Being a preacher’s daughter, I grew up well-acquainted with a number of Bible verses, the oft-quoted and obscure alike. But one passage that’s resonated more and more with me over the years is Matthew 25:40: In as much as you take care of the least of these, you take care of me. I come from […]
Mindful Kids: How Mindfulness Meditation Can Change the Classroom
We got a lot of heartfelt responses to our last blog post about the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Judging from the words of comfort, it’s clear that the community of Newtown, CT is still in our thoughts and prayers. Reading through the comments, I noticed that a number of people mentioned a need […]
Our Hearts Go Out to Sandy Hook Elementary
How can this keep happening? That was my immediate thought upon hearing the tragic news of this latest school shooting that took place yesterday in my home state of Connecticut. The unthinkable has happened again, this time at an elementary school – 26 dead, 18 of them children, at the time of this writing. The […]
The Power of Mindfulness Meditation – Helping to Ease the Effects of Chronic Conditions
Chronic health problems, by definition, don’t go away quickly (or at all). And when we can’t help patients heal, the next best thing might be helping them cope. Enter mindfulness meditation. Jillian Simpson, RN, and Tim Mapel, senior lecturer at New Zealand’s Eastern Institute of Technology, wanted to find out whether mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) […]
The Power of Mindfulness Meditation – Changing How We Look at the Present
It can happen anytime, anywhere, to every one of us. And perhaps the most maddening thing about it is that there’s nothing we can do to speed its progress when we want it – or stop it from happening when we don’t. I’m talking about change . . . . . . and often the […]
Mindfulness Meditation – Celebrating an Incredible Journey
Live in the present moment. Pay attention. It’s such a simple principle . . . . . . and yet, over the last eight weeks, we’ve watched it flourish in unexpected ways. We’ve seen how mindfulness can pierce the “trance of unworthiness” to create self-acceptance. We shrank it down to a three-minute exercise . . […]
The Power of Mindfulness Meditation – Helping Children Change
How might our adult lives be different if we’d learned about mindfulness as children? A lot of us didn’t start hearing about mindfulness meditation until we were well into adulthood, not to mention well into managing a hectic and stressful lifestyle. Troublesome habits can form as early as elementary school, as children attempt to juggle […]
Mindfulness Meditation – One Way to Defend Against Posttraumatic Stress
Paranoia. Flashbacks. Nightmares. Symptoms like these only scratch the surface of the daily struggle that people afflicted with posttraumatic stress (PTS) experience. Just getting through an average day can be agonizing – and people suffering sometimes turn to harmful methods of self-treatment that can compound their torment. But according to US Congressman Tim Ryan, there’s […]
Mindfulness Meditation – Can It Change the Way We Eat?
Well, the holidays are officially upon us once again . . . and so is all of the eating (and eating and eating) that often comes along with celebrating the season. Frankly, this can be an extra stressful time for people who already struggle with their weight. But help is available – in the form […]
Mindfulness Meditation – One Cure for Holiday Stress
The turkey’s in the oven, pies are cooling in the garage, you’ve moved the cars so everyone has somewhere to park, and you’ve somehow squeezed every appetizer platter onto the dining room table. But you’re also dealing with family arguments, a sick nephew, a surprise “guest” (your in-laws brought their new puppy) . . . […]