What makes us old? Is it the loss of the suppleness in our body or our mind? I think the loss of the suppleness of our mind, or stagnant thinking, ages us faster because it is our beliefs and perceptions, not our genes, that control our body. As I have aged, I have become aware…
Over the years many teachers, therapists, and parents have shared some of their novel adaptations of the ICWIB program with me. Today I would like to share some of them with you. A woman who works with high risk children and their families told me that whenever she does a home visit she always carries…
Do you feel like life is pushing in and compressing or depressing you? Do the events of your day make you want to recoil, retract, and pull away from life? Does the pressure to do things in a certain way or behave in a certain way make it more difficult for you to feel vibrant,…
“OM, OM on the range. Where the deer and the antelope play. Where seldom is heard a discouraging word and skies are not cloudy all day.” What do you envision when you meditate or daydream? What would you like to change in your life? For centuries, wise teachers have been telling us that our thoughts…
I think this tongue-in-cheek twist of the Serenity Prayer (“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.”) is really quite brilliant, because it highlights the source of many of the problems we face today. Let me translate the…
New research shows that meditation not only helps children feel calmer, but can also benefit executive functions such as memory, cognitive control, and flexibility. Additional research has also found that meditation can have its greatest impact on cognitive development in the first five years of life. This is because the brain develops connections in prefrontal…
Are you running your life or are you spending so much time with the “screens” in your life you have lost touch with the “screen” of your inner voice? I have found there is a direct correlation between my spending too much time focusing on external screens and my inability to maintain my center. To…
Many years ago I read an article that said the best parent was not the one who was perfect and never made any mistakes. Instead, it said the best parent was one who made lots of mistakes, but also admitted their mistakes and made restitution. This is because in the process they taught their children…
Are your comfortable or uncomfortable with your creativity? What ignites your creativity and what stifles it? Where are you the most comfortable being creative? At home? At work? In the kitchen? In the garden? Do you like creating with others? Or do you prefer creating by yourself? I think everyone is creative. I also feel…
Deadlines! Rules on how to do it! Grades! How can you be creative when someone is breathing down your neck? If a learning situation doesn’t stimulate curiosity, awe, wonder, and discovery, learning can become boring and difficult. Unfortunately, in many schools, because of large classroom sizes, lack of funds, and a focus on testing, they…