I've touted myself as a monk in a minivan since I meditated my way from panic to peace.

I spent a year learning stress reduction techniques and life lessons from the wisest, most compassionate teachers, healers and mystics I could find.

I thought I'd...

Just when I thought no more pressure could be placed on parents to keep our kids healthy, safe, strong and secure (not to mention gainfully employed and ecstatically happy) a new device has been invented: The Parentcam!

I first became aware of this technological nightmare while I was lounging in...

When I wrote a book proposal outlining my plan to heal from a panic disorder that had plagued me for decades, I did so partially to get out of a book tour that had taken me to 60 cities in three years. I was exhausted and anxious, tired and wired....

Since my book about healing from a panic disorder has been published, I've tried to stay focused on all the positive feedback I've been getting. But when one reviewer called me "likeable if rather self-involved," her words hit home.

"How can you write a memoir without being self-involved?"...

All that's left of Thanksgiving is leftovers, and I've had time to reflect on what took place in my dining room and kitchen over the last few days. Cooking for 20 people leaves little time for reflection, but cleaning up is a long, slow process.

As I sort through...

Now that my book about meditating my way from panic to peace has become a bestseller, (thank you to everyone who made that happen) people are asking me for advice on how to begin a successful meditation practice.

Which puts a lot of pressure on me. What is a successful...

Some of the six million people in America who suffer from a panic disorder don't even know they're panicking.

They think they're dying.

I was a 15-year-old waitress going about my business when I felt a strange, flickering sensation in the center of my chest. My lungs...

I woke up this morning refreshed and ready to face the news of the day on television, perhaps stories about the floods and fires devastating parts of our country, political skirmishes about the debt ceiling, or the most recent death tolls in the Middle East.

But stories about Representative Anthony...

When I first heard the news of the deadly shootings in Arizona, I wanted to do something, anything: talk to friends and family, rant about the toxic political climate in our country, watch TV, surf the Web for updates, cry, post things on Facebook.

But most of all, I...

Phew.

The midterm elections are over. The 33 Chilean miners have been saved. Burma's most famous political prisoner has been freed, Prince William of England is engaged, Staff Sargeant Salvatore Giunta received the medal of honor, the terrorist...

I was afraid to write this article.

Why?

Because I might ruffle a few feathers.

And because fear is contagious.

I've been following with great interest the story of Cordoba House, the proposed Islamic Community Center which has caused so much controversy because of its proximity to Ground Zero.

No matter how many times a day I meditate, I will never be as calm as President Obama appears to be.

How does he keep his cool? Does he meditate? Does he practice yoga? Has he tried any of the therapies I've experimented with over the last year,...

There are some things I hate about basketball. The charge, for instance - a play clearly invented by an aggressive male. A defensive player assumes a position on the court, standing still as a statue, hoping that the guy with the ball will run over him, literally, as he charges...

Here is just some of the advice I've gotten from friends when it comes to dieting: Make breakfast the biggest meal of your day; Make lunch the biggest meal of your day; Don't eat anything all day, and eat whatever you want for dinner.

And exercise?

Walking is all you...

I watched the State of the Union address, and couldn't help wondering if Barack Obama had been meditating in the days that led up to his address.

To me, he seemed focused and relaxed, two qualities that I've always aimed for in my yoga practice. Qualities I'm hoping to cultivate...

When I first started meditating six months ago, I took note of every little shift in my behavior. But the biggest change in my life almost slipped right by me.

While I was sleeping.

I didn't begin my meditation practice with the goal of knocking myself out for eight hours....

As the new year begins, I'm sure many people have set grandiose goals for themselves that they are determined to meet, with diligence and hard work.

Oh - wait a minute - I'm one of those people.

I am, after all, writing a book about a...

I've attended several Buddhist retreats. I've listened faithfully to meditation CDs, chirping birds and delicate raindrops. I've stared into pounding surf and scented candles, chanted and recited mystical mantras. I've worked hard to learn how to meditate.

But the other day, I was forced to confront the...

Slumped in my airplane seat, I could barely see enough of Tulsa, Oklahoma to
say goodbye to it in the early morning darkness, as my plane took off, headed home to New York. I turned on my overhead light, opened up a magazine, and there they were yet again!...