We all get set off from time to time--we think, hear, see, smell or taste something that we really, really like or we really, really dislike...and suddenly we’re hooked.
Once we’re hooked, it feels as if the armor we normally try to hide...
"Somebody said the rainy weather was 'unacceptable', and I said to myself, 'The weather's not unacceptable to me, I accept it."These words (albeit paraphrased) are attributed to John Lennon, who made an appearance on a news forecast in the 70's...
Lots of schools are using mindfulness meditation to help students improve their focus and ease stress. There's both empirical and anecdotal evidence that it works. But one Ohio school system is moving the other way, dropping mindfulness instruction...
At the Interdependence Project, we support all types of mindfulness—mindfulness of mind, mindfulness of breath, mindfulness of emotions, mindfulness of eating tacos, and, yes, mindfulness of poop.
Pooping is an age-old art that almost all humans...
We all have people in our lives who have profoundly harmed us. Sometimes the situation with the other person has changed. You may have forgiven them and they may even have taken ownership and expressed remorse for their harmful actions. Other times...
I used to be one of those Brooklynites who enjoyed a boozy Sunday brunch with friends. Now the tables have turned and I'm the one slingin' eggs and mimosas. And it is one of the best opportunities for practice out there.
Welcome to the next Contemplation Station: Barre, Massachusetts. I am being a bit selfish in bringing you here. I am going to an Insight Meditation Society retreat at the end of this week (my first!) and I would like to get to know the lay of the...
I have had many people come in talking about ego lately. It got me thinking. All problems arise from the sense of limited fearful separation -- what we call 'ego.' I started contemplating this daily on my morning walks. I examined my fearful...
A new study found that adolescents who participated in a mindfulness program at school reported reduced symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress up to six months later. Furthermore, these teen students were less likely to develop more severe...
1. Meditation demonstrates that all things are interdependent and constantly changing. Initially, the realization that we’re all in a life situation that is fundamentally groundless may be quite daunting and even depressing. But it’s not...
When I first started meditating, I would sit down and be overcome by a waterfall of thoughts. Thoughts about my clients' lives. Thoughts about what to do tomorrow. Thoughts about what to eat. Thoughts about the person sitting in front of me....
I’ve always pegged “Next” as a demon. Next pushes one to bitterly reboot or insatiably chase. Next is an instant reaction that propels one into tomorrow with (what seems like) little maturity. Devilish. Pathetic. I’ve desperately tried...
In mindfulness meditation we train in shamatha—peaceful abiding. This is basically the ability to hang out with and be curious about our experience, whatever our experience is. Through shamatha, we learn that our experience is valid and worthy.
I am really looking forward to tonight's class at the ID Project: Why Guilt is Useless. I am hoping that it will be available as a podcast, either on the IDP podcast or on my own website in the near future.
One evening after my Wednesday night meditation class, Amy, a member of our D.C. meditation community, asked if we might talk for a few minutes about her mother, a woman she often referred to as “a manipulative, narcissistic human.” Amy’s mother had...
In this article posted in The Guardian, The Mind With Heart Network is described as dedicated to giving children the space to “investigate what happiness, empathy, altruism, and compassion are.” Founded by a group of four educators in the UK in 2010...
Many years ago, after several years of experiencing a long chronic illness, I attended a six-week Vipassana meditation retreat. Given my struggles with sickness, I looked forward to this time entirely dedicated to sitting and walking...
Starting a new piece of writing is a fantastic opportunity to practice.
A few weeks ago I wrote about how to tackle the smushy blob of too much work. But often when you’re beginning a piece of creative writing, there is no clear path from
