Mindful Winter 2020

We’re all being called to tap into our deepest wells of resilience and expand with skill and compassion. But how do we do that right now when there’s so much vying for our attention all at once? From the national trauma of racial injustice, to climate change, to cultural fragmentation, social unrest, and targeted, purposeful trust erosion at the highest levels of leadership—not to mention a global pandemic. Our brains are overloaded. Neuroscientist Amishi Jha has a name for moments like this. She calls them VUCA events: Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous. She’s been studying what happens to our brains under these circumstances. Hint: It’s not pretty. On page 44 Dr. Jha explains what her research says about how mindfulness can help protect you from the kind of constant stress…

@naturalprogression_garf and friends seized the day, meditating in this lush valley in Cumbria, UK. @serendipitysimplisticsoul writes: “Everything becomes magnificent in the light of an uplifted perspective.” @wholisticallyhannah_ shared this vivid memory of summertime blooms and sunsets. What pops into your mind when you’re meditating? “How do I get better at living my life every day?” Cedric D. “Colors! Vibrant, swirling colors of blue, fuchsia, yellow, and green!” Jane A. “I’m here. Come back to here. Breathe.” Carrie “When I start meditating, I see my entire body on the top of a very tall mountain looking at a canyon. It’s a very peaceful place.” Patricia V. “The beans are almost done.” edgar_mindfulness “Most often it’s things that I have not yet accepted.” ckdaddy72 “Little mini movies of worry, usually involving my…

BUY NOTHING, HAVE IT ALL? Consumerism? Next, please. Friends Liesl Clark and Rebecca Rockefeller are shifting that paradigm. In 2013 they founded The Buy Nothing Project—which aims to create “hyper-local gift economies” around the world. The rules are simple: Post anything you’d like to give away, lend, or share; ask for anything you’d like to receive or borrow. As we buy less and give more, fewer items go to landfills, we save money, and all build more connected neighborhoods. Hundreds of groups have sprung up in over 30 countries. During the pandemic, Rockefeller and Clark write, the community-care ethic underlying the project is more important than ever: “There are many other ways we can help each other that do not involve the movement of items from one person to another,”…

An unlikely friendship began when four-year-old Camryn Radcliff of Colorado yelled “Black Lives Matter!” recently to a stranger at Home Depot. When that stranger—Sherri Gonzales— stopped to thank Camryn, she learned of their shared love for the Denver Broncos, and Camryn invited her for a sleepover. Since then, the pair have raised more than $2,000 for clean water and women’s education in Kenya, through Sherri’s organization: Sherri’s Girls Empowerment. At Drexell & Honeybee’s restaurant in Brewton, Alabama, guests can eat their fill with no expectation of a bill to be paid. Instead, they can leave a contribution, even if it’s just a token of thanks (monetary donations go back into the pot to help feed the hungry). For restaurateurs Lisa and Freddie Thomas-McMillan, “Feed the Need” is their mission statement.…

MINDFULNESS PRACTICE BENEFITS ADULTS WITH MS New research from Ohio State University suggests mindfulness training may help people with multiple sclerosis improve their cognitive function and regulate negative emotions. In the pilot study, 61 adults with MS attended either a mindfulness training (MT) group or an active cognitive training (ACT) group for four weeks, or were placed on a waitlist and received training at the end of the study. Those in the MT group practiced paying attention to the present moment and learned how to focus on their breath and do mental body scans. People in the ACT group played computer games that helped them to focus, plan, and organize information. At study’s end, adults in the MT group reported being better able to manage their emotions and showed greatly…

1 TAKE YOUR SEAT. Take a moment to close your eyes or keep a soft gaze toward the floor. Take a few deep breaths. 2 PICTURE A PERSON. Visualize a person in your life who has hurt you—maybe not the most extreme example, but it could be a family member, a coworker, or a stranger. Get a sense of the actual event or events that occurred that hurt you. 3 OBSERVE THE FEELING. Tune in to how the body feels in this moment, and also what emotions are present. Is there a sense of anger, or sadness? 4 SEE THE THOUGHTS. Be aware of the thoughts that are circulating around this person. Notice if there are thoughts of hate or spitefulness. Feel this burden that lives inside of you from…