Articles
Mindfulness
Events
The power of self-compassion
Protecting against empathic distress fatigue
Dr Sadhbh Joyce explores the science of what happens in our brains when we engage self-compassion; how self-compassion practises protect against stress and empathic distress; compassion vs empathy, and recognising and understanding Empathic Distress Fatigue.
Books
Transformation & Healing: Sutra on the Four Establishments of Mindfulness
Videos
Humankinda
Sam Richardson
Do we need more of doing less? Is busyness robbing us of our humanity? Are you so busy that you're actually kind of surprised you read this far? Sam Richardson explores our need to stay busy and how it affects our happiness by following the lives of two crazy-busy people in this short film.
The power of vulnerability
Brené Brown
Dr Brené Brown details some very interesting research findings & describes the challenge of embracing her own vulnerabilities & imperfections. Discover why self-compassion is so important to resilience and how it can make you feel worthy of love, belonging & joy.
Quotes
I refuse to believe that you cannot be both compassionate and strong.
A moment of self-compassion can change your entire day. A string of such moments can change the course of your life.
When you plant a tree, if it doesn’t grow well, you don’t blame the tree. You look into the reasons it isn’t doing well. It may need fertilizer or more water or less sun. We never blame the tree.
You’ve been criticising yourself for years and it hasn’t worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens.
We need to do a better job of putting ourselves higher on our own ‘to-do’ list.
I refuse to believe that you cannot be both compassionate and strong.
A moment of self-compassion can change your entire day. A string of such moments can change the course of your life.
When you plant a tree, if it doesn’t grow well, you don’t blame the tree. You look into the reasons it isn’t doing well. It may need fertilizer or more water or less sun. We never blame the tree.
You’ve been criticising yourself for years and it hasn’t worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens.
We need to do a better job of putting ourselves higher on our own ‘to-do’ list.
Research
Self-Compassion is Associated with Improved Well-Being and Healthier Cortisol Profiles in Undergraduate Students
This study examined self-compassion in college students and found it was linked to better mood, lower stress, and healthier cortisol patterns, suggesting protection against stress both mentally and physically.
Breath of Life: The Respiratory Vagal Stimulation Model of Contemplative Activity
Contemplative practices, such as meditation and yoga, are increasingly popular among the general public and as topics of research. Beneficial effects associated with these practices have been found on physical health, mental health and cognitive performance. This theoretical review aims to show that various contemplative activities have in common that breathing is regulated or attentively guided. This respiratory discipline in turn may explain the physical and mental benefits of these practises through changes in autonomic balance. This review proposes a neurophysiological model that explains how these specific respiration styles could operate, by tonically stimulating the vagal nerve (respiratory vagal nerve stimulation rVNS).