Much of contemporary mindfulness is based on the newly emerged field of “contemplative neuroscience,” which looks at the effects in the brain and overall health of contemplative practices such as different forms of meditation and mindfulness. In the contemporary mindfulness practices such as those offered through the “Search Inside Yourself” curriculum, many of the exercises and skill building are derived…
In the corporate world, many of us struggle with the relentless changes that happen at work that often disrupt our lives and increase our stress. The responsibility of helping people through change, or ‘change management,’ tends to fall upon leaders, change managers, project managers or human resources. However, generally whatever little time there is to perform change management is usually…
This past weekend I was at a wedding in Vermont. The groom has been a friend for over two decades. And like all the rest of his friends, I was so happy that he had found love, especially after the pain and loss of his first wife’s illness and passing. It was bittersweet; the ache and grief were still there,…
Excerpted From Our Pristine Mind: A Practical Guide to Unconditional Happiness by Orgyen Chowang © 2016 by Orgyen Chowang. Reprinted in arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Inc. Boulder, CO. Cruising Altitude When we transcend mental events by practicing Pristine Mind meditation, it is like reaching cruising altitude in an airplane. There is no turbulence whatsoever in our mind. We are free…
When I was seven years old, something unexpected happened. Something that changed how I showed up, perceived others and experienced life through a lens that was ever evolving as I traversed childhood and adulthood …. and even now, as I prepare to enter elderhood in the years to come. I spent a magical summer with an aunt in Wyoming learning…
“If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath.” -Amit Ray It sounds so simple, childlike even, to say “just breathe.” You would think in the territory of suffering that our first best move might be something extraordinary, a momentous act, like “dial this number to directly reach the appropriate divine being,” or…
An inch of water wobbles in the handmade bowl cupped between my hands. I raise the clay vessel to the cloudless sky, praising rains long past for nourishing the land, for allowing streams to flow, for recharging the subterranean aquifer whose miracle waters runs through my household tap. Although right now no water comes through the tap; something has gone…
As part of our “Garrison Talks at the JCC” event series at the Marlene Myerson JCC Manhattan, meditation teacher and author Sharon Salzberg recently spoke with Dr. Chris Willard, a psychologist and educational consultant, and Dr. Mark Bertin, a developmental pediatrician and mindfulness teacher, about how to cultivate resilience in our children. Sharon Salzberg: Do you think it’s harder for kids these…