Mindfulness

When we regularly cultivate inner grounding, we set ourselves up for greater resiliency. One of the best ways to do this is through ritual. The key to success is simplicity and repetition. Have a variety of ways to slow down and then pick one to practice. It could be something you already do each day. The change is in the intention.

This seemingly intangible quality of authenticity, then, has very tangible outcomes. Authentic people feel better, are more resilient, and less likely to turn to self-destructive habits for comfort. They tend to be purposeful in their choices and more likely to follow through on their goals.

Every morning, I spend a few minutes sitting quietly with a cup of tea. For the last ten years or so, I’ve spent it staring through the large picture window that faces my garden.

Worry is a superhero, capable of leaping out of the present in a single bound. Its hidden power is the ability to travel through time in a split second. But at the end of the day, turns out worry is just a pint of ice-cream…

Our humanity is the most unpredictable and frightening aspect of our existence. Collectively and individually human beings are capable of a startling array of behaviors, from the most loving and altruistic to the most cruel and destructive. While the behaviors of others scare us, the…

Mindfulness changes the way we respond to things by strengthening the prefrontal cortex. Different types of practices activate our thinking centers in different ways, similar to muscle use with exercise. No matter the course, all forms of mindfulness practice strengthen the attentional circuits and reduce fight-or-flight responses.

Few of us have been taught how to sit with our thoughts and feelings. As a result we are vulnerable to getting hooked and triggered. Awareness, attention and curiosity allow us to take control of our thinking and respond by choice instead of reactive habit.…

Much of life is spent trying to manage our self-images. Closely related to our self-images are our identities – how we define ourselves according to the roles we play. Both our self-images and our identities become part of the stories we spin about ourselves.

Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom. – Viktor Frankl Buddhism is considered by many to be a religion or a spiritual practice. Yet in its…

Loss is a part of life. Accepting loss is part of personal growth. In a broad sense, we experience it any time there is a change in our relationship to the world. This experience is often associated with pain. But if we can view suffering as a vehicle of personal transformation and inner growth, it becomes a game changer.