Yesterday, Dan Harris’ book editor, Denise Oswald, tweeted a screenshot revealing Harris’ title at number one for the week of April 6. The full bestseller list won’t go online until next weekend, but we’re happy for the sneak peek. 10% Happier was released this month and chronicles ABC News anchor Dan Harris’s on-air panic attack in 2004, which prompted him to visit a psychiatrist and find a way to cope with his “well-hidden and well-managed” drug use and depression—both of which had developed after he returned from covering the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel, and Palestine....

And the winners are….drum roll… The Headspace Experiment The Headspace Experiment offers a highly customizable experience of meditation practice that includes a range of technologies: apps, podcasts, animations, and creative designs. Beyond practice, users can expect comprehensive data about their experience over the duration of their practice, including maps of their emotions and assessments of happiness—all based on research. The team’s goal is to integrate mindful practices with breaking research on mindfulness....

Off with Their Heads Traditional gender norms are toppled in the Gold Silver Bronze deck, created by Dutch card fan Indy Mellink. Seeing how existing playing cards reinforce sexist gender hierarchy, she dreamed up a genderless deck of playing cards which takes the antiquated images of king, queen, and jack and transforms them into gold, silver, and bronze. Parents are People, Too At their core, games are a way for people to bond, and a new card game, Parents Are Human, brings a deeper sense of bonding to family game night....

They are the basis for most of our positive outcomes in life. They determine how often we practice mindfulness, our exercise patterns, our ability to place our full attention on our work. They bolster our capacity to interact with the people around us from a sense of compassion and full presence. Our habits also create most of the problems we encounter in life. They keep us stuck in self-defeating patterns like eating that full pint of ice cream, getting lost for hours on social media, or “checking out” instead of being present for the people we love....

Here are three ways to strengthen the relationships you have, and nourish the ones that might need some work: 1. Start with kindness Kindness is like a magnet. People like to be around others who are kind because they feel cared about and safe with them. The age-old Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would want them to do to you” still rings true today. It’s also reciprocal. When we practice kindness, not only do we feel better, but we help others feel good, too....

6 New Mindfulness Books to Read 1. The Mindful Teen Workbook Patricia Rockman, MD; Allison McLay, DCS; and M. Lee Freedman, MD • New Harbinger Nothing can kill the spirit of genuine mindfulness more quickly than a one-size-fits-all attitude, and nowhere is that illustrated more potently than with teenagers. If you impose a fixed idea of anything from above and try to impose it—subtly or overtly—teens will reject it and rebel against it....

It’s a predicament experienced by couples at all stages: newlyweds, those who have lived together for years, those who have been together for decades. So how can you reignite the spark of conversation? Here are six of our favorite questions to help bring you and your partner closer together. 6 Questions to Spark Intimacy and Conversation 1. What’s really going on with you? This is an invitation to take your conversation one level deeper, an invitation for your partner to talk about their challenges, struggles, and victories you may not know about....

1) Find a buddy Make a commitment to exercise with a friend or coworker once or twice per week. It helps to choose someone you wouldn’t want to disappoint. This will hold you accountable and improve the likelihood of staying consistent. Besides, working out with a friend makes sweating more fun. 2) Turn on the tunes In a 2013 study, researchers showed that pumping up the music while we exercise significantly improves our mood....

Take a deep breath right now. That’s the practice. Imagine if every day you found moments to breathe, to reflect, to be more present. Breathe and Reflect As you pause to take one of those deep breaths, maybe you’re already reflecting on how you’re showing up in the world, what you’re letting people see, and what you’re not letting people see. Where can you begin to be more of yourself?...

A Guided Meditation for Focused Awareness Let’s start by bringing our primary attention to the sounds in the room, wherever you are. Right now I’m hearing a clock somewhere. A window is open where I am, so I’m also hearing some birds. Notice any thoughts that arise. While I’m listening to the sounds in the room, I’m not blocking the thoughts and emotions that come up. I think of this kind of like driving a car: My primary attention is on the road in front of me, but I’m still aware of what’s happening in my peripheral vision, what’s happening in my rearview mirror, and if I have kids in the back seat of the car, what’s happening there....

I want to talk about the concept of self-compassion. Self-compassion is different than self-esteem. There seems to be this epidemic of self-judgment in the world, where people are often self-critical and have a lot of self-hating voices in their heads. Self-compassion is not the build up of self-esteem, because the build up of self-esteem tends to lead people to needing a lot of external validation to feel ok. Instead, self-compassion is the idea that even with all of our flaws, we can still care about ourselves, that we can make mistakes, that we can screw up, that we can have problems, but we’re still fundamentally a good human being....

In this mindfulness framework, each letter of the word “breath” serves to remind us of our responsibility to ourselves and to others to honor and promote equity. “B” invites us to breathe for belonging. “R” for restoration and renewal. “E” to exercise equity. “A” to activate and advocate. “T” asks us to trust the power. “H” is for healing. A Guided Meditation to Celebrate the Power of Pausing Together READ MORE Heather Hurlock May 26, 2022...

A kindly friend gently reminds me it’s only a throat virus, and I internally combust: NO, it’s not ONLY a throat virus, pal, it’s MY throat virus…it’s happening to me…which makes it the most horrible, insufferable thing, ever. Idiot. Anyone’s suffering can be hard to bear, but when that anyone is me it can feel apocalyptic. “Alas,” I cry out, “It’s ME everyone! I’m sick!” After so many years of practicing mindfulness, what I notice is that YOUR suffering sucks and I really feel for you, while MY suffering blots you out entirely....

As you become more aware of the emotions and body sensations you’re actually inviting into your day when you use your phone, you’ll be able to make better decisions about how to use it wisely. read more Christopher Willard March 16, 2016 Sam Littlefair August 29, 2018

For years, my colleagues at magazines I’ve worked for have clearly questioned my sanity. Why would I choose to climb into a sea kayak, as narrow as my hips, and race it in the open ocean, down waves stacked taller than me for ten or more miles? Ironically, the answer is, to preserve my sanity. The key to any high-risk sport is focus: Whether it’s surf ski paddling, which is what I race, or rock climbing, surfing or solo sailing, staying in the moment is essential....

In the aftermath, Kiser, who works in nonprofit aid and collective-impact organization, was moved to act. Reaching out to friends and colleagues, including fellow Puerto Rican Andres Gonzales of the Holistic Life Foundation (HLF), she launched Bajacu’ Boricua (baja-coo boor-ee-qua), a pilot project to offer free training in meditation, mindful movement, and music therapy, with the goal of supporting resiliency as Puerto Ricans “do the big work of recovery.” In January, she and members of HLF, movement teacher Leslie Booker, and María José Montijo, a California-based Puerto Rican sound therapist and harpist, embarked on a 10-day tour of the island....

Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention to the present moment. Research is starting to show how mind-training like meditation can help us chart new pathways in the brain, regulate our emotions, and form new habits.

A research team from the University of Glasgow and Modeuro Consulting recently asked executives at the utility company London Power to think twice before hitting send. As a result, email around the office was reduced by half—not to mention that it freed up 11,000 hours of work time annually. Researcher Karen Renaud offers three suggestions: Break the chain. When people email you, consider who really needs a response. “Only send to people who have to see the message and act on it,” says Renaud....

Ohio Congressman Tim Ryan also made an appearance to discuss his new book. Wellesley College past-president Diana Chapman Walsh delivered the opening keynote address. For more information about the symposia on Mindful.org, click here.

If the latter sounds like something you can relate to, you’re not alone. Burnout has become so prevalent, it’s being talked about as “the new normal,” with some studies showing 77% of workers saying they have experienced burnout at their current job. Healing burnout is past the point of being a collective imperative. We all need to take a beat. Breathe. And find ways to skillfully use our resources to replenish and renew....