Compassion, lovingkindness, appreciative joy, and equanimity are beneficial mental states that could be considered four complimentary “flavors of love”. Together they form a firm foundation upon which authentic love can take solid root in a way that is boundless & indestructible. We can cultivate these qualities through a dedicated mindfulness practice.
Meeting online, for a great number of people, is the only way they can realistically participate in mindfulness classes and practice meetings. Not everyone can make it to a meditation center. For these individuals, the virtual community can be a lifeline. But, what happens when, on the sole basis of preference, we curate the inconvenience of face-to-face interactions in our learning, practice and daily lives?
“Listen to your gut” can be dubious advice. Mindfulness can increase awareness of our gut instincts and allow us to include other important information that may be available in a given situation. This helps us respond with greater wisdom and increases the likelihood that outcomes will be more satisfying for all involved.
Have you bought into hustle culture and bootstrap mentality? Do you find yourself wearing busyness like a badge honor? Contrary to popular belief, the end doesn’t always justify the means. The insight we gain from the practice of mindfulness can help us understand relationships between cause and effect and allow us to choose our path more wisely.
When we learn to radically accept reality, we become boundless because we are liberated from resistance and illusion.
The practice of mindfulness can help us pause before reacting impulsively to acts of aggression or hatred. This makes space for considering the many choices available to us for responding with skill and wisdom. Evidence throughout history and in the research demonstrates that a more reasoned and compassionate response leads to better long term outcomes for us all.
With the start of the new year, many of us are thinking about the ways we will care for ourselves going forward and the healthy practices we’d like to cultivate or maintain. But, how can we know what’s truly good for us? Mindfulness can help us be more discerning.
When we practice mindfulness, much of what we are practicing is being accurately self- and other-aware. Bias and stereotyping are distortions of reality. Mindfulness helps us learn to see through some of the illusions and distortions our human minds are vulnerable to and make wise decisions about them.
The Midwest Alliance for Mindfulness is celebrating one year as an official entity. Take a look at what has transpired since we took the plunge.
Mindfulness can help us keep our calm even in the face of great challenge and difficulty.
2019 marked year five which you can read about here. Every year I reflect on my practice. It all started when I was asked to write about it for my yoga shala’s blog. I figured it might be helpful to look back and see what I’ve discovered along the way and to share these discoveries […]
Our mindfulness practice isn’t just for the meditation cushion. There are many ways of embodying our practice in everyday life.
Mindfulness is an excellent antidote to ignorance because knowing what we don’t know makes us wiser.
Although the practice of mindfulness is simple in concept, it can be challenging in execution due to a number of habits and human tendencies that can create obstacles for us.
Mindfulness can help us hack-proof our human operating system from manipulation and exploitation of our fears and desires.
Mindfulness can help us fulfill our responsibility for curating a state of mind that supports compassion and well-being.
When life serves up something unexpected, follow this 3-step mindful process for being with difficulty in a skillful way.
Saying yes to this life means being open to what is here and asking ourselves, “What will I do with this one precious opportunity?”