Mindfulness

Mindfulness

"Oh, you know me; I'm a perfectionist." Many, if not most, of us have either heard someone else say something like that or we've uttered it ourselves. But what does that really mean? What if there's more than one kind of perfectionism, and what kinds of coping techniques might be useful for someone who identifies as a perfectionist? In a recent study, researchers built on prior work by looking at changes in how much people were using mindfulness and self-compassion techniques over a two-week period.

When I first met Rashida, she introduced herself with a disclaimer: "I'm a little intense." She said it with a grimace, as if the label left a bad taste in her mouth. I replied, "Good to know. What else should I know about you?" She told me she was a mother, a recent pickleball enthusiast, and a leader in risk and compliance at a Fortune 500 company. I thought maybe such a role demanded intensity, but I still asked, "Where does that 'intense' label come from?"

Join us for Tai Chi this Sunday! 10am at Judah and Great Highway Park This monthly course is for beginners and experienced students of tai chi alike. Plus, coffee is on us at @javabeachsf after the course. As a reminder, Sundays at the Beach is a year-long program of weekly events possible thanks to a grant award from @avenuegreenlight. Our friends at @sunsetchineseculturaldistrict helped us make the Tai Chi program come to life!

Let's be honest: people place a little too much pressure on mornings. You've heard the advice. "Develop a morning routine!" "Set intentions!" "The quality of your entire day hinges upon what you do immediately after waking up!" It's not that this is bad advice. It's just a little perfectionist-y. And chances are, your real life mornings don't feel as picturesque as Cinderella waking up and having a family of bluebirds bathe and dress her.

Twice a month, I go to my eye doctor for injections that slow the loss of my vision. The waiting room is always filled with quiet tension-fearful eyes, deep breaths, people trying not to crumble. I sit and breathe, waiting for my name to be called. And every time, without fail, there is a woman-maybe in her late fifties or early sixties-who enters already furious. Before she even sits down, she's fighting with the receptionist.

This 10-minute morning yoga class is one of my more popular practices. It's a strength-based yoga practice that not only focuses on helping you build strength but also challenges you to find your body-brain connection. Essentially, it helps you become strong not only in your movements but in your mind. And you can practice it any time of day that you have time.

"Hangry" has become such common vocabulary that most people know exactly what it means: that irritable, snappish state when you need food. Recently, people have suggested extending the pattern-"slangry" for sleepiness-related irritability, "shanger" for shame-triggered snappiness, "franger" for frustration-fueled reactivity. It's clever, and naming these states does help create awareness. But I think these neologisms accidentally reveal something more important: We've lost the ability to distinguish between our stress response and actual emotion.

mobile phones were far from universal and our social lives were mostly physical and local. In the 25 years since, technology has changed how we live in profound ways. Most people check their phone within minutes of waking and return to it on average 186 times a day. Computers and the systems that sit behind them mediate every aspect of modern life, shaping how we move through the world.

I've had a script running through my subconscious mind that says, "I am unworthy." I've written in this space about self-esteem, but now I'd like to dig a little deeper and get more specific about how low self-esteem is formed, and what you can do about it. I love baseball; when I was a kid, I asked my parents to let me play Little League baseball several times.

My mother always said buy a red or pink brolly, which will give a glow to your face in the rain. Meanwhile, the Filter's own Emily Goddard suggests dopamine dressing, even if only on a small scale. I have several colourful pairs of socks that add a pop of joy to the dark outfits I often find myself defaulting to during winter, she says.

The 4-7-8 method Here's how it works. First, place the tip of your tongue against your two upper front teeth, and keep it there. (The goal is to inhale and exhale around your tongue.) Then: Breathe in through your nose while you count to four. Hold your breath while you count to seven. Purse your lips and exhale-you should make a "whooshing" sound-while you count to eight. Repeat up to four times.

Whether you're new to meditation or you want to revitalize your practice, let's unpack and experience the Buddha's meditation instructions together. This is an Insight-oriented meditation class, grounded in the Buddha's Four Foundations of Mindfulness. Each session will include a combination of guided and silent meditations, short talks on the Four Foundations, short mindful movement sessions (chi gung or walking meditation), recommendations for home practice, plus reports, comments, and Q&A.

We can visualize four different types of trust as directions on a compass. The different types of trust include trust in ourselves, others, reality, and a higher power than ego. Consider how we rely on trust in our daily lives and how we can grow that trust to manage life's challenges. Our trust can move in four directions: we can trust ourselves, others, reality, and a higher power.

'But it's actually not 'me time.' It's 'we time.' And so you need to be mindful of the fact that you're not alone and other people are also trying to enjoy the class, too.'

The simple feeling of being is the fundamental basis of every momentary perception. What's happening right now is the only starting point there could ever be. The simple feeling of being is without border or boundary. The simple feeling of being is inescapable. It is not something that needs to be created or generated or sustained or practiced. It is what is here already.

When things start to unravel, Nayyar doesn't reach for motivational podcasts or productivity hacks. He repeats one word to himself instead: Surrender. "Sometimes, if I find myself really banging my head against something, and it's just one of those days where everything's going wrong, I just tell myself surrender," Nayyar tells Fortune. "Take a breath. Take a pause. Let's just see what happens."

Pranayama is the yogic art of breathing. Consider it one of the inspirations for the breath work techniques that help keep you grounded throughout the day. By mastering the three stages of the breath, inhalation, exhalation and retention, you can learn to quiet the nervous system and gain control over the emotions and constant demands of the senses. Pranayama can be difficult art to practice, one that requires years of persistence and patience.

As our attention spans and cognitive abilities are increasingly damaged by digital overuse and AI-mediated shortcuts, the ability to focus deeply and learn something in depth is quickly becoming a critical skill. Never have we had such broad access to information. And never have so many people felt unable to concentrate long enough to truly master anything. Learning is everywhere, yet depth feels elusive.

Every day you get closer to your death. This is the phrase that shook me to my core when my high school teacher, Mr. Murphy, presented it in Religious Knowledge class. I was 14 years old. I immediately objected, calling it depressive in an attempt to protect my classmates-or perhaps myself. He looked straight at me and said, "It is simply the truth. Take it as you wish."

One of my dear friends was recently caught up in this swirl and roil. An attorney in the Department of Justice, the days of DOGE forced her to choose among uncertain options and to try to find firm footing in a landscape that shifted from solid to sand on a dime. Should she stay or go? Retire early or risk being fired? Each option had potential consequences beyond where she might clock in each day. What of her career trajectory? Her sense of purpose?

If we're news junkies, or just extremely online, we're a little like that traumatised journalist. A little. More removed from frontline carnage, sure, but subject to a similar onslaught of non-stop bad news: polarisation, the climate crisis, grim domestic violence statistics. The rising cost of living, the rise of the far right, and AI threatening to upend our livelihoods. What to do with all the angst stirred up by negative headlines?

A group of Buddhist monks and their rescue dog are striding single file down country roads and highways across the South, captivating Americans nationwide and inspiring droves of locals to greet them along their route. In their flowing saffron and ocher robes, the men are walking for peace. It's a meditative tradition more common in South Asian countries, and it's resonating now in the U.S., seemingly as a welcome respite from the conflict, trauma and politics dividing the nation.

When you reach a certain age, one of the things you notice at the turn of the year is the "stuff" you have accumulated. Old newspapers, documents and books jostle with the detritus of life, from pieces of dead coral from Barbados to an old label that never made it onto a bottle of Guinness. I have spent the last decade preaching to my adult children, telling them to stop buying things.

Fear is not a flaw or weakness. It is often a signal that something meaningful is trying to surface. For lawyers who want growth that feels aligned and sustainable, learning how to work with fear instead of around it can unlock real change. Our conversation focused on awareness, integrity, and inner stability, all essential skills for professionals who carry responsibility, ambition, and pressure every day.

Weekends often revolved around errands, shopping trips, paid activities, and $10-a-piece "treats" for the kids to make the grind feel worth it. We'd wander around big-box stores without needing anything or kill an afternoon in the mall when the weather wasn't nice (which in Alberta is several months of the year). We'd eat out or order in because we were tired after a long day of work and commuting.