Often as caregivers we actually exacerbate that clinging. One of the ways that we do that is by focusing on the problem. When we focus on the problem, we cause ourselves or others to feel small, and to become identified with the problem. It becomes something to be solved. It can happen in meditation as well. Imagine if we saw the people we served as a mystery to be discovered....

Appreciation Practice: Three Good Things When faced with a disappointment, we acknowledge our feelings, and then we think of three good things in our lives, too. Leading the game: Tips for naming three good things: At first, appreciation and thankfulness may feel like a mere intellectual exercise. Yet the more families carve out time to practice appreciation when life is good, the easier it is for parents and children to be thankful for the good things in life when times are hard....

CCARE has been tracking and conducting research on compassion, and Doty shares some of those results, noting that that the data is “preliminary.” But he does envision that research contributing to a hands-on experience. When asked about CCARE’s future, Doty talks about creating a “mental gym” where individuals can maximize the results gleaned from research. From the article: “I would like to create a virtual compassion gym, where individuals get a psychological profile which takes into account what resonates with them […] Additionally, we would incorporate what we have learned from online gaming and psychology on engagement....

You are not alone. Many of us have developed a belief that we must be nice, pleasing, or helpful to the exclusion of our own feelings and needs in order to be worthy of love or appreciation. This belief is, of course, not true and furthermore an impossible goal to meet. When we give to get, we can often end up feeling angry and as a result we don’t create healthy boundaries or compassionate boundaries at home and work....

In an interview with the Dalai Lama Center, who organized the speaker series, Greenberg spoke of the research he’s been conducting. “We’ve been doing studies in inner-city Baltimore with children who are both poor and had a lot of violence in their neighbourhood," he says. “We’ve only done some initial studies, but we’ve seen that yoga helps improve their ability to regulate emotion.” Other upcoming talks in the “Developing Mindfulness in Families, Schools and Youth” series include : March 3: Dr Jack Miller, of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, will give a talk on “Educating for Wisdom and Compassion....

I stared at him in open-mouthed shock. Then I clearly saw how our discontented minds caused the harsh words and deeds. In that moment I had a choice. I could keep criticizing, or I could contact my heart. So I laughed, he relaxed, and I pledged to learn to fight fair. Sure, I am a love expert now, but the truth is, I used to have tumultuous relationships. I mistook tantrums for passion....

1. Be present Awareness is the springboard from which we can appreciate the world around us. Set reminders in your phone throughout the day to pause and check in with yourself. By stepping into a space of curiosity you will discover an increased ability to notice happiness in everyday life. 2. Harness difficulty As long as you’re alive, challenges will find you. Sometimes you probably even create challenges for yourself—we all do....

Langer is a professor of psychology at Harvard University, and has studied the illusion of control, decision-making, aging and mindfulness theory. She is the author of more than 200 research articles and six academic books, including Mindfulness and The Power of Mindful Learning. For more of Langer on mindfulness in general, see this video too: 07/11/11

We’ll meet here twice a month to introduce you to some of the teachers, thinkers, writers, and researchers who are engaged in the mindfulness movement. You’ll hear all kinds of conversations here about the science of mindfulness, the practice of mindfulness—and the heart of it. I’m Stephanie Domet. I’m the managing editor at mindful magazine and mindful.org. And this is Real Mindful. Rhonda V. Magee is a professor of law at the University of San Francisco....

“A human being is part of the whole, called by us the Universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separate from the rest—a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty....

Mentally taxing tasks can dampen our perception of taste, according to a new study published in Psychological Science. From the Scientific American article: In four experiments, participants attempted to memorize either a seven-digit number (a heavy load on the brain) or one digit (a light cognitive load) while tasting salty, sweet and sour substances and rating each food’s taste intensity. In all experiments, participants under the heavy cognitive load rated each type of taste as less intense, and they also ate more of the sweet and salty substances....

Ask Jason’s coworkers and you’ll hear a different story. They’ll tell you that his work with clients and coworkers is inconsistent. If he’s in a good mood, all goes well. But when he is angry or frustrated, his interactions suffer. He doesn’t listen well and he shows contempt for the client’s suggestions. Inevitably, clients reject his initial designs because he didn’t accurately incorporate their wishes. And, his coworkers know to avoid him when he is in a bad mood....

Unease and negativity are not always entirely bad. Good can emerge from acknowledging your feelings and the airing of your opinions. There’s inherent value in in working through discomfort. Fear and uncertainty are often the first steps along the path toward personal growth. Disagreement and challenges may be uncomfortable, but unpleasant emotions that accompany growth often prompt introspection and have the ability to widen one’s worldview. The work begins with you....

Emotions are challenging, but why would we want to stop being emotional? It’s our lifeblood. It’s what causes us to get up in the morning and cross the street. Even if it were desirable to get rid of them, we’d have no choice. They’re part of our system of sensing and responding to the world. Without them, we’d be automatons. Music would not move us. Loss would not affect us....

To find out if this might be true, researchers asked 157 undergraduate students at the University of Connecticut to fill out an online mindfulness questionnaire at the beginning of the school year. The following month, students completed a daily online questionnaire at the end of each day for seven days. The daily survey included a list of 17 potential stressors. Students indicated which of those stressors they’d experienced that day, then rated which event was the “worst or most bothersome....

But, even though I’ve always believed that hiking in nature had many psychological benefits, I’ve never had much science to back me up…until now, that is. Scientists are beginning to find evidence that being in nature has a profound impact on our brains and our behavior, helping us to reduce anxiety, brooding, and stress, and increase our attention capacity, creativity, and our ability to connect with other people. “People have been discussing their profound experiences in nature for the last several 100 years—from Thoreau to John Muir to many other writers,” says researcher David Strayer, of the University of Utah....

There’s a fatty substance located in the white matter of the brain called myelin, and it serves as a “sheath” that protects nerve fibers, prevents energy loss, and helps information move along neural pathways. When we repeat an activity, the myelin coating thickens, leading to a more efficient transfer of information. So instead of building muscle memory, you’re actually building up myelin in neural pathways—creating a “superhighway of information connecting your brain to your muscles,” as Don Greene, the narrator of the video, notes....

When faced with a challenge, we should ask ourselves two questions: “What’s actually going on?” and “What should I do?” How we follow through on these questions will determine the wisdom and effectiveness of our actions, be it with family, work, or our personal lives. Of course, we all differ in our approaches. Some of us feel more comfortable thinking about the questions that a challenge raises rather than rushing to act....

iBMe works to improve the lives of teens, parents, and professionals through mindfulness education, retreats, and school programs. They recently raised over $65,000 for teen scholarships by pledging to meditate daily for all of April. Nathan Worthen, a 19 year old who went to an iBMe retreat, talked to Mindful in the June 2014 issue about his experience: “The retreats have helped me stop thinking of myself as an idiot if I slip up....