Do you have two minutes? Try out Elisha Goldstein’s two-minute mindfulness check-in. Although a few minutes of mindfulness aren’t going to give you the benefits of a full practice, practicing for two minutes, a few times day, can add up. On his mindfulness and pyschotherapy blog, Elisha writes, “When can you practice? Look for the “in-between” moments. These are moments before you are about to take a break or while you’re waiting for someone....

Meditative visualisation is a helpful exercise that may give you an insight into what your true and deep intentions in practising mindfulness are. When I first used this meditation, I was surprised and fascinated by the insights into my own deep motives. You can read through these instructions and practise on your own or record them as an audio and listen to it as you practise. Alternatively, ask a friend to read out the meditation to you slowly....

Oh and want to hear the best part? They’re totally FREE! This set of Valentine’s was created by Sameeha, our talented designer behind The Inked Leaf Custom Designs. She created TWENTY printable {Man- Approved} Valentines just for you! Just wait until you see her awesome drawings and designs! I was seriously blown away with her creations. Altogether, it’s 5 PAGES of printable perfection. Wanna see a closer look at what’s included?...

And after you chop your mop into a short pixie, you’ll need to learn switch up your styling routine to learn how to style pixie cuts; although your hair will be shorter, pixies do still take some styling time and patience. But once you find the length that suits you, you’ll find that it’s relatively quick and painless to style pixie cuts. We like pixies of all lengths, from teeny-weenie Afros to ear grazing crops....

What we love most about waterfall braids is that the look can be worn a number of ways. From buns, side braids and simple braided ‘dos (and even with bold hair colors), there are plenty of ways to make this trend your own and have fun with it. Below, we’ve gathered five of our most favorite waterfall braids of the moment. Read on to get inspired and try this cool braided style on your hair, too:...

“MY MARATHON TRAINING GROUP. We cheered each other on—the competition was only with our- selves. We brought our own meaning to running and races. Anyone could be a mentor, bringing in their experiences to help others. Also, we had fun!” “AT MY JOB, because we all work hard at a difficult job—we form bonds.” “MY RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY, not due to the religion as much as the acceptance.” “I am new to where I live, so not yet as connected as I’d like to be, but my town is full of vibrant, engaged, intelligent, compassionate people!...

On the face of it, having enjoyable, loving sex seems like the last thing we might be inclined to tune out. But we all know the kind of mind-wandering that can strike even in the midst of great pleasures. From a mental replay of the staff meeting earlier in the day to obsessing about the final luscious peak of the sex you’re having in that very moment, in lovemaking, as in life, tuning out is a part of being human that’s very difficult to turn off....

So what do the brains of meditators look like? The exact opposite: more capacity for decision-making, less trigger-happy when faced with a perceived threat. “That’s probably not anything specific to meditation, but it’s just that reducing stress and changing patterns of thinking over a period of time is reflected in the structure of the brain,” author Jo Marchant told host Terry Gross on NPR’s Fresh Air last week. Marchant, who holds a doctorate in genetics and medical microbiology and has written for New Scientist, Nature, and Smithsonian, recently wrote a book titled Cure that investigates the healing power of the mind, looking at the placebo effect, meditation, prayer, conditioning, and hypnosis....

And that’s why Elizabeth Stanley, of Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, developed Mindfulness-Based Mind Fitness Training (MMFT, pronounced M-Fit). A former army captain, Stanley (whose family has served in the U.S. Army for nine generations) had firsthand experience of stress in war zones, including in Bosnia. She was hoping to show that mindfulness training could build resilience and optimize individual and team performance. For her first program assessing the effectiveness of mindfulness training for military personnel prior to deployment, she collaborated with Amishi Jha, one of the leading research psychologists investigating how attention and working memory can be enhanced....

In her research, University of Houston professor and author Brené Brown has explored some of the reasons why we shy away from vulnerability. While we often celebrate it as a strength in other people, she discovered, we tend to see it as a weakness in ourselves. “We love seeing raw truth and openness in other people, but we are afraid to let them see it in us,” she writes. “Vulnerability is courage in you and inadequacy in me....

—from Cheryl Fraser’s relationship column in the February 2015 issue of Mindful magazine. This article also appeared in the February 2015 issue of Mindful magazine.

We have 3 different versions of the Kid Date Night Envelope to give you plenty of resources to choose from! We want you to have the perfect options to keep those kiddos entertained! Now, these date night envelopes will work best if the kids know that they can only play with the contents of this envelope while you are on a date! There are 2 chocolate-themed games here that are tried and true, kid-tested and approved, that are sure to be a HUGE hit with your kids!...

But, new data suggests long-term meditators are bucking this trend. Their brains are showing stronger connections and less atrophy; they are, essentially, looking younger. Now, Eileen Luders, assistant professor at the UCLA Laboratory of Neurological Imaging is asking: Could meditation be the key to fighting senile dementia? “If practiced regularly and over years, meditation may slow down aging-related brain atrophy,” she writes. “Perhaps by positively affecting the immune system." Luders and her colleagues studied brains on meditation using a new technique called Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI)....

10 Hipster Haircut Ideas to Try 1. Choppy Grown-In Layers The key to making multiple lengths and textures work within the same look is in the styling. Ask your barber for a fade haircut and have him leave the length up on top. Lightly trim a grown-in beard and let your straight strands stand in contrast to the texture of your beard. Use a few sprays of TRESemmé TRES Two Freeze Hold Hairspray to keep your style standing in place....

The Man Bun Fade We love how this hairstyle option adds clean lines and a lot of appeal to your average man bun. Read on to check out five different ways to wear the man bun fade: 1. Extra-High Cut Most man bun fade hairstyles just fade down the sides of your head. But if you’ve got super thick hair, there’s no reason you can’t shave part of the top of your hair, too....

10 Secrets For A Happy Marriage by Carma Sirrine GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED Please check our FB Fan page, Tuesday afternoon for our winners! 🙂 I absolutely love it when we get to hear advice from people like Carma who have been married for over 50 years! What an incredible journey these two have been on!! I look forward to that day with my own hubby!! Carma lost her mother at a young age, she has come far, and she wants to share her success, as well as others, with all of you!...

1 Year of Themed Country Date Night Ideas! So maybe you’ve seen our uber-popular Passport to Love post? If not, let me fill you in! It’s an adorable gift idea, presenting your spouse with everything to plan 12 travel-themed date nights throughout the year. It includes a darling card, love passport, travel itinerary, and adorable plane tickets on Romance Airlines. Super cute, right? This FAB post inspired another crazy idea – what if we made 12 AMAZING dates to go along with it?...

Curls For Men: 15 Curl-Taming Styles 1. Faded Side Burns Let your curls at the crown of your head take the spotlight while your side burns stay tamed and groomed. 2. Short Curls This short and simple style is great for any look. Keep your curls tamed and styled all day long with AXE Natural Look: Understated Cream. 3. Messy Man Bun Keep your style as easy going and laid back as you are with this effortlessly messy man bun....

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. To learn more about ’em, click here. We know our spouses better than anyone right? That’s why I teamed up with the UBER-talented Courtney of All Things Bright and Beautiful, and we created this fabulous “All About You Basket!” Packed with fun and fabulous All About You gifts, this basket is the PERFECT way to show your sweetie just how much you love them....

We’ve put a twist on classic games to make them flirty and fun foreplay ideas. Your traditional board games, card games, and games of skill will now become strip games that will heat things up in the bedroom! Are you ready? Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. To learn more about ’em, click here. Strip Games from Every Day Games We’ve made it super easy to find a game and put a new twist on it tonight....