Maria Sirois

Presenter

Maria Sirois, PsyD, is a positive psychologist and seminar leader who teaches internationally in the intersection of resilience and flourishing. Known for her wisdom, authenticity, and rampant humor, she delivers invigorating practices to corporate and nonprofit audiences alike. Maria offers a wealth of perspective from decades of study in the areas of mind-body medicine and resilience to those who seek personal transformation and an increase in meaning, happiness, and health. Maria has been called an orator of great power and beauty and is the author of A Short Course in Happiness After Loss (And Other Dark, Difficult Times) and Every Day Counts.

Learn more about this presenter’s work:


...And I Am Worthy Anyway


Resources

  • 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.

  • Small Things About Mothering

    Between “What’s for dinner?” and “What have I failed to teach them?,” can we hold onto a sense of the privilege bestowed to us in caring for the well-being of another? Maria Sirois reflects on mothering in the time of corona.

  • Grief, Darkness, Light

    In a time when the markers of our days have been upended and tossed aside, we must feel what we feel, giving ourselves permission to be present to what is lost.

  • 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.

  • 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 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 3 Powerful Tools for Navigating Transitions

    Positive psychologist Maria Sirois and life coach Karlee Fain are in a position to help others navigate the intensity and stress of personal and global change, as they have decades of experience working with people wrestling with all kinds of life transitions.

  • 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.

  • 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?

  • 4 Questions to Ask Yourself During a Time of Change

    Life coach Karlee Fain offers questions to help us remember that in the face of transition, whether by choice or not, we can replace fear with truth.

  • 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...

  • 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 Make Time Expand, Even When You Have Less of It

    According to positive psychologist and Kripalu presenter Maria Sirois, time does seem to constrict as we age, but it also expands. It's something you might be noticing more than ever during this period of change and uncertainty.

  • 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.

  • 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?


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