While McConaughey’s comment created a bit of a stir, with media outlets handing him the best and worst speech of the night, it’s difficult to deny the power of gratitude when an extensive body of research supports its benefits. Taking a moment to be thankful for the good things in life can help you cultivate a healthy work life, manage stress and develop a deeper connection to people, especially in tough situations....

A recent study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) looked at just how popular complementary health care—the use of holistic or unconventional health and wellness practices—has become for Americans. A team of researchers from the National Center for Health Statistics, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health examined the rise of the most popular complementary practices (yoga, meditation, and chiropractic care) in the US over a five-year period....

I start with loving kindness and compassion—directing them towards Japan and whatever else moves me. Sometimes it’s towards the fish in the ocean near the reactor or the families of the victims of the tsunami. I trust my creativity and follow where my heart is drawn. I use the dreadful images I saw on the news to cultivate compassion. I bring to mind an image and sense its impact on me and then offer compassion as I breathe out—May you be free from suffering, may you be safe and protected....

I am honored to announce to you that Dustin will be with us for our next tele-retreat!!! Wahoo!! We thought it would be FUN to ask our Marriage Experts a few questions so you can all get to know them better. Enjoy our little questions & answer session we did with the amazing Dustin Riechmann… What is your spouse’s name and how long have you been married? Bethany, almost 12 years Where did you meet?...

Ready to revamp your grooming routine? Check out our current fave men’s hair care products: The Only Men’s Hair Care Guide You Need So Fresh and So Clean First part of the men’s hair care guide. Make sure your hair and scalp are ready for any kind of weather. Hit refresh on your scalp and your hair while washing and conditioning at the same time and use Dove Men+Care Complete Care Fortifying 2-in-1 Shampoo + Conditioner....

From burnout to feeling like you can’t disconnect to actually having more time on your hands now that you’re commute-free, learn how working from home is both positively and negatively affecting our mental health. Plus, can your hair routine and actually getting ready for yourself be the mental health boost you need? How Working From Home is Affecting Our Mental Health Positively Since many of us have had to switch to a work-from-home setting over the past year and a half, a lot of people have found this to be beneficial to their productivity and mental health....

At a recent board meeting, Dr. Alfred Kaszniak was appointed as interim CEO, while a search is conducted for a permanent CEO. In a letter published on the MLI website announcing this transition, Engle stated, “I have been contemplating how best to transition my leadership positions in a way that is proactive, thoughtful and most effectively supports our mission and vision.” Engle also said that he will remain Chair of the Board, “responsible for refining strategy, developing collaborative partnerships, cultivating and deepening relationships with our financial partners, and working with our search committee to recruit a new CEO....

“In order to get the most out of this moment, we need to keep ourselves quiet enough, in the midst of all the activity, so that we can hear and feel and respond to what arises within us,” says mindfulness teacher and long-time activist Mirabai Bush, senior fellow at the Center for Contemplative Mind and Society, and co-author of the book Compassion in Action. We asked Mirabai to help us compile a toolkit of go-to mindfulness tactics to help people stay grounded in the moment as they navigate this historic expression of peaceful resistance....

How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who We Are and How to End the CycleMark Wolynn • Viking Many people who meditate begin to discover how vulnerable they are as they notice old wounds that have festered, unattended. If you prick us, we bleed. If you prick us with words and attitudes, we bleed inside. The wounds scab over, but the scars remain, and can be passed on generation to generation, creating new wounds....

My mother was a teacher so she had summers off—and being able to spend that time with her was very special to me. We would bring the fruit home, our arms laden with flats of bright, sunny-yellow apricots, with reddish tinges—like rouge. We would make jams and preserves together, and I would be her assistant chef. I would watch as she put them in a large pot on the stove in our kitchen and add sugar and spices—I can still smell their delicious sweet aroma as they cooked....

In Westminster today, the Mindful Nation UK report from the Mindfulness All-Party Parliamentary Group (MAAPG) will be launched. The report is the culmination of several years’ work, initiated by the former member of Parliament Chris Ruane, to bring mindfulness training into British politics: first by introducing politicians to the practice, and then by exploring its relevance to public life, in the form of a Parliamentary inquiry. Along the way, more than a hundred MPs and members of the House of Lords have taken a mindfulness course in Parliament, and hundreds more witnesses—researchers, teachers, public policy makers and course participants—have contributed to the MAPPG’s inquiry....

PTSD and war veterans—can mindfulness help? Anthony King on the neuroscience behind using mindfulness to help war veterans cope with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Veterans relearn compassion through meditation: Leah Weiss, a meditation expert at Stanford University, leads vets through compassion cultivation training. The aim is to shift their thinking from others being a potential threat to others being “just like me.” VIDEO: Military Stress Relief: Longtime meditation practitioner Major Victor Won talks about the benefits of teaching mindfulness meditation to military members (both active and retired) and their families....

Effective Lawyering: The Meditative Perspective, is designed to bring the awareness, clarity and balance of mindfulness to the legal profession. Teachers with a wealth of experience in both meditation and law including Wes Nisker, Norman Fischer and Charles Halpern, will offer lessons on building and maintaining a meditative practice. They’ll also lead discussions on how mediation can be harnessed to overcome the challenges of the legal profession. Open to all legal professionals, it’s being held September 8 – 11, 2011 at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California....

We’re not destined to respond to anger the same way every time we feel it. By tapping into the experience of anger, and bringing compassion to it, we can learn how to approach this dangerous, often explosive emotion in a healthier way. Take about three minutes with each response. You may also lengthen that time if you want to try more intensity. Find your seat and check in with your body....

“Kids just love it,” says White, “since it’s something they already like to do anyway, so now we can call it ‘meditation.’ I love that. It teaches them that meditation is just really natural.” He does go on to say that things can get a little wild out behind the school. “We’re located next to a field with a few trees. When a class of twenty-five starts chasing birds, looking at the ground, looking in the air, they start tripping on stumps, bumping into trees, bumping into each other, screeching and screaming....

And, of course, we needed it to be pretty too! So we enlisted Tasha, the talent behind Whimsicle Design Studio, to turn our words into this beautifully designed wall art… How’d you like to SCORE our FREE printable Marriage Manifesto? Yep, FREE!!! We are giving it away to all of YOU lucky ladies! You even have two different colors to choose from. You TOTALLY want to get your hands on this RIGHT NOW, right?...

Sex-pectations can vary throughout the duration of any relationship. It’s only natural that as newlyweds, a high desire for one another and a busy sex schedule are a natural part of your everyday relationship. Careers change, kids are born, and additional life obligations increase, which all factored in, result in the act of sex having a different meaning in your relationship. In the beginning, sex is very physical. There is deep attraction and a strong passion that drives the physical connection between a couple....

Hugo was the mezzo in Book of Longing, a collaboration between Philip Glass and Leonard Cohen. She and Gureckis are currently collaborating on an album of Philip Glass songs sung by Hugo and arranged and co-produced by Gureckis, which will be released later this year. Ticket prices range from $25 to $150. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., with the concert beginning at 7:00 p.m. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here....

Here’s the best part: You’re not restricted to a portrait studio! Outdoor photography is where most people prefer to have their photos taken these days. It offers natural lighting for beautiful pictures and endless options for backgrounds and scenery! I’m sure you’ve seen a picture or two that had a breathtaking background. That could be your next family photo! Tips for Creating the Perfect Family Photo But before we provide some stunning outdoor family photo ideas, let us first share some tips to making your photos turn out exactly how you want them!...