Left Brain Buddha
the modern mindful blog
It’s Okay To Have Stress, And Here’s How To Be Okay With That
Here's what I want you to know about stress: Stress is a given. Being "stressed-out" is optional. The truth is, we need a certain amount of "stress" and nervous system activation to do what we need to do every day. It's what prompts us to move and act in the world. In...
Morning Meditation {a poem}
Morning meditation does not always equal quiet meditation. But it’s still meditation. So I wrote a poem about it.
Mindful Breathing Exercises for Kids
When my son started kindergarten, I was THRILLED (to say the least) to learn that his teacher was introducing the kids to a different mindful breathing practice each week. (The breathing strategies are from the Conscious Discipline model developed by Dr. Becky...
Five Beliefs That Can Sabotage Your Meditation Practice
We all come to the practice of mindfulness with preconceived ideas about what mindfulness means and what meditation should look like and feel like. These are the five that can make the practice a lot harder.
The Most Important Self-Care: 10 Ways to Nurture Your Body
Our most important self-care is tending to the mundane needs of the body. When we think of self-care, we often think of massages and pedicures. But some of the most important self-care activities are those that tend to the more mundane needs of the body: getting...
Just Dance!
"Laughter, song, and dance are so woven into the fabric of our everyday life that we can forget how much we value the people who can make us laugh, the songs that inspire us to roll down the car window and sing at the top of our lungs, and the total freedom we feel...
Five Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Speak
Communicating with others should be an exercise in understanding, not frustration! Learn five mindful questions you can ask yourself when you’re about to engage in a conversation … so it can be a productive and healthy and satisfying one!
Meet Holiday Stress with Mindfulness
Ah, yes, it's that time of year when the days get colder and darker and we honor our body's natural inclination to turn inward and be silent--- OH, WAIT. THAT'S NOT HOW WE DO IT. Instead, we rush to mail our holiday greetings, attend all the gay happy meetings, find...
Five Things We Get Wrong About Pursuing Happiness
Why do we pursue happiness? Does the very pursuit make it harder to find it? Why research tells us we may be pursuing happiness in all the wrong ways.
10 Ways to Make Thanksgiving Mindful
If all the parties for hosting fill you with less than good cheer, read on for how to make Thanksgiving MINDFUL this year!
This is What’s Stronger Than Fear
We can live our entire life with fear in the driver’s seat. Fear is a fast driver, and is usually very willing to take the wheel. But fear is a terrible navigator.
Start a Gratitude Practice and Find Your Happy Place!
Gratitude is NOT just an attitude — it is a practice to cultivate. These tips will help you start a gratitude practice, and sustain it when it’s hard.
Kindness Matters
We all have the opportunity to be a Daymaker every day. We always have the chance to choose kindness and compassion. We can do small things with great love.
5 Ways Meditation is Like a Monet Painting
While sitting in silent meditation, the following thought popped into my head: “Meditation kind of reminds me of Monet’s paintings of the cathedral in Rouen.” Seriously. Read what the Impressionists can teach us about meditation, the self, impermanence, light, sensation, perception, and the fleeting impression of NOW.
The Secret to Taking a Deep Breath
Do you find it hard to “take a deep breath?” Perhaps it’s because our advice about breathing is a bit backward. Learn the secret of taking a deep breath!
World Pain: Are You Feeling It, Too?
How do we take anger and outrage and sadness and disappointment over the unsatisfactory, off-kilter state of the world and turn it into action?
So You’ve Decided to Start Meditating… Here’s What to Do NOW!
So, you've decided you want to start meditating. You know it's really really good for you, so you sit down and close your eyes and realize... YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO DO! Don't worry, I got you covered! Before You Start Meditating, Do These Five Things 1. Know WHY You...
There’s Something Happening Here…
... and what it is, I think, is pretty clear. A few years ago, I had the privilege of attending a day-long retreat and workshop led by Jon Kabat-Zinn (who developed Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in the late...