Mindful April 2018

Editor-in-Chief barry@mindful.org Our must-read story this issue: “Constant Craving” maps out how we get hooked on bad habits—and how mindfulness can help us break them. On page 60. MOMENTS FROM OUR FIRST 5 YEARS The present moment. It’s a wondrous thing. From some perspective, it’s all we’ve got, since nothing happens that doesn’t happen within it. And yet, somehow, we’ve managed to almost ruin it. Like an overzealous parent at his son’s or daughter’s tee-ball game, we’ve put too much pressure on it. So modest, so ordinary, so simple—the present moment has been forced to become a really big deal. Supposedly, you arrive there and everything is beautiful, all problems are solved, and all cares float away. It’s no wonder all the hype surrounding mindfulness has spawned more than a…

What's your preferred meditation practice? 73% PREFER SEATED MEDITATION, while 5% like walking meditation best, and 10% like the body scan best. 12% would rather use other meditation methods, including running, breathing exercises, or lying down. Do you own a meditation cushion and/or bench? How often do you meditate? 62% OF SURVEY PARTICIPANTS meditate at least once per day. 12% meditate every other day, and 12% once or twice a week. The remaining 14% do so occasionally or have never meditated. Do you meditate regularly? Do you encourage others to meditate? 85% OF PARTICIPANTS RECOMMEND to others that they try meditation. Maybe the other 15% see it as something that’s better to discover for yourself. Have you ever received instruction in a mindfulness technique? What's your favorite place to meditate?…

Lending an ear We all yearn to know that our voice is listened to and valued. But the many barriers to real communication—from inequality and prejudice to the cost of talk therapy—leave many feeling disconnected and unheard. To build empathic connections with people we wouldn’t meet otherwise, and to shift the impersonal vibe of city streets, psychotherapist Traci Ruble founded Sidewalk Talk. The nonprofit has chapters in 17 US cities and worldwide. Its volunteers (many of them mental health professionals) take two chairs to the sidewalk and simply offer to listen—to anyone who wants to talk, about anything. Ruble finds that deep listening is transformative: “When we feel a sense of belonging,” she says, “our entire nervous system just goes ‘ahhhhh.’” Mindful with pets After struggling to manage her bipolar…

AccessNow Maayan Ziv, a Canadian photographer with muscular dystrophy, created AccessNow, a crowdsourcing app that shares accessibility information—from wheelchair-friendly parking and washrooms to Braille signage—for storefronts and businesses worldwide. Ziv says she’s a regular person “who’s interested in going out and doing things in life. And so is every other person who has a disability.” Expectful Expectant and new moms, typically putting self-care last, face high levels of stress. Expectful provides 10- to 20-minute meditation practices for each stage of pregnancy and early motherhood. Bravo Tango Brain Training A former Air Force psychologist collaborated with National Geographic on the Bravo Tango Brain Training app to help veterans relieve stress. The voice-controlled app responds to the user, guiding them through exercises for muscle relaxation, focusing, breathing, grounding, visualization, and interpersonal connection.…

mindful Brands like Target and Tommy Hilfiger are embracing diversity by designing custom clothing lines for people with physical disabilities. The adaptive clothes offer features like one-handed zippers and magnetic or Velcro closures. Researchers in the UK found typical patient manuals use too much jargon, so they had 4th-graders rewrite them. The kids produced concise, clear instructions—suggesting how health organizations can do better. A British journalist screwed with TripAdvisor by posting rave reviews of a fake restaurant—located at the shed he lives in. “The Shed at Dulwich” rose to the top-rated spot in London, so he opened it for a night, serving microwave dinners. mindless Engineering students in Singapore built a cyborg beetle: Its movements can be directed by neuromuscular stimulation of the wing and leg muscles. Once the design…

PARTING THOUGHT SMALL MOMENTS MATTER You don’t need a big “aha” moment to spur you to meaningful action. How can you make a difference right now, where you stand? Maybe you can show up at home tonight as a role model for your family. Or perhaps become a mentor at work. “Meaning can find you anywhere—in a park with your kids or in a lunch conversation with a coworker— just be open (and willing) to be found,” Chip Conley writes. 1 SET AN INTENTION Purpose isn’t always obvious as we go through our day. In fact, the routine of daily life sometimes feels like the antithesis of meaning. That’s where intention comes in, says Parneet Pal of Wisdom Labs. “[It] can help you align your conscious thinking with a primal…