The program has provided a template for similar programs at other museums—read “25 Minutes of Silence in the City of Angels” to learn more. In the article, Diana Winston, an instructor at MARC, describes mindful awareness as “the art of paying attention to the present moment with openness and curiosity. It’s really about teaching ourselves to live in the present moment and not to be lost in the past or the future....
Either way, you need the belly breath in your practice, and so does your kid. Here’s a simple practice you can do by yourself, or with your child. If you’re doing this practice with a child, let the kid burn off some energy first, in the gym or on the playground. Figure out a way to release that restless energy that every kid has. Then, when your kid is a little more relaxed, and more receptive, sit down with them on a mat in a quiet spot....
After only two weeks of online training, participants who practiced compassion meditation every day behaved more altruistically towards strangers compared to another group taught to simply regulate or control their negative emotions. What’s more, the study is the first to link these behavioral changes with measurable changes in brain activity, shedding light on why compassionate thoughts may actually lead to compassionate deeds. “Doing these kinds of exercises is a little like weight training—the compassion ‘muscle’ is strengthened by practicing with people of increasing difficulty, like increasing weights over time,” writes lead study author Helen Weng....
Guided Meditation VR is the first virtual reality meditation app to hit the scene. Developed by Cubicle Ninjas, it allows you to “expand your mind,” by placing a headset over your eyes and ears and immersing yourself in a serene illustrated environment like a lush, sandy beach or a burnt orange and rusty red-hued treescape, while listening to a guided meditation of your choosing (the nine options include “Zen” and “Relaxation”)....
When we are no longer fighting to survive, our notions of happiness can become an endless search for the perfect dream vacation, or some gooey, delicious food. Or depending upon your appetites, happiness might be linked to high-octane sensual experiences that seem to have NOW, HERE COMES HAPPINESS stamped all over them. But disappointingly, after awhile, all of these things tend to leave us feeling empty, irritable, broke, and dissatisfied....
To answer this question, Matt Killingsworth built an app to track happiness and let people report their feelings in real time. Killingsworth designs studies that gather data on happiness. (You can read more about Killingsworth and his studies). In this Ted Talk, he discusses the results of his study, mainly, that we’re often happiest when we’re in the moment. We’re at our unhappiest when the mind wanders. “People are substantially less happy when their minds are wandering than when they’re not....
And, as with any significant life event, while you may outwardly seem the same, often there is an internal change, some wisdom gained about the preciousness and fragility of our brief lives. We may appreciate what it really means to be mindful of each moment as best we can. Fortunately for me and for many, breast cancer is now a treatable disease. So here I am, alive, for the moment a survivor....
“But how can anxiety be a habit?” we may ask. It’s not something we do—it just seems to pop up, bringing our body and brain along for the ride—and most people who deal with frequent anxiety see it as a problem, rather than fulfilling a need. The answer lies in our brain’s built-in reward system. According to the latest research on habit change, anxiety hides in a habit loop that consists of a trigger, a behavior, and a result....
The folks at Fast Company have put together an infographic that details the damages of sitting all day, including some easy ways you can set up a standing desk and find time to move around during the day. And with screen-time on the rise, sitting at your desk all day might not be the best way to carve out uninterrupted time to focus on work. As Mindful blogger Ed Halliwell tell us, the mind benefits when we incorporate movement into the process....
As I’ve spent years going back and forth in pools one thing has stood out for me: the line (usually blue) on the bottom of the pool. That line is the reference point to let you know you’re on track. It’s what the attention returns to. There are also buoy ropes on either side that define the lane, guardrails as it were, but the blue line is the thread of attention that pulls you along....
Settling the mind is not the same as silencing the mind. When we settle our mind we put our mental chatter aside—give it a rest, if you will—so that we can be alert, calm, relaxed, and open to the moment at hand. Experiment with these three simple tips for settling the mind and see what you notice. Come into your body Research shows that there’s an inverse relationship between a busy mind and actually being present in your body....
How does it work? To find out, researchers in the United Kingdom interviewed 11 adults who had experienced three or more episodes of severe depression, and had undergone MBCT within the previous three years. They analyzed the interviews to create a model, published in the journal Mindfulness, to demonstrate how MBCT enables people to relate mindfully to the self and with others. The key, it seems, lies in the way MBCT enhances relationships: Less stress about relationships in turn helps prevent future episodes of depression....
Ironically, the abundance of options can be overwhelming—so we’ve done the research to narrow it down to the apps that will offer the greatest value, with practice options galore, acclaimed teachers, and appealing, simple-to-use interfaces. While there are a number of great free apps to help boost mental health, subscription-based mindfulness apps offer certain bells and whistles that may elevate the overall journey and can allow you to customize your practice to find what feels best for you....
An exception: There’s nothing wrong with suggesting it to your employer. It’s not as awkward to bring it up in an organizational context. You’re not really imposing on anyone. You can talk about the science, about how lots of successful organizations are using it (See David Gelles’ Mindful Work), and suggest someone to contact. If possible, it’s good to note that any successful mindfulness program must be voluntary. 2. It’s not about stopping thinking or clearing the mind Lots of people have picked up the truly crazy idea that meditation somehow vacuums out your head and makes you into a brainless zombie....
Sometimes we need tenderness, sometimes we need fierceness, and other times we need to make a change. You can take inventory of different aspects of fierce and tender self-compassion and think about what you might need in the moment to care for yourself. What Do You Need to Take Care of Yourself Right Now? 1. Acceptance Are you feeling bad about yourself or unworthy in some way? Perhaps you just need to accept yourself with love and understanding, knowing that it’s okay to be imperfect....
Noticing sensations that are present in your feet or hands or legs such as tingling, tightness, temperature, or noticing lack of sensation, this is something to be aware of. We’re practicing mindfulness each time that we bring attention to a body part and are aware that we are doing so. We typically do the body scan by lying down on the floor or a soft surface, but if that’s not possible for you, you can certainly do the body scan while sitting in a chair....
The 4-7-8 breath stands for the following. You inhale for a count of four, then you hold your breath for a count of seven, and then you exhale through your mouth through pursed lips for a count of eight. The durations of these breaths aren’t as important as the ratio of the inhalation breath, breath-hold, and particularly the exhalation breath. The exhalation breath, you’ll notice, is twice as long as the inhalation breath....
At Mindful we do our best to inform, educate, and inspire people who want to know more. But many of the most profound gifts of mindfulness can’t be fully realized through the written word or even recorded video courses. To realize the true potential of mindfulness most of us need to interact with insightful human beings. Through interaction we can fully recognize our shared paths. Through relationships with teachers and friends, we can realize our potential....
