Our full selection of articles exploring mindfulness.
With self compassion exercises, we can begin to rewire the conditioning that leads us to judge ourselves rather than show compassion. Our focus on judgment over compassion is driven by natural selection, society, religion, and sometimes our parents and friends. Imagine a mistake or failure you experienced as a kid. I’ve got one. During an…
What is mindful awareness? It’s the art of paying attention to the present moment nonjudgmentally. You know that feeling when you’re in the middle of doing something, and then you realize you weren’t actually paying attention? That’s awareness. Applying nonjudgment to awareness turns it into mindful awareness. Observing myself, I notice a lack of awareness…
Thich Nhat Hanh was a Buddhist monk, teacher, and writer who taught extensively on the subject of mindfulness. When he passed away in 2022, he was rightfully celebrated as one of the most influential promoters of mindfulness in the world. Through his books and teachings, he reached millions of people with a message of compassion…
Looking for the best mindfulness blogs on the Internet? Top ten lists are a dime a dozen, so I decided to populate this one with mindfulness blogs that I—personally—regularly read and enjoy. Zen Habits and Raptitude, for example, are some of my favorite sites on the Internet and I’ve read them for years. I’ve also…
Vipassana and modern mindfulness meditation are two closely related practices. The main difference between Vipassana vs mindfulness is that Vipassana involves observing the true nature of reality, while mindfulness involves paying close attention to what’s happening in the moment. Before I ever knew much about the concept of mindfulness, I went on a ten-day Vipassana…
The raisin exercise for mindfulness, also known as the raisin meditation, is a way to practice staying present, even during activities that we normally do on autopilot. To do the exercise, you take a raisin and slowly observe it with all of your senses: touch, taste, smell, sight, and sound. Then, you pay attention to…
If you’re wondering how to be more present, there’s no switch you can flip for instant results. Instead, being more present and mindful is a matter of improving a little every day. While imperceptible in the moment, this has enormous impact over time. Like going to the gym, learning to be more present and mindful…
How can mindfulness and language learning go hand in hand? Many of the obstacles to language learning are self-imposed: self-doubt, self-judgment, ego. Mindfulness practices like self-compassion, gratitude, and nonjudgment can help you overcome these obstacles and make quicker progress towards learning. If you’ve hit a wall when learning a new language, there may be a…
The 9 Attitudes of Mindfulness is a concept from meditation teacher and writer Jon Kabat-Zinn. Because mindfulness can feel like a massive topic, choosing a single mindfulness “subtopic” to focus on from among the 9 Attitudes can be an effective way to grow your practice. Jon Kabat-Zinn is one of the most influential voices in…
This is a slightly different kind of Best Mindfulness Books list, with books from mindfulness experts but also experts from other fields. My goal with this list of top mindfulness books is to meet you where you are on your mindfulness journey. It’s got essential books from mindfulness experts like Jon Kabat-Zinn and Matthieu Ricard,…
Mindfulness with music is the art of applying present-moment awareness to music. Learn what mindful music listening is, what types of music can be used, and how to listen to music mindfully in 7 steps. Ever listen to a song and feel like you were getting completely absorbed in the music? Noticing the different layers…
Virtual meetings can be chaotic. Whether you’re trying to manage a virtual classroom full of students, running a business meeting, or conducting a remote seminar, mindfulness can help. Try including mindfulness exercises to start a meeting, or to reset a meeting’s energy in the middle of long sessions. Right now, at this very minute, thousands…
Mindlessness isn’t the same as thoughtlessness. Instead, it’s a state of autopilot in which your thoughts have drifted elsewhere—for example, avoiding uncomfortable emotions by watching TV. Mindlessness. We’ve all been there. For me, it strikes most often when I’m at my least rested, or perhaps already experiencing a low mood. My mind struggles even more…
A one minute mindfulness exercise is anything you can do in 60 seconds or less to center yourself, ground yourself, and pull yourself into present awareness. These routines are brief, but help you incorporate the principles of mindfulness into your life — especially when you’re short on time. In an ideal world, every day we…
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a method to analyze troubling situations in your life, notice which of the beliefs that you hold are negative or inaccurate, and replace the negative beliefs with positive beliefs. A method called Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) combines CBT with Mindfulness. If you’re practicing mindfulness, you might notice some similarities when…
Mindfulness is associated with an extensive list of benefits and studies. But which benefits are backed by research, and which aren’t? The below list of mindfulness benefits links out to recent studies on each topic. If your mindfulness practice has stagnated, this impressive list of mindfulness benefits will get you moving again! 1. Mindfulness can…
Wondering how to stop overthinking at night? It isn’t an easy or quick process. However, there are a few things you can do. First, reduce the other issues that may be affecting your sleep. Get the basics of your sleep hygiene right. Second, tackle overthinking directly by addressing your anxiety and worry about the past…
Understanding the balance of being vs doing is critical to avoiding burnout and overwork. In Doing Mode, accomplishment and activity are seen as much more valuable than rest. But productivity must be balanced with Being Mode, which prioritizes rest and helps us restore energy and attention for the next burst of activity. I often fall…
Sometimes, it can feel like life is happening “to” you. By setting intentions, you may find you’re able to live more purposefully and make progress towards the life you want to live. In this article, we’ll walk through how to set intentions, how it’s different than setting a goal, and how you can use tools…
Mindfulness vs awareness is a tricky concept to untangle. Both awareness and mindfulness involve observing your thoughts, emotions, and environments. The key difference between awareness and mindfulness is that mindfulness promotes nonjudgmental observation. Mindfulness and awareness are two concepts that are easy to confuse. While the two concepts are closely related, they’re not precisely the…
