Why Mindfulness?

Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom. Viktor E. Frankl

Mindfulness, at essence, means being focused on the present. Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), defines it as: “awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgementally"

There has, in recent years, been a surge of interest in the practice of mindfulness as being therapeutic for mental health issues such as depression and anxiety, as well a valuable contributor to general wellbeing.

This post considers the origins of mindfulness, its potential benefits, and how it may be incorporated into busy modern life. (more…)

The Power of Positive Emotions

by Emma Filey

We Are Not Doomed to Failure

Many studies have been carried out on the beneficial effects of positivity, though whether or not a positive outlook has the power to actually improve our quality of life, has often been debated. One of the greatest obstacles facing positive psychology is the so-called 'hedonic treadmill,' described by investopedia.com as "the tendency of a person to remain at a relatively stable level of happiness despite a change in fortune or the achievement of major goals. (more…)

Meditation Basics

What is Meditation?

Life is demanding, with numerous calls on our attention at any time. For all its benefits, technology has made life even more demanding; with cell phones and the like we truly seem to be open to the world 24/7.

In addition to the multitude of external demands the supercomputer that is our mind spends much of its time behaving like a nagging child, pulling our attention this way and that, never giving us the space to truly think.

Meditation is about disconnecting from all the noise, external and internal, and giving yourself the time and space to simple "be". Imagine your mind is a computer connected to the Internet, constantly sending and receiving data. Meditation is taking it offline for a while to allow time to tidy its filing system; deleting what's not needed, identifying what's important and moving it to the desktop, and filing everything else for later retrieval.

On hearing the word 'meditation' many people picture an enlightened guru sitting motionless in the lotus position for hours on end chanting some obscure mantra. Sure, this is one (extreme) version of meditation, but there are many other forms, and the key to success is finding one that works for you. This article introduces the basics of meditation. (more…)