Meditation has immeasurable benefits – decreasing stress, improving well-being, reducing cardiovascular disease, and so on. The society we live in seems so fast-paced sometimes that the idea of sitting down to meditate for 15-30 minutes a day seems out of reach. Ironically, many of the other things that keep us so busy that we can’t …Read More
“Mindsight” by Dr. Daniel Siegel (Book Recommendation)
Feb 20, 2011
I recently completed the audiobook version of Mindsight by Dr. Dan Siegel. He provided the reading and, fortunately, possesses a wonderfully soothing and engaging speaking voice. Dr. Siegel is a Harvard-trained psychiatrist, neurobiologist, researcher, lecturer, author, and professor at the UCLA School of Medicine. I’ve seen Dr. Siegel present a number of times and, along …Read More
My New Year’s Resolutions-Reflections
Jan 17, 2011
So, I’ve been tracking my 5 New Year’s Resolutions here. I thought I’d do a little update to describe my experiences thus far. Well, as you can see, I’m going better on some than others. In brief, out of 13 days: 1. 5 Minutes of Meditation per day – I’ve hit all 13 days. I’m …Read More
Working With Anger
Nov 14, 2010
A few weeks ago, Dr. Brooks posted a blog about love, and the importance on keeping love alive by working on it and cultivating it. This blog was based on teachings by the Vietnamese Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh. It so happens that I was also listening to these same teachings, presented in the audio …Read More
“Practicing Peace in Times of War” – Book Recommendation
Nov 2, 2010
Our world seems to be filled with aggression, violence, and war. Especially now, during election time, we are bombarded with ads on TV, the radio, and the internet, that are scientifically designed to arouse fear and hatred in us. There is war all around the world, and the possibility of peace can seem very remote. …Read More
“Ruling Your World” – Book Recommendation
Oct 16, 2010
In the book “Ruling Your World” Sakyong Mipham describes ancient strategies to help the reader achieve mastery over their mind and over their life. Although the strategies and metaphors he describes are very old, they are surprisingly relevant and useful in today’s society. The author of the book is Buddhist, and many of the metaphors …Read More
Turning the Mind Into an Ally – Book Recommendation
Aug 27, 2010
This is a book about the “nuts and bolts” of meditation. Meditation has been a hot topic for the last decade or so in neuropsychological research. Scientific studies of the brains of experienced and novice meditators show that practicing meditation on a regular basis produces changes in the brain’s activity and even in the structure …Read More
Quotes by the Dalai Lama
Jun 26, 2010
If you’re in the need of a quick “pick-me-up”, or want an thought to ruminate on while meditating, check out this page with quotes from the Dalai Lama: http://www.rudyh.org/dalai-lama-quotes-quotations.htm
A Path With Heart by Jack Kornfield (book recommendation)
Mar 22, 2010
In previous posts I have talked about how mindfulness can be helpful in our lives. In addition, I’ve mentioned that mindfulness can be a tool that mental health professionals use in their work with clients. If you are new to the concept of mindfulness, hopefully my previous posts have given you a starting point in …Read More
“Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain” by Sharon Begley (book recommendation)
Feb 11, 2010
In this fascinating book, Sharon Begley (a science writer for Newsweek and previously for the Wall Street Journal) goes through some of the history of neuroscience and summarizes some of the latest findings in the field. There was a time when scientists viewed the adult brain as rather static and that no new neurons could …Read More