I regularly teach meditation to people who have never meditated before and one of the common misconceptions is that meditation is the same as “relaxation.” While meditation may have a side benefit of helping you feel relaxed and peaceful, it is not the primary intention of meditation. The primary intention of meditation is to teach
If you’ve had a job for any length of time, it is not lost on you that your supervisor can have a significant impact on your day. Your relationship to your supervisor can make you feel like being more or less productive and empowered. As a leader, it is important to know what brings out
Having just finished an 8 week Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction Program (MBSR) this summer with faculty and staff at the University of Missouri, I noticed a particular common outcome for many of the participants. “My relationship with my husband/wife/partner/co-worker is better.” There were a number of reasons why these relationships had improved. 1. I listened to
Research indicates that mindfulness is one of the most important skills for changing how you eat and how you feel about your body. Mindfulness is a skill that helps you focus and attend to sensations like hunger, satiety, and taste, as well as increases kindness and self-compassion. Meditation practice is a method for strengthening your
“Mindfulness is easy. Remembering to be mindful is the challenge.“ These are wise words from Christina Feldman, a meditation teacher from England. If you have tried to practice mindfulness, you know exactly what she’s talking about. In the moment, sensations are quite accessible–feeling your body, listening to sounds, hearing your thoughts, and feeling your emotions.
I recently introduced a small group of women to the concept and practice of mindfulness. As usual, people were very enthusiastic, curious, and a little confused about how practical it is to practice mindfulness on a regular basis. On the surface, it seems very obvious. Everyone wants to be more present in their lives, right?
What better way to start the new year than with a dose of self-compassion. Instead of letting the winter blues set in, find out how to warm the heart and shut out the cold. What obstacles arise as you try to practice self-compassion? Find out how to overcome them in the latest issue of Food
As Jon Kabat-Zinn says, one of the ways to have more time is to take some of it for yourself. And, as we start the New Year, now is a good time to set the intention to take more time for mindfulness. Some people call it self-care, I call it a necessity. Taking “time” for mindfulness might
How would you answer the question “What do you want in life?” As it turns out, many people say they want to be happy. Yet, despite our relatively prosperous conditions, only one-third of Americans report being happy and we rank 17thcompared to other countries on how happy we are, with Denmark and other European countries
Yes, anything you bring your attention to turn it into a meditation—even Halloween! So, let me tell you a little story and share my meditation on Halloween. Last year for the very first time I was struck by the irony of me giving out full size, sugary candy bars to innocent children as they paraded
