Meditation/mindfulness

Are You Happy?

When my mom was cogent, she used to enjoy telling me, “The Dalai Lama says that the purpose of life is to be happy.” She would go on to say that if people around you are suffering, you can’t really be happy, so in a way this is a directive... Read more →

Mind your back: Mindfulness for chronic back pain

From the Emissary Mindfulness archives 2022 Update: I've fallen in love with electrocuting myself. Gently. When I have injured some part of myself. Yes, I am talking about using TENS units. You can buy these little devices that send a low current through your injured muscles. Not only does my... Read more →

Inner space craft

Want to knit stronger neurons? Crafts can help. Being in the zone, or a state of flow is the latest positive psychology terminology for having energized focus, full involvement and enjoyment. Although it is an ancient idea, entire books are now being written on this rather specific state of mind. Certain tasks may enable you to reach a state of flow. I propose that it is good brain exercise. Being in the flow is good for us. What puts you in a state of flow? Read more →

Game Over: you can build cognitive reserve without brain training software

Some people may be tempted to buy brain training programs. My mom hears the advertisements and keeps asking me about whether they will help her. Here are some alternatives backed up by research. Read more →

Knowing DMN well: Reflecting on The Emissary movie and the default mode network

The process of being aware of what you are doing—thinking about the past, present or future—and doing it consciously, being able to move from one state to the other at will, that is the skill that is worth exercising. It is about not getting stuck in the past, the future, or even the glorious now. Read more →

Embracing the hateful chore

"...people were less happy when their minds were wandering than when they were not and this was true during all activities, including the least enjoyable." Read more →

Apples to Apples my way: A focusing technique for rebels

Have you ever played the game Apples to Apples? You randomly pick adjectives and nouns and then try to pair them together. Often the combinations are funny, ridiculous, or even informative. I've turned this into a meditation exercise for myself, and it's one of my top favorites. Read more →

Are your dreams an overlooked resource?

I'm obsessed with my dreams. I'm shocked when I hear someone say that they don't dream. An important piece of their life is missing, I think. Read more →

On the persistence of universal motherliness

The form of the mother has changed, but she persists all around me. I'm grateful for her advice. Read more →

Building our grief toolkits (again)

In people and pets, I have experienced death both fast and slow. I prefer slow. I like to have time to say goodbye. As much time as possible. Life changes, we try to adjust. Rinse, repeat. Read more →

Making daily healthy habits stick

It's taken me a number of years of grouchy fumbling around to figure out how to get certain healthy habits to stick. And...they HAVE been sticking. For over five years as of now. OMG. Something is working! Read more →

Caring for the pinners we love including ourselves

If you have ever been held captive by a talking person, you have been pinned. The standard Pinner holds you firmly in place with this distinctive zombie-like stare. While pinned, you are force fed a steady stream of words that you feel obliged to swallow and digest. The irony here is that the root of your suffering is your instinctive politeness, a personality trait that in any other situation you should have every reason to boast about. Read more →

The Ten Kind Things practice

Write down 10 things: they can be things you like about yourself, or things you think you are good at, or both. Use paper. It triggers different neural pathways than mere thinking, or writing on the computer. It requires more effort to write on paper, but this makes it more real. Read more →

A good heart arrythmia to have

Most people think of heart arrhythmia as something they don't want. Indeed, atrial fibrillation, extra beats, and excessively slow or fast heart rates should have you seeking the advice of a cardiologist. But respiratory sinus arrhythmia, or RSA appears to be an exception. Read more →

Thanksgiving garbage

Cells—the basic constituent of life—recycle and reuse their constituents, and they have survived on Earth for over three billion years. All cells do this. Three billion years. They are on to something. Read more →

What works: empathy, or compassion?

The answer, researchers are finding, is helping people at risk for burnout. This research surprised me. Compassion and empathy activate different brain structures. Read more →

Can you touch your toes with your mind?

I am fascinated by the mechanism required for us to sense the bottoms of our feet. This simple exercise will increase the resolution of the sensory map in your brain. Read more →

Love and Public Speaking

Just as an audience senses your fear, they also sense your love. They will relax if you can find a way to feel love for them. This may not be easy. This is an exercise. But it works. Read more →

Giving Up Epiphanies For Everyday Workouts

iI is human nature to want instant results, be it from diet, exercise, or meditation. When we don't get instant results we get discouraged. It doesn't have to be that way. Read more →

Smell for your life

Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, researchers were alarmed to learn that loss of the sense of smell was associated with all-cause mortality in a way we still don't quite understand. Now, more than ever, there is interest and encouraging research in smell training as treatment for anosmia. Read more →

Why not have a nice chat with your inner monsters?

One of my favorite meditations is dialoguing with monsters. Read more →

What's the opposite of hangry?

Especially after a meal, focus on the memory of the meal, and how you are not hungry, immediately after. The Not-Hungry-Contentment feeling is a real sensation that I believe you can become more and more sensitized to. Read more →

Atomic meditation II

During your lifetime, many of your atoms go through multiple hosts. We just borrow them, rearranging them into our particular configuration. Read more →

Atomic meditation I

Possibly several ancient stars contributed to making your heavier elements, stars that existed prior to the formation of our solar system, and that's over five billion years ago. You are ancient. Read more →