1) Loving-Kindness with Sharon Salzberg Loving-kindness meditations point us back to a place within, where we can cultivate love and help it flourish. Developing care toward ourselves is the first objective, the foundation for later being able to include others in the sphere of kindness. Here’s a simple explanation of the loving-kindness practice, which involves silently repeating phrases that offer good qualities to oneself and to others: 2) Mindful Conversations with Lili Powell Practicing mindfulness in social interactions isn’t a solo pursuit, or still, or quiet....

Thankfully, some sources are working to get us those quick mindfulness tips while giving us some background about the research and practice. Like Visions, a journal investigating wellness and mental health. The journal has published a list of mindfulness tips, including a definition of mindfulness and a summary of its origins. The summary briefly documents the research, beginning with Jon Kabat-Zinn‘s early mindfulness research and the formation of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) to the beginnings of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)....

This holiday season, bring all of your senses to the table with these seven mindful reminders: Let the Fork Linger Try not to let your fork or spoon become a shovel. Take a pause as you pick up your food, a half-moment to appreciate it before putting it in your mouth. Use All Your Senses Eating is not just about taste buds. Fruits and vegetables are natural works of art....

Over time, our hearts are literally shaped by our emotions and moods. Just as we now know we can rewire our brain’s connections using specific practices (a process known as neuroplasticity), the structure and function of the heart may undergo changes in response to our emotions: one form of a process known as cardiac plasticity. Balanced Mind, Strong Heart Difficult emotions are shown to risk harming the physical heart. For example, a 2014 meta-analysis of 30 prospective studies (40 independent reports), with 893,850 participants and follow-ups ranging from 2 to 37 years, found that depression predicted the excess risk of developing coronary heart disease or heart attack....

As human beings, I think we really get the activity part down pat, but I don’t know if we get the rest part as well. So in this practice (based on my story in the August issue of Mindful magazine about what nature can teach us about thriving in adversity), I’ll be guiding you to notice areas of rest in the body to relax and renew. Sometimes rest can be subtle....

Flowers has been teaching Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for thirteen years. About six years ago, he developed an online class using conferencing software so participants could take part from all over the world. During one of these classes, he encountered a doctoral candidate working on a thesis on mindfulness and shyness. Before too long, Flowers became interested in helping shy people reduce anxiety and have more fulfilling relationships by practicing mindfulness, and he has now written The Mindful Path Through Shyness: How Mindfulness and Compassion Can Help Free You from Social Anxiety, Fear & Avoidance (New Harbinger Publications)....

A: When the 2016 election happened and it was clear how much technology was dividing our country, I decided to focus on the intersection of my work with tech for social good and my firsthand understanding of going on meditation retreat and putting aside technology. The experience of being with myself, being present with what is around me, and tasting that deliciousness, offers a contrast to what it’s like to constantly be plugged in....

Any thought you have going into marriage that you’re not going to sacrifice something is ignorant. Depending on who you are, different things might feel painful. I have a friend who has been happily married for twenty years. She’s a terrific mom and she loves this guy but she feels this amputation, as she calls it, of monogamy. She feels there’s a part of her that died with the marriage, which isn’t to say they don’t have a sexual life together....

In 2008 an exploratory project took place in three New England states, pointing to the feasibility of teaching children mindfulness techniques, as well as their receptivity to learning and practicing mindfulness. The project also offered a model of collaboration between school personnel, the community, and institutions of higher education. Approximately seventy-five fourth grade students in New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts participated in a ten-week small group course—with tangible results. The project—called The Practical Effects of Teaching Mindfulness to Children—had the specific purpose to explore school counselors’ use of mindfulness education with elementary school students in small groups....

Tell me about the Bronx, where you grew up. The Bronx is a complicated piece of art. When people think of the Bronx, they think of the single narrative of catastrophe and hardship and danger and violence. But that’s not all. The Bronx is struggling, yes. The Bronx is lacking in resources, yes. The Bronx is a victim of bad policies, yes. The Bronx is also beautiful. The Bronx is community....

Here is one of the best cartoons I’ve found that says it like it is: 5 Steps to Worrying Less There really is no way to cure worrying, but we can learn to get better and better at recognizing it and gently guiding ourselves back to a sense of perspective and what matters. 1. Soften your understanding of worry The utility of worry is to try and anticipate and avoid any potential dangers and to keep us safe....

Mind the Moment encourages mindfulness, stating it “helps you tap into your own strength to manage stress, increase focus and stay healthy.” Their website adds: To visit the Mind the Moment page, click here. To read Mindful.org’s previous coverage related to Harvard Pilgrim, click here. Mindfulness also helps the body cope with physical challenges such as headaches, back pain, and even heart disease. 06/05/12

It is, suggests a new study published in the journal Mindfulness—if you can feel some compassion for yourself. The study—the first to examine the relationship between mindfulness and forgiveness of infidelity—surveyed 94 adults who had been cheated on by a partner. They reported on their levels of forgiveness, which involves feeling in control of their emotions, having a balanced view of the relationship (rather than vilifying their partner as wholly evil), and being ready to let go of anger and put the affair behind them....

Meditation is no longer a mystery, and no longer remains on the periphery of medical theory in the recent decades thanks to the work of pioneers like Jon Kabat-Zinn. “There are a lot of studies that are being done now that are showing the benefit of mindfulness for all kinds of conditions,” says Mark Epstein, an American author and psychotherapist, in a recent video from Big Think. Here are three ways mindfulness can benefit our brains: 1) Mindfulness pulls you out of emotional traps Mindfulness helps us not cling to what’s pleasant and not condemn what is unpleasant....

Interestingly, perhaps because of the vast span of historical time when reading also meant experiencing sound, even when we are reading silently to ourselves it turns out we’re still “hearing.” When we’re settled into our favorite book, or armed with our paper on the train (indeed, as you’re reading these words to yourself right now), auditory processing areas light up in our brains. Today, it’s not unusual to attend a mindfulness retreat and hear someone read a passage aloud....

It’s essential to remember, however, that the “miracle” of mindfulness comes from turning toward your experience, not away from it. And, because the experience of anger can be quite unpleasant, humor helps! If you’re a visual person, imagine donning your scuba gear and diving into the underwater world of the body, or opening the mouth of the fire-breathing dragon and putting your head inside. Or recite a silly mantra, like “c’mon anger, gimme all you got” or “I think I’ll just sit here for three minutes and self-combust....

I spoke with my colleague, George Kohlrieser, a professor at IMD about high performance leadership in my master class series. During our discussion, he offered ways to rebound from difficult emotions. “Bonding is crucial for any conflict management and negotiation. And remember, you don’t have to like someone to form a bond. You only need a common goal. However, there will always be a separation or disruption with bonding when there’s frustration or disappointment....

His comments echoed those of Facebook founding president Sean Parker. Social media provides a “social validation feedback loop (‘a little dopamine hit…because someone liked or commented on a photo or a post’),” he said. “That’s exactly the thing a hacker like myself would come up with because you’re exploiting a vulnerability in human psychology.” Are their fears overblown? What is social media doing to us as individuals and as a society?...

Won says it would be more effective for soldiers to learn and train mindfulness prior to deployment since the practice will offer soldiers the means to cope with their mental stress before getting into a high-stress environment. The University of Pennsylvania has also been working, with army support, to examine and research the effects of meditation as a means to deal with post-traumatic stress disorder. Though the army obviously has many physical fitness programs in place, Won says it currently lacks a mental fitness program....