"You work in the happiness industry!" he said excitedly, morning coffee in hand, as he peered over the New York Times article, "Even if You Can't Buy It, Happiness Is Big Business". I thought about how to incorporate that on my business card. It certainly had a nice ring....

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough and more... it can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend." - Melody Beattie

Thanksgiving is a quintessentially American holiday, and not surprisingly so. From our beginnings...

In a recent meditation class a parent brought up how he was undergoing a great deal of external stress and finding it hard to do everything to support the busy and challenging level of activities of their teenage daughter. There was a collective sigh emanating from the other parents in...

Okay. The election is over and we reluctantly or eagerly head back to some older routine, perhaps -- like work, play, shopping, reading fiction, exercise, sleep. It has been a relentless process, sandwiching real life between polls, debates, rallies, canvassing and just worrying. With the advantage of 20/20 hindsight, let's...

In a post just a few weeks ago, Six Spiritual Principles for the Politically Perplexed, I suggested that political passion need not divert us from a spiritually directed life and vice versa (i.e. no hate mongering, becoming informed and working for the issues that matter to you, etc.). Who...

Before their births it seemed I was already obsessed with my children's nutrition, mixing up a little concoction of brewer's yeast, yogurt, molasses and orange juice every day to drink while pregnant. Then there was the calves liver orgy one afternoon, reminiscent of "Rosemary's Baby" (though I did finish...

I have often been asked to comment on music as a tool to access the deeper realms of meditation. Each person who meditates has their own way of attuning themselves to their inner dialogue. What might be a very calming and reflective piece for one person may sound jarring or...

I have been noticing what happens when one expresses her opinion about anything political. You've heard of REMs (rapid eye movements). I call politically altered states RIJs (Rapid I Judgments). No sooner does someone express support for a certain candidate or idea than we immediately put them in a box,...

"Flowers keep us close to the earth and show us what repetition can do. When we are good planters and caretakers we see results- not just once, but many times in many ways...
But the garden in the mind stretches much farther than just flowers and vegetables. It...

In my last Inviting Health blog, I began addressing a question about meditation practices that enhance the healing process. In it, I introduced an exercise using guided meditation and visual imagery to enlist a single healthy cell in our bodies to help us entrain or coach other cells how...

Q. In your post, "Mind/Body/Spirit: The Meditation Connection"( http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kay-goldstein/mindbodyspirit-the-medita_b_109041.html ), you spoke about how meditation helps us integrate the various parts of ourselves and said, "What could be a better basis for physical and mental health?" Can you talk more about practices that enhance the healing process and lay the...

"Our mindstream, our choice"- David Michie

I have a lot of moving parts to coordinate these days. I was sorting laundry, fixing breakfast, and suddenly, while hanging up clothes in my closet, I stopped and listened to my stream of thoughts -- the background noise of my life. What was...

Last week I was privileged to see a performance of End Days written by Deborah Zoe Laufer and directed by Claudia Weill at the Martha's Vineyard Playhouse. This quirky family comedy underscores the vulnerabilities and aspirations of human beings who have survived trauma and even the threat of annihilation. I...

It was a hectic day- all day. Phones ringing, emails to answer, a bobcat rumbling through my yard with the requisite high pitch warning beeps each time it backed up. There were table saws and hammers, workmen dropping in to ask questions, my husband toiling nearby on a computer, a...

So you've been to a meditation class or a series of them. You've been doing some reading. You are just beginning to get a sense of relaxation and a little bit of practice in meditating. You've tried on your own but you have mostly relied on going to class to...

Q. So many spiritual practices seem to be based either in a religious framework or seemingly not in any at all- a mix of traditions fashioned by an individual teacher or group and perhaps labeled with a catchy name. Many who would like to learn about meditation or to...

It's Saturday night. Manny Ramirez, one of the most feared hitters in baseball is at bat against the Houston Astros. The count is 1and 2 with two outs, and there are runners on first and second.

What was Brandon Backe, the pitcher thinking?

I'm told that any intelligent baseball pitcher...

There has been much in the news about the interdependency of mind, body and spirit. Studies using brainwave technology measured actual physical changes in the brains of longtime meditators -- Tibetan monks. Recently another study showed how meditators often fared better than their nap-taking counterparts in mitigating the effects of...

Recently, I had an opportunity to teach an introductory meditation class to a small group of pediatric nursing students. After the class, I had a lot more insight about their work with young patients and it triggered the idea of adapting guided meditations for kids who are sick...

I've got Ram Dass' phone number. I was researching an article and a longtime student of his casually gave me his number and told me the best time to call.

So I'm having a lot of problems with this. To start, I get a little intimidated about calling up...