Mindful December 2015

What method do you use to fall asleep? 42% RELY ON A BODY SCAN, 41% meditate right before bed, 24% drink a cup of chamomile tea, 14% rely on powerful sedatives, another 12% choose a nightcap. Only 6% count sheep—too baaaad. Do you have a nightly routine? 42% DON’T FOLLOW ANY ROUTINE, 39% follow theirs to a T, 15% lie awake in bed wondering why they’re not sleeping yet, and 4% turn off all screens by 8:00 (so disciplined!). What’s your ideal sleeping situation? 64% CHOSE A KING-SIZE BED IN A LUXURY HOTEL, 20% chose the soft sand on the beach, a warm breeze rocking them to sleep (warning: grit in bad places), 10% could sleep on a bed of rocks if they had to, and 6% were adventurous, choosing…

Our must-read story this issue: “Am I doing this right?” Answers to questions about meditation that everyone keeps asking, on page 50 If you drive—as I did recently—from Baltimore to Charlottesville, VA, you pass through stunningly beautiful countryside, as gently rolling hills give way to the Blue Ridge looming in the background. You also pass through a graveyard: the battlefields of Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and “the Wilderness,” where almost 10,000 people lost their lives during the Civil War. The atmosphere can take on a somber, ghostly feel—and can also strengthen your resolve to work for change without aggression. Mindful’s publisher, James Gimian, and I were in that part of the world for a visit with the leaders and staff of the Holistic Life Foundation (HLF) in Baltimore—for an event celebrating 14…

Meditation reduced violence and dropout rates among Chicago youth Becoming A Man, a youth dropout and violence prevention program run by Chicago organization Youth Guidance, adds to the proof that meditation has a role to play in social change. Researchers from the University of Chicago recently invited 1,473 students to get involved with BAM activities and compared them to a control group. The program, which works with at-risk male students in grades 7-12, encourages “positive anger expression” through exercises including breathing and meditation training, conflict resolution, and social and emotional recognition. The university study found that BAM participants were 44% less likely to commit violent crimes, and their academic performance was significantly better, compared with those who didn’t participate. “Often I begin dynamic mindful yoga classes by saying, ‘First of…

Mexican artist Pedro Reyes melted down more than 1,500 guns, used the materials to make shovels, and gave them to art institutions and public schools to plant trees. He wanted to show people “how an agent of death can become an agent of life.” Lego has set a 15-year goal to stop making their products with oil-based plastic—which they say accounts for around three-quarters of the company’s current carbon footprint. The Untold Music Festival in Transylvania introduced a “pay with blood” option for ticket-buyers, offering a discount or free one-day pass to those who gave blood at a donation clinic in the region. Dracula would be proud. Dot, a South Korean startup, is developing a braille smartwatch, so blind people have simple, portable access to communication. It will be able…

THE MINDFUL TEEN Dzung Vo • Instant Help Books A couple of books have come out lately that seem to suggest (in part at least) that teens need to be “protected from themselves.” Dzung Vo’s practical little book is not in that spirit. He trusts that teens are eager to find their own way, and can do so, particularly with a little help from some mindfulness practices. Give this one to a teen in your life. They may thank you for it later on. A CLINICIAN’S GUIDE TO TEACHING MINDFULNESS Christiane Wolf and J. Greg Serpa • New Harbinger The use of meditation in clinical settings—hospitals, psychotherapists' offices, midwifery, psychiatry, and so on— is exploding. It’s timely then for a medical doctor and a clinical psychologist to team up and…

If only global warming were caused by ISIS declaring a “weather war” on the west, perhaps by gleefully releasing 18 tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere every day and gloating when droughts, deluges, heat waves, killer storms, wildfires, or floods ensued. That might incite more people to get upset about it. In fact, global warming is increasing the frequency and severity of all those events, as well as raising sea levels. But it comes from something quite different from an evil-looking terrorist. The sources—such as power plants, vehicles, farms, and factories—are impersonal and invisible, and close to home—the way we use energy, not the machinations of a foreigner. Faced with a threat with these attributes, the brain reacts with an unimpressed meh: Our minds evolved to detect and respond…