“I'm going to give you a little advice. There's a force in the universe that makes things happen; all you have to do is get in touch with it. Stop thinking...let things happen...and be...the ball.” – Ty Webb (played by Chevy Chase in the 1980 comedy Caddyshack)

It’s not every day that you find 80s screwball comedies referenced in articles about mindfulness, so you’ve got to give me credit for even trying. Hang in there and see if you find any wisdom in this silliness. Who says meditation has to be so serious, anyway?

The Family ADHD Solution, by Dr. Mark Bertin is the newest addition to our UCSD CFM Bookstore.

Pre-order Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Anxious Children (due out in July) through our UCSD CFM Bookstore, and help support the UCSD CFM, and the wonderful work of Randye J. Semple and Jennifer Lee.

Raelynn Maloney, Ph.D. has recently published Waking Up: A Parent's Guide to Mindful Awareness and Connection, a very helpful guide to bringing mindfulness into your relationship with your child. Below is a brief excerpt from this new book.

A new study published in this month's edition of Mindfulness highlights the potential utility of mindfulness for coping with cigarette cravings among smokers.  This study compared the effectiveness of urge surfing, a brief mindfulness-based strategy developed by Alan Marlatt, to an alternate suppression-based strategy for coping with cigarette cravings.

I am sure to grow old.
I cannot avoid aging.
I am sure to become sick.
I cannot avoid sickness.
I am sure to die.
I cannot avoid death.
All things dear and beloved to me
are subject to change and separation.
I am the owner of my actions;
I will become the heir of my actions.

- Anguttara Nikaya

Perhaps the number one question asked by participants in MBSR or MBCT groups is: "Where can I go to continue to practice in a group?" The question behind the question is "How will I sustain the momentum I have built up over the past 8 weeks and continue to formally practice mindfulness?" We frequently suggest to our participants that they connect with each other to form small sitting groups. This article from mindful.org provides some nice guidelines for doing just that.

A colleague of mine emailed me yesterday to ask my advice. She had submitted a paper for publication in a respected scientific journal that looked at one particular aspect of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR).

I can remember that day. I was home from college for Thanksgiving break. I had picked up my best friend for lunch; we were going shopping, and then later, out for the evening. We had quite the day planned…

31 professionals came from as far away as Hong Kong to learn about MBCT and how it is taught, learning "from the inside out" in this amazing retreat format. Early morning movement and meditation practice and periods of silence (including several silent meals) punctuated our five days together in a way that allowed participants to ground their learning in the refuge of mindfulness.