Aug 8, 2017 | Mindful Parenting, Mindfulness
Being a parent might be the hardest job you’ll ever have, yet it offers the greatest rewards. If you’re not mindful, it can seem like an endlessly unsatisfying toil, but with mindfulness, you can be present for the many moments of joy and happiness. Raising a child...
Mar 15, 2017 | Mindful Parenting, Mindful Recovery, Mindfulness, Mindfulness At Work
It seems everybody wants mindfulness, and they want it NOW. They’ve heard or read that people who practice mindfulness and meditation report being healthier and happier, that they’re less stressed, less anxious, less depressed, or at least, as Dan Harris wrote,...
Feb 11, 2017 | Mindful Parenting, Mindful Recovery, Mindfulness, Mindfulness At Work
Just started teaching a new Mindfulness for Beginners class, and as usual, I began by asking my students, “what’s one thing you want to get from this class?” Their responses were typical: “how to stop worrying and stay present,” to quiet the inner chatter,” “to...
Dec 10, 2016 | Mindfulness
How are you coping in the midst of all this chaos? This year has presented us with more than the usual number of reasons to be anxious, stressed, sad, or depressed. Now more than ever we need to remember our common humanity, and seek out opportunities to come together...
Oct 31, 2016 | Mindful Eating, Mindful Parenting, Mindful Recovery, Mindfulness
Warning: this post may contain political opinions. How can we understand the current political climate in the U.S., and particularly the Presidential campaign, from a mindfulness perspective? And more importantly, how can mindfulness help us to manage the anxiety...
May 26, 2016 | Mindful Eating, Mindful Parenting, Mindful Recovery, Mindfulness
One of the most challenging concepts in mindfulness practice is acceptance. Mindfulness means being aware of what’s happening in the present moment, without judging whether we like it or not, and without trying to change it – in other words, accepting what is. This...
Mar 9, 2016 | Mindful Recovery, Mindfulness
“Grant me serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” This simple prayer, written around 1940, is familiar to anyone who’s ever attended an AA, Al-Anon, or other 12-step...
Feb 17, 2016 | Mindfulness
One of my students recently shared that she’s having trouble embracing the practice of mindfulness, when her worry about climate change, and the overall state of the world we live in, is giving her nightmares. “How will focusing on my breath help anything,...
Feb 4, 2016 | Mindfulness
A student at last Saturday’s workshop asked this question. It comes up in every class I teach, and it’s a good one. The short answer is, “it depends” – on who you ask, how you define mindfulness, and what you mean by meditation. I used to give a longer, rather...
Jan 5, 2016 | Mindful Eating, Mindfulness
Over the holidays it’s so easy to fall back into old and not-so-healthy habits: for me, it’s baking pies and other sugary treats, staying up late reading or watching movies, sleeping in, then spending the whole day in jammies doing crossword and jigsaw puzzles – all...
