In many compassion meditations, the meditator focuses on growing and extending love and compassion for others. In Benefactor Practice, a contemplative application adapted from an ancient form of Tibetan devotional practice by John Makransky, we visualize receiving love and acceptance from a trusted other. Using memories from our real life, we relive “benefactor moments,” times …
Continue reading “Basic Benefactor Practice: A Relational Contemplation for Deepening in Trust”
How are these three meditative skills distinct from one another, and how do they come together to support one another? We’ll explore these 2 questions together through contemplative practice and open discussion.
While meditation is commonly associated with positive emotions, many practitioners also report a variety of difficult experiences. A qualitative study of 60 meditation practitioners resulted in a 40-category taxonomy of meditation experiences, with fear being the most commonly reported. Fear arises in response to a variety of contexts and experiences. Sought after experiences practitioners assumed …
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Surviving a cancer diagnosis and the treatment that follows requires overcoming significant emotional and physical hurdles. Even after a patient is cancer-free, he or she often continues to struggle with depression and anxiety from fear of cancer recurrence, and many also suffer from sleep disturbances. These ongoing challenges negatively impact well-being and quality of life, …
Continue reading “Mind–Body Interventions Affect Sleep and Oxytocin in Cancer Survivors”
The mindfulness movement has narrowly focused on attention enhancement, present moment awareness, and its stress reduction effects. Current operational definitions of mindfulness in the literature not only differ considerably from those derived from classic Buddhist canonical sources, but also assume that the dharma can be essentialized. This article interrogates the rhetorical gloss of secular conceptions …
Considerable research has demonstrated the health-promoting effects of multi-week mindfulness meditation interventions. Recent investigations of brief (three to five session) mindfulness trainings have allowed researchers to better isolate the effects of specific meditative practices (e.g., focused attention) and disentangle nonspecific effects of mindfulness training (e.g., relaxation, group support). Further, this research has provided new insights …
Previous research has indicated the efficacy of mindfulness practices for improving student focus, reducing stress, and regulating emotion in the classroom. However, this workshop demonstrates that optimal student learning involves more than mindfulness by exploring how the additional components of awareness and insight can cultivate emotional intelligence and meaning-making skills through study, contemplation, recognition, and …
Most mindfulness practitioners today experience being mindful as they do activities throughout their day, including their professional work. While “being” and “doing” involve engaging separate cognitive modes, substantial ambiguity actually exists around how these two modes interact. Theorists posit interactions ranging from mutual incompatibility to synergy, suggesting this interaction significantly influences how mindfulness impacts work …
Continue reading “Concurrent Session 5 – The Being-Doing Nexus: A Grounded Theory Exploration”
Children and adolescents are faced with substantial stresses and life challenges that contribute to an increasing burden of mental and physical health conditions and problem behaviors. The existing school curriculum is lacking in instruction that would provide skills of self-regulation, stress management, and emotion regulation. Yoga is a contemplative mind/body practice that combines meditation, mind/body …
Continue reading “Concurrent Session 5 – Yoga in the Public School Setting: Rationale and Research”
