What’s more terrifying, though? When good-hearted people get overwhelmed by all of it, lose touch with their humanity, and stop caring. The challenge of staying human in the middle of this comes down to how we respond to the suffering around us and in ourselves. If we despair and give up, that’s not helpful; on the other hand, it also doesn’t help if we allow self-righteousness to poison us with indignation....
Even now, it’s easy to get caught up in thinking everything has to be perfect, which of course, is not possible. How we choose to meet this realization can ultimately determine our well-being. We can allow ourselves to feel what we need to feel if this season is difficult. We can choose self-compassion when things don’t go as planned. And by doing so, we can strengthen our capacity for resilience and connect with what really matters....
Taking in the setting sun and a warm autumn breeze, I noticed an older couple in their mid-70s standing on their own amidst the chattering younger crowd. Sensing a social divide, I walked up to them and introduced myself, and in minutes found myself deeply engaged in interesting conversation. This couple and I quickly delved into discussion of the current pressures surrounding high school kids, and then of the pros and cons of empty-nest life in the suburbs versus the city—after 40 years of suburban living, this semi-retired mathematics professor still commutes by train to his work at a metropolitan university....
If you’re about the have a money conversation with your spouse, family member or business partner, try this body check-in practice to find balance. Body Check-In Practice Before you begin, give yourself a moment to pause and get quiet. You can close your eyes if that feels right, or keep them open. Take time to get curious and begin to notice and listen to anything that’s happening inside your body....
For those of you getting excited that we’ve appeared to make some sort of headway in introducing nuance into our gender stereotypes, you’ll have to hold those horses. The catalogue is only published in Sweden. Further, not all images in the catalogue are gender neutral. This publicity stunt, beyond being an excellent selling tool that could theoretically harness the buying power of both sexes for toys previously categorized for “just boys” or “just girls,” points to what could be in store for our shopping future....
Whether it’s pain in the body, a mind that doesn’t seem to know peace, or a world at war with itself, we can pay attention to the hurt and care for the wound, honoring it, instead of just trying to get away from it. We can then rest in the simple truth that we’re here and we care about what’s difficult. When we truly tend to our hearts and allow them to be touched by what is difficult, let them break, from the fear of pain or hurt, what arises is a natural tenderness....
The power of inquiry arises from the fact that our experience of life is shaped by a thick web of interconnected stories and beliefs. We judge ourselves: I’m not good enough. We attach: Nothing ever turns out right. We resist what is: It’s too cold out. These stories and beliefs play in our minds like background music at a restaurant, so familiar that we are no longer conscious of them....
At the 2013 Wisdom 2.0 conference, a presenter from Google gave a simple demonstration. I’ve adapted it into the following practice, called the Seventy-Ninth Organ. Try it with your kids, but also try it with your adult friends and colleagues. The Seventy-Ninth Organ: A Mindful Cell Phone Practice The human body has seventy-eight organs. We need each organ to do its job well in order to keep our bodies healthy....
Listen to Episode 1: We Can’t Live Like This Anymore Guided Meditations to Pair with this Episode of Burnout 1) A Body Scan to Tune into What You May Be Holding 2) Name Your Values So You Know When Your Actions Aren’t Aligned with Them 3) “Touch and Let Go” Meditation, To Observe Your Thoughts, Not Attach To Them 4) A Mindful Inquiry: Calming the Rush of Panic read more Mindful Staff May 17, 2022...
But practicing a simple thing in difficult circumstances is, well, no longer simple. Carefully folding the sails and coiling the rope while on the deck of a storm-tossed sailboat, with screaming winds and crashing waves, is decidedly difficult. And it’s a bit like practicing mindfulness in the midst of a global pandemic, raging environmental disasters, and an unprecedented political maelstrom. How do we, as Rudyard Kipling once said, “keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you”?...
After scans, it seems like we always have to wait at least 20 minutes for the doctor. I don’t mind waiting in the lobby, but once we’re in the office, it’s torture. I know that the doctor could walk in at any second with news that could change everything. I brace myself with every sound of footsteps in the hallway. My wife and I always hold hands and meditate during this time....
Fortunately my loved one survived the health crisis, and in the days that followed, my experience in the ICU caused me to reflect once again on the nature of anger—to become more keenly aware of anger in myself and in others. Anger causes so much suffering in our personal relationships and in our society. Its effects range from spats with our spouse to wars between nations. Our own anger causes suffering to others, often those we love most, and their anger causes us suffering....
After decades of crippling challenges, civic leaders in Flint are leading the way in bringing mindfulness into the work of rebuilding a resilient, healthy community. Just last week, over 100 people from government, business, education, healthcare, and philanthropy participated in a groundbreaking mindfulness-based training program for civic leaders. Their goal is to develop collaborative and innovative leadership skills to bring about a flourishing community. Mindful Cities is Playing a Vital Role At Mindful, we are working directly with Flint to help make this happen through our Mindful Cities Initiative, a project of the Foundation for a Mindful Society....
It happened many years ago. We were exiting a chemistry class together, and he was teasing me…mercilessly. I repeatedly asked him to stop, but he wouldn’t. Rather than shrugging it off, though, I hit him hard on the arm. Both of us were shocked, but only I was left feeling shame, too. I know I’m not the only one who has let anger get the best of them only to regret it afterwards....
You might also want to check out Dan’s article “What I Learned Writing Focus” here on Mindful.org. For more on meditation and focus, you might want to read “Meditation: A Practical Way to Retrain Attention,” where Dan talks about how meditation can help us “flex” the different muscles of attention. And if you’re looking for more ways to develop focus, try this 9-minute sensory focus practice from Dan’s new audiobook, Cultivating Focus: Techniques for Excellence....
The many mindfulness teachers and advocates who encouraged us to start Mindful—and whom we represent in everything we do—believe mindfulness is an inherent human capability that belongs to anyone irrespective of race, creed, gender, you name it. It is our birthright. What is it exactly? Since it’s a quality of mind, it’s not easy (or even desirable) to have a single, agreed-upon-by-everybody, one-size-fits-all definition. Mindful’s definition says that mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us....
