“How one lives one’s life is the goal of the meditation practice.”

Shinzen Young

David Baron‘s adamant encouragement to see a total solar eclipse before you die reminds me of something I’ve experienced many times as a result of rigorous contemplative practice.

Habitual mindfulness practice gradually erodes our tendency to constantly interfere with the natural flow of being alive.

Everyone is already training their attention. It's just that most of us don't realize that we're reinforcing our capacity for internal friction. 

Mindfulness meditation has a lot in common with practicing the piano. Both require clear instruction, consistent effort, and falling in love with the process instead of obsessing over the results. They are also both about finding tangible ways to navigate the abstract murkiness of time.

It’s so much more difficult to focus on what’s within your control than on all the things that aren’t.

IMAX enhances awareness of the objective world by increasing the intensity. Strengthening your attentional skills elevates awareness of the subjective world — your thoughts and feelings — as well as the interplay between both worlds.

Intensity isn’t required.

Setting limits, establishing healthy habits, and doing things that are good for us can be super uncomfortable. It can feel reassuring to practice embracing the discomfort related to behaviors we don’t regret.

Mindfulness only seems strange to people who don’t yet know it’s possible to exercise their attention to feel more alive.

Sensations related to our basic bodily functions provide lots of opportunities for steering your attention toward what’s playing out in the present.

Equanimity is the ability to allow a sensory perception to play out without trying to change it. It’s an attentional skill you already have that gets stronger when you exercise it habitually.

Expand your options for developing focus and awareness.

We live in a data-driven world but what it takes to thrive can’t be measured.

A no-lose approach for responding to meditative drowsiness.

Why not start practicing now?

How to be more present while eliminating waste.

How to adapt focus strategies people use every day to concentrate on what they’re doing.

Beauty and wonder might be closer than you realize.

Everyone is already mindful, but we could all use a little more practice.

Instead of trying to stop thinking, try listening differently.