a hospital in Portugal, where I was living at the time. I spent 24 hours in the ER as doctors tried to determine what was wrong with me and to stabilize me and my breathing. The first guess was that I had COVID-19 and so, I later found out, I had been placed in a COVID ward....

Although it’s important to seek therapy and health promoting modalities when you need support. You can also be filled at times with the belief, that you can fix your unworthy self through more workshops, new therapies, or a better diet or exercise program. In many ways it’s no different from always striving for more money or more things. It’s just another variation on eternally wanting something more or better. Here’s how the trap works: Setting a goal of a better self calls forth wanting....

New research from UC Berkeley and Northwestern University, based on how couples behave during conflicts, suggests outbursts of anger predict cardiovascular problems later in life. Conversely, “stonewalling” during conflict—shutting down emotionally or withdrawing from the conversation—raises the risk of musculoskeletal ailments such as a bad back or stiff muscles. “Our findings reveal a new level of precision in how emotions are linked to health, and how our behaviors over time can predict the development of negative health outcomes,” said UC Berkeley psychologist Robert Levenson, senior author of the study....

More: Journal of Psychosomatic Research

While mindful moments can be woven into any milieu, some companies are going out of their way to create stylish meditation spaces that take “alone time” at work to a new level. (No word yet on a meditation pod that works for Zoom meetings, though.) 1) OpenSeed Meditation Pod OpenSeed has designed an egg-shaped meditation pod made of a sound-isolating wood and wool-felt shell. LED lights programmed to synchronize with guided audio meditations and calming sounds, an essential oil diffuser, noise-canceling headphones, and a touch screen to operate its functions make for a luxurious and private spot for a quick office cry....

3-Minute Mindful Movement Practice to Nourish Your Spine Dynamic mountainTo start, separate your feet hip-width apart. Inhale and reach both your arms forward and overhead. As you exhale, reach your arms out to the sides and down. Repeat this movement for 3 breaths. Downhill skier stretchInhale and reach up again. As you exhale, bend your knees slightly and place your hands on your knees like a baseball player. Take a deep breath in and out....

Free Mindfulness Apps Worthy of Your Attention Mindfulness apps are trending in a big way. Here are three we’re happy we downloaded. Feeling Overwhelmed? Remember “RAIN” Four steps to stop being so hard on ourselves. Five Steps to Mindfulness You can learn how to create a moment of joy at any time of the day. Explore these 5 simple steps to enjoy more mindfulness. How to Teach Your Kids about the Brain Laying strong foundations for emotional intelligence....

As the instructor of a mindfulness meditation training that’s part of a yearlong program in Albuquerque for repeat offenders arrested for driving while intoxicated (DWI), she faces a wall of resistance—arms folded across chests, bodies slouched low in chairs, eyes averted. At first. And then, something shifts. “Oh, I can almost cry thinking about it,” DuVal says. “That first week, they sit as far away from me as possible. Then, week to week to week, they realize, this stuff isn’t weird....

The research, published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, found that MBCT significantly reduced depressive symptoms by 30-35%. MBCT is a therapy involving eight weekly group sessions. It has been endorsed by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE)—but only as a treatment for preventing relapse in patients who have suffered three or more past episodes of depression. This new research shows that MBCT can be effective in patients who have suffered only one past episode....

This list is a non-exhaustive collection of resources, teachers, and organizations that offer mindfulness training and support by and for LGBTQ+ folks. This is a list we hope to continuously develop so if you know of an organization or person who should be on this list, please reach out to us on social media or at [email protected]. Mindfulness Organizations and Programs for the LGBTQ+ Community 1. CHA Center for Mindfulness and Compassion The Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) for Mindfulness and Compassion focuses on enhancing health and well-being by integrating various mindfulness practices into healthcare and communities....

Let’s take a typical experience. On the way home from work Sally thinks with dread about the talk she needs to work on for a big conference. Before starting to work on the speech, however, she decides to relax and watch a few minutes of TV. She sits down with a bag of chips. At first she eats only a few, but as the show gets more dramatic, she eats faster and faster....

Bronnie Ware: I had a lot of requests from people to write a memoir of my own, so I was able to merge them together. In hindsight I think I would have changed the title. It’s been translated into several other languages and in some countries they won’t print it with “dying” in the title, because people won’t buy the book. In Portuguese it’s called Before I Leave and in Dutch it’s If I Could Live My Life Over Again....