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Collecting Art, take a look A Mindful Ritual at Your Fingertips Children are naturally drawn to creative expression. The process of making and applying henna slows us down, encouraging presence, sensory awareness, and loving connection through touch and design. Rooted in South Asian, Middle Eastern, and African cultures, henna or mehndi is a sacred ritual of celebration, storytelling, and connection. This practice invites us into mindful moments: as we mix the paste, trace the lines, feel the coolness on our skin, and observe our thoughts. Whether it’s a quiet moment shared between caregiver and child, or at a community gathering rich with color and conversation, henna becomes a living reminder: we are here, together, in this moment. Henna Mindfulness Practice 1. Begin with Breath Invite your child or group to take three slow, deep breaths. Feel the belly rise and fall. Notice how your body begins to soften. Mix with Intention Mix 2 tablespoons of natural henna powder with lemon ...

Collecting Art, take a look In this week’s guided meditation, mindfulness teacher and designer Toby Sola shows us how we can use what distracts us to strengthen and sharpen our attention. It might seem counter-intuitive, but intentionally tuning in to what’s distracting you can actually help strengthen your ability to focus. In today’s guided practice, meditation teacher Toby Sola introduces what he calls a “concentration algorithm.” This practice will help you identify which type of sensory experience you are naturally drawn to, and then give you a structure for how to focus on it, so that you can quickly attain deep concentration. Note that this meditation includes long pauses of complete silence as part of the practice. If you want more time, feel free to pause the recording as you go. Use Distraction to Hone Your Focus Read and practice the guided meditation script below, pausing after each paragraph. Or listen to the audio practice.,

Collecting Art, take a look Are you supposed to clear your mind, or focus on one thing? Heres the Mindful definition of mindfulness. Summary What Is Mindfulness? The practice of being fully present and aware of your current experience—without overreacting or getting lost in thoughts. Core Concept: It’s an innate human ability that you can access and cultivate through practices like seated, walking, standing, or moving meditation. Benefits: Mindfulness enhances focus and performance, reduces stress, deepens self-insight, and fosters compassion toward oneself and others. Practical Insights: Everyday Integration: Mindfulness can be applied through brief pauses and by merging it with activities such as yoga or sports. Mindfulness can be applied through brief pauses and by merging it with activities such as yoga or sports. Mind-Body Connection: Mindfulness meditation begins in the body; awareness of your physical posture and sensations is essential. Meditation Posture Tips: Sit on ...

Collecting Art, take a look Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app. Humans are more plugged in than ever been before. Screens enable us to be multiple places at once, regardless of geography or time. But when we let our energy scatter, especially toward things we would rather not expend it on, we get exhausted more easily and have a more difficult time being present. But we can choose where we place our attention. By being intentional about where to focus our energy, we can bring back our power and show up even more fully to those things and people we choose. This 10-minute meditation for focus can help. 10-Minute Meditation for Focus Video loading... Settle In Come into a comfortable position, whether you’re sitting, standing, or lying down. Try to do this grounding meditation for focus while you’re still, even if you’re sitting in the car waiting for your kids at pick-up. Get Grounded This can...

Collecting Art, take a look Point of View Podcast Episode 7: When Mindfulness and Racism Intersect A conversation with Rhonda Magee exploring how mindfulness can help us dismantle the subtle patterns and habits that separate us from each other. Barry Boyce: Welcome everyone to Mindful’s podcast, Point of View. I’m Barry Boyce, editor-in-chief of Mindful and mindful.org. Rhonda is a Professor of Law at the University of San Francisco and she’s a mindfulness teacher who’s been focused for some years on issues having to do with mindfulness and the law, mindfulness for lawyers in their everyday work, justice, public policy, and in particular focusing increasingly on issues of inclusively, ingroup/outgroup, bias, and she is pioneering something she calls Color Insight, which we’ll talk about later on. So, welcome Rhonda. Rhonda Magee: Thank you very much Barry, it’s good to be with you. Barry Boyce: You and I met for the first time, quite a few years ago now, it must be, at a retreat in...

Collecting Art, take a look Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg is a leading figure in body horror, a film genre that explores disturbing and often grotesque aspects of the human body. Films such as The Fly 1986, eXistenZ 1999 and Crimes of the Future 2022 depict scenes of physical mutilation, illness and technological invasion to represent deeper fears about identity, society and the human condition. Through intense bodily imagery, Cronenberg’s films raise powerful questions about human relationships with technology and nature. As our relationship with technology rapidly evolves alongside escalating environmental catastrophe, there is a timely significance in these ideas. His latest film, The Shrouds, evokes the writing of Stacy Alaimo, a scholar known for her work exploring the connections between the human body, the environment, and the social forces that shape both. Alaimo’s work combines feminist and materialist ideas and examines how our bodies are physically connected to the w...

Collecting Art, take a look Walking meditation is not about getting somewhere on foot. Instead, you are being with each step, fully here, where you actually are. There is no arriving, other than continually arriving in the present moment where you can savor the day. You are not trying to get anywhere, even to the next step. There is no arriving, other than continually arriving in the present moment. With walking, we have the opportunity to be in our bodies in a somewhat different way than when sitting or lying down. We can bring our attention to our feet and feel the contact of the foot with the floor or ground with every step. Walking is a controlled falling forward, a process it took us a long time to master, and one that we often take completely for granted, forgetting just how wondrous and wonderful it is. So when the mind goes off, as it will do in walking meditation just as with any other practice, we take note of where it has gone, of what is presently on our mind, and then g...