Life in the time of coronavirus. We are living through a remarkably stressful time, with global scope and interventions unlike any health crisis we have ever seen. With so many rapid changes occurring related to the COVID-19 pandemic, many people are understandably feeling anxious and stressed.
Meditation
Holding Mind in Mind: A Mindful Mentalization-Based Skill to Improve Relationships
Have you ever tried to hold someone else’s mind in your mind? Let’s do it together right now. Imagine that one of your good friends or close family members is having a good day. Maybe they had a big success at work, maybe they got a good report from their doctor, or maybe they just had one of those days where everything seems to go smoothly—ahhh, those days are nice when they come along, right?
Experiencing Unpleasant Emotions? Invite Them In for Tea: The Counterintuitive Practice of Creating Space for Our Difficult Emotions
What do you do when you feel intense upset, anxiety, anger, or despair? Many of us want to get rid of the unpleasant emotions as soon as possible because unpleasant emotions are, well, unpleasant. We may look for a quick fix that helps turn down the volume on the unpleasantness or distracts us entirely.
Depression is a Lying, Manipulative, Thieving, Self-Important A-Hole
Depression is kind of an a-hole. There, I said it. Please pardon my crude language but I think it’s an apt description. Depression can turn a perfectly lovely, capable, intelligent person into an irritable, lethargic, confused, pessimistic mess. It is notorious for telling very convincing lies, and these lies are often big whoppers packing a […]
A Mindful Breathing Exercise: Alternate-Nostril Breathing
Alternate nostril breathing from Jennifer Hartman. Check out the above video, my first ever video blog, where I teach you how to do alternate-nostril breathing. It sounds weird, I know, but it’s actually pretty cool. This breathing practice comes from yoga tradition and in the yoga world, it is touted to have all kinds of […]
Don’t Lose Your Mind! Learn to Respond Instead of React
Orlando, St. Paul, Baton Rouge, Dallas (where I live), Nice (France). After a string of recent tragedies, I, like so many people, have been grappling with feelings of shock, outrage, sadness, and confusion. I come to you today not with any answers or direct commentary, but with a request. My request involves a call to action […]
“But why would I want to breathe in the bad stuff?”: A Brief Intro to Tonglen Meditation
That’s the question I often get asked when I teach a specific meditation style called Tonglen. Before I explain Tonglen meditation, think about any guided relaxation exercises you might have done in your life. Many of us have experienced guided meditations, relaxation exercises, and even yoga practices that encourage us to breathe in the “good […]
