[Photograph by Markus Spiske] This article also appeared in the December 2014 issue of Mindful magazine. Subscribe to Mindful‘s print edition or digital edition.

Last week, Colbert told Fresh Air‘s Terry Gross that he initially shied away from discussing political events on the show in order to distinguish himself from his old character, trading lengthy opening monologues about news and current affairs for high-kicks with bandleader Jon Batiste. But that changed in recent months. “It took me almost half a year to realize … that you can have a highly opinionated, highly topical show as yourself and not essentially fall back into the basket of The Colbert Report,” he says....

My preschooler, Opal, started plying me with questions when she was four. “Were you the one who died that mouse?” Or, “Do you think that moth knows he’s dead?” Cute out-of-the-mouths-of-babes comments tossed off as she buzzed on to her next activity. I’d gotten used to her frank, unemotional curiosity about death, but when her questions shifted from light banter to a source of terror, I was caught completely off-guard....

In an interview on Charlie Rose this month, Harris talked about his drug abuse ten years ago that lead to an on-air panick attack and how he stumbled upon meditation—Harris practices mindfulness meditation. Rose asked if there was a substitute practice that could yield the same benefits as meditation. (Rose was very insistent on the power of naps.) “I don’t think anything does,” Harris replied. “People ask me this all the time: What about my gardening, is this meditation?...

When we give ourselves a break from overwork, we increase our brainpower and convert stress into productive and creative energy. Have some playtime. 2. Switch Autopilot On This doesn’t mean being “mindless” and bumping into walls because we don’t know where we are. It’s about using our brain’s natural ability to run on well-grooved habits, which are more powerful than willpower in carrying life’s burdens. 3. Unshackle Yourself Take time to break free from things that tax us, like our smartphone’s constant siren song....

Obviously there’s nothing wrong with “doing” things—we have to do things. Doing things is great, but doing things is also challenging. Having some time when we can just be is refreshing. No question that simply being is equally as challenging because some scary thoughts might crop up. But as we become more familiar with the process, we realize we don’t have to fully engage those thoughts or get caught up in them....

Let’s start with an awareness of our cultural conditioning around money: that is, we tend to want more and to expect all things measurable (like money) to increase. Although we’re taught that these expectations are normal and reasonable, obviously, it isn’t so. This is our momentous opportunity to examine these beliefs and let them go. Instead of pining for more, perhaps we can feel that we have enough. I’ve often said “enough” is the dirtiest word in the English language....

A Trauma-Informed Meditation to Uncover the Potential for Healing read more Robert Huber June 3, 2022 Stephanie Domet June 1, 2022 Kimberly Brown March 1, 2022

During sessions, a yoga teacher and sign language interpreter work together to lead students through basic yoga poses. The students, who are between 15 and 17 years old, practice breathing and moving together as a group. “Yoga is about the mind-body spirit connection,” says .Peg Higgins, the administrative assistant at the school who introduced the program. “It gets their minds focused away from the self. This is helping to break the barriers of poor communication with the world....

It’s tough, though. A Pew Research Center survey shows that 82% of adults believe cell phone use at social gatherings hurts conversation. Still, many admitted to using their phone during a recent social gathering. Why couldn’t they disengage from what they recognized to be a hurtful behavior? When a behavior feels good—e.g., taking a selfie and getting lots of comments on social media—“our brain lays down a memory so it will remember to do that again,” addiction psychiatrist Judson Brewer says....

Have you ever experienced do-gooder exhaustion? When you’ve done the right things for so long, you just need to indulge your inner sinner? Or when you’ve given so much too others that you want to save something for yourself? You aren’t alone, and this isn’t a defect in your moral virtue. Researchers at Northwestern University recently published three studies that show why one good deed can prevent another. In the first study, participants were randomly assigned to write a story about themselves, either using the words “caring, generous, fair, and kind,” or the words “disloyal, greedy, mean, and selfish....

On one trip, a man named Elvis took us to see Mt. Rushmore. As we all stood there at the base of the mountain, in awe of this symbol of our country, Elvis, who was quick with an easy smile and a humorous anecdote, casually said: “Imagine there was a statue of the man who raped your mother in your living room. Imagine you were forced to carve it.” He looked at us, we looked at him....

Listen to Episode 3: Breaking Free from Hustle Culture Guided Meditations to Pair with this Episode of Burnout 1) Unwind Your Brain’s Habit Loops 2) A Meditation to Unhook From Your Phone Addiction 3) A Meditation on Observing Thoughts, Nonjudgmentally 4) A 10-Minute Meditation to Set An Intention for Your Future read more Mindful Staff May 10, 2022 Mindful Staff May 17, 2022 Mindful Staff May 10, 2022

Artist Maira Kalman illustrates the back page of Mindful magazine. A longtime illustrator for The New Yorker, Kalman decided to delve into meditation and illustrate the result. You can view Maira’s covers on Pinterest: For Kalman, art comes first and the medium follows. She is a frequent contributor to The New Yorker, and is well known for her collaboration with Rick Meyerowitz on the “New Yorkistan” cover in 2001 and “The New York City Sub-Culinary Map....

This position also manages critical institutional processes, including relationships with division/department/UMMS administration, preparation and oversight of annual work plans, employment contracts and human resource functions. The majority of the center’s program directors and managers report directly to the AD. For a full description of responsibilities and minimum qualifications, click here. Applications for this position must be submitted online through the UMass Medical School Human Resources Department website. Applications submitted directly to the Center for Mindfulness will not be accepted....

One insidious form of this is “mobbing”*: concerted attacks on an individual employee by a group of employees in order to undermine the individual’s confidence and have him or her fail. Mobbing relies on gossiping, belittlement, lies, and rumors and takes tremendous emotional toll on all involved. Typically such destructive social behavior flourishes in work environments where leaders tolerate such toxicity or display it themselves. Confronting mobbing is not easy because bullies attack those who challenge them....

Dr. Gomez is a community activist, author, public health professional, and physician who has spent more than 20 years in Baltimore involved in social justice activism and community building. She is the author of Race, Class, Power, and Organizing in East Baltimore. Lt. Goerling has served in civilian law enforcement for twenty years and has spent the last decade spearheading the introduction of mindfulness training into policing in the United States as part of a larger cultural transformation toward a compassionate, skillful, and resilient warrior ethos....

And secondly is a “Coming To Your Senses” practice, which is taken from the first chapter of Mindfulness: How To Live Well By Paying Attention (a new book from me which is out on 5th January). If you’re interested in reading more, the full first chapter is available online, and there’s a further extract in the February 2015 issue of Mindful magazine, on newsstands now. Practice: Coming to your senses Mindfulness begins when we move from a mode of doing and thinking, and into a way of being, where sensing takes centre stage....