{"id":1334,"date":"2011-05-23T13:36:44","date_gmt":"2011-05-23T17:36:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/mindfulnessmatters\/?p=1334"},"modified":"2011-05-23T13:36:44","modified_gmt":"2011-05-23T17:36:44","slug":"metaphor-monday-the-power-of-orange-and-smiling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/05\/metaphor-monday-the-power-of-orange-and-smiling.html","title":{"rendered":"Metaphor Monday: The Power of Orange and Smiling"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/mindfulnessmatters\/files\/2011\/05\/Pearl-Izumi-Orange.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-1335\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/96\/2011\/05\/Pearl-Izumi-Orange-224x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"224\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a>I recently bought these iridescent orange running shoes. I just love them. The color is bold, bright, and downright audacious.<\/p>\n<p>Every time I put them on I feel happy. How could you not?<\/p>\n<p>Is it possible to understand and practice joy through a set of orange sneakers? For me, the answer is, &#8220;yes.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Anything can serve as a clarion to gratitude. For me, these sneakers remind me that I have a choice in how to look at myself, other people, and the world around me. My mood can be orange or blue. What do I choose to focus upon?<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m wearing them right now and have felt my mood improve. It&#8217;s much like smiling. If we smile, even if we don&#8217;t feel like smiling, it sends a signal to the brain. The brain can&#8217;t tell the difference at some level (at the deeper emotional levels) between the real and the fake smile (although a keen observer could tell the difference). We just feel better if we smile versus scowling.<\/p>\n<p>Try it. Sit down, close your eyes, connect with your body and then lift the corners of your mouth. Feel any different? Studies have demonstrated this finding.<\/p>\n<p>When we smile we also influence the people around us. They are more prone to smile and to feel good when we are smiling. And likewise, we are prone to smile when we are around people who are smiling.<\/p>\n<p>I smile every time I see these kicks. Thanks <a href=\"http:\/\/pearlizumi.com\" target=\"_blank\">Pearl Izumi <\/a>for making such cool kicks and thanks to the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.skirack.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Skirack<\/a> for having them (and on sale too!).<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I recently bought these iridescent orange running shoes. I just love them. The color is bold, bright, and downright audacious. Every time I put them on I feel happy. How could you not? Is it possible to understand and practice joy through a set of orange sneakers? For me, the answer is, &#8220;yes.&#8221; Anything can&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":268,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,14,1],"tags":[127,21,124,126,125],"class_list":["post-1334","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mindful-living","category-recommended","category-the-laboratory","tag-gratitude","tag-mindfulness","tag-pearl-izumi","tag-smiling","tag-sneakers"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Metaphor Monday: The Power of Orange and Smiling - Mindfulness Matters<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/05\/metaphor-monday-the-power-of-orange-and-smiling.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Metaphor Monday: The Power of Orange and Smiling - Mindfulness Matters\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I recently bought these iridescent orange running shoes. I just love them. The color is bold, bright, and downright audacious. Every time I put them on I feel happy. How could you not? Is it possible to understand and practice joy through a set of orange sneakers? For me, the answer is, &#8220;yes.&#8221; Anything can&hellip;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/05\/metaphor-monday-the-power-of-orange-and-smiling.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Mindfulness Matters\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-05-23T17:36:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/mindfulnessmatters\/files\/2011\/05\/Pearl-Izumi-Orange-224x300.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dr. Arnie Kozak\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Metaphor Monday: The Power of Orange and Smiling - Mindfulness Matters","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/05\/metaphor-monday-the-power-of-orange-and-smiling.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Metaphor Monday: The Power of Orange and Smiling - Mindfulness Matters","og_description":"I recently bought these iridescent orange running shoes. I just love them. The color is bold, bright, and downright audacious. Every time I put them on I feel happy. How could you not? Is it possible to understand and practice joy through a set of orange sneakers? For me, the answer is, &#8220;yes.&#8221; Anything can&hellip;","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/05\/metaphor-monday-the-power-of-orange-and-smiling.html","og_site_name":"Mindfulness Matters","article_published_time":"2011-05-23T17:36:44+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/mindfulnessmatters\/files\/2011\/05\/Pearl-Izumi-Orange-224x300.jpg"}],"author":"Dr. Arnie Kozak","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/05\/metaphor-monday-the-power-of-orange-and-smiling.html","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/05\/metaphor-monday-the-power-of-orange-and-smiling.html","name":"Metaphor Monday: The Power of Orange and Smiling - Mindfulness Matters","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/05\/metaphor-monday-the-power-of-orange-and-smiling.html#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/05\/metaphor-monday-the-power-of-orange-and-smiling.html#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/mindfulnessmatters\/files\/2011\/05\/Pearl-Izumi-Orange-224x300.jpg","datePublished":"2011-05-23T17:36:44+00:00","dateModified":"2011-05-23T17:36:44+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/#\/schema\/person\/5f92cf2ae15fbe04e74ca47527ac68d8"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/05\/metaphor-monday-the-power-of-orange-and-smiling.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/05\/metaphor-monday-the-power-of-orange-and-smiling.html"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/05\/metaphor-monday-the-power-of-orange-and-smiling.html#primaryimage","url":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/mindfulnessmatters\/files\/2011\/05\/Pearl-Izumi-Orange-224x300.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/mindfulnessmatters\/files\/2011\/05\/Pearl-Izumi-Orange-224x300.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/05\/metaphor-monday-the-power-of-orange-and-smiling.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Metaphor Monday: The Power of Orange and Smiling"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/","name":"Mindfulness Matters","description":"Beliefnet Voices - Arnie Kozak","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/#\/schema\/person\/5f92cf2ae15fbe04e74ca47527ac68d8","name":"Dr. Arnie Kozak","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/6ab\/6abd6f3205265768510a13d66ac2aff7x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/6ab\/6abd6f3205265768510a13d66ac2aff7x96.jpg","caption":"Dr. Arnie Kozak"},"description":"Recognized as an innovator in the field of mindfulness-based psychology, Dr. Arnie Kozak is northern New England's leading expert in the field. Dr. Kozak's ability to translate ancient healing traditions into pragmatic applications suitable for modern lifestyles through the use of metaphors have made him a strong voice in healthcare and business. Beginning with a journey to India in the 80\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s where he took the Bodhisattva vows from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Arnie Dr. Kozak began his lifelong practice in mindfulness meditation. Intent on finding a way to bring the practical healing attributes of mindfulness he began incorporating these techniques in his private practice. In 2002 Dr. Kozak created Exquisite Mind in Burlington, Vermont as a vehicle that could expand his wisdom to larger audiences beyond individual psychotherapy to professionals and corporations, health care providers, public groups and, most recently with Exquisite Mind Golf, amateur and professional golfers. His award-winning new book, Wild Chickens and Petty Tyrants: 108 Metaphors for Mindfulness (Wisdom Publications, 2009) is a thoughtful, funny, and inspiring translation of mindfulness practice through the inventive use of metaphor applicable to our daily lives. In addition to his work with Exquisite Mind, Arnie Kozak, Ph.D., Licensed Psychologist\u00e2\u20ac\u201dDoctorate has been a Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Vermont and is a Clinical Instructor in Psychiatry and Medicine, University of Vermont College of Medicine. He has studied and practiced clinical psychology, meditation, and yoga for more than 25 years. He has studied with several meditation masters, including S. N. Goenka, Larry Rosenberg, Gurumayi Chidvilasananda, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. After receiving his bachelors degree with honors from Tufts University, he was awarded a Presidential Fellowship to get his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University at Buffalo. He completed his training as a Psychological Fellow at the Harvard Medical School. Prior to founding the Exquisite Mind in 2002, Arnie worked ten years in the private sector for the PKC Corporation consulting on mental health content for this revolutionary software company.","sameAs":["http:\/\/exquisitemind.com"],"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/author\/akozak"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1334","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/268"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1334"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1334\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1338,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1334\/revisions\/1338"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}