by Beth on February 16, 2012
Yesterday, I read an interesting quotation by the American poet and educator, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882). He wrote: For after all, the best thing one can do when it is raining is to let it rain. We have absolutely no control over the weather; all we can do is manage how we respond to the [...]
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by Beth on February 6, 2012
When I learned how to meditate 22 years ago, it seems so simple – just focus on my breath. And I also believed that if something was simple it would also be easy. Boy, was I ever wrong. As I think about it now, a simple diet plan doesn’t mean it’ll be easy for me [...]
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by Beth on January 30, 2012
When I teach meditation, I always get questions as to the benefits of meditation. Below is a list of benefits that science researchers, MDs, and long-term meditators have found. I’ve just copied and pasted one of the slides that I use in these talks. What’s important to realize is that none of these benefits come [...]
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Most people, myself included, begin meditating to become a happier person and to create a more peaceful and fulfilling life. Of course, many of us want it all NOW. It’s Ok if meditation’s going to be difficult the first one or two times, but more than that it’s really irritating. I’m not meditating to get [...]
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I began meditating 20 years ago to fix my imperfections. Of course, meditation didn’t go smoothly or perfectly, so I felt even more damaged and imperfect. Not a pleasant place to be – the very tool to make me feel good about myself was making me feel worse. Over these years of struggle, meditation worked [...]
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by Beth on April 20, 2011
Like most human beings, I like pleasant things and dislike unpleasant ones. In fact, I used to really, really hate feeling yucky – “what’s wrong with me that I have these horrible feelings?” Over time, with mindfulness meditation, I’ve learned to make peace with the myriad of unpleasant thoughts, feelings, and sensations that assail me. [...]
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How would you like to: Manage stress by reducing levels of stress hormones. Produce higher number of blood cells that protect the immune system. Have better quality and duration of sleep. Feel greater optimism about coming days and immediate week. Make more progress towards important personal goals. Have higher states of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, attentiveness, [...]
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by Beth on March 22, 2011
Hello everyone. Please forgive me for disappearing from this blog. In January, I came down with H1N1 (swine flu) in London. It took me 10 days before I could fly home and only now have I gotten my life back together. I want to share with you how grateful I am for my insight/mindfulness practice [...]
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by Beth on November 15, 2010
I practice mindfulness meditation for three main reasons: Learning about the mind; Training the mind; Creating spaciousness in the mind. It’s only through our mind that we relate to ourselves, interpret the world around us, and relate to others. Therefore, the more we understand how the mind views events, responds to problems, and reacts habitually, [...]
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by Beth on November 11, 2010
When you meditate, do you want a still, peaceful, and non-chatty mind? After each meditation, do you analyze what you could have done better? Do you strive hard to be a “good” mediator? If you answer yes to any of these three questions then this post is for you. Until the past few years, I [...]
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