Maria Sirois

• What If You Asked a Different Question?

  The questions we ask, the perspectives we hold, and the views that we choose to consider make a powerful difference in our experience of living, writes positive psychologist Maria Sirois.

• Healing from Violence

  What can we do to heal our fear and worry when acts of terror are possible anywhere? Positive psychologist Maria Sirois explores this all-important question.

• The Possibility of And

  Suffering does not negate what is good and rich in our world; what is good and rich in our world exists bounded by our suffering.

• The Power of Breath to Ease Suffering

  With the recent deaths of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain, we are thrown into a reality of suffering that few of us comprehend. What to consider, then, when those we care for are in despair?

• The Choice of an Open Heart

  An excerpt from Every Day Counts: Lessons in Love, Faith, and Resilience from Children Facing Illness.

• Wake-Up Call: Finding the Joy

  I’ve had wake-up moments in my life that would imply that I was in some manner asleep. Here are my top four.

• On Impermanence, Loss, and Rebuilding

  To be in life is to be thrown. To be thrown requires of us a falling, and then a recognizing of the consequences of that fall, and then the choice to rise again.

• The Lessons of Positivity

  It’s never too late to learn the lessons that create resilience and positivity.

• 3 Things to Remember When Neither Choice Is Perfect

  As a teenager, I heard the lyrics "When you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with" echoing in my heart as I sought true love.

• Five Tips for Embracing Midlife

  Positive psychology, mind-body medicine, yoga, and the spiritual disciplines offer wisdom that can sustain our unique over-40 needs, says positive psychologist Maria Sirois.

• Savoring the Great Moment: A Road Map to Resilience

  Resilience is about crafting a life that is true and rich, one full of meaning, pleasure, and the capacity to ride the waves of life with a sense of inner peace and a clear mind and heart.

• Becoming True

  Wisdom from Kripalu presenter and positive psychologist Maria Sirois on crafting a life: We can choose to be in life as if it is ours to shape, a work of our own art, or we can choose to become a mimic of someone else’s choices.

• Developing Resiliency From Within

  We often get caught up in thinking about what’s not working or what needs improving in our lives, especially when we face difficulties. This piece invites us...

• The Transformative Power of Awe

  Research is uncovering more about the amazing power of awe to inspire us, connect us, and keep us well.

• Giving from the Heart

  The holidays can be challenging for those of us who want to celebrate the season of giving in a way that feels authentic.

• I Love Me, I Love Me Not …

  When I gave myself a 30-day challenge to look in the mirror each morning and say, "I love you," it seemed like a simple practice.

• The Geography of Emotion

  The practice of feeling into the connection of shared emotions can create a sense of greater connection with the larger web of humankind.

• A Working Guide to Lasting Happiness

  Those of us who focus on practices and attitudes that bolster happiness can significantly impact our general well-being.

• The Beautiful, Ordinary Moments of Mothering

  As parents, so often we are in motion. But, when we realize the wonder of simply standing still with our children, time stops.

• Would You Rather Be Quiet or Give Yourself Electric Shocks?

  Why is it so hard for us to spend time in quiet stillness and engage in other forms of downtime?

• Four Ways to Become More Resilient

  Research shows that happiness is a choice, but did you know that resilience—the ability to bounce back, even from trauma—is something that can be learned?

• Are You Happier Than Your Friends?

  Though there are, of course, exceptions, research (and Hollywood) have shown that we tend to surround ourselves with people with whom our financial standing...

• Why Asking for Help Is Self-Care

  At the start of a new year, many of us identify and commit to changes we’d like to make in our lives. These good intentions can fail, however, if we don’t enlist the help and support that’s often crucial to real and lasting change.

• Be Clear Now: Getting Rid of the Clutter

  In an uncluttered, serene environment, we’re more productive and better able to understand and synthesize information.

• Finding Meaning in Midlife

  Clinical psychologist and Kripalu faculty member Maria Sirois, PsyD, talks about the challenges and opportunities of midlife—and how mindfulness can make all the difference.

• The Practice of Gratitude

  How will you practice gratitude this holiday season?

• Five Better Questions to Ask Yourself During Times of Change

  When it comes to moving gracefully into something different, it is not “survival of the fittest.” It is survival of the focused.

• Kripalu Perspectives: Slowing Down with Maria Sirois

  Portland Helmich talks with Maria Sirois, inspirational teacher and psychologist, about how to slow down, and why it's so important.

• Thanksgiving and the Practice of Gratitude

  Studies show that focusing on gratitude helps lower stress and alleviate depression. We can cultivate gratitude year-round, and Thanksgiving is one of the most natural times to do so.

• Take a Happiness Dance Break

  Having a rough day? If you have a few minutes, Pharrell Williams’ music video “Happy” is an instant happiness booster.

• Stumbling Blocks, Stepping Stones

  J. L. Johnson, guest blogger When Edmund Hillary set foot on the summit of Mount Everest in 1953, it was his greatest feat: a first ascent that would...

• 3 Powerful Tools for Navigating Transitions

  What makes transitions extra challenging are the beliefs we carry about them, as well as the actions we fail to take when we’re in the thick of change.

• Clutter vs. Creativity: Clearing the Stuff That Holds Us Back

  Our physical environment is a mirror image of what’s going on inside our heads: a crowded environment equals crowded thoughts.

• Befriending Your Resistance

  While I still encounter my own resistance, I’ve gotten better at recognizing and working with it.

• Resilience and the Art of Breaking Routine

  Too much routine can whitewash experience, allowing the big things and the little things, the surprises and delights, to slip by unnoticed.

• 7 Random Acts of Kindness to Offer Yourself and Others

  A commitment to kindness can be the thread that twines throughout our various successes, disappointments, delights, and traumas, giving us ballast in a world of change, says Sharon Salzberg.

• Putting a New Spin on Your Story

  Re-storying leads to increased optimism, competency, self-esteem, and deeper authenticity, says positive psychologist Maria Sirois, PsyD.

• The Difficult Task of Taking Compliments

  How can we embrace praise without either dismissing what we've accomplished or feeding the beast that needs applause?

• The Truth About Lying

  Through meditation, wise actions, and self-less service, we learn the tools necessary to be comfortable with the truth.

• The Compassionate Practice of Loving-Kindness Meditation

  Kripalu’s Maria Sirois, a positive psychologist and master teacher, guides us in the compassionate practice of loving-kindness meditation.

• Riding the Midlife Roller Coaster

  The weariness experienced by many of us in midlife is not unique, is not simply whining, and is not necessarily static.

• The Secret to Creating a Resilient Life

  The secret to a happy, resilient life is your perspective.

• Five Things Resilient People Do

  According to Kripalu presenter and positive psychologist Maria Sirois, what differentiates resilient people from the rest of us is that they have a handful of strategies they consistently utilize.

• How to Choose Happiness

  We've been conditioned to believe that we were either born with the ability to be happy, or not. But biology is not destiny.

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