Walking through the mountains, we heard the entrancing melodies of kirtan sung by Krishna Das and friends echoing intensely over the sound of our footsteps on the gravel trails. We were at Menla mountain retreat for the Power of a Loving Heart seminar. Menla is a special spiritual place, located in the Catskill Mountains of New York and affiliated with Tibet House. The land had been donated for the purpose of such retreats and has been deemed by many, including the Dalai Lama, during one of his stays, as having great spiritual power. Continue reading →
It was such a beautiful time, and now you just want to pull the covers over your head, or worse yet, bite someone’s head off! How do you tell if you are just tired or having post-holiday blues? It’s normal to turn toward a more introspective place as company leaves, holiday parties die down, and visions of sugarplums are replaced by the daily commute and the realities of everyday life. Continue reading →
As the tuning chords strummed by Karin Berquist and Linford Detweiler reverberated in the intimate space of Eddie’s Attica couple of weeks ago, on the warm evening of August 23, I noticed the rapt attention of the audience. We were all fully present, Continue reading →
In my line of work and professional interest, I often come across people who want to express that they are grateful, or at least not ungrateful, for what they have. The phrases come out as some variant of “I know how lucky I am.” It may be “I know it could be so much worse,” or “God wouldn’t give me anything I can’t handle and I know I should be thankful.” Often the thoughts are triggered by Continue reading →
The video below presents a serious message in a funny way. It is important to know warning signs of a heart attack, stroke, as well as serious illnesses which are life threatening if not caught early. The reason it is crucial is so that prompt and appropriate medical care can be sought. Without that second step, the first becomes meaningless.
The scenario in this video brings to mind a misconception about mindfulness meditation. Many people have begun using the term mindfulness synonymously with simple attention to something as in the idea of being “mindful” or “aware” of whatever one is doing. Even a quick Google search will bring up a variety of mindfully-related terms ranging from mindful eating, cooking, and gardening to mindful speaking, working, and playing. These terms are all offshoots of the mindfulness meditation revolution. While the terminology may be similar, the meaning of the terms may be vastly different when arising simply from an advertising ploy attempting to capitalize on the mindful movement. The result- people are confused as to what mindfulness really is and more and more often I hear people saying they practice being “mindful.”
As a therapist I often hear people reference a variety of character quirks. They may admit that they are angry, anxious, type A, OC, tend to waste time, or some other flaw. Then, invariably, they add some variant of “that’s just the way I am” or “I have always been that way.” This later part, I have learned, Continue reading →
Our guest post today comes from Dr. Ronald Alexander. It is adapted from his book, Wise Mind, Open Mind: Finding Purpose and Meaning in Times of Crisis, Loss, and Change (New Harbinger Publications, 2009).
Scientists at the Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research at Ohio State discovered after more than two decades of research how stress including arguments can alter the levels of certain hormones in the blood that can weaken one’s immune system, increasing their vulnerability to disease. This was especially true for women as men often “tune out” their partners in a disagreement. According to Dr. Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, a scientist in the research, “We’re not saying that conflicts in marriage are bad necessarily. They’re completely normal. It’s the way the couples disagreed Continue reading →
YOLO–You only live once. This is a term you call out when you are trying to get someone to do something but they won’t do it because they are scared.
How many times have we passed by an opportunity due to fear? It is easy to stay within the land of the familiar, even if what’s familiar is unpleasant. Over time this behavior can develop into insecurity.
~Change is not easy but can be freeing…Live life to the fullest!
As we watch our children blossom into adults, we may often wonder how they have come so far from the seedlings they once were. I would like to offer a paraphrase of one dad’s description of the vital process of parenting as a gardening of sorts: Continue reading →
This title came from a saying that has been echoing in my head ever since I heard it come out of my three-year-old’s mouth. The first time I heard it, she was chiming it to herself while picking up some toys that had dropped and scattered across the floor. Hearing it made me smile with amazement and pride at her ability to call up this simple statement, in the midst of disarray. Her statement allowed me a glimpse at her process of working on acceptance. Certainly, I thought, this is emblematic of coping with imperfect and ever-changing circumstances; indeed, this is a concept with which most adults struggle. Continue reading →
Stay Tuned! We are going to kick off our mindful parenting segment with an exclusive interview with Jennifer Laurent author of “Excerpts From The Heart of a Mom.”
We invite you to submit questions and share thoughts about conscious parenting in the comment section below. We will select questions to ask Jennifer Laurent during our interview as well as for addressing in our future posts.
