Mindful

Every now and then, and less often than appropriate, I realize how grateful I am to help produce this beautiful magazine. I’ve been on a healing journey most of my life. It’s been messy. And clarifying. And hard. I joke with my friends that I make th

Since the 1940s, bird, insect, and small-mammal populations have been in decline, partly due to modern-day farming practices, but a new study shows that farmers can reverse these effects by dedicating small areas of unproductive land to create wildli

Q I’ve been feeling a little world-weary and tired, and I’m looking for a way to restore. How can my mindfulness practice support me right now? A The simple practice of pausing and resting in awareness can bring about a great sense of restoration and

With the new app Blackfullness, founders Sonia Russell and David Walker aim to highlight the ways African Americans are already practicing mindfulness—though they may not call it or think of it as such. The app welcomes users into regular and customi

Ropeless fishing gear can help protect right whales and other endangered species, and make fisheries more sustainable. While the technology is costly, a new lending program in Nova Scotia allows fish harvesters to test out the gear. In just three mon

The most radical acts of gratitude are also the simplest, but they connect us with the wonder and majesty of every moment. Try these three lovely ways to get your gratitude wagon rolling: • Say thank you! What do you notice about the effects of your

At times, we might think that gratitude is for suckers. After all, life can be brutal and harsh and days can be overfilled with a**holes who cut you off in traffic and then give you the finger. Grateful? For what? For a**holes? I hope that made you l

“Know thyself,” was the advice inscribed on the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. The Tao Te Ching insisted that knowing others is intelligence, while knowing oneself is true wisdom. “To thine own self be true,” Shakespeare urged. Pithy advice. Good advice

There is a self-love crisis in American right now—and globally too. We aren’t at peace with ourselves, we don’t fully know ourselves, and as a result we don’t feel comfortable or safe. Sometimes this lack of self-love reflects our psychological under

The belly breath is like a circuit breaker for a brain that is careening out of control and taking the kid (or adult) along for the ride. Belly breath can be a peaceful practice: getting you centered and your head straight for a day at work. Or it ca

On a busy road in a neighborhood in the city where I live, there was a garage door I used to give the finger to every time I passed by. It was a pretty regular garage door in every way, except that stenciled on it, in two-foot-high letters, were the

The phrase “A healthy dose of cynicism” implies that there are good reasons to maintain a level of hostility toward the world. Those who argue for cynicism make the point that distrust can be an effective defense against manipulation. Three years int

For most of my life, I’ve had a tumultuous relationship with my brother. I loved him fiercely, and knew he felt the same, yet somehow our encounters were frequently followed by drama and misunderstandings. After a challenging conversation, I’d often