Virtues, Aristotle said, are attained in part by finding the “right mean” between extremes; courage lies between impulsive risk-taking and cowardice, a tempered moderation between self-indulgence and ascetic denial.

Carol Ryff, drawing on Aristotle among many other thinkers, posits a model of well-being with six arms: Self-acceptance, being positive about yourself, acknowledging both your best and not-so-good qualities, and feeling fine about being just as you are. This takes a nonjudgmental self-awareness. Personal growth, the sense you continue to change and

In the realm of mind (as everywhere else), what you do determines what you get. In sum, “meditation” is not a single activity but a wide range of practices, all acting in their own particular ways in the mind and brain. Lost in Wonderland, Alice asked the Cheshire Cat, “Which way should I go?” He replied, “That depends on where you want to get to.”

“The true mark of a meditator is that he has disciplined his mind by freeing it from negative emotions.”

Such awareness of awareness itself lets us monitor our mind without being swept away by the thoughts and feelings we are noticing. “That which is aware of sadness is not sad,” observes philosopher Sam Harris. “That which is aware of fear is not fearful. The moment I am lost in thought, however, I’m as confused as anyone else.”

keep in mind that as with gaining skill in a given sport, finding a meditation practice that appeals to you and sticking with it will have the greatest benefits.

the scan increased body awareness and lessened mind-wandering. Observing thoughts enhanced meta-awareness, a by-product of mindfulness. On the other hand, loving-kindness boosted warm thoughts and feelings about others. In short, if you want to increase your feelings of kindness most effectively, practice exactly that—not something else.

Such positive regard for a victim of suffering means we can confront and deal with their difficulty. This allows us to move along that spectrum from noticing what’s going on to the payoff, actually helping them. In many East Asian countries the name Kuan Yin, the revered symbol of compassionate awakening, translates as “the one who listens and

The cultivation of a loving concern for other people’s well-being has a surprising and unique benefit: the brain’s circuitry for happiness energizes, along with compassion.19 Loving-kindness also boosts the connections between the brain’s circuits for joy and happiness and the prefrontal cortex, a zone critical for guiding behavior.20 And the