By: Nathalie Heynderickx and Zen Goh In my last 10 days silent retreat I asked Pra Manah, a senior Thai Buddhist monk who has been my mindfulness teacher for 12 years, how he would define mindfulness. His answer was simple: “It is a quality of a well-trained consciousness.” The English word mindfulness has its roots in the Sanskrit word “Smrti”…
Prah Mana, a Thai monk from the Buddhist Theravada tradition, has been my mindfulness teacher for 14 years. A couple of years ago, during a silent retreat, he shared this story: The Budha was begging for food in a village and met a Wild horse trainer. Wild Horse Trainer: Why don’t you work for your own food? The Budha: I work. What…
As Chade-Meng Tan, former Google engineer and author of Search Inside Yourself, said: Even an engineer can thrive on Emotional Intelligence. However, I often hear people saying “I would love to learn how to meditate but it is not for me! My mind is too busy” or “I cant sit still.” or “I always fall asleep when I try.” etc… If that is…
I am often asked the following question: How can I know if I am making progress with my mindfulness meditation practice? First of all, when it comes down to mindfulness, it is crucial to let go of expectations, the perfectionist and competitive mindset nurtured by us in the west. The best attitude to cultivate towards your practice is a relaxed,…
Prior to start cultivating a mindfulness practice, it is important to reflect, understand and define a common language on what the mind actually is. Google defines the mind as: “The element of a person that enables them to be aware of the world and their experiences, to think, and to feel; the faculty of consciousness and thought.” – not bad…
The quote below may be tragicomic but it is how many people feel about their minds. My mind is like a web browser. 19 tabs open, 3 are frozen and I have no idea where the music is coming from. Dr. Dan Siegel, a Neuropsychiatrist, Neurobiologist and Mindfulness teacher, discovered that 95% of the 80 thousand therapists and mental health practitioners…
Mindset can be defined as the range of attitudes, beliefs, values and expectations we hold about ourselves, the people around us and our environment. It influences our perceptions, our decisions, how we live our lives and how we experience the world. It is usually a by-product of our experiences in life, our upbringing and many other factors. The good news…
Extracted from BIG MAGIC, written by incredibly talented and blessed Elizabeth Gilbert. “Dearest Fear Creativity and I are about to go on a Road trip together. I understand youll be joining us, because you always do. I acknowledge that you believe you have an important job to do in my life, and that you take your job seriously. Apparently your…
As the Chinese Philosopher Lao-Tzu said… Watch your thoughts, they become words. Watch your words, they become actions. Watch your actions, they become habits. Watch your habits, they become character. Watch your character, it becomes your destiny. Our mindset determines not only what and how we think, but more importantly, how we behave; and therefore, the results we get. Life…
I recently published the articles WHAT IS MINDSET and WHY MINDSET MATTERS. In this piece Id like to explore the Fixed and Growth Mindset theory developed by Dr. Carol Dweck, PhD, Professor of Psychology at Stanford University. The initial focus of Dweck’s research was to explore her students ability to cope with failure and to develop intelligence and talent. Over the years she…
