Mindfulness Archives - from Gnome to Goliath

Five Meditation Practices for Every Week

A list of the five meditation techniques that I use every week, hoping to inspire you to find what works best for you.

We all need meditation to get us through the rough times. You sit in quiet place and you simultaneously focus on your breath and broaden your awareness. Most of the stress in life comes from narrow focus. Yes, things may seem bad now but they were not always bad and they will not be bad forever.

When it comes to meditation you often hear how meditation helps millions of people each day (or the end-result). You can easily find guides that instruct you to practice, practice, practice (the mid-term goals). And you can even find a lot of details about how to start – one mindful breath a day or one minute of following the sensation in your mouth when you breathe (the short-term goals). In this article, I will deep dive into the how aspect which will allow you to keep exploring and inventing your meditation practice. I will share five very specific meditation techniques that you can use to get from your short-term goals to the end-benefits of mindfulness.

Cooking is the New Meditation

Cooking can be a wonderful way to meditate after work. You detach from your work mind and spend a few mindful minutes following very specific instructions.

So far in my life, I have always considered cooking as the activity of making food more edible. I am a functional eater which, for me, means that I see eating as a function (to keep you alive), not as must as an art.

Meditation, however, is an art. You start with baby steps as you learn how to concentrate on one thing at a time. Then, you learn how to concentrate on a particular thing at a time. And finally, you learn how to concentrate on nothing.

I’ve tried different, conventional meditation practices (standing in lotus pose, lying, sitting on a couch). And, I’ve also tried some unconventional ones: walking meditation, guided meditation. Finally, after so many years of rejection, I tried cooking as a meditation. It is amazing with the side effect that you are also producing something tangible at the end. It feels almost like a guided meditation (somebody, in my case a cookbook, is telling me what to do). But also, as I said there is the added concentration from the fact that you are actually in charge of preparing a meal for the whole family.

My Team is Overwhelmed with Stress at Work

This article is a summary of the tips and tricks that I gave my team to reduce stress and regain control, and avoid feeling overwhelmed.

“I am overwhelmed with stress!” – is what I have been hearing from my team a lot lately. And it makes sense, we are in the middle of the year, this year’s deliverables are due within the next few months, and on top of that, we started planning for next year. When they turned to me for advice, I shared all my knowledge, experience, and skills. They were pretty happy with the list of tips and best practices, so I decided to also share them with my audience here.

This article gives you tips and tricks to reduce the unnecessary stress in your work-life and gives you the tools to organize your life, get your career back in control, and be more successful at what you do.

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How to Get the Most of a Mid-winter Vacation

You do not want to worry about your job or the future. You do not want to sink in the past. Just focus your mind on the present and be on vacation.

This year for the first time I took a mid-winter vacation and I spent it in the south on the beach (not skiing like my husband wanted). In this article, I share my tips on getting the most of your vacation with or without a child.

We all live busy, stressful lives, running between home, the kindergarten, school, and work. We all dream about the upcoming vacation. And we all fail to relax because we keep our busy lives with us. Does that sound familiar? If yes, read further.

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