Today is Thanksgiving Day in Canada. It is a time to reflect on the wonderful people we have in our lives and the good things that have blessed this life. In the language of practice, we "incline our hearts" towards the practice of gratitude. This is a wonderful practice on the path of well-being. And [...]
Category: Practice Hints
Building your meditation from the ground up
Tangled thoughts and frazzled feelings Mindfulness begins with meditation. Without a meditation practice, it's very difficult to stay present, meet the moment as it is, be compassionate, and connect with a nonjudgmental attitude. Meditation is the training ground for all the other things we collectively call a mindfulness practice. For many months, I've watched the [...]
The Up Side of Down
Why being up can get you down I fell in love with jogging when I was in my mid-20’s. Over-weight, miserable, and in a soul-devouring job, I took to the gym every day. This love affair with jogging has lasted all my life though, like anything that is not a full-hearted commitment, it has suffered [...]
Relaxation – a practice red herring
When we start on the path of mindfulness, we have a natural desire to feel good. In many cases, participants tell us that all they want is to feel "better." "Better" is, of course, a relative term and it points to our wish to simply ease the pain we feel. This is a good start! [...]
One Minute Mindfulness – a book of continuous practice
Donald Altman is a psychotherapist, a former Buddhist monk, and author of The Mindfulness Code. Another book he wrote, Meal by Meal: 365 Daily Meditations for Finding Balance through Mindful Eating, could easily be a precursor to his current effort, One Minute Mindfulness. Altman comes with impressive credentials and it does more than lend weight [...]
Ottawa Mindfulness Clinic 