Health Journal Online

Tag: Mindfulness

  • Help Curb the Habit of Gossiping With A 10-Minute Practice

    Help Curb the Habit of Gossiping With A 10-Minute Practice

    Summary:

    • “Fake news” is now a common phrase, but we can understand gossip as frequently-fake news on a personal level.
    • If you want to challenge your habit of gossiping, it is helpful to cultivate awareness both of how you speak and of how you listen.
    • In this 10-minute audio meditation, you’ll practice shifting from an in-the-moment urge to gossip toward a state of appreciation and gratitude.

    We live in a political moment where we don’t just disagree about matters of policy—we disagree about reality. To some degree, this has always been the case.

    Writing in 1922, the American philosopher Walter Lippmann, described the modern human condition as one of living in “pseudo-environments”—mental worlds that define our values, beliefs, and opinions. As a result, he observed that citizens “live in the same world, but they think and feel in different ones.”

    More than 100 years later, we are experiencing this kind of polarization like never before. 24-hour cable news, Facebook, blogs, Twitter, and the fracturing of media have made it so that we can each filter our news, entertainment, and social interactions to reinforce our existing beliefs and shield ourselves from oppositional views—not to mention the fake news out there deliberately trying to separate us.

    This catchphrase has come to define the modern moment—“fake news.” Anything that doesn’t fit with our reality is now seen as unreal, make-believe, and at the same time, some of the news in our feeds is actually made up. These are crazy days.

    There is a serious conversation to be had around how to restructure the media and political institutions to mitigate this problem.

    Gossip is rarely based on fact, it’s more of an expression of the stories we make up in our heads about other people.

    In the meantime, we wanted to explore a different landscape of “fake news.” Sure, there are many people out there consciously spreading “fake news.” But it’s also interesting to look at how we might be doing it every day without really recognizing it.

    That’s right, we’re talking about gossip—our ordinary habit of talking about others behind their back. Gossip is rarely based on fact, it’s more of an expression of the stories we make up in our heads about other people.

    What is Gossip?

    The habit of gossiping can be defined in any number of ways. Webster’s defines it as “rumor or report of an intimate nature.” In the book The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership, the authors define gossip as: “any statement about another that the speaker would be unwilling to share in exactly the same way if that person were in the same room.”

    This definition points to the contextual nature of gossip. If I tell my co-worker Gena that “Dave’s feedback on my presentation today was incredibly disrespectful,” it may or may not be gossip. If I don’t share this feedback with Dave, then it’s a clear case of gossip. But if I do share it with Dave, with the same emotional tone, then it is not gossip.

    Why bring greater awareness to your gossip habit? After all, it’s often entertaining, even pleasurable, to talk about the faults of celebrities, political leaders, or that person in your social circle who drives you crazy.

    The first reason is that a habit of gossiping almost always arises from stories in our mind, which may or may not be true. So one reason to refrain from gossip is to do your part to curb the spread of “fake news.”

    Another reason is that gossip often involves a subtle breach of integrity. In the language of the philosopher Immanuel Kant, when we gossip about someone, we’re treating them as a “mere means” to our own sense of pleasure or superiority. If I tell a humiliating story about someone, I’m using their misfortune as a way to generate laughter, titillate my audience, or make myself feel like I’m better than them.

    And while it may be pleasurable in the moment, it almost always leaves a moral stain. For the speaker of gossip, there’s a subtle feeling of guilt that arises. For the people listening, there’s a sense of distrust that follows in the wake of gossip. “If he talks that way about others when they’re not in the room,” they are left thinking, “how does he talk about me when I’m not in the room?”

    Need proof? Conduct a quick experiment. In your next interaction with a friend or colleague, dish out some juicy negative tidbit about a mutual colleague or acquaintance. Then check in to see how you feel. If they respond in kind, notice how you feel about their trustworthiness and the strength of your relationship.

    2 Key Ways to Shift the Habit of Gossiping

    So how can we become more aware of our gossip habit? The key is mindfulness–training the skill of Notice-Shift-Rewire each time we’re tempted to gossip or each time others begin gossiping. This awareness takes two forms: awareness of speech and awareness of listening.

    1) Awareness of Speech

    The practice here is simple. Notice when you feel the urge to say something negative about another person – a friend, a co-worker, or even a political figure. And when you notice, pay attention to the physical sensations of gossip. We have found that the urge to gossip often corresponds to an energetic state–a subtle pattern of sensations in the body.

    In fact, the urge to gossip is, in many ways, similar to the urge to read about gossip in the form of celebrity tabloids or political chatter. In both cases, we’re drawn to the momentary burst of pleasure that arises from speaking or hearing gossip. And yet it’s a behavior that is always unsatisfying, leaving us with the desire for more.

    Noticing the urge to gossip opens the space to Shift your speech. This could be as simple as not saying anything at all or reframing your statement to something you would be willing to share with the other person, were they in the room.

    The Shift might also be to follow through on the urge to gossip but to do it with awareness – to gossip consciously. This sounds strange but you may find that it’s impossible and, at times, undesirable to get rid of all gossip. In conversations with your spouse or partner, for instance, saying things about others that you wouldn’t share with them in the room might play an essential role in building trust and intimacy with your partner. Talking through a difficult situation with another family member or a problem at work, for example, may require talking candidly about others in ways that you would not were this other person in the room. In these cases, the goal might not be to end gossip but to simply be more aware and mindful of it.

    The final move is to Rewire. Savor the experience of bringing greater awareness to this ordinary habit of gossip.

    2) Awareness of Listening

    Even if we refrain from gossip, we will undoubtedly encounter it in the speech of others. Whether it’s neighbors, co-workers, or family members, the habit of gossip is so common that it’s impossible to avoid. Awareness of listening is the practice of noticing gossip whenever it arises in conversations with others.

    Of course, this leads to an important question: when we notice the person we’re talking to gossiping, what are we to do? How are we to respond?

    The authors of The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership liken this situation to a game of ping-pong: “the speaker and the listener each hold a paddle. If a listener says he doesn’t want to listen and symbolically puts down his paddle, the game is over.”

    This is sound advice. And yet it requires discernment and skillful means to figure out how to put down your paddle without shaming the other person. It might involve injecting a positive comment into the conversation, changing the subject, or, at times, making the outright request to not gossip.

    A 10-Minute Practice on Gossip Awareness

    1. To begin, find a comfortable seat. Sitting, if possible, with a straight spine. Close your eyes and begin by relaxing. Feel how the chair supports the weight of your body. Feel your feet as they rest against the support of the floor. Notice how you’re supported by each inhale and exhale. Allow yourself to breathe. Allow yourself to be. Let your breath move in and out effortlessly and without any attempt to control it. The goal of this practice is to create more awareness around the effect of gossip.
    2. With that in mind, as you relax deeply, see if you can bring to mind a moment in the past. A moment when you heard something about a friend or a coworker, another parent at school, a neighbor. Or when you dished it out to someone else. I know it’s not the most glamorous thing, but we’ve all had those moments when we had that juicy piece of gossip. So, see if you can just travel back in time to a moment like that, you can go back to childhood if nothing is coming up from adulthood.
    3. Observe any feelings or sensations that arise as you go back to that moment in time when you offered that juicy tidbit of gossip. You might notice a mixture of emotions. Excitement. Shame. Fear. Curiosity.
    4. Now, let’s imagine we had the opportunity to go back in time and experience this very same moment. With a slight twist. This time, I want you to think of a statement of gratitude for this person. Rather than a juicy piece of gossip about them, think of what you would say. If you were forced to tell someone why you appreciate this person or why you’re grateful for them.
    5. Now, imagine saying a word of appreciation instead of a piece of gossip. I appreciate Hank for always being there on time and for the intensity he brings to each conversation. I appreciate my mother-in-law, for how passionate she is about bringing us all together.
    6. Notice again, with this statement of gratitude, what are the emotions that arise in your body? See if you can pay close attention to any differences between the impact of gossip and gratitude for you in your experience. See if you can keep this experience and remain aware of the difference in your emotional state between gossip and gratitude and mind? And see if you can bring this midst of everyday life.
    7. Notice moments when you hold that juicy piece of gossip and there’s a part of you that wants to tell someone and dish it out. In those moments, see what happens when you shift to appreciation or gratitude instead
    8. To close this practice on the habit of gossiping, take a few more breaths. Bring your attention back to each inhale and exhale sensation of breath. And then when you feel ready, slowly open up your eyes. Coming back into the room. And see what happens when you bring this spirit of gratitude with you. Throughout the rest of your day.

    The 24-Hour Gossip Challenge:

    To experience this first hand, see what happens when you bring greater awareness to gossip over the next 24 hours. Pay special attention to your speech and the speech of those around you. See if you can go an entire day without the habit of gossiping.

    You may find that it’s an almost impossible task to eliminate the habit of gossiping entirely. But that’s not really the goal of this experiment. The goal is to bring awareness to the urge to gossip – to notice where you are contributing to the spread of “fake news.” This simple sense of awareness may not lead you to stop gossiping altogether. But it will help you bring greater compassion, care, and awareness into even the most ordinary conversations.

    Share your experiences in the comments below.

    This article was originally published on Mindful.org in March 2018.



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  • Mindfulness and Autism: Learning to Celebrate Neurodiversity

    Mindfulness and Autism: Learning to Celebrate Neurodiversity

    Summary:

    • Researchers who study mindfulness and autism have found that, for neurodiverse communities, mindfulness may have unexpected and adverse effects that are different from neurotypical people.
    • While mindfulness teachings are slowly becoming more inclusive, people with autism and other kinds of neurodiversity are often left behind.
    • We can learn to teach mindful practices in an accessible, inclusive way that considers each person’s unique brain wiring.

    “When I’m told to focus on sensations of my breath, I feel like there is a noose wrapped around my neck, getting tighter and tighter as I keep paying attention.”

    This comment comes from a brilliant young autistic woman who was told by her doctor that mindfulness would be good for her anxiety. She said it did the opposite: Mindfulness worsened her anxiety. In fact, it was a very negative experience that left her feeling like a failure.

    It’s never anyone’s fault when mindfulness doesn’t work for them. They were just not taught mindfulness in an accessible, inclusive way that considers any unique needs.

    Unfortunately, I hear things like this often. I am part of a mindfulness research program at the Azrieli Adult Neurodevelopmental Centre at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto, where in the course of the research, a large number of neurodiverse people have told me they are mindfulness “drop-outs.” In neurodiverse communities, people report having a range of sensory experiences that can produce different, and often adverse responses to common mindfulness techniques such as the body scan, breath practices, and loving-kindness. People with neurodevelopmental disabilities such as autism, ADHD, or cerebral palsy confide that they’ve tried it and “failed” at it. Similarly, in the education system, some teachers have told me that they can’t use the term mindfulness with students because, from prior experiences, some students already feel like they have failed at it.

    It’s never anyone’s fault when mindfulness doesn’t work for them. They were just not taught mindfulness in an accessible, inclusive way that considers any unique needs. Accessibility and neurodiversity are rarely discussed in the mindfulness world, but this discussion holds huge potential for both neurodiverse communities and mindfulness. As a mindfulness teacher, I want to ensure that all people can access mindfulness teachings in a way that works for them.

    What is Neurodiversity?

    As author Jenna Nuremberg shares in her 2020 book Divergent Mind: Thriving in a World That Wasn’t Designed for You, neurodiversity means “recognizing and celebrating the diversity of brain makeups instead of pathologizing some as normal and others as abnormal.” Similarly, the Autism Awareness Centre defines it as “the concept that humans don’t come in a one-size-fits-all neurologically ‘normal’ package,” and that all variations of human neurological function are worthy of respect. Not so differently, mindfulness encourages us to recognize what is going on inside of us—observing our inner world and experience with nonjudgment and acceptance.

    As mindfulness teachers, if we are not accepting and celebrating ALL brain makeups in our teaching, then we are not making mindfulness accessible. The story above—with the experience of the noose tightening—is one example of the mindfulness experience of an autistic person (autism being just one example of a neurodiverse mind).

    Autism occurs in all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups, and 1 in 42 males, and 1 in 165 females were diagnosed with autism in 2018. Autism is not the only kind of neurodiverse brain that is often invisibly present in mindfulness groups. Dyslexia, ADHD, mild cerebral palsy, and mild intellectual disability may be unseen. All of these neurodevelopmental disabilities are often undiagnosed, and many people who come to mindfulness for the first time may not realize there is a reason why they are not connecting with the practices in the way they are being taught. This makes it really important for teachers to be aware of how inclusive their teaching practices are.

    What Makes Mindfulness Inaccessible

    Why is it so challenging for mindfulness teachers to adopt truly accessible practices?  One important reason is that the way of teaching most of us are taught to deliver was designed for the neurotypical population.

    Developed in the 1970s at the Centre for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, with Jon Kabat-Zinn at the helm, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) introduced mindfulness to much of the healthcare community. However, the program was designed primarily without modifications for neurodiverse folks. This has significant consequences today: Many mindfulness teachers, though they may be highly trained and capable in MBSR and other mindfulness-based therapies, have usually not been trained to recognize neurodiversity among their students.

    Fortunately, mindfulness research and teaching is beginning to evolve—one instance is the embrace of trauma-sensitive practices, aided by David Treleaven’s work. Yet we still fall short when it comes to inclusive practices that truly provide accessible forms of mindfulness.

    Mindfulness research is beginning to evolve, yet we still fall short when it comes to inclusive practices that truly provide accessible forms of mindfulness.

    For example: The concept of interoception—an area of science that is being written about in literature related to neurodiversity—is the act of really feeling the physical sensations in the body. Knowing that feeling of when you are hungry, or need to go to the bathroom, are examples of interoceptive processing; being able to discriminate between different feelings in the body connected with emotions is another. Mindfulness can play a key role in developing interoceptive skills—for example, when we practice noticing the movement of our inhale and exhale at our nostrils or in the belly. However, interoception is not a universal ability. Some brains are wired to feel physical sensations, while some are wired to visualize easily.

    Still others don’t really visualize: Aphantasia (phantasia being Greek for fantasy) refers to the inability to picture those images in one’s mind. Research conducted at the University of Exeter Medical School found that 2% of the population are non-visual thinkers. That doesn’t mean you are doing something wrong if you can’t picture your loved one in front of you when practicing loving-kindness, it just means you need a modified technique. These different ways that the brain is wired are key when it comes to understanding our experience of mindfulness practice.

    In the last ten years, the Azrieli Adult Neurodevelopmental Centre at CAMH has been studying how mindfulness can better serve the autism community. I’ve been involved as a lead mindfulness facilitator in this research, both leading the groups with advisors and developing modifications to MBSR practices to make them accessible. Importantly, autistic people hold advisory roles in this work as a central part of the research. Mindfulness for the caregivers of neurodiverse people is also being studied by Azrieli’s neurodevelopmental disability community.

    Dr. Yona Lunsky, Director of the Azrieli Adult Neurodevelopmental Centre and a professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto, has been leading teams to research mindfulness in this community for almost a decade. “The best way for us to adapt our approach when it comes to mindfulness is to work in partnership, and use our mindfulness skills when we do: Approach how we teach with presence to what is happening, with curiosity, without judgment, and with loving-kindness,” Dr. Lunsky says. “Being open to changing our approach is fundamental to developing something meaningful. It takes time and it evolves. And that is what makes it so exciting.” 

    Mindfulness teachers use a lot of metaphors and abstract language that some autistic people struggle with. Some of the sensory exercises pose huge problems for autistic people.

    Bringing mindfulness to neurodiverse communities inspires me to dig deep into my mindfulness training and get creative, so that I can offer traditional mindfulness teachings in ways that are helpful for a wide diversity of brains. As a teacher, it’s my job to teach in a way that is going to help the person in front of me. If I’m stuck to a script, or clinging to delivering mindfulness in a certain way, I risk not being accessible to the unique person’s mind. I need to be rooted enough in the teachings to be able to share them in a customized way.

    Daniel Share-Strom, an autistic man and champion of mindfulness meditation, is an advisor in our mindfulness research program at CAMH. Daniel’s popular TED Talk “Dear Society…Signed, Autism” shares Daniel’s humorous style of sharing his experience living as an autistic man on communication, learning, and interaction with the environment. Here are some thoughts Daniel has shared with me on mindfulness:

    • “In my own mental health journey I discovered mindfulness, and it was one of the first things that ever really helped me with anxiety. …I think it’s so important to adapt mindfulness from its original ways of being taught for neurodiverse groups. There are certain things autistic people bring to the table that aren’t compatible with the ways mindfulness is being presented. Mindfulness teachers use a lot of metaphors and abstract language that some autistic people struggle with. Some of the sensory exercises pose huge problems for autistic people.
    • Autistic people experience high rates of mental health challenges–from feeling anxiousness to having an adult suicide rate up to nine times the rate of the typical population. That is simply a result of growing up in a world that wasn’t designed for us—in a lot of ways. From the sensory world, to social protocols that neurotypical people developed that we didn’t really get much say in. That can all cause a lot of challenges. Mindfulness is an amazing tool to help autistic people cope with all of that. People just need to understand how to adapt it so it’s effective.”

    The work and feedback of Daniel and others makes it clear that we need to explore new ways of teaching mindfulness that honor neurodiversity, and that truly individualize mindfulness for each person.

    Lessons for Teaching Mindfulness Inclusively

    When people ask me how mindfulness can help autistic adults, I say we need to invert the question to “How can autism help mindfulness?” In my experience, it took many, many neurodiverse people patiently (and sometimes not so patiently) giving feedback on how I was teaching mindfulness before I started landing at more inclusive and accessible methods. Getting to know how autistic people connect best with mindfulness has helped me completely re-examine how I teach. It’s taught me to remain open to the vast differences of those in front of us, and explore with them ways for mindfulness to be useful. When we individualize the practice, the path truly belongs to each person.

    Mindfulness has something to offer the world. Neurodiversity has something to offer mindfulness. Let’s imagine together how a more inclusive mindfulness culture can contribute to a more inclusive world, one that can be truly accessible and beneficial to all.



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  • 4 Ways Mindfulness Helps Us Find Our Way Through the Dark

    4 Ways Mindfulness Helps Us Find Our Way Through the Dark

    No matter what your political persuasion is, it’s hard to avoid the feeling that we’re living in a time of chaos, pain, and carnage—with many people saying it’s a “dark” time that has made them feel anxious and helpless. Many of us feel we want to do something, but we don’t know what to do on the larger stage and we’re not sure what to do for ourselves and those around us. Many people have raised the question of whether and how meditation, mindfulness, and awareness can help us right now. It can seem almost puny against such massive forces.

    If it couldn’t help us now, though, what good would it be?

    Before helping us with what to do, though, mindfulness first helps us with how to be. And it seems that’s where we need to start. When times are tough, we need to go back to square one.

    Before helping us with what to do, mindfulness first helps us with how to be. That’s where we need to start.

    4 Ways Mindfulness Can Help Us Right Now

    1. Be in the Body

    One of the first facets of mindfulness meditation practice to appreciate, especially in times of great stress and fear, is that it grounds us in our body. When we take in difficult news, either near at hand (a loved one dying of cancer) or from afar (such as news of war over the internet or on TV), our connection to our body can weaken. It can even feel like we leave our body. In such a condition, freed from the gravitational pull, our mind begins to race. We’re more influenced by what our mind projects than by our immediate perception of our surroundings. When our mind is galloping off, even just a little close attention to our breathing while feeling the weight of our body pulling us to earth can bring our mind back home.

    One of the phenomena that takes us away so easily, of course, is media. It’s worthwhile (as many of you probably already do) to go on a news diet. Oliver Burkeman, author of Meditations for Mortals—who explores the relationship between how we spend our time and our well-being—counsels us to pay close attention to the time we spend digesting “news.” News, often in the guise of social media nowadays, is designed to activate our emotions more than inform us of need-to-know information. When we start to leave our body in response to “news,” it’s worthwhile to return to the perception of our body, and to appreciate our surroundings. As we notice a bird alighting on a branch, we can absorb a different sense of time: the tree and the bird are not part of the next news cycle. In terms of keeping up with things, Burkeman counsels being “news-resilient” by returning the news to a place where it’s just something you dip into rather than wallow in, and keeping up with what’s going right as well as what’s going wrong. I would add to engage in mindful reading: searching out reading, listening, and viewing that is reflective and thoughtful, that can generate insight, not just fear and panic.

    2. Rest in Choiceless Awareness

    The grounding quality of mindfulness—noticing the details inside and out—opens us up to our innate awareness, a more panoramic view that’s not caught up in chasing down every stray thought. As a result, we can be less reactive, and take a bigger view of space and a longer view of time. This deep kind of awareness is said to be choiceless: we couldn’t be rid of it if we tried.

    Awareness sees our anxiety but is not itself anxious. It manifests a mountain-like settledness, as well as confidence or courage that knows that no matter what happens, awareness goes on. We can rest in it.

    Being grounded in awareness is not about being detached, unfeeling, and uncaring. In fact, it’s awareness that allows us to truly feel—to have a natural reaction to something unpleasant or off-putting, such as a raving egomaniac talking about taking chain saws or wood chippers to things that help vulnerable people—and yet have space and sense of humor around the feeling. Awareness sees our anxiety but is not itself anxious. It manifests a mountain-like settledness, as well as confidence or courage that knows that no matter what happens, awareness goes on. We can rest in it.

    3. Feel the Wonder of Not Knowing

    When we’re sure that we know something, our awareness becomes clouded. Fresh perceptions are filtered through our fixed knowledge. Instead, like the great Zen masters, artist Maira Kalman, one-time Mindful contributor and author most recently of Still Life with Remorse, abides in “not knowing.” It is the source of her artistic practice. As she said to me in an interview, “At the end of the day or the end of a life, everybody ends up saying, ‘I don’t know what I know.’” Rather than responding to “the noise we’re bombarded with every day by those who are trying to unnerve us for our money, forcing us to form reactions and opinions,” we can rest in not knowing. When we allow ourselves to question what we know, and shy away from clinging to fixed opinions, the inquisitive quality of our awareness takes over and we perceive the world more freshly. We can be awestruck by the world’s magic.

    4. Cultivate Compassion and Community

    We can also be awestruck by the world’s pain and horror, and this is where the doing part comes in. Precisely what we do and how we do it naturally varies greatly depending on circumstances. Just as awareness is inherent, so is the basic warmth of compassion, our fellow feeling. It can be obscured, but it’s there for us all.

    Just as awareness is inherent, so is the basic warmth of compassion, our fellow feeling. It can be obscured, but it’s there for us all.

    As we become grounded in our body and rest in awareness, touching in with that warmth can guide us to what we can actually do, where we might have some agency. Not knowing brings with it a humbleness that tells us we can’t fix everything. Since we can’t be sure how things will turn out, we don’t cling to certain outcomes. The great heroes who have championed the causes of the oppressed tend to come from this stance, willing to plant seeds in a garden whose harvest they may never see and committed to—as the popular African-American expression goes—Making a Way Out of No Way.

    Whatever we do, one thing we do know in the deep fiber of our being is that we’re connected unavoidably to others, so finding community is never a bad place to start.



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  • Calming Hands: A Mindfulness Practice for Kids to Ease Difficult Emotions

    Calming Hands: A Mindfulness Practice for Kids to Ease Difficult Emotions

    Try this creative, calming mindfulness practice for kids and families, designed to help ease difficult emotions and manage stress.

    Key Points:

    • When children feel anxious or overwhelmed, mindful breathing and counting can help them feel safe and calm.
    • Engaging in mindful activities together as a family strengthens connections and boosts emotional resilience.
    • Try this Calming Hands activity to help your child soothe strong emotions through breathing, counting, and making handprint art.

    Mindfulness can be fun, simple, and hands-on—literally! The Calming Hands practice, created and shared by Rose Felix Cratsley at Ivy Child International, introduces young children to mindful breathing through art and counting. This activity is perfect for caregivers and educators who want to help kids cultivate calm and focus playfully.

    Exploring this practice helps us connect with our bodies, our breath, and the calming energy of our hands. When we feel anxious, stressed, upset or overwhelmed, our hands can be a tool for bringing peace and relaxation. This practice can help you feel safe and calm, no matter what you’re going through.

    Scroll down to follow along with the guided audio of this practice!

    How to Adapt for Kids with Sensory Needs

    Children are encouraged to explore different textures such as soft fabric, smooth stones etc. while practicing the calming hands technique, allowing them to engage with their senses.

    Parental Hack

    This practice is most effective when caregivers model by practicing alongside children, reinforcing the idea that mindfulness is a family activity and ritual. This can help both kids and parents bond while building emotional resilience and their psychological immune system, together.

    Highlights and Benefits:

    • Introduction: Guides children to notice the sensations in their hands and introduces the concept of hands as calming tools.
    • Breathing Practice: Uses finger-by-finger breathing, teaching kids to inhale and exhale deeply while counting from 1 to 10.
    • Reflection: Encourages kids to observe how their hands and bodies feel after the practice, reinforcing self-awareness and relaxation.

    Calm and Creative: Make Art With Your Handprint

    The Calming Hands practice is best paired with an engaging art activity where kids trace or do handprints, decorate, and personalize their calming hands. By integrating creativity with this simple and engaging mindfulness practice, this activity becomes a lasting tool for emotional regulation and relaxation.

    What You’ll Need:

    • Paper (large enough for a handprint)
    • Non-toxic markers, crayons, or paint

    How to Practice Calming Hands:

    1. Make the Handprint: Invite your child to trace their hand onto the paper or create a painted handprint. Let them have fun choosing colors or decorating their hand outline—it’s part of the creative mindfulness process!
    2. Number the Fingers: Together, write numbers from 1 to 10 on the fingers, starting at the thumb and moving outward.
    3. Begin Mindful Breathing:
      • Encourage the child to place their real hand on top of their handprint.
      • Start at the thumb (1) and breathe in deeply, then exhale as you count out loud.
      • Move to the next finger (2), breathing in and out again.
      • Continue until all 10 fingers are complete.
    4. Repeat if Needed: If the child enjoys the exercise, they can trace back through the numbers or start again.

    Children and families can turn this mindfulness practice into a creative keepsake by tracing their hands, numbering their fingers, and decorating the artwork. This hands-on activity teaches kids to ease difficult emotions by providing a visual and tactile reminder of the breathing practice, making it easy for them to return to in stressful moments. Calming hands can be mounted on the fridge, bedroom door or even in the car as a tool to remind us all to count and breathe.

    Audio Practice: Use Your Hands to Explore Mindful Breathing

    By Rose Felix Cratsley

    Before starting the practice, find a blank piece of paper and something to draw with, like a marker or pencil.

    1. Step 1: Get Comfortable. Find a comfortable seat, either on the floor or in a chair, and sit tall like a strong tree. You can rest your hands gently on your lap, or place them in front of you. Let your shoulders relax, and your body feel soft. You are in a safe place.
    2. Step 2: Notice Your Hands. Take a moment to notice your hands. How do they feel? Are they warm or cool? Do they feel heavy or light? If you’re feeling nervous or anxious, that’s okay—just notice what’s happening in your hands without judgment. If you feel tense, give your hands a little shake and let the tension fall away.
    3. Step 3: Trace Your Hands. Now, we’re going to trace our hands to create a picture of calm. Place your hand on a piece of paper and trace around it with a pencil or marker. While you trace, feel your fingers, the palm of your hand, and the space between your fingers. Let each stroke of the marker be a reminder that you are safe and in control.

      As you trace your hands, know that you’re building something special. Your hands are your own calming tool, always available when you need to relax and feel grounded.

    4. Step 4: Breathe with Your Hands. Now that your hands are traced, we’re going to use them to help us breathe deeply. Each finger will guide us through one breath. We will count from 1 to 10, one number for each finger. With each number, we’ll take a slow, deep breath in and out.

      Start with your pinky and breathe in as you count “1.” Feel your chest and belly rise. Now, breathe out as you count “2.” Let the air flow out slowly and feel your body soften. Keep breathing slowly, one number for each finger. As you breathe in, feel your hands fill with calm. As you breathe out, feel your hands and body relax even more.

    5. Step 5: Focus on the Sensation. As you go through each number, pay close attention to how your hands feel. Do they feel warm, soft, or tingly? Notice any changes as you breathe. Imagine your breath flowing through your hands, bringing calmness to every part of your body.

      As your mind wanders, simply bring your attention back to your hands and your breath. Take your time, enjoying each breath as an opportunity to slow down and find peace.

    6. Step 6: Feel Grounded and Safe. Take a moment to reflect on how your body feels now. Does your body feel more relaxed? Do your hands feel more calm and steady? Remember, this practice helps us feel grounded—like our feet are firmly planted in the earth, and we are in control of our breath and emotions. Your hands can always be a source of calm. If you ever feel anxious or upset, you can come back to this practice, take a deep breath, and find peace through your hands.
    7. When you feel ready, come back to your day.  Take one more deep breath in, and gently breathe out. Slowly bring your awareness back to the space around you. You are calm, centered, and ready to face whatever comes next. You can always return to your calming hands whenever you need them.



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  • Brighten Your Day: Learn Mindfulness From First Graders

    Brighten Your Day: Learn Mindfulness From First Graders

    Students Elijah and Romir share what they’ve learned about the practice of mindfulness via their school program run by the nonprofit Space Between.

    There are myriad benefits of mindfulness being taught in schools. To name just a few, it supports students and teachers in managing stress, trauma, overwhelm, and more. But one of the cutest upsides has to be kids teaching meditation.

    The Seattle-based nonprofit Space Between has been teaching trauma-informed mindfulness practices in school communities since 2016, supporting the mental health and well-being of both teachers and students.

    Learn the Zig-Zag Breath With Romir

    According to Romir, a first grader in the Space Between program, the Zig-Zag Breath involves just two simple steps:

    1. Move your head in a zig-zag shape.
    2. Breathe out calmly.

    Romir says that this practice can not only help you feel warmer, but makes you feel better if you get hurt.

    Thanks, Romir! We’ll be keeping this quick and easy practice in our toolkit should we get chilly or need a pick-me-up.

    Practice Square Breathing With Elijah

    1. Point your finger and close your eyes, if you feel comfortable. Get ready to imagine you’re drawing the shape of a square with the tip of your finger.
    2. Breathe in through your nose and move your finger in a line, drawing the first side of the square in the air in front of you.
    3. Breathe out through your mouth, drawing the next side of the square.
    4. Breathe in through your nose and draw the third side of the square. 
    5. Breathe out through your mouth and complete the square.
    6. Repeat this three times.

    We know that deep, intentional breathing calms our nervous system and focuses our minds. This easy-to-remember practice is a great way to tap into the power of the breath any time, anywhere. Thanks for the lesson, Elijah!

    Mindfulness Practices for Kids

    If you’d like to explore mindfulness meditation with the school-aged children in your life, there are many ways to go about it. Over the years, we’ve gathered a number of wonderful guided practices for young children and teenagers, created by renowned meditation teachers. Here are just a few of our most popular articles to help you get started:



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  • 10 Powerful Women of the Mindfulness Movement: 2025

    10 Powerful Women of the Mindfulness Movement: 2025

    The women platformed here show us what’s possible when we honor ourselves and honor each other. In this fifth installment of our feature shining a light on powerful women—nominated by their peers—who are leading the mindfulness movement, a common thread ties each of their stories: the strength to live with open eyes and an open heart, even when it would be easier to shut down and tune out. They exemplify the courage to listen deeply, to be fully present with themselves and the world around them, to welcome the moment and work with it. They’ve each shaped unique practices that nourish their growth and calling. And in sharing their stories, they bolster us with inspiration so that each of us may, in our own way, do the same.

    Embrace What’s Broken

    Brenda K. Mitchell

    Pastor, Activist, Teacher

    All her adult life, Brenda K. Mitchell has rightly been known as a strong tower in her community: driven, politically active, rising up in her career. As a pastor, she cares deeply for others and gets things done. 

    When her 31-year-old son Kenneth was killed by gun violence in 2005, leaving behind two young sons with another on the way, Brenda tried to keep being that strong tower. She had grandsons to care for and people who needed her. 

    She didn’t understand then how trauma affects both mind and body. Grief took an immense toll, and her doctor told her she needed to stop everything. “As strong as I’ve always been,” she says, “I had to stop and embrace my brokenness so that I could finally start to heal.” 

    “As strong as I’ve always been, I had to stop and embrace my brokenness so that I could finally start to heal.”

    Pastor Mitchell took her doctor’s advice and rested. At a grief group, she was asked to try a mindfulness retreat with other survivors of gun violence. 

    At the retreat, she discovered the “power of the pause” and how to be fully with herself and others in the present moment. She saw there were still pieces of herself left unattended, even in the midst of good healing work. 

    The compassion of mindfulness allowed her to make herself the priority in her healing process, to fully own all grief’s scattered pieces. 

    She committed herself to practice and leadership in mindfulness spaces, especially to help other survivors of trauma and violence. 

    Today, she incorporates mindfulness into all she does—as a leader, pastor, activist, and facilitator. “I realized how important this is to me, to work in communities of color and in the faith community,” she says. “Yes, you have God. Yes, you have therapy. But there still might be a need for deeper healing. We have to utilize all our resources, because trauma is real.” – SM

    Center Love and Liberation

    Shelly Harrell

    Psychologist, Mindfulness Teacher, Founder of the Soulfulness Center

    Motown was the soundtrack of Shelly Harrell’s childhood in the ’60s in Detroit. Earth, Wind & Fire’s That’s the Way of the World and Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life played on repeat. “In those songs, compassion is so central, care for humanity is so central,” she says.

    She credits music as her first ever mindfulness teacher, dance as her first form of meditation, “a place I could come home to.” When she was a teenager, her father passed away and “all I could think to do was dance,” she says. “I started to trust coming back to my body and coming into presence with my inner life.” 

    Today, Harrell’s personal and professional growth are guided in part by seeking wisdom about mental health and healing beyond Eurocentric frameworks. “Stillness and silence are beautiful, but those aren’t the only paths to mindful presence,” she says.

    “Stillness and silence are beautiful, but those aren’t the only paths to mindful presence.”

    In the early 2000s she recognized a gap between Black Americans and the mindfulness community, caused not only by mostly white representation in mindfulness spaces, but also by the undercurrent of detachment that lies beneath attempts to attain individual calm and happiness. “For collectivist, communal, interconnected-worldview cultures, a message of detachment just doesn’t call,” she says. So she founded The Soulfulness Center where the focus is “love and liberation…centering connection and reconnection to what has been lost, stolen, forgotten,” she says. 

    “Mindfulness is about return, return to breath, return to that anchor again and again.” Harrell often refers to an African proverb, associated with the West African Adinkra symbol called Sankofa, meaning “to return and get it.” 

    “There’s this temporal interconnectedness that we’re invited into with past, present, and future ancestors and living descendants, to connect with that continuity of where we come from, where we are, and where we’re going,” she says. “For me it’s this bigger worldview, the wisdom of a collective, that centers interconnectedness as an ethic. And when we start there, what does that mean for how we live?” – AWC

    Meet It With Love

    Caverly Morgan

    Founder of Peace in Schools, Teacher, Author

    Before Caverly Morgan found mindfulness, she had no idea that she had any negative self-talk at all. On her first retreat, she thought the people who were talking about this were a little loopy. “To me, it wasn’t negative self-talk. These were just facts about myself. So there was this voice that was always driving the car, and I didn’t even know it.” 

    Her mindfulness practice started as a way to learn how to be in a different kind of relationship to this voice. 

    Once we realize the presence of that Inner Critic, she says, we’re conditioned to make the logical leap that there’s something we have to fix. We have to overcome the voice, learn more practices, and build more skills so we can get better at being compassionate. Then our lives will feel happier and more complete. 

    When we approach compassion with that energy of self-improvement, though, we just turn it into something else that we can get good at or fail at. We stay stuck in the mental ruts of good enough/not good enough. 

    “When we approach compassion with that energy of self-improvement, we stay stuck in the mental ruts of good enough/not good enough.”

    Morgan offers gentle guidance for how to rewire these mental patterns. When the Inner Critic shows up, we don’t have to defeat it. We can greet it and meet it with a practice that’s steeped in unconditional reassurance. 

    Unconditional reassurances aren’t just saying the opposite of the Inner Critic by offering false positivity. They’re anchored in the truth, regardless of what’s happening or how we feel about it. So when we’re struggling with a sense of failure, the practice isn’t to say, You’re amazing and super-successful! It’s Whether you succeed or you don’t, I love you no matter what. 

    Our mindfulness practice, then, isn’t a tool we wield to change what we don’t like about ourselves. Rather, it’s like a life preserver we hold onto when we’re flailing, until we feel safe enough to simply float again in the vast ocean of love. Our practice helps us return to presence, and the more we return to presence, the more we sense the reality that compassion is already in and around us—that compassion is actually a natural byproduct of who we authentically are. We don’t have to make more of it for ourselves or other people; we just need to sit still long enough to allow it to naturally emerge. – SM

    Celebrate Who You Are

    Sue Hutton

    Social Worker, Mindfulness Teacher, Disability Rights Advocate

    Sue Hutton has been working with neurodevelopmentally disabled adults, as well as their families and caregivers, since her 20s—and practicing mindfulness for even longer. These communities offer a beautiful place to practice, she says. “I love celebrating our differences and getting to know people’s individual ways of being and helping celebrate who they are.”

    Compassion has always motivated her. As a child, her mother’s suicide attempts awakened her desire to help ease suffering. “My experiences of being an outsider or alienated rested within me and really strengthened my interest in validating other people and never wanting anyone to feel like an outsider.” At the Azrieli Adult Neurodevelopmental Centre in Toronto, Hutton works alongside paid autistic advisers to develop and adapt mindfulness curriculums for neurodivergent communities and caregivers. 

    Earlier in her career, Hutton specialized in providing disability rights education to disabled adults and their families. And because there is also neurodiversity in her own family, she says, “Weaving access to justice and accessibility rights into my mindfulness practice was a natural fit.” 

    “I love celebrating our differences and getting to know people’s individual ways of being and helping celebrate who they are.”

    Although conversations around disability and neurodiversity have become more common, including in the mindfulness sphere, meaningful change lags behind. She says she often witnesses tokenistic actions that result in even more exclusion, instead of a genuine commitment to the work of inclusion and accessibility rights. 

    Alongside systemic change, Hutton also believes in the power of self-compassion. She notes that with standardized meditation instruction, it is assumed that we all experience the practice in more or less the same way, so self-compassion is particularly important for neurodivergent meditators. 

    “Every single person who sits down to meditate is doing so through the fabric of their wiring and their brain structure,” she says. “For me, it is so important to know that each person is going to have their very unique and individualized way of experiencing mindfulness, and to honor and accept that, hey, we all do this differently.” – AT

    Find Your Strength

    Melli O’Brien

    Mindfulness Educator, Entrepreneur, Mental Health Coach

    As a teenager, Melli O’Brien went to her public school library and pulled every book she could find on mental health and happiness. 

    At the time, her days were defined by deep depression and an eating disorder fueled by a belief that she wasn’t enough. Meanwhile, the Iraq war raged on and she struggled to make sense of world leaders taking actions that harmed so many. She saw only two paths ahead: One would lead to taking her own life and the other would mean trying to heal, build inner strength, and maybe be part of the change she wanted to see in the world. 

    “If I believed all those voices and if I didn’t transform them, I don’t think I would have been able to help so many people,” she says today. “That’s a really good reason to unlock your own gifts, so that you can share them with the world and do your own little thing, no matter what it is, to make other people’s lives a bit better too.” 

    Her study of happiness led to two lessons that changed her life: that inner strength is a skill you can build, and that mindfulness is one way to cultivate it. 

    “That’s a really good reason to unlock your own gifts, so that you can share them with the world.”

    “Within a couple sessions of mindfulness training I had the experience of understanding I’m not my mind, I’m not my thoughts, I can get space… I got a taste of freedom,” she says. “I fell in love with the practice.” 

    O’Brien spent years nurturing her practice, which helped her heal and led her to become a mindfulness teacher. In 2015, she cofounded The Mindfulness Summit, which raised $500,000 for mental health charities around the world and led to her cofounding the popular app Mindfulness.com in 2020. 

    And then she burned out. 

    “The amount of adversity coming my way in one go really had me on my metaphorical knees,” she says. Around this time, the World Health Organization named a world mental health crisis, which she saw reflected not only in herself, but her clients. 

    “I had to get really still inside and really think about who I want to be now, how I want to serve now, how I want to live now,” she says. And the result was The Deep Resilience Method, and her forthcoming book by the same name. 

    “I think this book and this method are like a love letter to myself. It’s the answer to my own question of What do I need? And what I need is hopefully going to be what really serves other people when they want to show up in these crazy times we’re living in and be able to make positive change,” she says. 

    “One of the biggest obstacles that I’ve observed is people feeling like there’s no point, and it’s practices like recognizing your own strength that would help you get there.” – AWC

    Come Home to the Body

    S. Helen Ma

    Clinical Psychologist, Mindfulness Researcher, Teacher Trainer

    In 1998, S. Helen Ma traveled from Hong Kong to the US for mindfulness training with Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction. She told him, “I know mindfulness helps, but I want to know how it helps.” 

    At that time, Ma had spent much of her career working in Hong Kong and Australia hospitals with people experiencing clinical depression. While she saw healing, she also saw relapse. Empathy and compassion fatigue threatened to take over—until a colleague introduced her to mindfulness. 

    “For psychology we would be very interested in people’s stories—what’s happened before now,” she says. But in mindfulness, “You don’t need to be concerned about the stories at all… Everything comes and everything goes. It’s so liberating.” 

    She learned she could say to herself, It’s just a thought that I’m not helping people, it’s just a thought that the suffering will go on forever. Instead, in this moment, what is happening?

    “Everything comes and everything goes. It’s so liberating.”

    Kabat-Zinn connected Ma with John Teasdale, a leading Oxford researcher, and together they conducted one of the first studies on mindfulness for clinical depression relapse. The study showed mindfulness is a viable intervention in clinical settings, revolutionizing the field. 

    Lately, though, she’s taken a step back from her career in researching and educating about mindfulness to be a full-time caregiver to her husband, who has dementia. 

    “I’m forever grateful for the practice,” she says. “There’s still attachment, there’s still aversion, there’s still joy, there’s still sorrow, and sometimes the narrative is so thick… But I can recognize, right now my heart is hurting. So can I allow my heart to open up, to fill with sorrow, to feel the grief? Let me see how long it will last and when it will fade. 

    “It’s very difficult now in this very fast-paced and electronic age, but if we can just allow for a moment of stillness and coming back to the body and sensing how the body is tensing up… There’s so much wisdom that starts with being mindful of the body,” she says. “It’s coming home, you know. If everyone in the world could come home, it would be a different world.” – AWC

    Create New Paths

    Nanea Reeves

    Founder and CEO of TRIPP

    Nanea Reeves learned to meditate, she says, before mindfulness “was even a thing.” Her mother struggled with mental illness and addiction, and 15-year-old Nanea (whose name is Hawaiian for peacefulness and serenity) found herself in hospital, experiencing a crisis. A hospital therapist taught her a breathing technique to connect to the present moment. 

    “I believe it was one of the greatest gifts I’ve ever been given,” she says. After her younger sister, Vicki, died from a drug overdose, Reeves deepened her commitment to helping others access the healing tools meditation can offer. 

    “It’s been a real practice for me to learn how to open up my heart more. And now, to be able to put it into work is an honor.”

    A vision began to take shape while she was working in the video game industry. Today her award-winning company, TRIPP, offers virtual reality- and AI-powered guided meditations. “There are many paths up the mountain,” Reeves says. “If we can give people the experience of having present-moment awareness through this method, can it help them translate that into the physical world as well?” 

    The TRIPP app’s AI guide, Kōkua—a Hawaiian word for support and selfless giving—generates guided meditations tailored to a meditator’s mood, and adjusts with their feedback. While not meant to replace human support, Reeves describes it as “that compassionate voice that you can connect to at two in the morning.” 

    “As a kid who had to deal with a lot of violence in the home, I tended to really close off my heart, because it had been hurt so much,” she says. “It’s been a real practice for me to learn how to open up my heart more. And now, to be able to put it into work is an honor.” – AT

    Hold It Lightly

    Vidyamala Burch

    Mindfulness Teacher, Writer, Founder of Breathworks

    After 50 years of living with chronic pain and 40 years of meditation, Vidyamala Burch says, “I laugh much, much more than I used to.” She smiles. “I love telling people that because it’s so surprising.” 

    “I think one of the fruits of long-term practice is an ability to hold life lightly. Take it seriously, because it is a very serious business, but hold it lightly.” 

    Burch is the founder of Breathworks, a charity based in the UK that teaches people living with chronic pain, illness, and stress how to live a fuller life with the help of mindfulness. Her approach comes from her own lived experience of pain. 

    As a child, she lived an active, outdoorsy life in New Zealand and dreamed of becoming a wildlife officer. But that all changed when her spine was fractured, once at the age of 16 and again at 23. 

    “You can’t really be mindful without being loving, and can’t really be loving without being mindful.”

    Lying alone in an intensive care unit after the second accident, faced with intolerable pain, she didn’t know how she would make it to morning. Then she realized that all she had to do was make it through one moment, then one more, and in this way she made it to dawn. 

    “As human beings, we’ve always got two options. One is to turn away from suffering, and the other is to acknowledge it and see if we can keep our hearts open,” she says. “I always say to people at Breathworks, ‘You’re heroes because you’re willing to look at your mind and you’re willing to be in your body.’” 

    At Breathworks, they teach people how to embody a middle way between denial and overwhelm, first with their own pain but also with global issues. “If we had billions of humans who were able to be with whatever’s happening with an open heart and not tipping into either denial or overwhelm, we might have a species that was quite well-equipped to deal with the challenges of our age.” 

    “Just keep practicing. This is what the world needs. This is what we need as individuals,” she says. “You can’t really be mindful without being loving, and can’t really be loving without being mindful.” – AWC

    Keep Your Heart Open

    Shalini Bahl

    Mindfulness Teacher, Researcher, Consultant, Author

    Shalini Bahl feels that trees were her first mindfulness teachers. Years ago, after getting divorced and then moving with her son from India to Amherst, Massachusetts—leaving behind family, friends, and culture—she would sit among the trees, “contemplating my life,” she says. “I’d have all these questions: Why me? What happened? Then I would get this sense or thought in my mind: Just breathe first, and you will get the answers.” 

    This reflective experience sparked her mindfulness journey, and she pursued training with luminaries including Jon Kabat-Zinn and Mirabai Bush. In her academic career, she began sharing the practice with her marketing students. Eventually she redirected her full-time work toward mindfulness, not only teaching, but offering organizational consulting as well as leading research on beneficial ways to be mindful in marketing and business. “What I’m really interested in is using these mindfulness skills for real-world change, to create a better world.” 

    If that sounds simple, it’s not. While serving as an Amherst town councilor, Bahl realized that the qualities she’d been honing in meditation—compassion, equanimity, curiosity—weren’t always translating to the way she was showing up. So she developed a framework for acting and living mindfully in everyday life, using eight habits rooted in foundational contemplative teachings. 

    “The important thing is that we keep our hearts open, and we continue to keep our eyes open and see each other along the way.”

    This framework forms the basis of her book Return to Mindfulness, published in January 2024. Its reminders, she says, “allow us to take a breath, to step back: Am I acting from a place of reaction, default bias, unconscious bias? Or is it from a place of spaciousness, ease, and clarity?” 

    She’s also noticed how cultivating openness and clarity can lead us to deeper compassion. One day, she was talking with an unhoused man on the sidewalk, and a passerby gave the man a bag with two croissants. Immediately, he offered one to Bahl. This act of selfless generosity moved her deeply. “I had judged him as someone who was there on the street, who needs my help.” They became friends, enriching her understanding of shared humanity. 

    At the time, she set an intention: “For now, I’m going to show up for him and stay open. Don’t close my heart. And when I can do more, my heart and my eyes will be open to seeing that opportunity.” Later, when she was elected to town council, that intention gave her the courage to speak up in support of shelters for unhoused people and others who needed help. 

    “I think that’s part of living compassionately, when we don’t know what we can do right away,” she says. “But the important thing is that we keep our hearts open, and we continue to keep our eyes open and see each other along the way.” – AT

    Tell a New Story

    Yuria Celidwen

    Scholar, Researcher, Teacher, Indigenous Nahua and Maya

    When Yuria Celidwen talks about contemplative practice, she’s describing something much more expansive than solely what’s going on in the mind. 

    “From the Mesoamerican tradition specifically, but generally in many Indigenous practices, it’s also about the emotional state, the heart that is involved with the body that informs the mind processes that end up revealing…that animating principle of life.” 

    As a child, she already possessed this rich awareness of complexity. From her parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents, she says, “I learned a lot about how to really be with the landscape, be part of the landscape of a larger community.” Then, starting in elementary school, she faced racist discrimination. Inhabiting these conflicting worlds led her to the study of identity, consciousness, and cultural narratives. 

    Today, a growing range of Indigenous perspectives is found within contemplative studies; when Celidwen entered the field 15 or 20 years ago, there was no such representation. “I was the one to push for Indigenous wisdoms to be part of this field, and to also look at them as sophisticated systems of transforming our sense of identity and cultural identity, examining those identities, and then creating social and environmental transformation for well-being,” she says. 

    “How do we learn to listen to the world? To the whole living, beautiful mother planet that we inhabit?”

    Mindfulness is often interpreted in the West as a set of tools to benefit primarily the individual self. In the Indigenous epistemologies that she researches and teaches about at the University of California, Berkeley, there’s a vision of “a responsible community, an ethical community,” where there is room for every being to be heard and valued as kin. “How do we learn to listen to the world? To the whole living, beautiful mother planet that we inhabit?” she asks. 

    These are glimpses into what Celidwen calls the Ethics of Belonging. It’s elucidated in her academic work, as well as explored in her new book, Flourishing Kin: Indigenous Wisdom for Collective Well-Being (published November 2024). 

    “We know that humans learn through stories,” she says. And old narratives that haven’t served us—“about uniqueness, personal achievement, material possessions, using nature as a resource”—can be composted, she says, “for the nourishment of a new story, but a new story that brings us together. 

    “To relate better, to listen better, to express better, to create better, to nourish our landscapes better—so we realize that yes, we are part of this system, and we can be part of the change.” – AT



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  • Make It Personal: How Mindfulness Can Support Highly Stressed People

    Make It Personal: How Mindfulness Can Support Highly Stressed People

    Many have heard of trauma-sensitive therapies, including mindfulness—but the science and practical uses of these modalities are not always clear, especially to the people who need them the most.

    This is where Gina Rollo White brings her passion for mindfulness to the table. Years of experience and research into the benefits of mindfulness for first responders and veterans became the foundation of her curriculum, called Tactical Brain TrainingÂŽ, and her recently published book, Tactical Brain Training: A Guide to Trauma and Stress Management for First Responders and the Professionals Who Support Them.

    In this Q&A with Mindful editor Amber Tucker, Rollo White talks about her own journey of adapting mindfulness practices to support people facing high stress and trauma, and why it’s key that you don’t try to fit yourself into a specific box, an idea of what mindfulness “should” be. Instead, you can tailor your practice to give you what you really need during intensely challenging moments.

    Amber Tucker: First, can you tell us about your work through Mindful Junkie Outreach?

    Gina Rollo White: Walking into any room today, pink mohawk-clad, and asking people to close their eyes and meditate can be a lot for participants to take in. Now imagine doing that 15 years ago—and not just any room, but walking into a police department, fire station, jail, or veterans’ retreat—still pink mohawk-clad—and asking people to close their eyes and meditate. Well—turns out it was completely dysregulating for everyone. But I kept trying anyway (even changing my hair color to see if that helped—it didn’t—ha).

    After countless false starts, mishaps, mistakes, and a ton of funny stories, I refined my approach and founded the not-for-profit Mindful Junkie Outreach in 2015. The “Mindful” part is obvious. “Junkie” came from a friend who said, “You’re obsessed with mindfulness—you should be Mindful Junkie.” It fit, and I was sold.

    Mindful Junkie Outreach provides specialized programs supporting first responders and veterans (à la therapeutic mindfulness) in managing the stress that comes with the job. At a high level, one of the goals of creating Mindful Junkie was to support the de-stigmatization of stress and trauma in the first responder and veteran communities. The idea was to offer culturally appropriate, relatable tools for managing reactions, noticing impulses, and working through emotions—both on the job and at home. I wanted to equip first responders, veterans, and clinicians with approachable mindfulness interventions to enhance safety, health, and emotional regulation for those who serve our communities.

    AT: How did you become interested in teaching mindfulness to veterans and first responders?

    GRW: As the daughter of two first responders, I had a deeply personal connection to this work. My first glimpse of the toll chronic stress takes came from watching how it showed up in my parents’ lives—professionally and at home. Behind closed doors, when we should have been winding down as a family, there was no downtime. My parents carried their vigilance from the job straight into our evenings. That early exposure to chaos gave me a unique perspective on the challenges faced by those who dedicate their lives to public service.

    That early exposure to chaos gave me a unique perspective on the challenges faced by those who dedicate their lives to public service.

    It was the quiet whimpers behind my mom’s closed door that first clued me into her suffering. It was my father’s uncontrollable outbursts—often violent—that gave me insight into what dysregulation and an inability to control emotions look like. And it was my eventual research on cumulative stress in first responders and veterans that highlighted a critical divide between stress and self-regulation for those working in high-stress environments.

    We train our responders to run toward danger and solve problems. Here’s the divide, the missing link: We don’t train them to manage the effects of trauma. When I realized this gap existed, I started asking questions like: How can we address this in a trauma sensitive way? What would resonate with first responders? Does cultural competence play a role in adopting practices?

    Years later, while pursuing my master’s degree in Mindfulness Studies at Lesley University, I explored the connections between trauma, the brain, and emotional regulation. That’s when I realized the incredible potential mindfulness could have on first responders who experience sleep deprivation, high exposure to violence, and frequent physical injuries, by actually mitigating stress and changing the brain. This realization sparked a passion to create something tailored specifically for first responders and veterans.

    AT: Mindfulness is often seen as a one-size-fits-all practice. Why might first responders, veterans, and other highly stressed groups need a different approach in order to benefit?

    GRW: Stress and trauma, unfortunately, are byproducts of these professions. Something that stood out early on in conducting the trainings was how differently people experience stress. This fascinated me. For example, one paramedic might see a barking dog as a chance to soothe it, while another sees it as a trigger—a sign to back off and avoid getting bitten. What stresses one person may not affect another. There’s no one-size-fits-all equation.

    Over the last decade of working with first responders and veterans, I’ve witnessed this variance repeatedly. Everyone relates to chaos differently. I’ve provided support during critical incidents, in the quiet moments in between, and after the dust has settled. If I’ve learned one thing, it’s that there’s no universal reaction. If you asked for my biggest takeaway, I’d say this: Whether you’re a mindfulness educator, a clinician, a newbie to mindfulness, or a seasoned meditator, don’t try to be the expert—be curious. Asking thoughtful questions goes much further than simply thinking or saying, “Just breathe.”

    Don’t try to be the expert—be curious. Asking thoughtful questions goes much further than simply thinking or saying, “Just breathe.”

    In fact, focusing on the breath isn’t always helpful. It can even be unsettling or triggering in some situations, which is why it’s so important to adapt mindfulness practices to each audience. For those in law enforcement, deep breaths can be difficult while wearing a bulletproof vest, so I offer Square Breathing as another option, which focuses on a more shallow, balanced breath. Many veterans and people working in Corrections prefer to keep their eyes open during meditation, since closing them can feel unsafe, given their training to stay vigilant.

    Mindfulness interventions work best when tailored to the individual. What helps a firefighter might not resonate with a police officer. What works for a veteran may not work for a paramedic. There is no one way to be mindful.

    The curriculum, Tactical Brain Training® (TBT) was developed with this in mind. TBT combines mindfulness interventions with self-assessments to create personalized approaches based on each person’s unique needs and experiences. Whether someone is dealing with sleep issues, anxiety, or trying to switch off after a tough shift, the TBT approach teaches them to identify what’s happening and introduces mindfulness interventions that work for them personally. The goal isn’t to change someone or force them into some perfect “mindful” box. It’s about offering practical tools to support their individual path—both on and off the job.

    AT: People may read that and think, ‘Oh, I’m not a first responder or a police officer, so that doesn’t apply to me.’ How would you explain this idea for other people who may still be navigating high stress or trauma in their life?

    GRW: I get this question a lot. Stress (and unfortunately trauma as well) is real for a ton of people, regardless of their profession—or even their age. My daughter came home from school one day and told me she was really stressed about an art assignment. My initial thought was, Just paint the darn picture and be done with it. How could this possibly be stressful? It’s just paint on paper. But then she explained that the assignment felt vague and ambiguous, and she’d much rather do math than art. “In math, there’s a right answer and a wrong answer—no gray areas,” she said.

    As we talked, I started thinking back to my own high school experience with math. (Side note— just the memory of doing a math assignment got me worked up and stressed, even though I wasn’t actually doing any math in that moment. Food for thought: Just thinking about something can cause a stress response, even without the actual stimulus.) That’s when I had an epiphany related to trauma and mindfulness. I was contemplating the idea that two people can share the same experience but feel completely different about it. Art stressed her out; math stressed me out. Same situation, different reactions. (And for the record, I wasn’t even good at art!)

    This reminded me how personal our emotional responses to experiences are. What stresses me out might not stress you out—and vice versa. If stress is personal (and here’s the big “aha” moment), then it makes sense that the strategies to regulate stress would also need to be personal. This reinforced my research that different populations and individuals require their own unique approaches.

    When adapting mindfulness interventions for someone who has experienced trauma or lives in a constant state of stress, it’s critical to make the point of personalization blatantly clear during a training. There is no “right” or “wrong” response—it’s personal. Framing it this way helps people open up to experimenting with different approaches and figuring out what resonates with them. This often sparks conversations like this:

    “Sure, maybe focused breathing makes you feel claustrophobic. That’s okay! It’s not a problem at all. Now that you’ve identified that, you can pivot to something else, like a listening intervention. It’s all about options. Closing your eyes feels uncomfortable? No problem—keep them open. A body scan leaves you feeling agitated? That’s fine too. Acknowledge the discomfort, congratulate yourself for noticing it, and then try something else. Or simply sit with the discomfort and observe it, give it a name. By doing so, you start building a connection between your mind and body. You’re training your brain to notice discomfort, tolerate it, and recognize that you have tools to help neutralize your nervous system.”

    If stress is personal (and here’s the big “aha” moment), then it makes sense that the strategies to regulate stress would also need to be personal.

    Phew—that was long-winded, but you get the point. The bottom line is this: We need to demystify the idea that there’s only one way to practice mindfulness. Instead, we should offer options—lots and lots of options.

    AT: Speaking of options, let’s talk more about Tactical Brain Training. What shaped your process of developing this program?

    GRW: Traditional mindfulness approaches often don’t resonate with these populations, so I designed TBT to talk-the-talk and walk-the-walk. It’s about delivering practical, no-nonsense tools that can be applied in high-stress situations, whether on the job or at home. My goal has always been to equip individuals with strategies to manage stress, process trauma, and maintain emotional well-being. Teaching people to train their brains as tactically as they train their bodies makes the stress and trauma associated with these professions a bit more manageable. This helps keep individuals safer, healthier, and more emotionally regulated—both at work and at home.

    My journey—from my personal experiences with my parents to academic research, to countless false starts—shaped my approach to mindfulness training for veterans and first responders. And honestly? What I do never really feels like a job (except the marketing part—ugh, that definitely feels like work). It’s a passion that runs deep in my bones: supporting those who put their lives on the line for our communities every day.

    To be clear, I didn’t invent anything new here. These mindfulness interventions have existed for centuries and have been refined over time with modern science. All I did was adapt these proven approaches into a system that resonated with me. When I developed the TBT curriculum and wrote Tactical Brain Training, it naturally reflected my upbringing: physical, crass, and a little rambunctious. I wasn’t naturally mindful, nor was it part of our family’s world—far from it. But through years of practice, I trained my brain to be tactically mindful. My approach is grounded in what works for me: physical, straightforward, and unapologetically off-color.

    If it worked for someone like me, I crossed my fingers it could work for others who might be skeptical about traditional mindfulness practices. When you go through the Tactical Brain Training program or read the book, you’re getting mindfulness stripped down to its practical core. It’s mindfulness for people who never thought they’d be into mindfulness. I don’t relate to “Take a nice, long, soothing breath.” But I do relate to “Just f’ing breathe.”

    So now, if you see my hashtag #JFB, you’ll know exactly what it stands for: Just F’ing Breathe.

    AT: What is the most surprising or little-known fact you have learned about trauma and mindful trauma recovery that you want to share with the world?

    GRW: I had been training first responders for about three years when I started noticing patterns—connections between certain mindfulness interventions and specific populations. I typically bring chimes to my trainings (well, when I remember them—ha). I use them when introducing and practicing Listening Interventions.

    One day, while monitoring the room, after I rang the chimes, by the third chime I noticed that the percentage of those agitated seemed higher than an average class. I became curious about how the sound of chimes affects first responders, so I began paying closer attention to see if certain groups reacted differently. (All of this is anecdotal, not peer-reviewed—but hey, if anyone wants to study it, give me a call!)

    It’s crucial to overtly tell people that it’s normal to feel triggered, stressed, or anxious. Experiencing these emotions doesn’t mean you’re broken—it means you’re human.

    What I observed was that individuals in Fire Services tended to show more agitation when I rang chimes (not sounds in general, just chimes and singing bowls) compared to other first responders. One day, mid-training, I stopped ringing the chimes, asked everyone to open their eyes, and blurted out, “What the f@#k—why is everyone so agitated when I ring these?” They all looked at me like I was clueless.

    “Duh,” one of them said, “when the bell goes off in the fire station, it means there’s an emergency. Get your gear on and get out the door as fast as you can!” They explained that the number of bells indicates the scale of the emergency. So, essentially, the sound of chimes had become associated with urgency, emergencies, and often impending chaos or gore. In other words, NOT very calming—and definitely not an anchor for balancing the nervous system.

    That was surprising, but here’s what really blew my mind: Name it to tame it actually works. I found that if I say upfront, “This sound might be agitating for some of you,” and explain why, it not only normalizes the experience but also reduces the overall agitation in the room.

    The reality is that triggers are everywhere. The street corner where CPR was performed last month. A house that looks like one that burned down last week. The backfire of a car that sounds like a gunshot. A smell that brings back memories of a murder scene. The list is endless. But simply identifying a trigger—even if it’s just saying to yourself, “This is a trigger”—can make a significant difference in becoming dysregulated.

    One of the most surprising and transformative facts I’ve learned about trauma and mindful trauma recovery is this: It’s crucial to overtly tell people that it’s normal to feel triggered, stressed, or anxious. Experiencing these emotions doesn’t mean you’re broken—it means you’re human. Once this is acknowledged and normalized, it opens the door to creating a plan to manage these feelings. It’s not necessarily about “recovering” in the traditional sense; it’s about learning to be with discomfort and finding a way through it. Simply acknowledging what’s happening in the moment—whether it’s trauma, irritation, or stress—can create a powerful mind-body connection that helps balance the nervous system. True progress involves recognizing what you’re experiencing, normalizing it without judgment, and then pivoting to a strategy that feels personal and effective for you. This approach shifts the narrative from feeling overwhelmed to feeling empowered, offering a way to navigate stress and trauma with intention and resilience.



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  • Mental Health Interpreters Are at Risk of Burnout—But Mindfulness Could Help

    Mental Health Interpreters Are at Risk of Burnout—But Mindfulness Could Help

    The first time Adele Routliff tried communicating with her Deaf mother in public using sign language, her mother, she says, “put her hands on mine and placed [them] back in my lap. In other words, no, we don’t sign in public.” Her mother had grown up in a residential school for the Deaf where sign language was forbidden—enforced by physical punishment—and had internalized the idea that signing was only safe in private settings. Adele didn’t understand her mother’s resistance and so continued signing, even as her mother’s eyes grew wide with fear. “I didn’t understand it then,” she says. “But I know now it was shame.” 

    Now a certified American Sign Language-English interpreter, Adele actively works to raise awareness of deafness by bridging the communication gap and highlighting the importance of mental health in Deaf communities. Her lived experiences have motivated her in becoming a trained mental health interpreter, in providing mental health interpreting workshops for those looking to develop their skills, and in designing and implementing a curriculum for training new interpreters through Canadian Hearing Services.

    Historically, Deaf mental health has been overlooked, and it received minimal attention until the past decade. Dr. Cathy Chovaz—director of the Centre for Deaf Education and Accessibility Forum (CDEAF) and an associate professor of psychology at King’s University College (Western University)—provides mental health care to Deaf individuals. She has led research that suggests that Deaf people face heightened risks of depression and anxiety, compounded by significant barriers and poorer outcomes within the justice system, mainstream education, and healthcare settings. Dr. Chovaz’ research shows that many healthcare professionals aren’t trained to recognize mental health conditions in Deaf patients. As a result, Deaf individuals are often misdiagnosed or go undiagnosed, even though they face unique challenges that put them at higher risk, such as limited early access to sign language, communication barriers within their families, neurological conditions linked to certain causes of deafness, and experiences of trauma or abuse.

    The Challenges of Mental-Health Interpreting

    Considering the challenges faced by Deaf individuals, it’s not surprising that sign language interpreters working in medical and mental health settings also face heightened risks.

    Sign language interpreting requires the interpreter to use their face and their body to communicate, both with the Deaf person and to the hearing person, an experience that can be emotionally and physically taxing. Sign language interpreters also have to remember that their job is to relay every word exactly as it’s signed—no matter how uncomfortable it makes them. One mental health interpreter, who wishes to remain anonymous—we’ll call her Jane—shared how challenging this can be: “There have been times I felt like I needed to wash my mouth out with soap,” referring to the language she had to interpret. “You almost want to say, ‘It’s not me, it’s them.’”

    You walk into the most intimate moments in people’s lives as an interpreter. I’ve been at births, I’ve been at deaths, I’ve been at funerals. I’ve been there when families have blown up.

    Jane explained that while interpreters are trained to remain impartial, it’s hard not to have a natural human reaction to some of the distressing things they hear in medical and mental health settings. “You’re told you’re just there to convey the language—to maintain professionalism, set boundaries, and be mindful of how you come across,” she said. This is especially crucial in high-stress or emotionally charged situations, which interpreters often find themselves navigating. As Adele said, “You walk into the most intimate moments in people’s lives as an interpreter. I’ve been at births, I’ve been at deaths, I’ve been at funerals. I’ve been there when families have blown up.”

    The Health Risks of Helping People Be Heard

    Medical interpreters who work with hearing people play a critical role in helping patients with limited English access and navigate the healthcare system, but the job can bring with it significant emotional strain. They often find themselves in high-stress situations: delivering difficult news, bridging cultural gaps, and facilitating conversations between doctors, patients, and families. Research shows that interpreters, especially those working with cancer patients and children, experience high levels of stress and struggle to manage their own mental health while supporting others. 

    Research shows that interpreters, especially those working with cancer patients and children, experience high levels of stress and struggle to manage their own mental health while supporting others.

    And this emotional burden isn’t unique to spoken language interpreters—it also extends to sign language interpreters, who face their own distinct challenges in medical settings. Although research findings are mixed, recent studies indicate that regular exposure to emotionally charged or traumatic content significantly increases sign language interpreters’ vulnerability to vicarious trauma and secondary traumatic stress, with poor mental health outcomes reported in as many as 83% of interpreters. Jane shared with me a particularly stressful assignment: “I recognized I was no longer able to manage my emotions and it was affecting my ability to interpret in a neutral manner. So I had to take a step back.”

    Mindful Skills May Help Sign Language Interpreters

    Those working in emotionally charged settings, particularly medical and mental health contexts, could benefit from preventive measures. One promising approach is the use of mindfulness practices. While it is an understudied area, some research suggests that mindfulness can help interpreters manage work-related stress. A recent study adapted Mindful Practice® in Medicine (MPIM)—an evidence-based mindfulness program created by two physicians to improve coping skills and combat burnout—for medical interpreters.

    The findings showed that the program effectively reduced distress in both spoken and sign language medical interpreters. The study also found that most participants valued the opportunity to share their stressors in an open and understanding environment with fellow medical interpreters. This sense of community not only helped them become more empathetic listeners but also provided a supportive space to debrief and develop mindful strategies for managing the challenges of their work.

    Incorporating mindfulness-based practices into interpreter training programs and providing ongoing professional development can help interpreters better handle emotionally charged situations, enhance self-awareness and emotional regulation, build resilience to burnout, and, like Jane, recognize when an assignment exceeds their capacity. Jane, though not formally trained in mindfulness practices, shared that using mindfulness has helped her. Even something as simple as parking her car further away from her workplace, requiring a longer walk, was helpful to her in processing her day. Similarly, Adele has gained the ability to check in with herself and know what her limits are. While both have been lucky enough to find mindfulness in their own lives, the industry could benefit from offering interpreters formal mindfulness training, which could significantly reduce the stress of challenging interpretation work.



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  • The Power of Mindfulness: How Meditation Can Reduce Stress and Improve Mental Health

    The Power of Mindfulness: How Meditation Can Reduce Stress and Improve Mental Health

    The Power of Mindfulness: How Meditation Can Reduce Stress and Improve Mental Health

    Introduction

    In today’s fast-paced world, it’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of daily life and forget to take care of our mental well-being. The demands of work, family, and social responsibilities can leave us feeling stressed, anxious, and overwhelmed. But what if there was a way to reduce stress, improve mental health, and increase overall well-being? Enter mindfulness meditation, a simple yet powerful tool that has been shown to have a profound impact on our minds and bodies.

    What is Mindfulness Meditation?

    Mindfulness meditation is a practice that involves paying attention to the present moment, without judgment or distraction. It’s a state of being fully engaged with whatever is happening in the current moment, whether it’s physical sensations, emotions, or thoughts. The goal of mindfulness meditation is not to achieve a specific state or outcome, but rather to cultivate awareness, acceptance, and compassion for ourselves and the world around us.

    The Benefits of Mindfulness Meditation

    So, how can mindfulness meditation help reduce stress and improve mental health? Let’s take a look at some of the benefits:

    • Reduces stress and anxiety: Mindfulness meditation has been shown to decrease the production of stress hormones like cortisol, leading to a sense of calm and relaxation.

    • Improves mood: By cultivating positive emotions and perspectives, mindfulness meditation can help manage depression and reduce symptoms of anxiety.

    • Enhances emotional regulation: Mindfulness meditation helps us develop a greater awareness of our emotions, making it easier to recognize and manage emotions, rather than repressing or acting on them impulsively.

    • Increases self-awareness: Mindfulness meditation helps us develop a greater understanding of ourselves, our values, and our goals, leading to increased self-confidence and purpose.

    How to Practice Mindfulness Meditation

    If you’re new to mindfulness meditation, starting a regular practice can seem overwhelming. Here are some simple steps to get you started:

    • Find a quiet space: Find a quiet, comfortable, and distraction-free space where you can sit and focus on your breath.

    • Choose a meditation technique: There are many types of meditation, such as body scan, loving-kindness, and guided meditation. Experiment to find what works best for you.

    • Start small: Begin with short sessions (5-10 minutes) and gradually increase as you become more comfortable with the practice.

    • Be consistent: Aim to meditate daily, even if it’s just for a few minutes. Consistency is key to developing a habit.

    Overcoming Common Obstacles

    • Difficulty quieting the mind: This is normal! Don’t worry if you find your mind wandering. Gently bring your attention back to your chosen meditation object, such as your breath.

    • Feeling like you’re not doing it "right": Mindfulness meditation isn’t about achieving a specific state or outcome. It’s about being present and aware. Remember, it’s okay to make mistakes – it’s all part of the process.

    • Not having enough time: Even small amounts of meditation can be beneficial. Try to incorporate short sessions into your daily routine, such as right after waking or before bed.

    Conclusion

    In conclusion, mindfulness meditation is a powerful tool for reducing stress and improving mental health. By cultivating awareness, acceptance, and compassion, we can develop a greater sense of self-awareness and emotional regulation. While it may take some time and effort to establish a consistent practice, the rewards are well worth it. Take the first step today and start experiencing the benefits of mindfulness meditation for yourself.

    FAQs

    Q: I’m new to meditation. Is it difficult to get started?
    A: It’s not difficult to get started! Just find a quiet space, choose a meditation technique, and start small. You can always adjust as you become more comfortable with the practice.

    Q: Can I meditate anywhere?
    A: Yes! You can meditate anywhere you have a quiet space to sit and focus. Try meditating in nature, at home, or even in your office.

    Q: Will I fall asleep?
    A: It’s possible, especially if you’re new to meditation. If this happens, try setting a timer or meditating at a time of day when you’re more alert.

    Q: Can I meditate with music or distractions?
    A: Yes, you can use guided meditation apps or meditate with music, but try to minimize distractions for the most effective practice.

    By incorporating mindfulness meditation into your daily routine, you can develop greater awareness, reduce stress, and improve your overall mental health. Take the first step today and start experiencing the power of mindfulness for yourself.

  • The Mindfulness Revolution: Why This Ancient Practice is More Relevant Than Ever

    The Mindfulness Revolution: Why This Ancient Practice is More Relevant Than Ever

    The Mindfulness Revolution: Why This Ancient Practice is More Relevant Than Ever

    The concept of mindfulness has been around for thousands of years, dating back to ancient Eastern cultures such as Buddhism and Taoism. However, in recent years, mindfulness has experienced a resurgence in popularity, with its popularity spanning across the globe, transcending cultural boundaries, and infiltrating various aspects of modern life. As a result, the once obscure practice has become a mainstream phenomenon, with its significance and relevance only continuing to grow.

    A Modern Malady: The Need for Mindfulness

    In today’s fast-paced, technology-driven world, the need for mindfulness is more pressing than ever. With the constant barrage of information, stimuli, and distractions, our minds are more prone to excess stress, anxiety, and disconnection. The monastery-dwelling Buddha himself would likely agree that the proliferation of technology has created a society plagued by "monkey mind" (or "kleshas" in Sanskrit), where our thoughts are like a restless, chattering monkey, constantly jumping from one idea to the next without ever truly focusing or being present.

    In this chaotic environment, mindfulness offers a much-needed reprieve, providing a chance to calm the mind, focus on the present, and cultivate a deeper sense of connection with ourselves and the world around us. By incorporating mindfulness into daily routines, individuals can develop greater self-awareness, improve their mental and physical well-being, and enhance their overall quality of life.

    The Science Behind Mindfulness

    Studies have yielded impressive results, highlighting the numerous benefits of mindfulness in both the short and long term. Just a few examples include:

    • Reduced stress and anxiety: Mindfulness practices have been shown to decrease symptoms of anxiety and depression, as well as alleviate chronic pain and fatigue.

    • Improved focus and concentration: Regular mindfulness practice has been proven to enhance attention span, memory, and cognitive function.

    • Boosted mood and emotional regulation: Mindfulness has been linked to increased happiness, emotional intelligence, and emotional well-being.

    Practicing Mindfulness in Modern Times

    The beauty of mindfulness lies in its adaptability, allowing individuals to incorporate its principles into their daily lives in various forms and frequencies. Some popular methods include:

    • Meditation: Sitting in silence, focusing on the breath, and observing thoughts without judgment.

    • Yoga: Combining physical postures, breathing techniques, and meditation to cultivate greater awareness.

    • Body scan: Paying attention to bodily sensations,.noticeing areas of tension or release.

    • Mindful movement: Engaging in physical activities like walking, running, or swimming while maintaining a mindful attitude.

    Mindfulness in the Workplace and Beyond

    The benefits of mindfulness extend far beyond the individual, as its positive impact can be felt within families, communities, and organizations. By fostering greater self-awareness and empathy, mindfulness can:

    • Improve interpersonal relationships: Enhanced communication, active listening, and conflict resolution skills.

    • Boost team performance: Increased productivity, creativity, and collaboration.

    • Enhance leadership: More effective decision-making, emotional intelligence, and strategic thinking.

    Challenges and Limitations

    Despite its growing popularity, mindfulness is not without its challenges. Some common concerns include:

    • Time constraints: Many people struggle to find the time to commit to regular mindfulness practice.

    • Lack of understanding: Misconceptions about mindfulness, such as it being a requirement for long periods of silence or elaborate rituals.

    • Accessibility: Concerns about costs, availability, and cultural or geographical limitations.

    Conclusion

    The Mindfulness Revolution is a testament to humanity’s innate capacity for self-improvement and growth. By acknowledging the importance of mindfulness in today’s society, we can better address the anxieties and distractions that plague us. Whether through meditation, yoga, or simply paying attention to our breath, mindfulness offers a universal language, accessible to all. By embracing this ancient practice, we can cultivate greater self-awareness, increase compassion, and foster a more peaceful, connected world.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Q: Is mindfulness a replacement for traditional therapy or medical treatment?
    A: No, mindfulness is not a replacement but can be a complementary tool for those undergoing therapy or medical treatment.

    Q: Is mindfulness only for spiritual or religious purposes?
    A: No, mindfulness is secular and applicable to individuals of all beliefs and backgrounds.

    Q: Do I need to be a "natural" or " htmlspecialchars" to practice mindfulness?
    A: No, anyone can practice mindfulness, regardless of physical ability, flexibility, or comfort level.

    Q: How often should I practice mindfulness?
    A: Start with short, regular sessions (5-10 minutes) and gradually increase as desired.

    By embracing the Mindfulness Revolution, we can empower ourselves to navigate the complexities of modern life with greater ease, resilience, and inner peace. Join the movement and experience the transformative power of mindfulness for yourself.