Posts tagged: Meditation

In the sweet little book written by Thich Nhat Hanh, A Handful of Quiet: Happiness in Four Pebbles (2012), Thich teaches a meditation in which we imagine ourselves being something such as a flower, and we imagine feeling a quality of that that thing within ourselves. (For example, in the case of the flower, he invites us to image feeling freshness.) Read more ›

When people express feeling unsure how to proceed with working on something they are desiring to work on in their lives, and when my input about this conundrum is solicited, one of the responses I sometimes give is akin to this: to proceed, begin where you are and go from there.  Read more ›

The short film, Just Breathe, features the craft from yesterday’s post along with children speaking about the experience of anger and of how breathing helps “the glitter to settle”. Read more ›

When the glitter settles, there is sparkle.

Let’s take a few moments to make a craft. You’ll need a clear jar with a tight fitting lid that won’t leak, loose glitter, water. To make the craft, fill the jar to nearly full with water and some glitter. Put the lid on tightly. Voila! You are done. Read more ›

Did you know that the human brain tends to act like teflon to positive experiences and like velcro to negative experiences? This is a wonderful metaphor Dr. Rick Hanson uses in the video below to describe the brain’s negativity bias, in essence, its tendency to absorb and remember readily negative experiences and potential threats combined with its tendency to not so readily absorb and remember positive experiences. Read more ›

“Rush hour. No need to rush. Slow down. Stop. See ….” — Sharon Salzberg

This quote is from a beautiful video that Sharon Salzberberg recently released to honour the 20th anniversary of the publication of her heartfelt book, Lovingkindess. The video is of a short loving kindness meditation, “Street Lovingkindness”. Read more ›

Continuing with the theme of the finest in middle-aged hip-hop, today I want to introduce you to another catchy gem of writing and performance by the Canadian band, Abdominal and The Obliques—specifically, the song, Breathe Deep. Read more ›

In the book, Mindful Compassion, you will find an important sub-heading: “Mindfulness of the Chaotic Mind, Not Just the Still Mind” (see chapter five). The book is written by psychologist, Paul Gilbert, and mindfulness and compassion meditation instructor, Choden. The 10-word sub-heading is so important, containing a key concept, practice, and lesson in and of itself. Read more ›

February is Psychology Month.

In response to the Canadian Psychological Association’s invitation to do something this month to give psychology away, during the month of February, 2014, all guided meditations here at Inspiring Connections will be on sale.

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The e-book, Compassion: Building Practice and Science, edited by Tania Singer and Matthías Bolz is hot off the press! You can learn about and download the e-book  here. The 531 page book is divided into four main sections: experiences with training compassion, concepts of compassion, science of compassion, and training programs of compassion. Read more ›