I led the creation of a Google training program called “Search Inside Yourself,” which was designed to help people put down that mental baggage and approach each new situation with a present, focused mind. It quickly became the most highly rated course in all of Google, with huge waiting lists. Search Inside Yourself works in three steps. It begins with attention training to create a quality of mind that is calm and clear....

During Pride, Austin runs her annual campaign titled #Kates30DaysofPride where she features another follower each day of the month. This effort to spread love and visibility both within and beyond the queer community has had quite the impact. Austin talks openly about her family’s lack of acceptance of her sexuality and aims to spread hope to others going through the same challenges. We sat down with Austin to discuss representation, the evolution of her style, and what message she hopes to send through her visibility....

Parlan McGaw, who leads Meditation for Actors in New York City, has been acting since he was a child. When he started practicing meditation in 1988, he began to see how complementary the two practices were. “I had an instinctual feeling,” he told me,” that meditation and acting fed each other—that meditation could enhance acting, and any artistic pursuit for that matter.” McGaw looked into contemplative theater but decided that he was not so interested in creating theatrical productions based on contemplative philosophy....

Long Hair for Summer: Inspiration for Men 1. Warm Toned ‘Fro There are so many ways to style your hair when it’s longer and we think Summertime is the best time to experiment. Whether you’re growing your hair out to rock some dreads or braids or you want to let your natural hair free. If you decide to go the natural look, we are loving a longer, more grown out afro....

As many of us know, bangs are not the easiest thing to commit to; however, a good fringe can instantly give you a makeover. If you have long layered hair and want to reinvent the look for a change, go with a fringe. Long Layered Hair With Bangs Ahead we’ve rounded up some of our top favorite long layered hair with bang styles. Scroll down to get inspiration for the new look....

Street style stars and runway models alike have been sporting these long loose curls. Today, we’re giving you the rundown on how to recreate them. Read on: Long Loose Curls Are Back Start off by prepping your freshly washed hair with Dove Style+Care Volume Amplifier Mousse. Not only will this give your hair some lift at the roots, but it will also give your strands a sense of memory and that will help the curls last longer....

Who doesn’t love finding a penny on the ground?! It’s the small things that give us a smile and put a pep in our step! Give your man a pick me up by letting him find “lucky” pennies all day long! And because he’ll be finding more than one, he is SURE to have a lucky day! How to give your man a “Lucky Penny” Day: Print out these adorable printables, created by the talented Leah Aldous!...

So it’s no surprise that therapists have taken an interest in using mindfulness with their patients. The potential for benefit is clearly great. But how can therapists actually incorporate mindfulness into their practice? And, is it always helpful to patients? To get answers to these questions, look no further than Sitting Together: Essential Skills for Mindfulness-Based Psychotherapy. The authors—Harvard-based psychologists Susan Pollak and Ronald Siegel, and clinical social worker Thomas Pedulla—provide a wealth of research demonstrating the benefits of mindfulness for both therapists and patients, along with detailed guidance on when and how mindfulness practices might be useful in specific therapeutic situations....

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. To learn more about ’em, click here. Carisa from Messes to Memories is the talented designer who made these gorgeous gift certificate printables! Now we get to reap the rewards of her creativity! Thanks, Carisa! We all have enough material “stuff”, and finding gifts that really make an impact can be a tricky task! The gift of a marriage program subscription is useful, practical and FUN....

How to Create a Crown Braid Unlike the French or halo braid iteration of crown braids—which has a built-in plait that’s woven from ear to ear—this easy braided crown hairstyle is done on a ponytail, which, who knew, actually shaves off precious minutes from the entire braiding process. Read on for a step-by-step guide to mastering crown hair: That’s all there is to the crown braids style! Try out this look if you find yourself a little bored and in need of any activity or new challenge!...

And, as we’ve also pointed out, together with Dan Harris, talking to people about meditation with a holier than thou attitude is the surest road to being ignored. When it comes to people telling you how to work with your own mind, skepticism is healthy. Professor Grant is having the natural, intelligent, response to being oversold on something. Good for him, and good for us all. Perhaps his outcry about stopping “the meditation madness” is a signal that it’s time for those of us who are proponents of meditation to move beyond cheerleading and preaching to simply serving the hundreds of thousands of people who readily accept that meditation is beneficial while continuing the slow work of finding objective evidence of effectiveness....

“More and more people report using meditation practices for stress reduction, but we know very little about how much you need to do for stress reduction and health benefits,” said lead author David Creswell. A similar number has been echoed lately by another neuroscientist: Richard Davidson of the Center for Investigating Healthy Minds at the Waisman Center, U-W Madison. As Davidson tells Mindful, research is beginning to show how as little as 30 minutes per day training our minds to do something different can result in measurable changes that can be tracked in a brain scanner....

It’s officially September which marks the beginning of Fall, and for you, this should also commence a fresh start and a fresh new cut. Here’s our guide definitive guide to the hottest men’s haircuts to try this season. Men’s Haircuts: The Top Looks for the Fall Season 1. The Comb Back The comb over look was a big hit for the Spring/Summer season, but now, it’s all about smoothing the look back for a clean, classic and fresh spin....

Contemplatives including Matthieu Ricard, Sharon Salzberg, and Joan Halifax will deliver Keynote Address and Master Lectures on the nature of contemplative practices and how they can inform science. For registration and other information visit contemplativeresearch.org.

Feeling good in your own skin Do mindful people feel better about their bodies? Researchers asked 115 female college students about their level of mindfulness, body responsiveness, body shame, and overall health. Women who reported greater awareness and who tended to be nonjudgmental and nonreactive—key mindfulness skills—had less body shame, were more attuned to their bodies, and were healthier overall. The researchers say it’s not yet clear whether mindfulness increases body satisfaction, or vice versa....

A recent report from the United States that examined pregnancies between 2014 and 2018 found that the number of women being diagnosed with postpartum depression is nearly one in 10, a jump of almost 30% from 2014. In Canada a 2018 survey found that almost one-quarter (23%) of mothers reported feelings consistent with a diagnosis of postpartum depression or anxiety. There is growing evidence that mindfulness training may be effective in reducing the risk of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders....

There’s only so long such a story can be news, and it’s interesting that recently we’ve started to see the appearance of a number of pieces offering a more critical view. This is—in my opinion—an excellent thing, partly because it suggests the known benefits of mindfulness are now sufficiently understood as to no longer be remarkable. But it’s also a good thing as it creates an opportunity for reflection on some of the challenges thrown up by the very rapid shift adoption of mindfulness practices in contemporary western culture....

Led by Professor Mark Williams, the Oxford Mindfulness Center—part of the University of Oxford—has launched a £500,000 crowdfunding campaign to raise funds for research combatting mental illness, in particular depression and anxiety. The area they want to explore is Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT). Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) has recently been regarded as one the newest areas for the treatment of mental illness. Recent studies have show how MBCT is an effective as anti-depressant drugs for patients at high risk of depression....

I recently had the honor of interviewing Rick Hanson, Ph.D. and author of three books, the latest being Just One Thing: Developing a Buddha Brain One Simple Practice at a Time. As Hanson puts it, mindfulness training is a fundamental kind of literacy. It’s a way of controlling our most fundamental property—our attention. In fact it’s sometimes referred to as “attentional control.” In part, mindfulness can be a gateway to changing the brain, which fortunately has the ability to grow and be rewired....

When doing this meditation, remember that, as always, there’s no need to strive to make anything happen. Simply observe what you find and practice letting things be for a while. When something uncomfortable grabs your attention, like pain or an itch, observe it first and see if it changes. If you find you need to address it, that’s fine. Noticing that, pause and make an adjustment. In this way, the body scan provides an opportunity to practice responsiveness....