Google Offers Mindfulness Training to Employees

Posted on by Tammy

At Google headquarters, employees are offered hundreds of free classes. But one of the most popular is called “S.I.Y” or “Search Inside Yourself,” taught by engineer and Google employee Chade-Meng Tan, according to a recent article in The New York Times.

Tan worked with nine experts to put the course together and the class has three steps – attention training; self-knowledge and self-mastery; and the creation of useful mental habits, according to the NY Times report.

So far, more than 1,000 Google employees have taken the course, and there is a waiting list of 30 people for the next time its offered, the report stated. Each class takes 60 people, and it runs for seven weeks, four times per year.

“I’m definitely much more resilient as a leader,” Richard Fernandez, director of executive development and a psychologist by training told the newspaper about taking the course. “I listen more carefully and with less reactivity in high-stakes meetings. I work with a lot of senior executives who can be very demanding, but that doesn’t faze me anymore. It’s almost an emotional and mental bank account. I’ve now got much more of a buffer there.”

Additionally, in anonymous reviews, Tan told The New York Times that on average, participants rate the course approximately 4.75 out of a possible 5.

“Awareness is spread almost entirely by word-of-mouth by alumni, and that alone already created more demand than we can currently serve,” Tan told the newspaper.

Tan’s first book, “Search Inside Yourself: The Unexpected Path to Achieving Success and Happiness (and World Peace)”, is available now.

RECIPE: Spinach Minestrone

Posted on by Tammy

Looking for a healthy, fast and nutrition packed dinner? Try this Spinach Minestrone made on the stovetop in about 30 minutes. It’s from Taste of Home, but we offer some variations to amp up the nutrition even more!

We always try to buy organic products when possible, and instead of white pasta, we choose Ancient Harvest Quinoa pasta!

Spinach Minestrone

8 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

1 large onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (use vegetable broth if you don’t eat meat)
1 can (16-ounces) kidney beans rinsed and drained (we use Eden brand)
1 can (14 ½ ounces) no salt added diced tomatoes, undrained
2 medium carrots, sliced
½ cup uncooked elbow macaroni (we use Ancient Harvest Quinoa pasta)
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed

Directions:

In a large saucepan coated with olive oil, sauté onion and garlic until tender. Add the broth, kidney beans, tomatoes, carrots, macaroni and oregano. Cook until vegetables and macaroni are tender, about 20 minutes.

Stir in spinach; bring to a boil. Remove it from heat, and let it stand for 5 to 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Dr. Oz Offers Transcendental Meditation to his Production Team

Posted on by Tammy

Dr. Mehmet Oz is offering Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique to his entire NY-based production team, and is already seeing changes, according to The David Lynch Foundation.

“I have been practicing Transcendental Meditation (or “TM”) for nearly three years. About six months ago, I decided to offer the technique to everyone on my team at The Dr. Oz Show,” Oz said in a recent video statement. “I had seen the extensive research documenting its benefits—and have also seen so many people who I admire and respect incorporate Transcendental Meditation into their own lives and share it with the people that they care for.”

After the first 20 people on his staff learned to meditate, he said he began getting amazing feedback via email. “The first thing I noticed was a change in the tone and the texture of the dialogue—away from dwelling on problems towards a much more thoughtful, insightful, clever way of solving problems. Instead of highlighting the issues that were separating us, my team was deriving bliss and joy from finding solutions,” he said.

He also explained the scientific research behind the meditation method, which shows the technique can reduce blood pressure and cholesterol, and that “is the tip of the iceberg,” he said.

“You know as well as I do: Any business is what it is because of the people who work there. Why not take people who are working at 80 percent, 60 percent, 30 percent of their potential and take them all to 99 percent of their potential. I think that’s what true success feels like,” said Dr. Oz, explaining that is what TM can do for a company.

“It’s a powerful tool to turbo-charge the people in your organization and, I believe quite strongly, you would be very wise to give it a try.”

Doctors Trained in Meditation and Communication Offer Better Care, Study Says

Posted on by Tammy

Training physicians in mindfulness meditation and communication skills can improve the quality of care, according to a new study from researchers the University of Rochester Medical Center.

Researchers found both primary care practitioners and their patients believed care was improved after the training, and the findings are published online in the journal “Academic Medicine,” Psychcentral.com reported.

“Programs focused on personal awareness and self-development are only part of the solution,” the researchers said. “Our health care delivery systems must implement systematic change at the practice level to create an environment that supports mindful practice, encourages transparent and clear communication among clinicians, staff, patients, and families and reduces professional isolation.”

The researchers conducted in-depth interviews with 20 of the physicians who participated in the mindfulness-training program.

The findings in the new study include:

Sixty percent reported learning mindfulness skills improved their capacity to listen more attentively and respond more effectively to others at work and home.
More than half of the participants acknowledged having increased self-awareness and better ability to respond non-judgmentally during personal or professional conversations.
Seventy percent placed a high value on the mindfulness course having an organized, structured and well-defined curriculum with time and space to pause and reflect.

The researchers developed and implemented required mindful practice curricula for medical students and residents at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, and are also studying the effects of an intensive, four-day residential course for physicians, according to the report.

Miranda Kerr Talks Yoga, Meditation & Plant-Based Diet

Posted on by Tammy

In an interview with the UK’s Daily Mail, Victoria Secret model, and founder of Kora Organics, Miranda Kerr revealed her passion for daily yoga and meditation, as well as eating a healthy, nearly vegetarian diet.

“I make sure I do half an hour of yoga in the morning so that then I’m feeling good,” she said. “Health is really wealth I think.”

She also practices meditation to relieve stress throughout the day, also practiced by her husband, actor Orlando Bloom. “If I’m in the car on the way to work or if I’m on the plane on the way to a job I’ll do a meditation,” she said in the article.

Bloom and Kerr practice a form of Buddhism, and Kerr explained that inner peace and inner beauty are very important to her. “I don’t like to talk too much about it, but what I will say is that it is very grounding and really centering,” she said.

On a recent blog post at her Kora Organics Web site, she revealed that she follows Dr. John D’Adamo’s blood type diet (she is Type A) and eats a low glycemic index, high alkaline food diet. She also drinks filtered water and eats mostly fresh produce and very little meat.

She also shared a list of some of her favorite supplements, including Grant’s Liquid Chlorophyll, Tahitian Noni Juice, and Spirulina.

RECIPIE: Vegetable Tofu Scramble

Posted on by Tammy

We found this gluten-free, dairy-free entrée on Dr. Mark Hyman’s Web site – author of “Utra-Prevention” and “Ultra-Metabolism.” “The tofu absorbs the flavor of the vegetables as it browns on the outside,” he explained.

Vegetable Tofu Scramble

Makes: 4 servings
Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 12 minutes

Ingredients

1 (14-ounce) package firm tofu
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper (about 1/2 medium pepper)
1 cup roughly chopped shiitake mushrooms (about 6 medium mushrooms)
1/2 cup diced tomato
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons minced oregano
12 chives, snipped into small pieces

Directions:
Cut the tofu into 2 equal pieces. Slice each piece in half, horizontally, making a total of 4 slices. Press and drain the tofu by placing the slices in a single layer on a shallow dish or tray with paper towels underneath and on top of the tofu. Place another dish or tray on top the tofu and weight it down with several cans of food or a heavy skillet. Refrigerate for at least 15 to 20 minutes.

Cut the tofu into small cubes. Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and red pepper and cook, stirring for 3 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms, tomato, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and the pepper. Cook for 3 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high and stir in the tofu, oregano, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until the tofu has browned. Transfer to a plate and sprinkle with the chives.