By Michael C. Aquilino In a room filled with 1,000 people if I were to ask “what comes to mind when I say mindfulness?” most would say “an awareness” or “being aware.” Clearly, many know the “what” part of mindfulness. The challenge, as with most things, is in the “how” of mindfulness. Is it simply enough to say “an awareness” or “being aware” and therefore you are completely mindful at that point? Probably not. For a moment, ...
Read MoreBy Jeffrey Brantley, MD There is a wisdom saying that points to the power of our thoughts and emotions to shape our perceptions and reactions in each moment. One version of the saying is: “Mind upholds the world.” Of course, this statement could mean many things, but it can be useful to reflect on it from the position of the present moment, resting in awareness and becoming mindful of your thoughts and emotions, and your personality’s ...
Read MoreBen Kligler, MD, MPH Over the past three years, I have had the opportunity to be part of the development and launch of the new Leadership Program in Integrative Healthcare at Duke University. Thinking through what Integrative Leadership means, both in theory and in practice—and how to effectively teach it—led me to re-examine my experience as an integrative healthcare leader over the past fifteen years. I wanted to share these reflections—the good, the bad and the ugly—in ...
Read MoreBy Julie Luzarraga, LICSW, DCSW Leadership in the Present is a program designed to teach participants how to bring mindfulness skills to the unique lives of leaders and executives looking to deepen their existing skills and increase their effectiveness as leaders both personally and professionally. Mindfulness is an intentional practice of cultivating awareness both internally and externally. There is a variety of techniques for practicing mindfulness. The common components of any mindfulness practice are: creating the intention; ...
Read MoreBy David Gelles Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015 Review by Bonnie Horrigan Approximately twenty-five hundred years ago, Buddha told his disciples: “It is through the establishment of the lovely clarity of mindfulness that you can let go of grasping after past and future, overcome attachment and grief, abandon all clinging and anxiety, and awaken an unshakable freedom of heart, here and now.” And so began the flourishing of Buddhist contemplative practices in ...
Read More