Despite what you may have heard, you CAN think of the past and still be mindful. Here’s how to do it: BE WITH a memory as it unfolds, without trying too hard… or expending too much effort to make it vivid. Take your time as you recreate the episode in the present moment… without getting so caught up in …
Call to mind a time when you felt that all was right with your world.  You can close your eyes and visualize this time or gaze at a reminder to cue the events and circumstances surrounding the event. Some people journal to flesh out the memory while others imagine telling the story to a good friend or eager listener.  Choose the approach that …
The intention behind this exercise is the maintenance of full and complete awareness while we drink our favorite cup of coffee, tea, soda, juice, water, etc. We attend to the beginning, middle and end of the process of drinking a beverage. Allow yourself 3-5 minutes of alone time to fully engage with the process.  Notice …
“Sometimes we need to stop sitting in one place and start to move around… to bring awareness and enjoyment into our bodies.” Thich Nhat Hanh, author of Mindful Movements Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh believes that mindfulness is enhanced by body awareness and that body awareness strengthens mindfulness. This belief is supported by a growing body …
“A human being is like a television set with millions of channels…. We cannot let just one channel dominate us. We have the seed of everything in us, and we have to recover our own sovereignty.â€Â Thich Nhat Hanh, Vietnamese Buddhist monk and author Human beings spend a lot of time fretting, regretting and should-ing. At any …
Everything tastes like God. – Medieval theologian, philosopher and mystic, Meister Eckhart It’s easy to believe that we do good work and do it well when we have positive outcomes. I know I do good work because “teaching and learning with others” feels noble to me. I also sense that I am doing well as …
We are innately endowed with the ability to give and receive care. Self-compassion extends those qualities to the self. – Kristen Neff, Self-Compassion: A Healthier Way of Relating to Yourself We all have an inner critic, right? That’s because, as a society, we believe that self-criticism is an effective motivator… when it’s not. On brain scans, …
We possess a limited number of micro-moments. In fact, Thinking Fast and Slow author, Daniel Kahneman counted them for us. We have 20,000 three-second moments in a waking day (of 16 hours). Not all of them are created equally, however, according to Curious author, Todd Kasdan. Here’s how he views them. There are activities we truly …
There are many forms of mindful practices that train our attention. Some demand stillness, like mindful breathing, while others require movement, like mindful mowing, walking or eating. Some involve silence, while others are built around sounds, from people or nature. This is an exercise based on the latter. It has origins in Christian insight meditation. Instructions: …
This exercise was inspired by cardiologist, Herbert Benson’s recommendation for a Relaxation Response based on his classic 1975 book by the same title. We need to experience a certain state of safety and ease in order to attain and sustain a state of mindfulness. This activity helps us develop a peaceful “home base” to which we can return and …