What gifts do mindfulness and improv bring to your season of light?

It’s the season of giving and Ted and Lisa are musing on the life-shifting gifts of their shared practice. They start the episode with an invitation for responses and then take a few moments for a warm-up game of “Three Things.” (4:11) The pair introduces the topic and Lisa explains the practice of Naikan as communicated by Patricia Ryan Madson (8:13). The pair notices how improv teaches both gratitude and sincerity (14:58) and Ted acknowledges his own judgmental (rather than grateful) side. (22:39). Both Ted and Lisa explore how improv helps us explore our hidden sides (24:34) and how mindfulness and improv help us find possibility and goodness, even in difficult situations—but without resorting to “everything happens for a reason.” (29:06) Ted notes that changing our default patterns takes work (32:53) and Lisa reads from Patricia’s book Improv Wisdom for further insight about the filters we tend to use for our experience (34:34). Ted wonders if choosing a positivity lens means we’re not seeing what’s really true (37:09) and the pair loops around to concluding that seeing gifts uplifts us, feeds our creativity, and deepens our connection to others (41:42). The usual Outro and a heartfelt thanks from Lisa and Ted close the episode (46:38).