Shedding the Baggage of Negative Self-Talk Self-talk—that inner monologue that combines your conscious thoughts with unconscious beliefs and biases—helps your brain assess and interpret your daily experiences. "What we tell ourselves on an ongoing basis reflects not only the way we think but how we feel and act. [O]ur thoughts influence how we create our reality," writes psychologist and author Fran Simone. All of us have times when our inner voice drags us down, rather than lifting us up. The baggage of negative self-talk can be particularly pronounced and distressing among peer-influenced tweens and teens.... March 26, 2019By Jennifer Jordan family, teachings
Don't Flip Your Lid: The Intersection of Mindfulness and Neuroscience The fruits of a consistent mindfulness meditation practice include strengthening the ability to "put our lid back on" even when our nervous system is over-stimulated, regain access to our higher reasoning and memory centers of the brain, be "our own boss", and make better choices. March 18, 2019By Jennifer Jordan family, meditation
The Rudder of Self-Kindness: Reflections on Parenting In the 1964 movie Zorba the Greek, Zorba humorously refers to family life and parenting as "the full catastrophe", striking such a chord in audiences that the comic phrase was adopted into English vocabulary. Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, the father of western mindfulness, sees full catastrophe living in a positive light - to be embraced, not bemoaned, as it reflects the variety and richness intrinsic to a life fully lived.... February 11, 2019By Jennifer Jordan family
Reflections on Bodhicitta “When you don’t have any solid self that you need to maintain and all your energy is used to fulfill others’ happiness -- that kind of attitude is called bodhicitta", notes teacher Tsonknyi Rinpoche. In cultivating bodhicitta, or “awakening heart/mind”, our task is simply to get out of our own way and let our natural state of wisdom and compassion express itself.... December 10, 2018By Jennifer Jordan family, teachings
Touching the Earth: Reflections on the 2018 Summer Family Retreat This past June, we held our fourth annual IMCW Family Mindfulness Retreat. Fred, Ofosu, and I were joined by eighty parents, grandparents, children, and staff in rural Virginia for three nights and days, spending treasured time together having fun and reconnecting with friends, family, and nature. This year's theme, Touching the Earth, came alive naturally amongst the beauty of the Shenandoah foothills. September 10, 2018By Jennifer Jordan family, ResidentialRetreats