Mindful Fall 2020

I love the opening line of our feature about women leaders in mindfulness: “This is why we practice.” It feels like a manifesto, capturing how to live now. Because as the world convulses with turmoil, my mind convulses, too. My thoughts fly like a storm in a snow globe: pandemic, death, disease, fear, invisible air particles, racial violence, social injustice, micro- and macro-aggressions, shouting, anger, political warfare, economic freefall, joblessness, uncertainty, anxiety—all are swirling in my snow globe. Yours too? I feel raw, unsettled, hurt, angry, sad, furious, compassionate, sorrowful. It’s all in there, around me, inside of me, all swirling. And I suspect you and your snow globe are swirling, too. I think we are all swirling. And this is why we practice, so in the midst of the…

How do you express gratitude toward those you love? “Making them coffee in the morning.” @RAY.MARI_ “Hugs. Lots of hugs!” @ISHTA_IZLITU “By being fully present, giving them my full attention when together, and listening deeply.” @SELFCARESPECIALIST “Sending homemade cards.” @KIRA119 “I say thank you to them. I help them when they need help.” @IMAGINATIVECREATIVEYOU Does your mindfulness practice include gratitude? If you could tell one person you appreciate them, who would it be, and why? “My two childhood friends, because they are always there.” @THANKIOUS “My little sister and mom. I’m never able to tell them how much they help and support me because of my anxiety.” @GABSTERGABZ “My dad, whose wisdom and teachings are helping me live my best life every day. Grateful!” @PSYSQUARE “My mother, because she worked…

FEELS ON WHEELS What has ten meditation pods, four wheels, and an iconic aluminum shell? The MeditationWorks mobile meditation studio, of course. In early May, the new Canadian mobile meditation service guided a session for healthcare workers in Scarborough, Ontario, equipped with its modified Airstream travel trailer designed to provide an out-of-the-ordinary meditation space. The mobile experience typically takes place inside the shiny, bullet-shaped “Mindstream,” however, in the face of COVID-19, meditating inside of a closed vehicle was out of the question. Owner Traci Shepherd shifted gears, moving MeditationWorks guided meditations online and offering the mobile meditation session outside with the help of speakers, an FM radio broadcast, and chairs arranged six feet apart. PUP RINGS A BELL Often, our beloved pets help us to be mindful—but Nyxie the Labrador…

A farmer in Michigan was behind on his planting as he recovered from COVID-19. Dozens of farmers came from around the state to help till the soil, plant seeds, and fertilize. “When people need help they come and help and I’m so proud… I’m so proud to be in a neighborhood where this works,” Steve Alt, who owns Alt Brothers Farms, told a local television station. Emerson Weber of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, sent her mail carrier a thank-you note. “I make people happy with my letters, but you do too,” she wrote. When 11-year-old Emerson’s appreciation made its way to a United States Postal Service newsletter, she received thank-you notes from essential service workers all over the country—and beyond. Emerson’s dad, Hugh, told NPR: “There’s such a basic human…

FIGHTING INFLAMMATION Chronic stress increases inflammation, upping our risk of many chronic diseases. Two studies find that mindfulness practice may lower this risk in those most vulnerable to stress: midlife-to-older adults, and those with a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or more. In the first study, 153 stressed adults attended one of three groups: Monitor+Accept; Monitor Only; or a Stress Management education control group. Participants provided blood samples before and after training to test for changes in C-Reactive Protein (CRP), a commonly measured biomarker of inflammation. After two weeks of listening to recorded mindfulness practices, there were no differences in CRP among the groups. In a follow-up study, 137 new adults attended either an in-person Monitor+Accept group or a Monitor Only group (both MBSR-based), or a no-training control group.…

BEGINNER’S MIND Q When I practice loving-kindness meditation, I can’t tell whether it’s working. I feel like nothing is happening. Shouldn’t I be feeling something? A The first time that I ever did loving-kindness practice was without a teacher. I was on a self-retreat and I thought it was a perfect opportunity. I knew that it was done in successive stages and I began with a week of sending myself loving-kindness. All day long, I would go around the retreat building—sitting in my room, sitting in the hall—saying may I be happy, may I be peaceful, may I be liberated, and I felt absolutely nothing. At the end of the week, something happened to someone in the community and I, quite unexpectedly, had to leave the retreat. Then I felt…