by Sunada Takagi | Feb 2, 2012 | Everyday mindfulness, Personal change
Joe, a student in my online class, was worried that meditation would hurt his career. He works in a very competitive business where everyone is single-mindedly pushing and driving hard all the time. The whole idea of “letting go” seemed absurd in that... by Sunada Takagi | Dec 9, 2011 | Everyday mindfulness
In the traditional Metta Bhavana (Lovingkindness) meditation, there’s a stage where we bring to mind someone we don’t know very well and imaginatively offer our well wishing to him. I always thought this practice was perfectly suited for us modern... by Sunada Takagi | Dec 7, 2011 | Everyday mindfulness, Personal change
Why are we so reluctant to show our appreciation to others? And why do we feel it’s not OK to ask for appreciation from others? This is a short (only 3 minutes!) lovely TED talk about the power of saying thank you. Why not? by Sunada Takagi | Nov 29, 2011 | Everyday mindfulness, Personal change
It’s discouraging, isn’t it, to watch ourselves fall repeatedly into our same old habitual traps. We try to practice mindfulness, but it can be frustrating. Do you ever have days where you’re so caught up that you realize only at night, despite your best intentions,... by Sunada Takagi | Nov 10, 2011 | Everyday mindfulness, Personal change
I really appreciated this perspective from Locana, who wrote about a recent negotiation she was in over buying a new car. Negotiation doesn’t have to be a hard-ball, combative situation. By treating the salesman with empathy and understanding, she ended up... by Sunada Takagi | Nov 8, 2011 | Everyday mindfulness
I love this description by Jan Chozen Bays on how mindfulness gradually grows into our daily lives. It’s an excerpt from her latest book, How to Train a Wild Elephant. People often say to me, “I’d love to practice mindfulness, but I’m so busy I can’t seem to...