Mindfulness meditation activates the rest and digest response of our parasympathetic nervous system, so we often feel relaxed during meditation practice. When we are relaxed, it’s easy to doze off, especially if we are tired or sleep-deprived. That’s very natural. In fact, falling asleep during meditation is very common. This tendency is so common thatContinue reading “Why Do I Get Sleepy During Meditation?”
Tag Archives: mindfulness
How Do I Quiet the Monkey Mind?
“Monkey mind” is a Buddhist term likening our mind to the restless and unsettled nature of a monkey. Our mind is always jumping around, grabbing at different things, and never staying still. How do we slow down this monkey mind? The good news is, we don’t have to slow it down. All we have toContinue reading “How Do I Quiet the Monkey Mind?”
How Do I Work with Procrastination?
Procrastination is a very common human experience and tendency. With small things or big things, we can at times not want to deal with it at the moment, and defer to a future time instead. It’s good to have that flexibility, but when we keep putting things off that need to be done, anxiety canContinue reading “How Do I Work with Procrastination?”
Is Meditation a Form of Escape?
Meditation is often portrayed as a state of peace and calm. With some practice, we do tend to get a taste of being grounded and relaxed. But, however reassuring that feels, we also quickly learn that this feeling does not last forever. Some of us might start to view meditation as a way to recreateContinue reading “Is Meditation a Form of Escape?”
What is Mindful Eating?
Most of us love food and enjoy eating. We turn to food not only for nourishment, but also for celebration, social connection, and emotional comfort. Food and eating encompass such a huge part of our lives, but how often are we actually aware and attentive of what and how we are eating? Mindful eating, asContinue reading “What is Mindful Eating?”
How Do I Develop Acceptance?
Human beings have likes and dislikes. When confronted with an experience that we dislike, we often do what we can to prevent, avoid, or minimize it. Whether it is an internal experience like emotions/sensations or an external experience like social interaction, if it makes us uncomfortable, we have countless ways to avoid it. What happensContinue reading “How Do I Develop Acceptance?”
Why Can’t I Get Meditation Right?
Once upon a time, a young fish in a pond asked an elderly fish: “Where can I find the water? I’ve been looking all around for the water, and I just can’t find it.” The elderly fish laughed and said, “You are already in the water! You are surrounded by water, and always have been.”Continue reading “Why Can’t I Get Meditation Right?”
How Do I Work with Guilt?
Guilt is a feeling that we have done something wrong. It could be that we did something we believe we shouldn’t have, such as lying to our partner, or lashing out at someone. Conversely, it could be that we feel bad for not doing something that we believe we should have, such as not beingContinue reading “How Do I Work with Guilt?”
What Happens If I Don’t Let Go?
Long time ago, according to the legend, people used to catch monkeys by using a “monkey trap.” This monkey trap is created by putting a banana inside a very heavy jar with a narrow opening that is just large enough for the monkey to slip its hand in. Once the monkey puts its hand inContinue reading “What Happens If I Don’t Let Go?”
How Do I Cultivate Gratitude?
Research shows that mindfulness practice is linked to increased gratitude and life satisfaction (Cheung & Lau, 2021; Ivtzan et al., 2016; Strohmaier & Cane, 2021). But how does it work? How do we cultivate gratitude as we are sitting here breathing in and breathing out? When we practice mindfulness, when we practice nonjudgmental awareness ofContinue reading “How Do I Cultivate Gratitude?”
Mindfulness FAQ 