All it takes is 10 mindful minutes [ TED Talk : Andy Puddicombe ]

Mindfulness: What’s the POINT? The brain loves to chunk information in order to remember things and there are so many great acronyms that help us remember to bring mindfulness into our lives. I’m going to list a few really key ones and then link you to respective guided practices or posts as a reference to play with them and bring them into your life. Finally, I’m going to introduce you to a new powerful acronym that gets to the point of mindfulness. STOP (Stop, Take a breath, Observe your experience and Proceed) This is an all time favorite. On YouTube the recording that I created for A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook has almost 80,000 views because the acronym makes sense and it really helps us pause into the moment and open up to what matters. RAIN (Recognize, Allow, Inquire, Non-identify/Natural Awareness) This acronym created by Michelle McDonald and popularized and adapted by Tara Brach, is incredible for helping us gain perspective, self-compassion and confidence with our difficult feelings. Warmly,

Has Mindfulness Gone Too Far? The rise of mindfulness has been incredible. In part it seems like many of us are responding to a radical fast pace of living where we’re in a constant state of doing, doing and doing some more and longing for something to help us create balance in our lives. The answer has been a variety of mindfulness programs that place a heavy emphasis of “being” to balance out the “doing.” Mindfulness is a fundamental skill for anyone in this day and age and yet at the same time it can go too far. In the formal practices of mindfulness we do meditative exercises like breathing meditation, the body scan, or an open awareness practice. This juggle between the past and future only adds stress to our mind and body. Sometimes this state of balance teaches us important lessons, like in life all things come and go, otherwise known as the law of impermanence. But the reality, “being with” something isn’t often enough or even the best response. May it be so. Warmly, Elisha Goldstein, PhD

Mindfulness Coaching: Start with Your Own Journey Mindfulness Coaching: Practice Makes Perfect Juliet Adams’s coursework for her Masters degree in training and performance management didn’t include mindfulness coaching. And, it showed. At first, Adams used mindfulness for her own well-being. Adams is now the author of Mindfulness at Work for Dummies and Mindful Leadership for Dummies. Mindfulness Coaching in Organizations How do you introduce mindfulness in an organization? If you’re in a position to hire a mindfulness coach, the first question that often comes to mind is: what makes a good mindfulness coach? Mindful presence When you’re interviewing potential teachers or coaches, notice whether the person is in the moment, without judgment, and really present for you. Training Before people begin to teach mindfulness, they should do significant practice, not just in mindfulness but in teaching mindfulness. Experience Again, teaching mindfulness is different from practicing mindfulness. Coaching style What the Research Says

Minding the details of mind wandering It’s long been associated with failing grades and accidents behind the wheel, but it turns out that the wandering mind may be far more complex than many believe. A new article by Paul Seli, a postdoctoral fellow working in the lab of Dan Schacter, the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Psychology, examines variations in mind wandering. Researchers first began examining mind wandering — or “task-unrelated images and thoughts” — in the late 1970s. “Over the years, a number of different constructs have been unified under the single term ‘mind wandering,’ and through that process, the distinction between intentional and unintentional types was lost,” said Seli. By the time Seli, as a Ph.D. student at the University of Waterloo in Canada, began to look into mind wandering, it was largely regarded as unintentional thought with links to a range of negative consequences. Before long, though, he began to suspect something deeper was at work.

How to Cultivate a Year of Mindfulness By Leo Babauta In 2016, I practiced mindfulness more than I ever have before, after 10 years of sporadic practice. I meditated regularly, practiced with a local Zen group, did a great one-day sitting, went on a retreat, took courses, read books, practiced mindful eating and exercise, learned some great new practices, and taught several mindfulness courses. I learned a lot about how to cultivate a more mindful life, and I’d like to encourage you to try it this year. Why? You learn to be awake to the present moment more, and lost in the daydream of your thoughts less.You begin to see your mental patterns that affect everything you do, and thus begin to free yourself of those patterns.You learn to be frustrated less, and let go more. I could go on about better mental and physical health, better relationships, less fear … but the reasons I’ve given are strong enough. So how do we cultivate a year of mindfulness? Tips for Cultivating Mindfulness Commit to sitting daily for a month.

The 23 Amazing Health Benefits of Mindfulness for Body and Brain (+ PDFs) Home » Mindfulness » The 23 Amazing Health Benefits of Mindfulness for Body and Brain (+ PDFs) “If you truly want to change your life you must first change your mind.” If you’ve been following this blog, you know that there are countless ways to apply mindfulness in your everyday life. You have probably also noticed that there are tons of benefits of practicing mindfulness regularly. Although we’ve talked about these benefits in a few other places, we thought it would be helpful to provide one resource that breaks down all of the great benefits of practicing mindfulness in one place, with sources to back them up. If you’re wondering what you can get out of being mindful, read on to learn about all the great things mindfulness can do for you! Free Mindfulness Meditation Troubleshooting Guide (PDF) "Find Out What Is Preventing You And Your Clients From Meditating Effectively" Yes, please send me this guide The 5 Most Common Benefits of Mindfulness Decreased Stress Higher brain functioning Dr.

History of Mindfulness: From East to West and From Religion to Science Here at the Positive Psychology Program, we have been discussing several different aspects of mindfulness for the past few weeks. In particular, we have explored various ways to learn about mindfulness, practice it, and even where to study the art of teaching mindfulness to others. But where did mindfulness come from, and why have so many people in the West recently become interested in it? There is no easy answer to this question, but one solution is to trace the lineage of mindfulness from early Eastern religions to its modern, secular presence in Western science. This article will cover mindfulness, its roots in Hinduism and Buddhism, how it relates to yoga, and how it came to be popular in so many circles in the Western world. Free Mindfulness Meditation Troubleshooting Guide (PDF) "Find Out What Is Preventing You And Your Clients From Meditating Effectively" Yes, please send me this guide The History and Origins of Mindfulness A Brief History of Hinduism A Short History of Buddhism

How To Practice Mindfulness: 10 Practical Steps and Tips Have you ever wanted to bring more mindfulness into your life, but struggle to make time in your chaotic schedule? Or do you set the intention to go about your day more mindfully, only to fall into the trap of snacking unconsciously or responding to emails on autopilot? It’s not easy in the beginning, and there will be bumps along the path toward a committed mindfulness practice. This article will guide you through various ways and resources to help introduce mindfulness in your life so that you are well prepared to start your journey. Before you read on, we thought you might like to download our three Mindfulness Exercises for free. How to Begin Practicing Mindfulness If you are a complete beginner to mindfulness, I’d recommend our article What Is Mindfulness? At its core, mindfulness is an activity that needs to be practiced regularly and with intention. Start with a daily routine The first step is to introduce a daily routine. Mindfulness is a way of perceiving, thinking, and behaving