Clik here to view.
I’m Glad I Took the Red Pill
By Jessica Graham Pressure above the eyes and in the middle of my chest. An almost tickle in the center of my stomach. Squeezing around the shoulders. Acidic tastes rising from my throat and a choppy...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Downtime for the Stone Age Brain
by Michael W. Taft Recently, I found a meditation retreat center in rural Massachusetts that cost just ten dollars a day. That super-affordable price included a room of my own, and delicious, organic...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Dying With Dad
by Jessica Graham Part One My meditation practice has helped me with all kinds of things. I don’t lose my keys as often. I don’t have meaningless sex with strangers. I don’t wake up with bits of teeth...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Deconstructing the Self
I remember as a teenager, feeling that the Monty Python joke “my brain hurts” was talking about me. It was clear to me that my biggest problem in life was my own mind. I was very anxious, sometimes...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Losing Control
By Jessica Graham In mindfulness meditation we observe and explore our experience without trying to control, manipulate, or change it. One the first big insights for many of us is how much we try to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Broken Heart/Open Heart
By Jessica Graham “Like someone is trying to slice my sternum open from the inside of my body.” “Like prickly pins in my stomach.” “It feels like a hollowness of air in your heart and chest, in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Five Proven Ways to Get Your Meditation Practice on Track
by Michael W. Taft We all know by now that mindfulness meditation can create positive changes in your life. It works, but you pretty much have to practice it every day to really reap the benefits....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Five Easy Ways of Undoing Distraction
by Michael W. Taft If you cannot focus on one thing at a time, or cannot maintain attention on one thing for as long as you want to, that is distraction. Distraction dilutes brain power, frazzles the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Listening to the Body
by Jessica Graham “In these bodies we will live. In these bodies we will die” – Mumford & Sons Today is the first day of my Holiday vacation and I plan to spend it at Huntington Botanical Gardens...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Mindful Sex: Getting Off Without Checking Out
by Jessica Graham When I was fourteen I decided it was high time to lose my virginity. So I did. It happened in the backseat of a hot rod car— I think it was a green Chevelle—with an eighteen-year-old...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Escaping the Observer Trap
Are you feeling stuck in your practice? Did meditation lead to big, positive life changes early on, but now years later you’re just sort of treading water with no sense of making progress? Mindfulness...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Undoing Distraction, Technology Edition
by Michael W. Taft Does anyone you know not have a problem with too many distractions? Here in the Bay Area at least, it seems to be an epidemic—many people report feeling frazzled from the pressures...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Take Your Body with You
by Michael W. Taft When I was 33 years old, I became celibate. I had always been extremely open to sex, the senses, and my body. The more I studied meditation, however, and the more I learned about...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Concentration and Flow
by Michael W. Taft Have you ever been so involved in doing something that the rest of the world just kind of disappeared? Or time slowed down and even your sense of self disappeared? The great...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Flow Machine: Hacking the Human Brain for Healing and Wellbeing
How one scientist is blending ancient philosophy with modern neuroscience to fight addiction by Michael W. Taft Heart racing and fists shaking, I stood ready to fight. I was moments away from...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Wake Up and Enjoy Your Life with Mindfulness
by Michael W. Taft Sometimes I feel like I’m sleepwalking through life. There’s this sense of everything being distant, unfocused, numb. I’m working, eating, talking, sleeping, but I’m just going...
View ArticleConcentration and Flow
by Michael W. Taft Have you ever been so involved in doing something that the rest of the world just kind of disappeared? Or time slowed down and even your sense of self disappeared? The great...
View ArticleConcentration: An Iterative Approach to Focusing the Mind
by Michael W. Taft Concentration is the eternal secret of every mortal achievement – Stefan Zweig There is an ancient story from India that tells of five young princes who were practicing archery in...
View ArticleDowntime for the Stone Age Brain
by Michael W. Taft Recently, I found a meditation retreat center in rural Massachusetts. Its super-affordable price included a room of my own, and delicious, organic hippy food. As I was moving to a...
View ArticleDying With Dad
by Jessica Graham Part One My meditation practice has helped me with all kinds of things. I don’t lose my keys as often. I don’t have meaningless sex with strangers. I don’t wake up with bits of teeth...
View Article
