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MediMindful Moment: Meet Dr. Romie Mushtaq
In this episode of Cloud9 Online’s MediMindful Moments Podcast, co-hosts Judith Dreyer, Jeff Nelder, and Henry Edinger interview Dr. Romie Mushtaq, MD, ABIHM, Chief Wellness Officer at Evolution Hospitality, and the Founder of BrainSHIFT Protocol. Dr. Romie talks about utilizing mindfulness in the workplace and how the MediMind App has been helpful in training employees in the workforce.
In this episode of Cloud9 Online’s MediMindful Moments Podcast, co-hosts Judith Dreyer, Jeff Nelder, and Henry Edinger interview Dr. Romie Mushtaq, MD, ABIHM, Chief Wellness Officer at Evolution Hospitality, and the Founder of BrainSHIFT Protocol. Dr. Romie talks about utilizing mindfulness in the workplace and how the MediMind App has been helpful in training employees in the workforce.
Listen HERE!
Episode Highlights:
● Judith introduces Dr. Romie Mushtaq. (00:38)
● Romie shares that she’s a traditionally trained neurologist and found her path to mindfulness 10 years ago when her stress manifested as an illness and she had life-saving surgery. (1:08)
● Romie mentions that she’s the founder of the BrainSHIFT Protocol, and mindfulness is a core part of what they do for corporations and global associations. (1:51)
● Romie leads the mindful moment exercise. (3:35)
● Romie shares that skills such as emotional intelligence, being mindful, and emotional regulation were considered soft skills in the workplace. (8:51)
● Romie mentions that the definition of mindfulness in her workplace wellness programs is seen as a brain training program. (9:32)
● Romie mentions that you can't manage your business situation until you train your brain, on how to manage it. (11:38)
● Romie explains what the stress success cycle is all about. (13:59)
● Romie shares that clinical data shows that it takes four to six weeks for the positive changes to start happening, and change in the structure and the function of the brain. (15:57)
● Romie mentions that you can change the way your brain cells are functioning by meditating every day. (16:07)
● Romie shares that guided meditations are helpful, and the MediMind App has a variety of meditations. (16:51)
● Romie shares that leadership and adaptation are the two aspects that she learned from being a chief wellness officer. (19:28)
● Romie mentions that bringing in an app is helpful as a tool, but it takes leaders to help implement that. (21:40)
● Romie explains the 21-day study that they do at Evolution Hospitality. (22:14)
● Romie thinks that what mindfulness has taught us is self-awareness. (28:06)
● Romie mentions that they have a group of 55 technology executives that are finishing up her brain shift protocol, and they use the MediMind app and are doing well. (31:37)
Key Quotes:
● “I went on a journey around the world to learn about mindfulness and integrative medicine. I came back, became certified and now I'm a woman on a mission to transform the brain and mental health in the workplace.” - Dr. Romie Mushtaq
● “Soft skills are actually essential for leaders and for a workforce to feel engaged, happy, and productive in the workplace. And mindfulness is a core component to creating a happy workplace.” - Dr. Romie Mushtaq
● “Mindfulness is that brain training, to say, Hey, I don't want my brain to be hijacked by stress and negativity. I want to be able to be focused, and now be able to control my emotions. And that's why mindfulness is so important in the workplace.” - Dr. Romie Mushtaq
● “When we meditate, something that’s known as the relaxation responses elicited in that airport traffic control center and within about five minutes, boom! That stress response is turned off, your airport traffic control center of the brain is no longer hijacked.” - Dr. Romie Mushtaq
Resources Mentioned:
MediMindful Moment: Meet David Nichtern
In this episode of Cloud9 Online’s MediMindful Moments Podcast, co-hosts Judith Dreyer, Jeff Nelder, and Henry Edinger interview David Nichtern, a senior Buddhist teacher, meditation guide, musician, four-time Emmy winner, two-time Grammy nominee, and the founder of Dharma Moon and 5 Points Records. David talks about the three dimensions of life being fully integrated, what we can learn from Buddhist practices during this time, and how to utilize mindfulness as a tool in our state of mind.
In this episode of Cloud9 Online’s MediMindful Moments Podcast, co-hosts Judith Dreyer, Jeff Nelder, and Henry Edinger interview David Nichtern, a senior Buddhist teacher, meditation guide, musician, four-time Emmy winner, two-time Grammy nominee, and the founder of Dharma Moon and 5 Points Records. David talks about the three dimensions of life being fully integrated, what we can learn from Buddhist practices during this time, and how to utilize mindfulness as a tool in our state of mind.
Listen HERE!
Episode Highlights:
● Judith introduces David Nichtern. (00:39)
● David thinks that his most significant aspect is being eclectic. (1:36)
● David mentions his book that he wrote entitled Creativity, Spirituality, and Making a Buck. (1:47)
● David leads the MediMindful exercise. (4:24)
● David mentions that if you go to a pure view of the phenomenon, everything is unprecedented. (16:20)
● David shares that from a Buddhist point of view, it’s a great time to practice. Because what was always true is now obvious. (16:35)
● David shares that mindfulness is the best tool for our state of mind, and it enables us to perceive grounded information and the truth of the situation. (18:51)
● David mentions that impermanence is considered to be one of three vital descriptions of life as it is. (21:41)
● David mentions that there are three marks of existence, and only one is impermanence. (24:10)
● David feels that the contemplative element is significant at this moment. (26:51)
● David shares that Sister Pema Chödrön is an excellent meditation teacher and she has a book entitled Start Where You Are. (29:24)
● David thinks that everyone needs some time to play, and creative solutions come out of a sense of less tension, more openness, more sense of play. (32:53)
● David mentions that in some very advanced Buddhist traditions, they say that noticing, recognizing, and remembering is the main practice. (38:02)
Key Quotes:
● “Expressing yourself creatively and relating skillfully to everyday life and livelihood and things like that have equal weight. So, you can see as you travel through different communities that sometimes, one is weighted more than the other significantly.” - David Nichtern
● “Impermanence just simply means that there's a fundamental dimension of reality in which that's just simply true. The condition part of reality it's simply true, you can observe it if it's given as a contemplation to us, everybody should just think about it for five minutes.” - David Nichtern
● “As a meditator, just start where you are, you sat down, you took your seat in the middle of a thunderstorm, in the middle of chaos, in the middle of a prison camp, if that's where you are, just tune in to your body, speech, mind, and work with it from there.” - David Nichtern
● “Everybody in the entertainment industry knows you're only as good as your last movie, and that's true of meditators. There's no accumulation pot for your experience, it's fresh every time, and people who are going to tune their mind to that freshness, then there's a certain kind of sense of creativity and facing adversity.” - David Nichtern
Resources Mentioned:
Research Ties Mindfulness to Physical Health
The expanding body of research about the impact of mindfulness on physical health and well-being spans a range of topics as diverse as you might imagine. From oncology departments to sports teams, the benefits of learning how to hold potential stressors in gentle awareness are being applied, and studies are tying daily mindfulness and meditation to physical health.
by Judith Dreyer, MS, BSN
The expanding body of research about the impact of mindfulness on physical health and well-being spans a range of topics as diverse as you might imagine. From oncology departments to sports teams, the benefits of learning how to hold potential stressors in gentle awareness are being applied, and studies are tying daily mindfulness and meditation to physical health.
In a study sponsored by the Canadian Breast Cancer Research alliance and the British Columbia Cancer Agency, researchers, “conducted a randomized, controlled trial comparing two evidence-supported programs, Mindfulness-Based Cancer Recovery (MBCR) and supportive expressive group therapy (SET), in reducing stress and improving the quality of life of distressed breast cancer survivors." Both groups showed positive results. However, the MBCR group showed improvement at a greater rate and with effects that lasted nearly a year.
Also, we see studies about the application of mindfulness among athletes. Young soccer players placed in either a mindfulness-based program (MG) or against a control group (CG) showed: "Number of injuries, an average of injuries per team, and days lost to injury in the MG were significantly lower than in the CG.”
Many studies have looked at meditation’s (an example of one type of mindful practice) positive effect on overall well-being by looking at physical health and well-being through various parameters such as pain, high blood pressure, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, sports performance, Multiple Sclerosis, and more.
Most of us accept our body's state of physical health. That does not mean we are free of disease or have a health issue. Some could be minor, like a cut or a bruise, or more serious, like diabetes or cancer.
Mindfulness means we pay attention to our body, tune into ourselves within the noise of the moment. The pandemic forced us to make changes overnight. More of us work from home. Have you given a thought to the routines that had to change? What new habits are you trying to cultivate?
1. Some of us are adding more movement: planning walks, biking, taking a yoga class. Have you tried mindful walking?
2. We can also be mindfully eating: how are we nourishing our bodies?
3. Connecting with others: how are we getting together?
4. Connecting with self: "Being" with self in the moment. We know that what we think affects our biology. If our body is in some pain, it affects how we feel.
We suggest that adding a mindful moment to your routine will be positive. We are an interconnected human being; all systems are interdependent on one another. Our western traditions rely on science, as mentioned above, to understand our state of health and well-being. Eastern traditions start with going within, using meditation or mindfulness practices to quiet the mind.
"Putting your well-being first - like putting your oxygen mask on before you help the person next to you - that really benefits all your relationships." ~ Gabrielle Bernstein
MediMindful Moment: Meet Chris Salem
In this episode of Cloud9 Online’s MediMindful Moments Podcast, co-hosts Judith Dreyer, Jeff Nelder, and Henry Edinger interview Chris Salem, Executive Coach, Keynote Speaker, and CEO at EFA Movement. Chris talks about the fine line between kindness and compassion. He also shares how mindfulness plays a significant role in building a core foundation.
In this episode of Cloud9 Online’s MediMindful Moments Podcast, co-hosts Judith Dreyer, Jeff Nelder, and Henry Edinger interview Chris Salem, Executive Coach, Keynote Speaker, and CEO at EFA Movement. Chris talks about the fine line between kindness and compassion. He also shares how mindfulness plays a significant role in building a core foundation.
Listen HERE!
Episode Highlights:
● Judith introduces Chris Salem. (00:44)
● Chris shares that he’s working with executives to help build and scale their businesses and their brands by teaching them how to become trusted advisors in their business. (1:16)
● Chris mentions his international best-selling book titled, Master Your Inner Critic: Resolve the Root Cause Create Prosperity. (1:31)
● Chris shares that finding the harmony between work and life can be difficult. (7:36)
● Chris mentions that mindfulness plays a significant role in building the core of that foundation. (8:10)
● Chris shares that a lot of times, people will experience frustration and stress because they tend to focus more on the elements that play into their weaknesses or on the things that they can't control versus the things they can. (8:59)
● Chris mentions the two habits that he always recommends for everyone which are meditation and journaling, daily. (10:46)
● Chris mentions that he’s a big believer that mindfulness is the core nucleus of everything. (15:50)
● Chris shares that mindfulness leads to clarity and clarity leads to the ability to make, calculated risks, learn from mistakes, make better decisions, and take action. (18:03)
● Chris mentions that in reality, multitasking is counterproductive and, oftentimes, it doesn't lead to sustainable results. (22:42)
● Chris shares his advice with everyone is to control what you can and let go of what you can't. (28:25)
Key Quotes:
● “I'm a firm believer that any sustainable results that you seek in your life, in business, overall, start with the foundation, and it’s a process that when you go through the trials and tribulations of life and business, you approach it in a way that you could see the blessings and opportunities disguised and what you become as part of that process.” - Chris Salem
● “To break these cycles, we as people have got to take responsibility for our own lives, our actions, our roles, and duties. We can't assume and speculate somebody is going to help us do that. We’ve got to take that responsibility. That's where change takes place.” - Chris Salem
● “If we commit to it, controlling what we can do our part, and empowering people to do the same for themselves, we can come together interdependently over time, to be more productive, more efficient, more functional in terms of what we do, and why what we do to create a better environment around us.” - Chris Salem
Resources Mentioned:
MediMindful Moment: Meet Sixcia Devine
In this episode of Cloud9 Online’s MediMindful Moments Podcast, co-hosts Judith Dreyer, Jeff Nelder, and Henry Edinger interview Sixcia Devine, Founder and Creative Director of Caritas Smile. Sixcia talks about the program they launched called Caritas Smile and shares her three mindfulness tips.
In this episode of Cloud9 Online’s MediMindful Moments Podcast, co-hosts Judith Dreyer, Jeff Nelder, and Henry Edinger interview Sixcia Devine, Founder and Creative Director of Caritas Smile. Sixcia talks about the program they launched called Caritas Smile and shares her three mindfulness tips.
Listen HERE!
Episode Highlights:
● Judith introduces Sixcia Devine. (00:37)
● Sixcia shares that what they do at Caritas Smile is they bring volunteers from all over the United States, travel to developing countries, and connect the volunteers on the ground with real service-learning opportunities. (1:25)
● Sixcia mentions that Caritas Smile doesn’t only transform the lives of the volunteers, but it certainly transforms the lives of the communities they serve. (1:55)
● Sixcia leads the mindful moment exercise. (4:53)
● Sixcia thinks that the simple process of putting yourself in a position where you're able to alleviate somebody's pain and create vibrational love takes us out of the elements that we’re used to. (10:25)
● Sixcia shares that the majority of their volunteers are from the United States. (10:49)
● Sixcia mentions that the opportunities where you can put yourself in a position where you can help others, take you out of your own inner struggles. (12:31)
● Sixcia shares that their program is typically a week-long, and they always include some kind of mindfulness meditation and yoga. (16:12)
● Sixcia mentions their centering affirmation, “Today I let go of the endless need to understand everything and choose to love and embrace myself and humanity.”. (17:25)
● Sixcia’s first mindfulness tip is to use music as a healing technique and as a mindful technique. (23:21)
● Sixcia’s second mindfulness tip is to listen with compassion and courage to everything that's happening in the world. (24:25)
● Sixcia’s third mindfulness tip is breathing, feeling, and following your breath. (25:34)
Key Quotes:
● “There's a lot of work for us to do, but our program is 100% volunteer-based and it is truly an opportunity for people to become connected with nature, with humanity, and the purpose of our existence.” - Sixcia Devine
● “At times, there are certain words that elicit an emotional response. So to your point, there are very powerful words, like embracing love and humanity, and we can hear it once and the feeling might come to us. But if we hear it three times, then the ability to connect that word, that content with feeling is stronger.” - Sixcia Devine
● “When you start to see the real struggles or other struggles of other people that might be fighting poverty, that might be fighting hunger injustice, and if you extend that helping hand like, I think it changes the way you perceive life and your whole purpose in life. And I think that also helps to clarify your life's mission.” - Sixcia Devine
Resources Mentioned:
MediMindful Moment: Meet Dr. Leesa Sklover
In this episode of Cloud 9 Online’s MediMindful Moment podcast, co-hosts Judith Dreyer, Jeff Nelder, and Henry Edinger interview Leesa Sklover, Ph.D., LPC, MA-CMT, CRC, IKYTA, C-IAYT, ACA, the Director of Sklover LoveLife Productions. Leesa talks about integrating the use of meditation, music, and creative therapies and the significance of vibration in words and music.
In this episode of Cloud9 Online’s MediMindful Moments podcast, co-hosts Judith Dreyer, Jeff Nelder, and Henry Edinger interview Leesa Sklover, Ph.D., LPC, MA-CMT, CRC, IKYTA, C-IAYT, ACA, the Director of Sklover LoveLife Productions. Leesa talks about integrating the use of meditation, music, and creative therapies and the significance of vibration in words and music.
Listen HERE!
Episode Highlights:
● Judith introduces Dr. Leesa Sklover. (00:40)
● Leesa shares that she started her career as a musician and a professional singer-songwriter. (1:16)
● Leesa mentions that most of what she’s doing incorporates the use of meditation, music, and healing through all of the creative therapies. (1:26)
● Leesa leads the mindful moment exercise. (4:10)
● Leesa shares that her music genre is country pop-rock. (9:41)
● Leesa mentions her new single entitled, Throw My Arms All Around You. (9:49)
● Leesa shares that the majority part of our brain is musical rather than verbal, and from her perspective, meditating using sound is the key. (10:05)
● What would Leesa suggest to someone that’s new to meditation? (11:37)
● Leesa shares that she usually gives people a certain kind of meditation, for every session that she does for psychotherapy. (11:44)
● Leesa mentions that vibration is a huge element in creating your own mantra. (12:54)
● Leesa thinks that mindfulness is grounding, and meditation or other types of integrated therapies helps you to open yourself. (13:30)
● How can people carry exercises with them throughout the day, so they can practice mindfulness? (19:40)
● Leesa thinks that meditation is an opportunity to think through what’s bothering you, and to process it, and to figure out what you should do about it. (25:00)
● From a music therapy perspective, Leesa thinks that everything is about the archetype of the heartbeat. Therefore, the whole world is set to the tempo. (25:13)
● Leesa mentions her podcast series entitled, See Me As I Am. (29:13)
Key Quotes:
● “Just think of the idea that at this moment in time, we need to bless ourselves, and bless every single person and being that we see.” - Dr. Leesa Sklover
● “Imagine yourself just singing this in your mind anywhere you are, anywhere you go. Imagine sending that circle to yourself and to those you care about, and to the things in nature that you care about. Just connecting those anchor cords everywhere you go and slowly feel your feet on the floor, feel yourself in the room, and slowly open your eyes.” - Dr. Leesa Sklover
● “Making sure you have the dusk and dawn ritual in your life and making sure that you keep that mindfulness allows people to slow down, and some people who are having a really difficult time, they've had to learn how to be mindful.” - Dr. Leesa Sklover
● “Think about those words, remember, remind. I'm reminding myself, like Humpty Dumpty fell, you had to build them back up, you have to remind yourself all the time to bring yourself back into the moment that you're in.” - Dr. Leesa Sklover
● “Slow yourself down and really breathe too and receive from what's around you and use mantra and chant as part of your mindfulness practice.” - Dr. Leesa Sklover
Resources Mentioned:
A Very Short History of Studying Mindfulness in Healthcare
In 1979, John Cabot-Zinn began a program called Mindfulness-Based Stress -Reduction (MBSR) that combined simple yoga postures with meditation. He sought to offer an alternative approach to pain relief. There were no studies back then. Today books upon books abound on the subject. In fact, in 2017, “in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, Australian researchers reviewed findings from 45 studies. They concluded that MBSR is associated with lower levels of stress-related hormone cortisol.” These conclusions play a huge role in opening doors to chronic diseases, fatigue, lower work performance, and more. Factor in today’s uncertainties, political, and social unrest, and here does that leave our emotional, physical, and mental wellbeing?
by Judith Dreyer, MS, BSN
In 1979, Jon Kabat-Zinn began a program called Mindfulness-Based Stress -Reduction (MBSR) that combined simple yoga postures with meditation. He sought to offer an alternative approach to pain relief. There were no studies back then. Today books upon books abound on the subject. In fact, in 2017, “in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, Australian researchers reviewed findings from 45 studies. They concluded that MBSR is associated with lower levels of stress-related hormone cortisol.” These conclusions play a huge role in opening doors to chronic diseases, fatigue, lower work performance, and more. Factor in today’s uncertainties, political, and social unrest, and where does that leave our emotional, physical, and mental wellbeing?
Whether one is under stress or has high blood pressure, dealing with cancer or opioid addiction, programs and studies exist today that measure the results mindfulness bring to our wellbeing. Hospitals, clinics, and private practices are useful settings to conduct investigations, and that is happening all over our country.
Mindfulness research has grown rapidly, and driven a broad wave of adoption. According to the American Mindfulness Research Association, there were 1203 studies performed in 2019 alone. “Aetna, one of the world’s largest health insurers, now has a chief mindfulness officer; mindfulness is taught in grade schools, high schools, and colleges; and now UMass has become the first university whose medical division contains a Division of Mindfulness.” (https://www.mindful.org/the-medicine-of-the-moment/)
Mindfulness research is not only driving adoption, it is showing that these practices create positive changes in the brain due to neuroplasticity. Mindfulness “increases cognitive flexibility, allowing people to see stressful situations from different perspectives. “
Within just a few breaths, mindfulness can take us off autopilot, and return us to the current moment. In those “now” moments when we focus on the in-breath and the out-breath, we change our biochemistry. Although mindfulness is not a cure-all, it supports our body’s rest-and-digest functionality as it gives us the ability to pause and notice our world a bit differently over time.
The trend in research has been so positive that leading medical institutions now dedicate resources, and even whole divisions to further the study and application of mindfulness towards our wellbeing.
Jon Kabat-Zinn started in a basement, offering classes when mindfulness practices were not understood. Today we have institutions and healthcare professionals across the country, and the world, committed to understanding mindfulness for our society’s overall wellbeing. This is why you can read about a major insurance company with a mindfulness officer, or research studies using the MBSR model into how mindfulness helps humanity for issues as diverse as alleviating anxiety, all the way to improving work performance. Thanks Mr. Kabat-Zinn!
MediMindful Moment: Meet Javier Colon - Winner of The Voice (Season One)
Music touches us, moves us, soothes us, stimulates us in so many ways. How does music move you?
In this episode of Cloud 9 Online’s MediMindful Moment podcast, co-hosts Judith Dreyer, Jeff Nelder, and Henry Edinger interview Javier Colon, an American singer-songwriter and musician and winner of Season 1 of The Voice. Javier talks about his creation experience, meditation, and songwriting process. Javier also discusses how different styles of music help people express their emotions.
Music touches us, moves us, soothes us, stimulates us in so many ways. How does music move you?
In this episode of Cloud9 Online’s MediMindful Moments podcast, co-hosts Judith Dreyer, Jeff Nelder, and Henry Edinger interview Javier Colon, an American singer-songwriter and musician and winner of Season 1 of The Voice. Javier talks about his creation experience, meditation, and songwriting process. Javier also discusses how different styles of music help people express their emotions.
Listen HERE!
Episode Highlights:
Henry introduces the guest, Javier Colon. (0:40)
Javier shares his background story. (0:58)
Javier mentions that he was a bit shy as he came up, but ended up winning the first season of The Voice. (1:39)
Judith says that every person has the ability to become mindful in the current moment, and all it takes is the ability to focus on our breath. (2:50)
Jeff shares that this show is dedicated to helping not only the audience but each of them recording this podcast to share more mindful moments together. (3:29)
How does Javier feel when singing out his mantra? (7:00)
Aside from winning, what was Javier’s unforgettable moment about being on The Voice? (9:36)
Javier shares that he sang Time After Time at the audition, and got all four coaches turned around. (10:11)
Javier shares that he was able to sing with Stevie Nicks on the final day of The Voice. (11:54)
Javier talks about his kids who meditate. (12:30)
What is Javier’s favorite song that he has written? (15:39)
Javier shares that he meditates every time he jumps into a song. (19:31)
Jeff says that meditation is all about becoming present and increasing your awareness. (21:24)
Javier talks about the experience of creating, and how it brings him into the moment. (22:22)
Javier shares that he loves the writing process. (26:21)
Javier mentions that he was a vegetarian for 18 years. (30:00)
What advice would Javier give to the listeners? (33:06)
Does Javier sing in the shower? (39:21)
Judith says that Javier is a great example of embracing the creative moment. (40:05)
Judith mentions that the MediMind Guided Meditation App is available on all devices, and it is free for 90 days. (41:30)
Key Quotes:
“Honestly, singing mantras…just brings me to this place of calm that I don’t feel in any other thing that I sing. It brings me just a sense of peace, a sense of fluidity if that makes sense. I don’t feel any restrictions on my body, on my voice. I just feel very free.” – Javier Colon
“I love the writing process. One of my favorite parts of my job is getting to go in and create something out of nothing, something that did not exist before.” – Javier Colon
“When I’m not having the greatest day, sometimes I put on a certain kind of music that will either make me feel happy…that is kind of putting yourself in a mindful place.” – Javier Colon
Patience: Slow and Steady
Being patient with oneself is often easier said than done. For example, the thoughts generated by our minds may seem to be repetitious and endless. We experience thoughts that cycle over the same thing again and again. It feels like we are facing off against a daunting opponent. However, if we recognize these thoughts through mindful awareness and assume a posture of presence in the moment, we can shift, decrease our attachment to those thoughts, as well as our endless the cycling and recycling of them. Through mindful awareness practices, our “noble” opponent becomes an opportunity.
by Judith Dreyer, MS, BSN
Being patient with oneself is often easier said than done. For example, the thoughts generated by our minds may seem to be repetitious and endless. We experience thoughts that cycle over the same thing again and again. It feels like we are facing off against a daunting opponent. However, if we recognize these thoughts through mindful awareness and assume a posture of presence in the moment, we can shift, decrease our attachment to those thoughts, as well as our endless cycling and recycling of them. Through mindful awareness practices, our “noble” opponent becomes an opportunity.
How do we turn our noble opponent described above into an opportunity? What do we need to do to create a favorable outcome? By quieting the mind, which helps decrease resistance (and consequently increasing acceptance) through mindfulness practices, we generate a sense of calm that slowly, with consistent practice, increases our awareness and somehow gets us off auto-pilot.
Patience is key. Cultivating patience contains the potential for releasing expectations, allowing us to be in the flow of any situation. Patience viewed this way is dynamic because we are acknowledging that life is impermanent.
Why is impermanence crucial to an understanding of the nature of human life and mindful practices?? Look at nature. Seeds become plants, create flowers and fruits, then wither and die and leave seeds to be born again. Some seeds blossom and thrive - but some seeds remain hidden for years before the light reaches them. Nature operates on a system of life and death, birth and aging, growth and decline, embodying impermanence. Look at the land after a hurricane or a tornado. Our suffering comes from placing an expectation for our life to remain unchanged. We cling to an expectation of being safe from tragedy, free of illness. Yet no matter how much we plan and hope, life continues to bring in the unexpected.
Today we face unprecedented demands on our patience, time, and energy reserves that a few short months ago, we would have dismissed as folly. A global pandemic seemed impossible, yet here we are.
Businesses are closing, and those that are open are shifting perspectives, creating different formats, whether folks like it or not.
Families work, school, and play together in a constrained personal space while being separated from extended family.
Consider the persistent social and economic crises. It may seem like the world is turning upside down, over, and over again. All of this affects how we feel, what we think, and how we treat each other and ourselves. At times the influx of information to digest today is overwhelming.
Patience and mindfulness practice help us deal with that uncertainty and the knowing that nothing is permanent. Our intent is not to conquer our thoughts but rather to be aware of them.
David Nichtern, in Awakening from the Daydream, suggests: “ a much more potent approach is to take the attitude that whatever arises in our minds is manageable and we do not have to try to conquer it with an aggressive and goal-oriented approach.”
Our society trains us to be very goal oriented. We can use this to our benefit by adding in a mindful moment, which is an easy way to incorporate balance into our daily patterns. Simply pausing and focusing on our breath really makes a difference, defusing the refrain of “I gotta do, gotta be.”
Adding in a more contemplative exercise such as meditation or prayer allows the unknowable to peek in, adding a dimension of peace to the numerous possibilities we face daily. Maybe we don’t feel the peace immediately, maybe even not the first time or two, but with practice, we become more sensitive to our thoughts. Slowly, we develop the ability to live without getting carried away by our thoughts. Adding in patience and kindness towards ourselves yields positive, foundational change.
Here at Cloud9 Online: www:c9ohealth.com, we suggest that yes, we can create more inner calm as we live with and live through these changes. We offer a meditation app, MediMind, for free for a limited time that includes music. This App is easy to find and use on all devices, allows you to have mindful practice in your daily life.
In the meantime: Slow and steady cultivates more kindness towards self and a sense of peacefulness. When we feel patient and calm, we offer that to the world around us. Patience grows the capacity to endure what is complicated or disagreeable without complaining, or at the very least, with more tolerance.
Remember: Breathe in. . .breathe out… It’s that easy.
Citations: David Nichtern, in Awakening from the Daydream