In Zen monasteries, the head cook (known as the tenzo) is one of the most important positions a monk can hold; Eihei Dogen, founder of Soto Zen, one of the longest-established sects of Buddhism, said this is “because the position requires wholehearted practice.” In the 13th-century...

Fast food and fast fashion are common in this amped-up world. There’s also fast furniture—the kind that often comes in a box, assembly required. It’s made of...

Welcome to the digital age, where budding gym rats, former couch potatoes and schedule-challenged fitness freaks are finding new ways to get in shape. These days, virtually anyone with...

Locavores with a hankering for fresh, organic eggs produced close to home have sparked a resurgence in backyard chicken keeping; even people that don’t like omelets are...

Grateful living is the awareness that we stand on holy ground—always—in touch with mystery. Jewish sages interpret the words of Genesis 3:5 in a way that is of great...

Wade Breunig, of Buckeye, Arizona, had lost his marriage, his job and his house. To combat depression, he went to the local animal shelter to adopt the first cat that “talked” to him. As if on cue, a 2-year-old black cat...

"When I feel like I really want to get angry and yell, I sometimes, like, take deep breaths. My brain slows down and I feel more calm and I’m ready to speak to that person.” Those self-aware words come from a 5-year-old...

Children, four-legged family members, Thanksgiving overeaters and the occasional squirrel on a branch have mastered an art that eludes most of us, and they engage in it without...

When 50 to 60 strangers gather in a barn for their first goat yoga experience, it’s a bit awkward and there’s not much interaction—until the goats come in...

When Yale researcher Reid Lifset began working on waste issues on a life cycle basis—from “cradle to grave”—it was mostly the world’s geeks and nerds that paid attention...