Crazy week last week, but I kept up a daily practice, a MORNING practice no less, for the length of it. Why? I got off on a good foot last weekend (a blissful hiking/yoga retreat with some Russian friends)… and my morning practice is 15 minutes short! 3-5 sun salutations, left and right sides 100 [...]

The Times had a (long) article on worriers in Sunday’s magazine. Studies have identified a subset of infants/children with “high-reactive” temperaments. They go on to be inhibited adolescents, and anxious adults. So if relaxation techniques don’t seem to do you much good, it could be that you’re naturally wired more tightly. This isn’t all bad, [...]

I’ve always said that smoking is the American meditation. (Maybe the European one, too?) Taking a moment for yourself, focusing completely on your breath, noticing all the little sensations in your lungs, skin, and brain — isn’t that what meditation is all about? Yes, you could choose nicer companions than tar and ammonia. But let’s [...]

I was thinking the other day about what I wanted to be in the future. When I grow up. I want be someone who practices yoga and meditation every day. Then I realized — I am that person, RIGHT NOW, if I practice yoga and meditate today. It’s not like “I want to be a [...]

“The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” — William James quoted in Rapt: Attention and the Focused Life

The Times has a profile of Tibetan monk Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, “The Happiest Man in the World.” He’s released a new book called Joyful Wisdom describing his methods. In his book he recounts being extremely anxious as a child in Nepal, having had what a Manhattan psychiatrist would likely diagnose as panic attacks, and how [...]

Well, I’m back in the city again. A few days in Florida with my mom filled me up on oranges (and blues and greens). I feel sunny inside, even if it’s not so much outside. With the return to city life came the return to Twitter, CNN, texting, and emails. (I could have continued them [...]

So we’re sitting comfortably. What’s next? With the focus between the eyebrows, there’s a slight buzzing. Like a fly circling in front of the forehead. With further attention the pulse becomes noticeable, a slight throbbing pressure. The eyes are still dancing around; once they are still, the head will become darker. As if you’re in [...]

This is a cute article, shared by my dad, about the lessons our pets can give us in happiness. The tips read like a guide to mindfulness meditation. The author is Cesar Millan, better known as The Dog Whisperer. What Your Pet Can Teach You

Last night I went to the inaugural meditation class at Om Factory. Led by Allyson Pimental and Michael Fayne, two clinical psychologists, the class introduced mindfulness meditation (also called insight meditation) as a technique for mental wellness. Apparently this form of meditation, in which you simply observe the body and mind without trying to change [...]