A Loving-Kindness Meditation to Heal Your Inner Child
The article outlines a loving‑kindness meditation inspired by Thich Nhat Hanh that targets the "inner child" to foster self‑compassion. It explains how adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) embed stress in the body, limiting self‑love, and how neuroplasticity enables healing through mindful practices. The guide walks readers through three steps—activating love resources, body awareness, and offering love to the inner child—using sensory visualization and breath work. Real‑world anecdotes illustrate how holding space for emotional pain can shrink shame and expand resilience.
Cold Plunge Breathwork: An Expert’s Guide to Calming Your Nervous System
Cold‑plunge enthusiasts are cautioned against pairing Wim Hof hyperventilation with immersion, a practice linked to shallow‑water blackout and fatalities. Certified breathwork coach Jon Paul Crimi outlines a safer protocol, beginning with three “Transformer Breaths” before entry and a three‑gear breathing system—physiological sigh, Transformer...
2026 Meditation Practice Report
The Mindful Leader 2026 Meditation Practice Report surveyed 272 practitioners, revealing that 61.6% meditate daily with 10‑20 minute sessions being the norm. Morning practice dominates at 64.6%, and silent, unguided meditation is preferred by 59% of respondents. Distractions have become the...
‘Persist Nonetheless’: The Best Way to Handle Uncertainty
Simone Stolzoff’s second book, *How to Not Know*, examines why uncertainty triggers stronger anxiety than known negative outcomes and offers practical ways to cope. Drawing on evolutionary psychology and studies—such as the heightened stress of a 50 % chance of electric...
The Gift of Inner Stillness
“The Gift of Inner Stillness” curates a collection of mindfulness resources aimed at helping readers cultivate mental calm. The page links to over a dozen articles covering topics such as daily meditation, pain management during practice, and seasonal mindfulness rituals....
6 of My Favorite Mindfulness Practices for Presence
The article curates six of the author’s favorite mindfulness techniques designed to boost present‑moment awareness, ranging from everyday activities like mindful cleaning to structured practices such as whole‑body breathing and posture alignment. It also highlights specialized resources, including a Big Mind...
How the Brain Dampens Losses to Support Mental Toughness
A new Journal of Neuroscience study reveals that psychologically resilient people tend to downplay minor losses rather than overvalue rewards. Using functional MRI, researchers observed that participants who discounted small losses showed heightened prefrontal activity when confronting those losses and...
Letting Go of All Contraction
Michael Taft leads a guided nondual meditation that asks participants to set the thinking mind aside and rest in effortless presence. The session moves through sensory openness, mantra chanting, emotional awareness, and heart‑opening, repeatedly urging listeners to relax and let...
Ketamine, TMS, a Fecal Analysis: My Year Trying San Francisco’s Most Experimental Depression Treatments
Carly Schwartz chronicles a year of chasing San Francisco’s cutting‑edge depression remedies, from underground intramuscular ketamine injections and IV drips to daily transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and even a fecal microbiome test. Despite the hype and venture‑backed clinics, none of these...
How to Use Self-Compassion Anchor Cards
The Self‑Compassion Anchor Card deck offers a pocket‑sized, evidence‑based toolkit that turns abstract self‑compassion concepts into concrete daily exercises. Each card guides users through micro‑interventions such as visualizing compassion, inner‑voice awareness, and shared humanity. Therapists can incorporate the cards into...
WHOOP Data Links Daily Stress and Anxiety to Worse Sleep and Slower Recovery
WHOOP analyzed data from over 160,000 U.S. members and found that stress and anxiety are the most frequently reported mental‑health challenges. On days when users logged high stress or anxiety, both sleep duration and recovery scores fell sharply below personal...
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What Is Body Scan Meditation?
Body scan meditation is a mindfulness technique that guides attention sequentially from the feet to the head, helping practitioners notice and release physical tension. Research links regular body scans to lower cortisol, reduced blood pressure, better sleep, and decreased anxiety....
Brooding Identified as a Major Driver of Bedtime Procrastination, Alongside Physical Markers of Stress
A study published in the Journal of Health Psychology finds that lower heart rate variability (HRV) is linked to greater bedtime procrastination. Researchers measured HRV in 135 adults and collected self‑reports on behavior, emotion regulation, and thinking styles. The analysis...
Scientists Challenge The Body Keeps the Score with a New Predictive Model of Trauma
A new theoretical paper in Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience disputes the popular notion that trauma is physically stored in the body. The authors, including Steven Kotler and Karl Friston, argue that trauma creates a rigid threat‑prediction pattern in the brain,...
Do This 1 Thing for Any Amount of Time to Be Measurably Happier, Harvard Study Shows
Harvard researchers tracked 373 participants with a smartphone app and found that trimming social‑media use from roughly 84 minutes to 48 minutes a day produced measurable gains in mood, anxiety and sleep quality. The study relied on objective usage data...
How to Stay Calm on a Hectic Day
The article explains how the Yerkes‑Dodson law describes an optimal arousal zone for peak performance and warns that exceeding it hampers focus. It offers practical tactics—breathing exercises, nutrition tweaks, brief movement, visual reminders, sunlight exposure, and micro‑tasks—to bring overstimulation back...
Real World Outcomes Support the Benefits of Psychedelic Therapy for Severe Depression
A Swiss compassionate‑use program evaluated psychedelic‑assisted psychotherapy using either 100 µg LSD or 25 mg psilocybin in adults with treatment‑resistant depression or anxiety. More than a third of participants reported at least a 50% reduction in depressive symptoms within three months, and...
The Quiet Strength of Self-Compassion
The article "The Quiet Strength of Self-Compassion" highlights self‑compassion as a practical tool for personal resilience and professional performance. It explains how treating oneself with the same kindness offered to others can lower stress, improve focus, and boost decision‑making. The...
The Poetry of Simplicity
The article curates a suite of mindfulness resources—including sleep meditations, romantic rituals, grief release guides, and two‑minute practices—delivered via audio, music, and short reads. By emphasizing simplicity and brevity, it targets busy professionals seeking quick mental resets. The collection reflects...
Elisha Goldstein on the Power of Tiny Shifts
Psychologist Dr. Elisha Goldstein’s new book *Tiny Shifts* proposes a four‑step “Four R” method—Recognize, Release, Refocus, Reinforce—to break habitual emotional loops with micro‑adjustments. The approach blends mindfulness, somatic awareness, and neuroscience, showing how brief breath‑based releases can shift the brain’s...
How to Let Go of Unhelpful Thought Patterns
The article "How to Let Go of Unhelpful Thought Patterns" curates a suite of mindfulness exercises designed to break negative mental loops. It links to practices such as setting a happiness intention, managing emotional energy, visualizing a "Tree of Knowledge,"...
The Healing Power of Presence
The Healing Power of Presence curates a collection of mindfulness resources ranging from Kamma teachings to shamanic flute meditations and practical worksheets. It highlights how simple practices—like palm awareness or naming feelings—can be integrated into daily routines. The article links...
New Community Connections & Masterclass Wisdom: Deepening Your Mindfulness Journey Together
Mindfulness Exercises announced a major expansion of its Connect Community and Masterclasses Library, offering new recorded workshops and global discussion spaces for practitioners at all levels. The platform now hosts a growing collection of masterclass recordings covering authentic teaching, emotional...
LSD Microdosing Linked to Acute Mood Improvements in Adults with Depression
A small open‑label pilot gave 19 adults with major depressive disorder sublingual LSD microdoses (4‑20 µg) over eight weeks. Participants reported acute spikes in creativity, energy and social connectedness on dosing days, with a 60% average reduction in overall depression severity...
Brain Stimulation Boosts Willpower to Quit Smoking
A double‑blind, fMRI‑guided trial found that high‑frequency rTMS targeting the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) cut smokers’ daily consumption by about 11 cigarettes, outperforming sham and orbitofrontal cortex stimulation. The 15‑session protocol boosted prefrontal activity while suppressing reward‑related regions, correlating...
10 Percent Happier at Work: Dan Harris on Mental Health, Burnout and More
Dan Harris, former ABC News anchor and author of the bestseller *10% Happier*, delivered a keynote at the BenefitsPRO Broker Expo in Chicago, highlighting the rising burnout crisis—affecting more than half of American workers. He shared personal stories of depression,...
Mona Kattan’s Kayali Teams up with Calm to Make Wellbeing Tools More Accessible
Fragrance brand Kayali, founded by Mona Kattan, has partnered with mental‑health app Calm. For the month of May, every Kayali online purchase includes a unique code that unlocks three months of Calm Premium for free. The offer gives users full...
Advanced Teacher Training Module
Breathworks is launching a six‑week Advanced Teacher Training Module starting June 20, 2026, designed to deepen instructors’ expertise in its Mindfulness for Health and Mindfulness for Stress programmes. The fully online course combines weekly live Zoom sessions, self‑study, and a global peer...
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What I Learned From a 7-Day Silent Meditation Retreat
A seven‑day silent retreat at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Marin County gathered about 75 participants for a week of noble silence, guided by meditation teacher Oren Jay Sofer. The program centered on the four brahmavihāra—loving‑kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity—through...
What’s the Attitude in the Mind?
The article explores how the mind automatically labels experiences as pleasant, unpleasant or neutral and then reacts with holding on, pushing away, or ignoring. It argues that resistance to unpleasant sensations and clinging to pleasant ones generate additional suffering, while...
Goldie Hawn Shares Her Advice For Raising Kind, Emotionally Resilient Kids
Goldie Hawn, longtime advocate for children’s mental health, has launched a middle‑grade book series, *The After‑School Kindness Crew: Pooch on the Loose*, co‑written with Lin Oliver. The books weave humor, kindness, curiosity and built‑in "brain breaks" to teach empathy and...
When Insight Isn’t Enough: An Interview with Juliana Sloane on Imagination, Hypnotherapy, and Deeper Transformation
Juliana Sloane, a meditation teacher and hypnotherapist, explains why mere insight often fails to shift deeply ingrained habits. She argues that long‑standing neural pathways keep anxiety, self‑criticism, and relationship patterns intact despite conscious awareness. By entering natural trance states and...
This South Beach Hotel Debuts Custom Experiences
The Ritz‑Carlton, South Beach has unveiled a new portfolio of custom experiences for spring, ranging from on‑site wellness rituals to off‑site cultural tours. Offerings include the Journey of Serenity and Renewal wellness session, Deco Spirits cocktail workshops, a Mini Master...
Magnetic Pulses Restore Brain Circuits to Treat Depression
UCLA researchers demonstrated that accelerated intermittent theta burst stimulation (aiTBS), a fast‑acting form of transcranial magnetic stimulation, can rebuild lost dendritic spines in prefrontal cortex intratelencephalic (IT) neurons within 24 hours. The structural repair was stable for at least a...
Former Footballer to Chair Major Mental Health Charity
Former Premier League defender Clarke Carlisle has been appointed chair of the UK mental‑health charity Mind. Carlisle, who spent 17 years playing for clubs including Sunderland and Preston, has long spoken publicly about his own battles with depression and anxiety....
How Self-Awareness Makes Every Habit Easier
Self‑awareness is a rare skill—only about 12% of people truly possess it despite 95% believing they do. The article explains how genuine self‑awareness, not rumination or narcissism, lets individuals observe thoughts, feelings, and actions non‑judgmentally, which in turn fuels habit...
Sunshine and Green Leaves
The article uses a simple apple‑juice metaphor to explain how meditation works: just as pulp settles and the liquid clears after resting, the mind becomes calm when given space. It argues that true and false mind are one, warning that...
Women Who Grew up Being Told They Were “Too Sensitive” Often Become the Most Mentally Tough People in the Room...
Women repeatedly told they were “too sensitive” often spend five decades honing an emotional fluency that later translates into remarkable mental toughness. Rather than shutting down, they learn precise feeling vocabularies, differentiate shame from anger, and sit with grief without...
New Research Shows Just How Quickly Meditation Boosts Your Brain
A March 2026 study published in Springer found that meditation triggers observable brain‑wave changes in as little as 30 seconds for seasoned practitioners and after 2‑3 minutes for beginners, with effects peaking at 7‑10 minutes. The research tracked over 100 participants...
A Light, Slow, Deep (LSD) Breathing Meditation
Shamash Alidina introduces a Light, Slow, Deep (LSD) breathing meditation that emphasizes gentle, prolonged inhalations and longer exhalations to engage the parasympathetic nervous system. The guided practice uses a four‑second inhale, a brief pause, and a six‑second exhale, focusing on...
Guru Studio Expands ‘True and the Rainbow Kingdom’ with Mindfulness-Focused Shorts
Guru Studio is launching a new series of mindfulness‑focused shorts called True & You on YouTube and YouTube Kids, timed for Mental Health Awareness Month in May. The bite‑sized videos feature guided breathing exercises and ASMR‑style relaxation, using the popular...
Psychedelic Science Breakthrough: Increased Brain Entropy From Psilocybin Predicts Lasting Psychological Insight and Well-Being
Researchers at UCSF and Imperial College London reported that a single high dose of psilocybin (25 mg) triggers a rapid surge in brain signal entropy, which correlates with heightened psychological insight the next day and sustained improvements in well‑being up to...
4 Ways AI Makes Mindfulness Matter More
The article argues that AI intensifies four threats to human well‑being: attention exploitation, loss of presence, erosion of liberty, and superficial compassion. AI’s personalized hooks hijack attention before we choose it, while always‑on agents push perpetual multitasking. The author warns...
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How Practicing Gratitude Meditation Can Support Your Mental Well-Being and Happiness
Gratitude meditation, a simple practice of focusing on what you appreciate, is gaining traction as a mental‑wellness tool. Research links regular gratitude sessions to better mood, lower stress, reduced anxiety, and improved sleep. The technique requires no special equipment and...
High Functioning Anxiety: Why Anxiety Does Not Always Look Like Falling Apart
High‑functioning anxiety describes people who meet external expectations while experiencing persistent worry, tension, and mental overload. Though not a formal DSM‑5 diagnosis, it often hides behind reliability, perfectionism, and constant productivity, making it easy to overlook. Research links this pattern...
Mental Well-Being in the Newsroom
The American Press Institute launched a May Special Edition series on newsroom mental well‑being, timed with Mental Health Awareness Month. The program offers a trio of webinars and practical guides for news leaders to recognize burnout, trauma, and to build...
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5 Simple Wellness Rituals That Can Actually Make You Happier
Leadership coach Dana Mahina outlines five simple wellness rituals—intentional microjoys, boundary gratitude, energy auditing, presence pausing, and values‑alignment check‑ins—to boost mental wellbeing and happiness. She stresses that mental health is inseparable from physical health and that high‑achieving professionals often neglect inner...
This Small Change At Home Improved Brain Performance In Just 4 Weeks
A randomized crossover study of 119 adults aged 30‑74 found that using a HEPA air purifier at home for one month improved executive‑function speed by 12% in participants over 40, compared with a sham device. The improvement was measured with...
Psychology Says the Genuinely Strong People Aren’t the Ones Who Power Through What They Can’t Control, They’re the Ones Who...
The article argues that true strength lies in accepting, not battling, uncontrollable discomfort. Psychological research, including a Carnegie Mellon mindfulness study, shows that monitoring and accepting feelings cuts cortisol by more than 50% and systolic blood pressure by about 20%....
The Role of a Breath Coach in Personal Growth and Wellness
A breath coach provides ongoing, personalized guidance through circular connected breathing, a technique that induces transient hypofrontality and releases stored emotional tension. Unlike group classes or traditional therapy, the coach holds space, offers accountability, and integrates each session’s insights over...