Category Archives for Blog
6 Mindful Breathing Exercises
The breath carries us through our sleeping and waking life without the need for our conscious control. However, while it’s an automatic process that requires nothing of us in particular, enhancing our
Continue reading10 Mindfulness Exercises for Sleep
For those who struggle to get a good night’s sleep: you’re not alone. According to a Consumer Reports survey, 164 million Americans – that’s 68% of the American population – reported in 2015
Continue reading9 Mindfulness Exercises for Anxiety
The experience of anxiety is prevalent across the globe. According to the World Health Organization, there are an estimated 264 million people around the world living with some type of anxiety disorder.
Continue readingCan Mindfulness Meditation Help You Sleep Better?
Can mindful breathing, silent meditation with bells or a single mindful meditation help you get a better night’s sleep? A study published in The JAMA Network Journal answers this
Continue readingHow To Move Through Difficulties As A Transformative Initiation
***To donate to Jack Kornfield directly, please visit JackKornfield.com/Dana Other talks by Jack Kornfield: “So, we were just sitting for half an hour or so practicing mindfulness, which
Continue readingA Guide To Spirituality Without Religion
Dear friends, For those of you who want spirituality without religion, I encourage you to meet Sam Harris. He wrote a wonderful guide to meditation as a rational practice, informed
Continue readingOne Meditation For Increasing Feelings of Safety, Contentment & Care
Dear friends, Rick Hanson is one of my top three favorite meditation teachers. Humble. Compassionate. Funny. Wise. Practical. He’s the kind of meditation teacher I aspire to be
Continue readingThe Importance Of Finding Quiet Time
Dear friends, With all the noise in the world right now, it’s important that we create moments of quiet for ourselves. Quiet helps us to think. To process. To rest. To be. Here are some free
Continue readingThe Desire to be Well-Informed Vs. the Desire to Stay Sane
Dear friends, Is your desire to be well-informed currently at odds with your desire to stay sane? You may want to consider the practice of equanimity, or cultivating a “caring perspective”. It’s
Continue readingNew: 100 Day Mindfulness Challenge
Dear friends, Want to build your daily mindfulness habit with simple, easy-to-follow mindfulness exercises? I’m now extending our popular 28 Day Mindfulness Challenge to a full 100
Continue readingFree Self-Compassion Exercises
Dear friends, We all suffer (or at least I do). Why not wish ourselves the same care that a loved one would offer us? Many people object to self-compassion because it feels sappy, because others seem
Continue readingMindfulness For Difficult Conversations
Dear friends, We spend so much of our lives talking to each other, but how much are we simply running on automatic—relying on old habits and hoping for the best? Are we able to truly hear others
Continue readingFree Mindful Parenting Online Conference
Dear friends, My friend and acclaimed mindfulness author Michelle Gale is hosting her first ever “Mindful Parenting in a Messy World Online Conference” from September 18th-
Continue readingFree Meditations Wherever You Go
Dear friends, Want to be able to listen to free mindfulness meditations wherever you are? Here are some ways to access my free mindfulness meditations from your car, office, meditation cushion, or
Continue readingMindfulness For Better Sleep
Dear friends, Most of us don’t get a healthy amount of sleep on a regular basis. Younger people often have more difficulty falling asleep, while older people often wake up in the middle of the
Continue readingNew Silent Meditations With Bell Sounds
Dear friends, Do you prefer to meditate in silence, sitting in stillness without a teacher guiding you through a process? Below are free audio mp3’s that you can download to your computer
Continue readingHow To Build Confidence Talking About Mindfulness
Dear friends, One of the keys to teaching mindfulness is having a sense of confidence, trust and faith in yourself and in your mindfulness teaching process. When I first started teaching mindfulness,
Continue readingMy Favorite New Mindfulness Books
Dear friends, My friend Gary Gach just wrote a wonderful book called Pause, Breathe, Smile.The Pause is about setting our intention before we think, speak, or act — the ethical
Continue readingThe Difficulty Of Talking About Mindfulness
Dear friends, When I first started talking about mindfulness with others, I remember trying to convince everyone of the benefits. I thought people would actually try everything I shared. It
Continue readingShort Mindfulness Quotes & Processes
Dear friends, It’s funny how a short, pithy question can help unlock us from our daydreams, confusions and disappointments. During a particularly long season of suffering
Continue readingMindfulness Of Your Blind Spots
Dear friends, From our earliest years, we all acquire blind spots in the way we perceive, feel, and think. Driven by our biology, life experiences, cultural messages, and physical environment, they
Continue reading12 Tips to Fix Sleep Schedule and Sleep Better
Do you have trouble falling asleep? Do you wake up several times throughout the night? Do you want to fix your sleep schedule? Good sleep is very important for your health and well-being. If
Continue readingThe Importance of Mindfulness of Race
Dear friends, As a white middle-class male from a small conservative town, I have often overlooked the importance of understanding and honoring our cultural diversity. Now living in the San Francisco
Continue readingTop 10 Most Popular Mindfulness Worksheets
Dear friends, With 350,000 visitors in the past two years, 10 mindfulness worksheets have stood out from the rest as the most popular. The mindfulness topics range greatly – from art therapy
Continue readingMindfulness For Beginners
Dear friends, Are you or someone you know relatively new to mindfulness? Do you want some of the best practices for learning the basics? I included some of the best ‘beginner’ mindfulness
Continue readingFree Mindfulness Tests
Dear friends, Have you ever wondered how mindful you are, technically? Many scientists have created tests to figure out how mindful people tend to be, on average. Some of us wear rose-colored glasses,
Continue readingThe Most Underrated Mindfulness Practice?
Dear friends, We often hear about the same mindfulness practices over and over again. The classic go-to practices that everyone seems to mention include: Mindfulness of BreathingBody ScansLoving
Continue readingMy Favorite Mindfulness Resources
Dear friends, With a growing number of mindfulness resources out there, it can be difficult to know which ones are worthy of our time and attention. Here is a list of my favorite mindfulness resources
Continue readingFree Mindfulness Retreats
Dear friends, As you may know, I strongly encourage most people to try a silent 5+ day mindfulness retreat. Retreats can deeply enhance people’s experiential understanding of ‘nonjudgmental,
Continue readingNew: Free Meditations For Anxiety
Dear friends, Research suggests that people with higher levels of reported self-compassion are less likely to report depression and anxiety. The data showed that self-compassion may play the role
Continue readingThe Power of Mindfulness Retreats
Dear friends, Many mindfulness teachers agree that the fastest way to deepen your integrated, embodied mindfulness is by attending a silent residential retreat. The first few days are usually difficult,
Continue readingFree ‘Mindfulness For Beginners’ Guides & Journal
Dear friends, Mindfulness may be simple, but it’s not definitely easy. That’s why it’s always a good idea to go back to the basics. Below are some free beginner’s guides to
Continue readingIntroducing: Free Audio Transcripts
Dear friends, Some of you have requested audio transcripts for some of the guided meditations and mindfulness talks. Audio transcripts can be helpful for following along with the voice, to gain clarity
Continue readingFree Guided Visualizations
Dear friends, While mindfulness is noticing what’s ACTUALLY happening without judgment, guided visualizations can be a nice way of tuning into the sensations of an imagined experience. Visualizations
Continue readingHow To Mend Strained Relationships During The Holidays
Image by Pixabay The holidays are a bittersweet time for many. All too often, joyous images of togetherness fail to match the messy reality of family relationships. If you’re estranged from
Continue readingHelp Others Manage Emotions
By Fred Kofman Philosopher and Vice President at Linkedin“Adults remain social animals; they continue to require a source of stabilization outside themselves. That means that in some
Continue readingMindfulness Worked for Me in My Pregnancies and Labour… Even Before I Knew What it Was!
I try not to think about how many years have passed since I gave birth to my four children! Time literally does fly! But since I have become involved with mindfulness I can look back at that time
Continue readingWhat Would A Bodhisattva Do?
By Fred Kofman Philosopher and Vice President at Linkedin“Wisdom is knowing I am nothing, Love is knowing I am everything, and between the two my life moves.” Nisargadatta MaharajBodhisattva
Continue reading“What Would They Think?”
By Fred Kofman Philosopher and Vice President at Linkedin“Don’t worry about what others think” seems like a bad idea to me. Better consider what others think, decide what’s
Continue readingWhat You See Is Not What Is
By Fred Kofman Philosopher and Vice President at Linkedin“A man whose axe was missing suspected his neighbor’s son. The boy walked like a thief, looked like a thief, and spoke like a thief.
Continue reading5 Things That Complement My Daily Meditation
I will be the first to admit that keeping to a regular meditation practice is challenging. Sitting still for a few minutes a day is the last I want to do when I have to rush to feed the toddler and
Continue readingImproving Performance
By Fred Kofman Philosopher and Vice President at LinkedinIf you keep doing what you’ve done, you’ll keep getting what you’ve gotten.Shane would like to change some things
Continue readingA Combustion Engine
By Fred Kofman Philosopher and Vice President at Linkedin How often could you productively get together with your colleagues and ask, “How are we working together? Is there anything I could
Continue readingBlame and Threat Into Appreciate and Suggest
By Fred Kofman Philosopher and Vice President at LinkedinThere’s no such thing as ‘the hole is on your side of the boat’The paradox in performance improving conversations
Continue readingStructuring an Improvement Conversation
By Fred Kofman Philosopher and Vice President at Linkedin“The term “feedback” has (be)come an euphemism for criticizing others, as in ‘the boss gave me feedback on my presentation.’
Continue readingHow to Commit With Integrity
By Fred Kofman Philosopher and Vice President at Linkedin“Economic life depends on moral bonds of social trust. This is the unspoken, unwritten bond between fellow citizens that facilitates
Continue readingHow to Elicit Effective Commitments
By Fred Kofman Philosopher and Vice President at Linkedin“Do or do not… There is no try. –Yoda”Your well-formed request demands a clear response. There are only
Continue readingMaking an Effective Request
By Fred Kofman Philosopher and Vice President at LinkedinDecisions are worthless unless they turn into commitments.Talk is cheap. That’s why it’s easy to decide. Action is expensive.
Continue readingWhen Not To Listen to Your Employees
By Fred Kofman Philosopher and Vice President at Linkedin You shouldn’t listen to an employee who wants help to solve a conflict with another. You might feel proud of “mediating” among your
Continue readingHow to Collaborate Through Conflict
By Fred Kofman Philosopher and Vice President at Linkedin“Nothing in the world is as soft and yielding as water. Yet for dissolving the hard and inflexible, nothing can surpass it. The soft
Continue reading5 Steps Towards True Meditation
Image credits: BookMeditationRetreats.com As a yogi, meditation has come up quite a bit in my practice over the years. My teacher has advocated for at least 1 hour of meditation time in a day, wherein
Continue readingHow to Really Listen in A Difficult Conversation
By Fred Kofman Philosopher and Vice President at Linkedin“Our first reaction to most of the statements we hear from other people is an immediate evaluation, or judgment, rather than an understanding
Continue readingHow To Manage Difficult Conversations
By Fred Kofman Philosopher and Vice President at Linkedin “I don’t care how much you know, until I know how much you care.” Steven CoveyA “difficult conversation” is
Continue readingHow To Curb Prejudice With Humility
By Fred KofmanPhilosopher and Vice President at LinkedinIn the picture we see a uniformed police officer running behind a man in plain clothes. The obvious interpretation is that the white policeman
Continue readingThe Ladder Of Inference
By Fred KofmanPhilosopher and Vice President at Linkedin I just had an e-argument with a colleague. Two days ago he asked me to send him some information “as soon as I could”. I’ve
Continue readingAre You A Knower Or A Learner?
By Fred Kofman Philosopher and Vice President at LinkedinIf we are wise enough to base our self-esteem not on being “right” but on being rational—on being conscious—and on having integrity,
Continue readingAdvanced Dream Control
You can do anything in a lucid dream. The possibilities are limitless. There are, however, some tasks that need a high level of self control and a good mastery over the dream. Beginner dreamers often
Continue readingVerbal Aikido: How To Respond To Unreasonable Challenges
By Fred KofmanPhilosopher and Vice President at Linkedin“Aikido, said its founder, is the art of reconciliation. Whoever has the mind to fight has broken his connection with the universe.
Continue readingHow to Invite Inquiry
By Fred Kofman Philosopher and Vice President at Linkedin” It takes two to tango, but only one to avoid a fight”No matter how skillfully you express your view, if your counterpart
Continue readingHow to Express Your Truth With Honesty And Respect
By Fred Kofman Philosopher and Vice President at Linkedin“When two noted family therapists examined couples in the throes of heated discussions, they noted that people fall into three categories,
Continue readingHow To Inquire Productively
By Fred Kofman Philosopher and Vice President at Linkedin“Make him right before you make him wrong.”Productive inquiry is a way to learn about your colleague’s reasoning. It helps
Continue readingWhat Do You Really Value?
By Fred Kofman Philosopher and Vice President at Linkedin The Most Despicable Character This exercise is a self-diagnostic. It reveals your values and attitudes, based on how you rank five
Continue readingThe Ultimate Human Ability
By Fred Kofman Philosopher and Vice President at LinkedinOnly as a warrior can one withstand the path of knowledge. A warrior can’t complain or regret anything. His life is an endless challenge,
Continue readingLooking for Happiness? Try These Proven Forms of Alternative Therapy
While some are joyfully planning holiday menus and getting ready to toast to a new year, others are struggling to get through it all. The holidays aren’t a magical time for everyone. Things like
Continue readingManage Stress, Don’t Eliminate It
By Michael Weinberger *This post originally appeared on A Plan for Living’s blog. If you define stress as that crazy out-of- control feeling you get when you’re overwhelmed and under pressure,
Continue readingInner Strength: Techniques to Improve Your Willpower and Self Control
Willpower and self-control are already within you—it’s just tapping those strengths and nurturing them that makes all the difference. If you feel like you just don’t have “good willpower,”
Continue readingMake Exercise Fun
Most consider exercise to be an arduous task and make excuses to avoid it at all costs. When we think of exercise, we often envisage crowded gyms filled with sweaty people who occupy the machines
Continue readingHow To Succeed Beyond Your Wildest Dreams (4.3)
By Fred Kofman Philosopher and Vice President at LinkedinThe way in which a man accepts his fate and all the suffering it entails, gives him ample opportunity to add a deeper meaning to his life.
Continue readingHow To Take Charge Of Your Life
By Fred Kofman Philosopher and Vice President at LinkedinTo cover all the earth with sheets of hide—where could such amounts of skin be found? But simply wrap some leather round your feet, and
Continue readingSetting The Culture Is Not Enough
By Fred Kofman Philosopher and Vice President at LinkedinHow did the programmer die in the shower? He read the shampoo bottle instructions: Lather. Rinse. Repeat.In a previous post, I argued that
Continue readingRewards & Risks to An Effective Culture
By Fred Kofman Philosopher and Vice President at Linkedin Culture eats strategy for lunch, claimed Peter Drucker. Like the proverbial drunk searching for his keys under the light—rather than in
Continue readingThe Right Culture For Your Team in 3 Easy Steps
By Fred Kofman Philosopher and Vice President at Linkedin Culture eats strategy for lunch, claimed Peter Drucker. Like the proverbial drunk searching for his keys under the light—rather than in
Continue readingRewards and Risks to an Effective Culture
By Fred KofmanPhilosopher and Vice President at Linkedin“As above, so below.”“What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say.” Ralph Waldo Emerson.In my last
Continue readingLeading An Effective Culture
By Fred Kofman Philosopher and Vice President at Linkedin“As above, so below.”“What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say.” Ralph Waldo Emerson.In my last
Continue readingKey To Organizational Success
By Fred Kofman Philosopher and Vice President at Linkedin“One thing is guaranteed: A culture will form in an organization, a department, and a work group. The question is whether the culture that
Continue readingA Four-Step Guide to Managing Mindfulness Exercises for Groups
Mindfulness has been in existence for centuries and practiced by the Buddhists but has become extremely popular especially in therapeutic settings in the past 30 years or so. It is practiced in all
Continue readingLeaders Turn Anxiety Into Confidence [Video]
By Fred Kofman Philosopher and Vice President at LinkedinWhat a leader does for followers is turn anxiety into confidence.” Marcus BuckinghamWe few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For
Continue readingA True Leader Has No Followers
By Fred Kofman Philosopher and Vice President at LinkedinIf a leader demonstrates that his purpose isnoble, that the work will enable people toconnect with something large – more permanent than
Continue readingStay at Home Parents-Mindfulness Exercises for Stress
Stay at home parenting is not the easy job some would think it is. Being at home all day with your kids often means you have a 24 hour a day job. Your spouse comes home from work and wants a break,
Continue readingMindfulness: An Effective Way to Stay Calm and Productive
Stress, the common enemy of hardworking people might probably found its rival: Calmness. Study reveals that mindfulness, a condition of the mind that exemplifies a person’s consciousness
Continue readingMindful Breathing Exercises for Stress
Learning to follow the breath is one of the most basic mindfulness exercises for stress, and for good reason: Mindful breathing has the power to reduce stress on a physical level, and can actually
Continue readingThree Mindful Meditation Techniques to Start the Day
Mindful meditation is an excellent way to start your day. It lowers stress and prepares you for all the tensions that you encounter during your workday. If practiced over long periods of time, you
Continue readingThe Motivated Follower
Leaders inspire others to be better versions of themselves. They inspire evolution in the perception of the follower. An evolution that comes with picking up new traits or habits, and leaving behind
Continue readingUnderstanding The Science of Mindfulness
People have been practicing mindfulness for thousands of years, but only recently has science been able to gain insight into the neurological underpinnings of mindful meditation. Thanks to newfound
Continue readingNew Study Shows Even Doing Dishes is a Mindful Meditation Technique
In this busy world that we live in, people are constantly overwhelmed with how much they need to accomplish. Our to-do lists get longer every day, and we find it hard to make time to quiet our minds
Continue readingAre You Aware of Your Mindful Leadership?
There are those who are seemingly meant to lead. Born leaders we call them. Rushing in like proverbial knights in shining armor ready to save the day. For the struggling leader, there is no
Continue readingMindfulness at Work: How to Approach Workday Challenges Mindfully
Getting into the habit of meditation before and after work can be great for your home life, but the chaos of a workday can make it difficult to practice mindfulness at work. However, being mindful
Continue readingHow to Lead with Mindful Purpose: Communication and Balance
Most people think that it’s hard to lead others. This is because leadership entails a lot of responsibility. When you’re a leader, the group is following you. So if you make a mistake, you’re
Continue readingSuperBrain Yoga Offers a New Mindfulness Technique
When being intentional about mindfulness, it’s important to start each day centered, focused, and aware. Your ability to train your brain in mindfulness techniques will empower you to live
Continue readingGet Focused With Mindfulness Worksheets
There’s no doubt you’ve heard the buzz about mindfulness. From CEOs of major corporations to Joe on the treadmill next to you at the gym, people are talking about the benefits. Mindfulness
Continue reading