There are so many methods of meditation, so many techniques and tips. By offering this post, I am offering to you the most significant advice that I've ever received on how to meditate and how to really be able to work with my mind.
This blog is devoted to the discussion of compassion as it relates to meditation. However, as has been the case in the past, there are times when acts of compassion or organizations dedicated to the promotion of compassionate action warrant inclusion within this site. Last night while trying to find a soccer game on television, I stumbled upon the 2011 Teen Nick Halo Awards. What? That's what I said. Some of you may know what this is, which puts you (at least) a step ahead of me. The Teen Nick Halo Awards is a yearly program that honors teens and [...]
Wow, I hope that this title doesn't seem out of place here. I mean, after all, I've been posting on meditation, on its benefits, and on research into meditation now for almost a year. So, why would I post something as "basic" as how to meditate? (and what does a picture of 1000 meditating monks have to do with anything?!?) The basics of meditation, while simple, aren't always obvious when we read about how to meditate. Nor are they obvious in how we engage in our practice of meditation. We've discussed a lot of the "how tos" of meditation in [...]
BOLD STATEMENT: there’s no such thing as compassion fatigue! What? Have you heard all of the talk in healthcare and in the literature about "compassion fatigue?" I just did a Google® search for the keywords "compassion fatigue in nurses" and came up with 104,000 links, up from 46,700 links just last spring! What?! You’d think that we’re all suffering from burnout, which can’t be possible…or, is it? The notion that being compassionate can cause fatigue gives me cause to pause, how about you? Can compassion really lead to fatigue? Can caring so much for another cause burnout? Perhaps the [...]
Frequently I'm asked what my day looks like and how I practice meditation in a busy life. Since preparing to publish my book, Minding the Bedside: Nursing from the Heart of the Awakened Mind, and starting my own business, the unfortunate fact is that the time for my "formal" practice has suffered. Yet, while I lament and moan about the lack of time to formally practice, it seems like the integration of practice into my daily life, and my ability to take life onto the path, has increased. While there really is no substitute for formal practice in terms of [...]
Science has continued to generate an ongoing stream of research showing empirical, scientific, measurable evidence that meditation really works!
Explanation of Meditation @ Occupy WallStreet from WhatMeditationReallyIs on Vimeo. Since this site is based on creating community and since community is more than "meditators," or "nurses," or "bloggers," or...whatever, it seems fitting to include this video, from the site - What Meditation Really Is - on this site. Erric Solomon,Executive Director of the What Meditation Really Is website, filmed this interview with Anthony Whitehurst, one of the organizers of this meditation gathering. In context of what's happening with the "occupation" of Wall Street, it seems fitting to have a piece on meditation and its place in this event. Since [...]
Can meditation on compassion change the way that we view politics? Regardless of our political inclinations or leanings, we are all subject to the political fracas that erupts years before Presidential elections, and that is almost ongoing in the general and special elections within the local political arena. Do you ever get the impression that many of these politicians, regardless of their party, don't have any idea of how badly we all want things to change for the benefit of everyone? For instance, I don't think that any of us want Medicare to disappear, leaving the elderly in dire straits. [...]
Emotional ups and downs? Stock market ups and downs? Is there a difference? Can meditation alleviate the inner turmoil of the external ups and downs? Wow; this site is about meditation in general, and about meditation is the healthcare field in particular. So, what's this post about the stock market got to do with anything? (<----For those of you needing advice on the stock market, this post links to Robert Pagliarini's column. Robert is a great guy who invests his time and resources in the Band of Brothers, previously featured on this site.) I don't know about you, but even [...]
This post is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Lee Lipsenthal, a man of great compassion and wisdom, whose service in medicine touched the hearts and minds of many people.