February and are your resolutions slipping?

Lots of folks start off the year with incredibly ambitious plans for the new year. They add new, wished-for habits, try to break detrimental ones, eat intelligently, drink less...

The motivation starts to wane around February.

If this is happening to you, pick out THE MOST IMPORTANT GOAL from all the others you've set. Find ways to discover the joy in doing or achieving it. Be mindful of doing it, or steps toward it. Enjoy your will to win on this.

I have established a reading-meditation-yoga routine every morning. If I have to leave the house by 7, I need to wake up quite early to get everything in. I really enjoy the time spent with my "program" and am thinking about doing it in the evening.

My eating is good - vegetarian or vegan but I'll enjoy chocolate, a cookie or a glass of wine occasionally. I'm not trying to be a saint.

Speaking of saintlyhood - I do feel more relaxed and centered. How nice.

My goal of walking outside has been less successful. If the weather is too yucky, I don't. So there.

Keep up the good work- it's for a good cause. YOU!

Mindfulness

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is an amazing tool for stress management and overall wellness because it can be used at virtually any time and can quickly bring lasting results.

Mindfulness is a mind-body medicine practice, based on ancient Zen Buddhist meditation techniques, that was popularized by Jon Kabat-Zinn, a researcher at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. According to Kabat-Zinn, mindfulness is an internal resource that all of us already have within us. The idea is to channel or direct this resource to transform our relationships with stress, emotions, pain, and illness. Indeed, controlled research studies suggest that mindfulness-based interventions can effectively reduce symptoms in people with chronic pain, recurrent depression, anxiety disorders, substance abuse, binge-eating, and many other health conditions. Mindfulness interventions have also been shown to change the brain’s grey matter and reactivity to emotional stimuli in ways that promote greater conscious control over emotion.

Many people are confused about what exactly mindfulness is. Does it involve emptying the brain of thoughts, inducing relaxation, or going into a trance? It is essential for our well-being to take a few minutes each day to cultivate mental spaciousness and a positive mind-body balance. That is taking time for mindfulness.

Try using these simple, practical mindfulness exercises to empty your mind and find some much-needed stress relief and calm, present awareness amidst the madness of your hectic day.

1. One Minute Breathing

This exercise can be done anywhere at any time, standing up or sitting down. All you have to do is focus on your breath for just one minute. Start by breathing in and out slowly, holding your breath for a count of six once you’ve inhaled. Then breathe out slowly, letting the breath flow effortlessly out back into the atmosphere.

Naturally your mind will try and wander amidst the valleys of its thoughts, but simply notice these thoughts, let them be for what they are and return to watching your breath.

Literally watch your breath with your senses as it enters your body and fills you with life, and then watch it work its way up and out of your body as the energy dissipates into the universe.

2. Mindful Observation

Pick a natural organism within your immediate environment and focus on watching it for a minute or two. This could be a flower or an insect, the clouds or the moon.

Don’t do anything except notice the thing you are looking at. But really notice it. Look at it as if you are seeing it for the first time.

Visually explore veery aspect of this glorious organism of the natural world. Allow yourself to be consumed by its presence and possibilities.

3. Touch Points

This exercise is designed to make us appreciate our lives by slowing the pace down and resting in the moment for a while.

Think of something that happens every day more than once, something you take for granted, like opening a door for example. At the very moment you touch the door knob to open the door, allow yourself to be completely mindful of where you are, how you feel and what you are doing. Similarly, the moment you open your computer to start work, take a moment to appreciate the hands that let you do this, and the brain that will help you use the computer.

The cues don’t have to be physical ones. It could be that every time you think something negative you take a mindful moment to release the negative thought, or it could be that every time you smell food you take a mindful moment to rest in the appreciation of having food to eat.

Choose a touch point that resonates with you today. Instead of going through the motions on auto-pilot, stop and stay in the moment for a while and rest in the awareness of this daily activity.

4. Mindful Listening

This exercise is designed to open your ears to sound in a non-judgmental way. Select a new piece of music from your music collection, something you’ve never heard before but makes you wonder what it might sound like.

Close your eyes and use headphones if you can. Allow yourself to get lost in the journey of sound for the duration of the song. Allow yourself to explore the intricacies of the music. Let your awareness climb inside the track and play among the sound waves.

The idea is to just listen and allow yourself to become fully entwined with what is being played/sung, without preconception or judgment of the genre, artist, lyrics, instrumentation or its origin.

5. Fully Experiencing a Regular Routine

The intention of this exercise is to cultivate contentedness in the moment, rather than finding yourself caught up in that familiar feeling of wanting something to end so that you can get on to doing something else. It might even make you enjoy some of those boring daily chores too!

Take a regular routine that you find yourself “just doing” without really noticing your actions. For example, when cleaning your house, pay attention to every detail of the activity.  Rather than a routine job or chore, create an entirely new experience by noticing every aspect of your actions.  Feel and become the motion of sweeping the floor, notice the muscles you use when scrubbing the dishes, observe the formation of dirt on the windows and see if you can create a more efficient way of removing it.

Mindfulness Exercises That Each Take Less Than 1 Minute

1. Two mindful bites.

Instead of attempting to do mindful eating all the time, try mindful eating for the first two bites of any meal or snack.

For the first two bites of any meal or snack you eat, pay attention to the sensory experiences - the texture, taste, smell, and appearance of the food, and the sounds when you bite into your food.

You don't need to savor per se, you're just paying attention to your sensory experience in an experiential rather than evaluative way. 

2. What one breath feels like.

Instead of formal meditation, try paying attention to what one breath feels like.

Feel the sensations of one breath flowing into and out from your body. Notice the sensations in your nostrils, your shoulders, your rib cage, your belly etc.

3. Take a mindful moment to give your brain a break instead of checking your email.

Instead of checking your email, spend a few seconds watching out the window. Use mindfulness to give your brain a break rather than filling up every tiny space in your day by automatically reaching to check your email.

4. Air on exposed skin.

Pay attention to the feeling of air on your skin for 10-60 seconds. This is best done when wearing short sleeves or with some skin exposed. Maybe just the feel of the air on your bare hand.

5. Scan your body.

Scan your body from top to toe for any sensations of discomfort or tension. Attempt to soften to the sensations of discomfort. Next, scan your body for any sensations of comfort or ease.

6. Do one action mindfully.

Pick an action you do at the same time everyday and plan to do that action mindfully. For example, getting into the car or drinking your coffee.

7. Using mindfulness cues

In this exercise you focus your attention on your breathing whenever a specific environmental cue occurs. For example, whenever you hear the phone ring, you bring your attention into the present moment and stay focused on your breath.

Simply choose a cue that works for you. Perhaps you will choose to become mindful every time you look in the mirror. Perhaps it will be every time your hands touch each other. Perhaps it will be every time you hear a bird.

Mindfulness cues are an excellent mindfulness technique that are designed to snap you out of the unconscious “autopilot” state of mind and bring you back into the present moment.

Mindfulness in Everyday Life

• Bring yourself into the present by deliberately adopting an erect and dignified posture.
• Then ask yourself: "What is going on with me at the moment?"
• You simply allow yourself to observe whatever happens. Label any thoughts that you have and then leave them alone....just be prepared to let them float away. Attend to your breathing or simply take in your surroundings instead.
• Besides thoughts, there may be sounds you hear, bodily sensations that you are aware of. If you find yourself constantly elaborating on thoughts, rather than labelling them and returning to the neutral, remember to observe your breathing.
• When emotions or memories of painful events occur, don’t allow yourself to become caught up by them.  Give them short labels such as “that’s a sad feeling”, “that’s an angry feeling” and then just allow them to drift or float away. These memories and feelings will gradually decrease in intensity and frequency.
• More importantly, you will begin to identify yourself as an objective observer or witness rather than a person who is disturbed by these thoughts and feelings. 

Perfect Self-Management in 52 Weeks – Meditation 101

Perfect Self-Management in 52 Weeks – Meditation 101

So now that I’ve finished my personal „Eat, Pray, Love“, I have a few tips for meditation beginners.

First of all, meditation isn’t necessarily the main street toward bliss. Most people try to meditate and are disappointed.

I like to think of it as a possibility to widen the pauses between mental chatter outbreaks. And what does that do for us? This gives us mental calm which is a beautiful way to reduce stress.

Meditation helps you to grow your own intuitive faculty. It becomes very clear what is going to fulfill you, what is going to help you flower. - Osho

Life can get a little insane at times.  The crazy pace and demands we face on a daily basis often leave us feeling stressed, overworked, tired and even unhappy.  Meditation is a simple, effective and convenient way to calm your busy mind, relax your body, become grounded and find inner peace amidst the chaos of day-to-day life.

Benefits of meditation

If relaxation is not the goal of meditation, it is often one result of it. Back in the 1970s, Herbert Benson, MD, a researcher at Harvard University Medical School, coined the term the relaxation response after conducting research on people who practiced transcendental meditation. The relaxation response, in Benson’s words, is “an opposite, involuntary response that causes a reduction in the activity of the sympathetic nervous system.”

Since then, studies on the relaxation response have documented the following short-term benefits to the nervous system:

• lower blood pressure
• improved blood circulation
• lower heart rate
• less perspiration
• slower respiratory rate
• less anxiety
• lower blood cortisol levels
• more feelings of well-being
• less stress
• deeper relaxation

Contemporary researchers are now exploring whether consistent meditation practice yields long-term benefits, and noting positive effects on brain and immune function among meditators. Yet it is worth repeating that the purpose of meditation is not to achieve benefits. To put it as an Eastern philosopher might say, the goal of meditation is no goal. It is simply to be present.

In Buddhist philosophy, the ultimate benefit of meditation is liberation of the mind from attachment to things it cannot control, such as external circumstances or strong internal emotions. The liberated, or “enlightened,” practitioner no longer needlessly follows desires or clings to experiences, but instead maintains a calmness of mind and sense of inner balance.

In India, I found that sitting in a lotus position for half an hour was a sure ticket to a dead foot! I was more aware of discomfort than able to concentrate on my breathing.

Here is a simple beginner’s guide to meditation:

1. Sit tall

The most common and accessible position for meditation is sitting.  Sit on the floor, in a chair or on a stool.  If you are seated on the floor it is often most comfortable to sit cross-legged on a cushion.  Comfort is key.  Now imagine a thread extending from the top of your head, pulling your back, neck and head straight up towards the ceiling in a straight line.  Sit tall but don’t cramp up. Sitting straight helps you breathe easier and more fully.

I actually sit with my back supported by a couch or wall, cushioned by a pillow. My personal favorite is having my legs stretched out yet sitting on a chair supported by the chair back and legs hanging down works nicely.

2. Relax your body

Close your eyes and scan your body, relaxing each body part one at a time.  Begin with your toes, feet, ankles, shins and continue to move up your entire body.  Relax your shoulders, neck, eyes, face, jaw and tongue which are all common areas for us to hold tension.

3. Be still and silent

Now that you are sitting tall and relaxed, take a moment to be still.  Just sit.  Be aware of your surroundings, your body, the sounds around you.  You don’t need to change or do anything.  Just be aware.

4. Breathe

Turn your attention to your breath.  Breathe silently, yet deeply.  Engage your diaphragm and fill your lungs, but do not force your breath.  Notice how your breath feels in your nose, throat, chest and belly as it flows in and out. I find it helpful to observe how the air flows cool through the nostrils on the inhalation and warmed up on the exhalation. Just observe the air flowing in... and out. Let your body take the lead on this. You don’t need to control anything.

5. Calm your mind

As you focus on your breath, your mind will begin to calm and become present.  This does not mean that thoughts will cease to arise.  As thoughts come to you, simply acknowledge them, set them aside, and return your attention to your breath.  Don’t dwell or embellish on your thoughts.  Some days your mind will be busy and filled with inner chatter, other days it will remain calm and focused.  Neither is good, nor bad. It just is.

There is no correct length of time to practice meditation, however when first beginning it is often easier to sit for shorter periods of time (5 to 10 minutes).  As you become more comfortable with your practice, meditate longer.  Set an alarm if you prefer to sit for a predetermined length of time. 

When you are ready to end your practice, slowing bring your conscious attention back to your surroundings.  Acknowledge your presence in the space around you.  Gently wiggle your fingers and toes.  Begin to move your hands, feet, arms and legs.  Open your eyes.  Move slowly and take your time getting up.

Day 1: Focus meditation

Find a quiet place, maybe even the toilet or an empty conference room at work, and get into a comfortable sitting position. A concentrative meditation technique you can try today involves focusing on a single point.

This could entail watching the breath, repeating a single word (maybe „relax“, „peace“, „love), staring at a candle flame, listening to a repetitive gong or counting beads on a rosary. Since focusing the mind is challenging, a beginner might meditate for only a few minutes. It’s all good. I find focussing on a candle quite pleasant.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfpLea9OurA

In this form of meditation, you simply refocus your awareness on the chosen object of attention each time you notice your mind wandering. Rather than pursuing random thoughts, you simply let them go. Through this process, your ability to concentrate improves.

Enjoy this time for as long as you want or have time for.

Day 2: Mindfulness meditation

Mindfulness meditation technique encourages you to observe wandering thoughts as they drift through the mind. The intention is not to get involved with the thoughts or to judge them, but simply to be aware of each mental note as it arises. Then let them go.

Through mindfulness meditation, you can see how your thoughts and feelings tend to move in particular patterns. Over time, you can become more aware of the human tendency to quickly judge experience as “good” or “bad” (“pleasant” or “unpleasant”). With practice, an inner balance develops.

Day 3: Walking meditation

Walking meditation is a way to practice moving without a goal or intention. Mindful walking simply means walking while being aware of each step and of our breath. It can be practiced anywhere, whether you are alone in nature or with others in a crowded city. You can even practice mindful breathing and walking meditation in between business appointments or in the parking lot of the supermarket.

Walking outside in nature is a joy. Yet even in a busy city we can enjoy mindful walking. Mindful walking allows us to be aware of the pleasure of walking. We can keep our steps slow, relaxed, and calm. There is no rush, no place to get to, no hurry. Mindful walking can release our sorrows and our worries and bring peace into our body and mind.

We can practice walking meditation alone, with another person, or with a group. Placing our footsteps one after the other slowly and in silence, we can create joy with each step.

Day 4: Writing meditation

Talking or writing about your feelings forces you to call them something. And one technique taught in mindfulness meditation is naming your emotions. It’s part of noticing and detaching from those emotions vs. letting them hijack your bliss. It’s about helping you to develop a pause button so you can observe emotions in a detached way.

Two UCLA studies showed “that simply labeling emotion promotes detachment,” says David Creswell, Ph.D., a meditation researcher at the university who joined colleague Matthew D. Lieberman, Ph.D., in heading up the studies.

Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to record brain activity and pinpoint where in the brain it occurs, Lieberman’s team found that assigning names to negative emotions turns down the intensity of activity in the amygdala — an almond-sized sector of the brain that acts like an alarm system: When you witness a car crash, argue with your spouse or get yelled at by your boss, it’s your amygdala’s job to set off a cascade of stress-related reactions.

But if you simply name the distressing event, Lieberman says, you can wield more power over your amygdala’s freak-out. “When you attach the word ‘angry,’” he explains, “you see a decreased response in the amygdala.”

Creswell’s 2007 study supported these findings. His team asked 27 undergraduates to fill out a questionnaire on how “mindful” they were — how inclined they were to pay attention to present emotions, thoughts or sensations. They found a striking difference between the brains of those who called themselves mindful and those who didn’t: Mindful patients showed more activity in the areas that calm down emotional response, known as the prefrontal cortex; and less activation in the amygdala.

Take a few minutes to observe your feelings and emotions at the present moment. Without contemplating the reason for the feelings, just write down what you observe. Keep observing and writing for a few minutes or for as long as you need.

Day 5: breathing

1. Sit or lie comfortably.

2. Close your eyes.

3. Make no effort to control the breath; simply breathe naturally.

4. Focus your attention on the breath and on how the body moves with each inhalation and exhalation. Notice the movement of your body as you breathe. Observe your chest, shoulders, rib cage and belly. Make no effort to control your breath; simply focus your attention. If your mind wanders, simply return your focus back to your breath. Maintain this meditation practice for 2–3 minutes to start, and then try it for longer periods.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzzb3jHhgeU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67SeR3LxtdI

You can do this at work if you use earphones or earbuds.

I have a possibility to measure the oxygen saturation of my blood. Before I did so much yoga and meditation in India, I had about 98% and sometimes less. Now it is up to 99! I never breathed so much in my entire life as I did on my ayurveda trip!!

Now go have a mindful weekend!