Rick Hanson's Blog, page 99

Why Develop Mindful Presence?

This is the second post in the series on mindful presence. You can view Part One here.

So why should we go out of our way to develop mindfulness?

Mindful presence feels good in its own right: relaxed, alert, and peaceful. Not contending with anything. No struggle.

In addition to the inherent, experiential rewards of mindful presence, studies have shown that it lowers stress, makes discomfort and pain more bearable, reduces depression, and increases self-knowledge and self-acceptance.

To quote...

Listening to Your Longing for Peace

Here is the latest talk from the San Rafael Meditation group with Rick Hanson. It is titled Listening to Your Longing for Peace. More information on the San Rafael Mediation group can be found at http://www.rickhanson.net/teaching/me....

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Rick’s Picks: Four Year Old Reviews French Laundry

Rick’s Picks is a new series of posts highlighting the very best content online.

In what has to be the most adorable review of a restaurant ever written, The Bold Italic writer Jessica Saia takes a friend’s four-year-old daughter to The French Laundry and subjects its legendary tasting menu to her simple yet extremely judgmental palate.

http://www.thebolditalic.com/articles/5607-a-four-year-old-reviews-the-french-laundry

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The Enlightened Brain

I thought you might like to listen to a sample from my audio program – The Enlightened Brain: The Neuroscience of Awakening – in which I offer practical tools to reshape your brain for awakening.

Enjoy!

I’d love to hear your feedback about this audio excerpt in the comments below!

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Let Go

What Are You Holding Onto?
The Practice:
Let go.
Why?

I’ve done a lot of rock climbing, so I know firsthand the importance sometimes of not letting go! This applies to other things as well: keeping hold of a child’s hand while crossing the street, staying true to your ethics in a tricky situation, or sustaining attention to your breath while meditating.

On the other hand, think of all the stuff – both physical and nonphysical – we cling to that creates problems for us and others: clutter in...

Fear

I had the pleasure of being interviewed on the Ask Dr. Nandi Show on the topic of Fear.

I hope you enjoy it!

When viewing, please enter password: nandi

SHOW Ask Dr Nandi 363 Fear from Ask Dr. Nandi on Vimeo.

The post Fear appeared first on Dr. Rick Hanson.

Stress-Proof Your Brain

Our brains have evolved powerful tools for coping with threats and danger—but in the face of modern stresses like information overload, money worries, and interpersonal conflicts, our survival reflexes can do more harm than good.

To help you adapt your nervous system to the challenges of today’s world, I’m offering a sample of my audio program – Stress-Proof Your Brain: Meditations to Rewire Neural Pathways for Stress Relief and Unconditional Happiness.

I hope you like it!

I’d love to hear y...

Giving Is the Most Natural Thing in the World

When you consider all this, it’s clear that we spend a lot of time giving to others. It’s the most natural thing in the world. Most giving is small, in passing, hardly noticed, the breath and wallpaper of life. It’s not hard to overlook. And with all the attention paid in the media to images and words of destruction and horrible mistreatment, it is easy to conclude that the true home of humanity is on the dark side of the force.

Yet, while it is certainly true that we are animals atop the...

Bear It

Here is the latest talk from the San Rafael Meditation group with Rick Hanson. It is titled Bear It. More information on the San Rafael Mediation group can be found at http://www.rickhanson.net/teaching/meditation-group/,

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Feeling Loved

At this year’s Empathy and Compassion in Society Conference I offered a keynote presentation on Feeling Loved. I hope you like it!

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