The culture of mindfulness often reinforces this attitude in subtle ways: books, articles, and podcasts present these practices as a kind of panacean remedy for all our ills, so we struggle to understand why others wouldn’t want to give it a try. Being excited about mindfulness may seem harmless, but when we get too pushy about it in our most intimate relationships—especially with our partners and spouses—it can become a source of relational friction, and even conflict....

What I can’t forget, however, is the trauma of the workday morning. I went to bed wrapped in the quiet solitude of my personal life; I woke up to find my bed down the corridor from my office. It was a long corridor, and it took a lot of effort to drag myself down it—splashing my face with water, donning work clothes, and swilling coffee as I went. I would have given anything to make that hallway much, much shorter....

But she says the mental impact was more difficult—the feelings of fear and loneliness her new body inspired, not being able to do the things she used to. That drew her to Thailand, where she attended her first meditation retreat. Shapiro, now an author and professor of psychology at Santa Clara University, has conducted two decades of research into the health benefits of mindfulness. In this Tedx Talk from the fall, she talks about her personal journey to learning mindfulness, as well as how meditation and mindfulness can affect our health:...

That’s the number of people who applied to Mars One, a private non-profit company that plans to set up a human colony on Mars by 2025. Last month, Mars One narrowed the pool to 100 candidates. We found a few people who listed meditation as one of their interests. Elena is one of them. She’s a doctor with two kids, living in the UK. “I’m attracted to the unknown. I want to know as much as possible what is out there,” she says in a video on her Mars One profile....

Psychologists who conduct these programs believe there is healing power in nature, bolstered by research that suggests green spaces are good for our health, our well-being, and even our relationships. But what is the secret ingredient in nature that brings about these benefits? A recent study, led by researcher Craig Anderson and his colleagues (including the Greater Good Science Center’s faculty director, Dacher Keltner), suggests it could be awe—that sense of being in the presence of something greater than ourselves that fills us with wonder....

Why is it so difficult to properly enjoy what’s right in front of us? And why are so many events easier to enjoy or savor after they’ve happened? In this animation from The London School of Life, philosopher Alain de Botton talks about why we have trouble staying anchored in the present moment, and the role memory and mind wandering play. We edit out the bad parts. The brain is a great editor, sifting through our experiences to construct meaningful narratives....

As with pretty much anything health-related, we may know better, but we don’t stick to what we’d tell our best friend: Keep to a regular bedtime and a consistent routine, and avoid whatever disrupts sleep, like caffeine, alcohol, and screens. Not that complicated, but what’s often hardest is what’s frustratingly out of our full control. Even following solid advice, sometimes we suffer through rotten nights, feeling anxious or struggling to settle ourselves....

[Photograph by Markus Spiske] This article also appeared in the December 2014 issue of Mindful magazine. Subscribe to Mindful‘s print edition or digital edition.

Last week, Colbert told Fresh Air‘s Terry Gross that he initially shied away from discussing political events on the show in order to distinguish himself from his old character, trading lengthy opening monologues about news and current affairs for high-kicks with bandleader Jon Batiste. But that changed in recent months. “It took me almost half a year to realize … that you can have a highly opinionated, highly topical show as yourself and not essentially fall back into the basket of The Colbert Report,” he says....

My preschooler, Opal, started plying me with questions when she was four. “Were you the one who died that mouse?” Or, “Do you think that moth knows he’s dead?” Cute out-of-the-mouths-of-babes comments tossed off as she buzzed on to her next activity. I’d gotten used to her frank, unemotional curiosity about death, but when her questions shifted from light banter to a source of terror, I was caught completely off-guard....

Of course – we gotta get a LITTLE creative! 🙂 I was trying to think of a fun way to kick off our date….but at the same time make it SUPER easy for all of you to duplicate. I remembered a darling scrapbooked card I saw a long time ago….and recreated it in Photoshop to share with all of you! Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. To learn more about ’em, click here....

In an interview on Charlie Rose this month, Harris talked about his drug abuse ten years ago that lead to an on-air panick attack and how he stumbled upon meditation—Harris practices mindfulness meditation. Rose asked if there was a substitute practice that could yield the same benefits as meditation. (Rose was very insistent on the power of naps.) “I don’t think anything does,” Harris replied. “People ask me this all the time: What about my gardening, is this meditation?...

We’ve gathered a list of the best summer recipes for the kids, healthy options, decadent treats, and refreshing drinks! And as an added bonus, we’ve also included festive ideas perfect for your Fourth of July plans! Summer never tasted so good! Let’s get right to it! Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. To learn more about ’em, click here. 20 Healthy Summer Snacks Staying healthy and feeling good is SO important over the summer!...

Snickers, Twix, Reese’s and more!! If you love candy bars, you’re going to be seriously inspired by this post FULL of candy bar treats!! That’s right… we have gathered up 101 treat ideas inspired by all of our favorite chocolate candies. We’re talking the best ideas out there to recreate your favorite candy bars in a fun new way. We also gathered up some fun and clever ideas for how to use those leftover candies!...

One of the hottest beauty trends of the year involved all things sparkly! Don’t believe us? Google glitter lip kits and search for glitter roots on All Things Hair. Are you now convinced that you should give the trend a shot? Read on to learn how you can get this fun party hair look for the holidays: 12 Days of Christmas Hair Day 9: Confetti Bun Hairstyle Tutorial Step 1: Start with clean hair....

12 FREE Printables for Halloween!! Every month we bring together the most AWESOME bloggers to give YOU 12 free, specialty printables all with a fun theme! Last month we featured 12 FREE printables for FALL, then we had 12 FREE printables for BACK TO SCHOOL, and we even did 12 FREE printables for SUMMER! Can you handle all this FREE-ness?! And now look at what we’ve got for you this month!...

Big box braids hairstyles are a popular protective look in the natural hair community. This style offers up an instant shot of cool while also keeping your real hair manageable and safe from manipulation damage. How to Create Big Braids with Your Box Braids Although a full head of box braids, big or small, may take as long as four to eight hours to create, they’re not that complicated and actually just entail a regular three-strand stitch woven into a snug, shiny plait....