This book is new to my bookshelf and I am enjoying reading it. It came at a time when my body is pretty cranky and I needed a kind reminder why mindfulness and meditation can be so helpful. I love that the authors encourage daily meditation, even if you start with only 5 minutes. Both […]
Hardwiring Happiness
December 10, 2013 by
We have had the new book by Rick Hanson: Hardwiring Happiness since it was published, and I have not had a chance to read all of it because my husband keeps disappearing with it. I hope he leaves all the sticky notes where I put them– this is one of those books that gets underlined and sticky-marked […]
Grateful heart, joyful heart
December 2, 2013 by
Gratefulness is such a simple and profound way to shape our experience. So much has been written about it: the research is clear that gratefulness influences the brain toward greater happiness and wellbeing. The pain support group of my colleague used the book Awakening Joy: 10 Steps to Happiness by James Baraz and Shoshana Alexander, for several […]
Not enough on your plate?
November 21, 2013 by
This is not about food. Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and many of us are both concerned about gaining some weigh, and being too busy. I just found this great graphic by brain researcher Dr. Daniel Siegel and his colleague Dr. David Rock. When I cook, I like to use as many colors in […]
Just pause
November 16, 2013 by
A few years back I brought back this little pillow from Germany for my daughter who was in medical school at the time. Actually Pause (pronounce the e like an a) in German means a break during work or school. It brings to mind the 20 minute Pause we had in school to eat our […]
Distraction, imagery, meditation and mindfulness
October 26, 2013 by
Which one should you use to manage your pain? How are they different? As usual, that depends. You might think of distraction as the one end of a spectrum and mindfulness as the other. Imagery and meditation then might be the tools to go either direction. All of them are useful at the right time. […]
An invitation to explore meditation
October 16, 2013 by
Today I want to point you to a meditation that is a great introduction, and is presented beautifully by meditation teacher Tara Brach. Listen to it here for free. In 28 minutes Tara will talk you through how to sit, breathe, relax, feel your body, attend to sounds, and return kindly to your mindful state after […]