Mindful

As mindfulness practices have gained popularity, a subtle shift has occurred around how we view these techniques and what we expect of them. Writer Angela Stubbs examines what she calls "the wellness trap" and asks: Have we lost sight of the original intent of mindfulness? And do we miss out on the true potency of this practice when we start to demand too much of it? The post The Wellness Trap: What Mindfulness Can’t Fix appeared first on Mindful.

Uncertainty doesn't need to create more anxiety. Explore this mindfulness practice for embracing change and appreciating the ride. The post Resting in the Flow of Experience appeared first on Mindful.

Research shows that mindful walking in nature offers stress-busting and mood-boosting advantages, plus a welcome chance to stretch our legs. Chris Willard, PhD shares six ways to customize your next mindful stroll. The post 6 Ways to Enjoy Mindful Walking appeared first on Mindful.

Meditation is often done with eyes closed. Soft-gaze meditation can broaden our visual field and encourage an open, receptive quality of attention. The post A Grounding Practice to Focus Your Busy Mind appeared first on Mindful.

Our nervous systems are made to keep us safe from danger—but what happens when they’re responding to threats that no longer exist? Writer Catherine Swett explores how we can meet these disruptive moments with sovereignty over avoidance, and over time teach our nervous system how to respond to discomfort and anxious moments. The post Reprogramming The Panic: Choosing Conscious Response Over Avoidance appeared first on Mindful.

Much of our perception of what “works” in therapy is intimately linked to our cultural ideas of language, trust, and safety. Psychotherapist and human rights clinician Azadeh Afsahi examines the Western framework of suffering and restoration—and the need to reimagine mental health care for non-Western patients. The post When the Therapy Room Becomes Another Closed Door: Why Traditional Western Mental Health Care Fails Survivors of Torture and State Violence  appeared first on Mindful.

Training our brains to find joy helps us unhook from negativity and counter our natural negativity bias so we can receive and enjoy what’s good in our lives. The post A 12 Minute Meditation to Unhook from Negativity and Savor Joy appeared first on Mindful.

When we understand grief as a relationship—to what we’ve lost and to ourselves—we can also choose a more relational model of healing. Dr. Gordon Wallace offers six mindful ways to navigate the winding corridors of sorrow without losing ourselves. The post Walking Grief Home: Six Companions for Living With Loss appeared first on Mindful.

We live in a noisy world that’s constantly vying for our attention. But as teacher Sharon Salzberg reminds us, our attention is at its most potent when we're able to rest and restore it. The post A Meditation to Rest Your Attention appeared first on Mindful.

Is your body trying to tell you something? These small involuntary physical adjustments, or micromovements, reflect a genuine physiological response to internal stress. Recognizing them can help you respond with mindful care. The post 10 Subtle Micromovements That Reveal Anxiety’s Early Indicators in Adults appeared first on Mindful.

When it comes to happiness, says Elisha Goldstein, there's a simple but important tool we often forget about: play.  The post Play, SoulPancake, and Building Your Anti-Depressant Brain appeared first on Mindful.

When you’re overwhelmed and feeling the urge to resist or repress painful, confusing, or distressing emotions, use this meditation from recovery coach Emily Jane to practice staying present with courage and compassion. The post Embodied Compassion for Difficult Emotions appeared first on Mindful.

Father’s Day offers an opportunity to consider how we understand, represent, and talk about dads as caregivers. This Father’s Day, Liza Ruggiero considers how gardening can reinforce the essential role dads play as nurturers, while cultivating patience, attention, and connection. The post A Different Kind of Father’s Day: Nurturing Mindfulness and Care in the Garden appeared first on Mindful.

In this meditation, teacher Cara Bradley helps you connect balance your body and mind and tap into the power of embodied open awareness. The post A 12 Minute Meditation to Make Movement Mindful with Cara Bradley appeared first on Mindful.

When people hear the term “sobriety,” they often assume it’s just about stopping an addictive behavior. But as recovery coach Stephanie Hazard observes, sobriety is a practice that extends to every area of our lives, including our emotions—and can hold the key to long-term healing. The post Addiction, Recovery, and How Mindfulness Can Support Emotional Sobriety appeared first on Mindful.

Chronic, complex medical conditions rarely have easy answers—but as meditation teacher Juliana Sloane reminds us in this soothing practice, we can always meet our suffering with creativity, gentleness, and compassion. The post A Meditation to Bring Comfort and Kindness to Pain and Illness appeared first on Mindful.

Mindfulness teacher and hypnotherapist Juliana Sloane shares her journey with an unexpected complex medical condition—and what shifted when she had to lean even more deeply into the very skills she offers her clients. The post Mindfulness and Hypnosis: Tools for Navigating Chronic Illness appeared first on Mindful.

Guilt and shame are two of the most painful emotions—and yet, as much as we might like them to, they don’t seem to be going away. Mindful founding editor Barry Boyce looks at these troublesome companions, and what it might mean to live more peacefully with them. The post Are Shame and Guilt Bad—Or Do We Just Need a Different Relationship With Them? appeared first on Mindful.

In this practice, teacher Shalini Bahl reminds us that in its simplest form, mindfulness is just about stopping—stopping to notice, to breathe, to gently interrupt our engrained habits of thought with our quiet presence. The post A Meditation on the Art of Stopping (Extended) appeared first on Mindful.

There’s a ton of buzz around micro-practices these days—but are we missing the entire point of these mini-pauses? Dr. Shalini Bahl digs into how we can understand their purpose beyond a commodified “hack” and explains how micro-practices can actually shift how we show up in our lives. The post How Micro-Practices Can Be the Bridge Between Your Meditation and Your Choices appeared first on Mindful.