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Exercises / Practices
Reflection: A Key Element of Mindful Leadership
By John J. Murphy, Guest Contributor
As I write this article, I am reflecting on a two-day executive workshop I recently delivered in Denver on mindful leadership and operational excellence. I do this every time I engage in any important activity. I take time to contemplate what I planned to do, what I did, what worked well, and what didn’t work so well. The military refers to these disciplined moments of reflection as AAR’s – After Action Reviews. The idea is to step back and mindfully evaluat…
When Forgiveness Becomes an Act of Self-Care
By Jim Blake, Guest Contributor
Sooner or later, despite our best efforts, every business leader will have feelings of self-doubt, inadequacy, insecurity, and fear. Too often we ignore these feelings by pressing them down or attempting to put a positivity bandage on them. But avoidance will only lead to a cycle of repetition. Instead, we must have the courage to look at our pain, our sorrow, our trauma—and the feelings that result—without letting them define us.
Depending on your life experien…
Finding the Balance Between Gratitude and Longing
By Joy Reichart, New Ventures West, Guest Contributor
The sun rose slowly above the redwoods surrounding the park as we ‘cooled down’ from that chilly morning’s tai chi practice. As we took our full minute to stand in stillness and center ourselves, I began to notice that the phrase “thank you” was riding on each exhale. Thank you for this exceptionally beautiful neighborhood. Thank you for the recent, much-needed rain that has popped everything into technicolor. Thank you for this circle of ki…
Paradox, Prediction & Perception: Why Context Matters in the Practice and Embodiment of Mindful Awareness
By Michelle L. Maldonado, Guest Contributor
What happens to one of us, happens to all of us. These words repeat themselves like a song’s refrain playing over and over again in my mind just as strongly today as when my family and I first began to speak this phrase some time ago.
For many in our families, communities, and places of work, the vision and wish for equality and equity, coupled with wise and compassionate action to transform societal conditions, have been a life-long endeavor. For o…
How to Make Your Commute Time Self Care Time
By Tia Philippart, Guest Contributor
There are plenty of workers who are guilty of taking work home with them. Not only are they finishing projects up at home, but they are ruminating about their work during their drives to and from the office when they are least capable of physically completing their work. The frustration of overthinking work tasks is detrimental to these commuters’ mental health. It might not be obvious at first, but ruminating upon work thoughts leads to an unsuccessful wor…
Self-unification in a divided world
By Joy Reichart, New Ventures West, Guest Contributor
“In order to truly change, we have to let go of who we think we are. Early in life we had to form the ego, or the ‘little self,’ in order to protect our true self. Later in life, the way we originally protected ourselves begins to endanger the presence of our Self. What protected us from harm at the beginning will cause us great harm later in life if we don’t learn how to let go of it.“
—Michael Meade, from “The Captive Heart” (Episode 2…
Integral Practices for Times of Transition
By Joy Reichart, New Ventures West, Guest Contributor
Gearing up as nature is winding down
How are you feeling this September? If you live or grew up in a place where the school year starts around now, you may have a mysterious, bone-deep response to this time of year. In the northern hemisphere, days start shortening, leaves start turning, and most beings prepare to hibernate and migrate. Meanwhile, human life picks up its pace, yanking us in the opposite direction of our animal instincts. Th…
Feel you have nothing left? 3 Practices to replenish
By Joy Reichart, guest contributor, New Ventures West
“I have nothing left.”
It’s a sentiment that’s been in our shared consciousness for a long time, and recently I’ve started to hear folks actually name it. Maybe you have too.
World events have taken their toll, and many of us find ourselves with very little energy, resources, spirit left in us. The pandemic fomented a sudden shift in pace and orientation that revealed much of what is outdated and imbalanced in our lives, and in the world.…
We Need to Rethink Anxiety - 3 Actions to Take
By Max Strom, guest contributor
Why is it that so many people in urban environments across the world are now experiencing exponential growth in anxiety and depression? What can we make of the fact that anxiety is now an epidemic in America? It’s also alarming that suicide was the second leading cause of death among people between the ages of 10 and 34.
Most of us are thankful that we live in a time when we have medications for anxiety and depression, but I haven’t met anybody who wants to liv…
How to Manage Your Attention in a World of Distraction
By Mike Normant, guest contributor
You've engaged a mindfulness routine, and now you’re never disrupted by noise encountered in this busy world, right? Actually, I’m kidding...
Focusing your attention amidst life’s constant distractions is incredibly challenging, even for advanced practitioners. Hour to hour and day to day, it’s difficult not to get lost in thought or be pushed and pulled by the next interruption.
So that’s where the “superpower” of managing your attention comes in. I’d lik…