By Dr. Ron Passfield
The expression of gratitude does not have to be confined to extended gratitude meditations. In fact, the more often you can find simple ways to express gratitude, the more readily will you achieve a brain makeover from negative thoughts to a positive outlook and impact positively on those you interact with. It is a two-way … Continue reading “Some Simple Gratitude Exercises”
There are times when we have great difficulty making a decision. We may be confused by the many options, daunted by the task and overly concerned about the outcomes. Sometimes, if we are anxious, even relatively small decisions can leave us paralysed. Decision making can be painful particularly if you can see multiple options and … Continue reading “Improved Decision Making through Mindfulness Meditation”
I previously discussed the need for a personal vision as a leader in an organisational context. But what if you do not have an organisational leadership role? The benefits of a personal set of values and a clear personal vision apply to you as well. The power of vision is that it attracts support and … Continue reading “Exploring Your Personal Vision”
Research on mindfulness suggests that through meditation practice we become more connected with ourselves and more in control of our thoughts, emotions and resulting behaviour. In particular, mindfulness improves the frequency and quality of our paying attention in the present. Research by scientists on the outcomes of mindfulness point to the development of compassion, reduced … Continue reading “How Does Mindfulness Impact Our Behaviour?”
Mindfulness is about being present in the moment and doing so in a way that is open to, and accepting of, whatever is the reality of our lives. It means not resisting our lives but approaching our lives with curiosity and a willingness to be with the present moment. We often hear in the context … Continue reading “Being Mindful of the Past and the Future”
Often when you are driving you can become agitated, annoyed or frustrated by the traffic holdups caused by others. Sharon Salzberg provides a timely reminder that “you are traffic too“. We focus so much on our own needs in the heavy traffic situation that we lose sight of the needs of others. Sharon puts this … Continue reading “Driving with Mindfulness”
Marvin Belzer provides guidance in a meditation podcast on “paying attention”. Marvin was on the faculty of UCLA Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the time. He has many years experience with practicising and teaching meditation, having taught a semester-long course on the theory and practice of mindfulness. Among other things, he provides meditations for teens … Continue reading “Paying Attention”
Over several blog posts I have explored the relationship between mindfulness and creativity. In this post, I want to bring these ideas together to provide a more complete picture of how to develop creativity through mindfulness. Mindfulness creates the internal environment for creativity through the following: Stillness and silence We discussed previously how creative people … Continue reading “Creativity through Mindfulness”
R.A.I.N. is a meditation process designed to help you when you have a situation where you experience strong negative feelings towards another person. The process was recently introduced by Tara Brach as part of the Power of Awareness Course. The acronym stands for Recognise, Accept, Investigate and Nurture. Each of these steps can be undertaken … Continue reading “Remember the R.A.I.N.”
Forgiveness meditation embraces three aspects of forgiveness – forgiving ourselves, forgiving someone else who hurt us and asking for forgiveness from someone we have hurt. These can be combined in one meditation or undertaken as separate meditations because of the level of emotion potentially involved. A combined forgiveness meditation is offered by Diana Winston who … Continue reading “Forgiveness Meditation”
