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Mindfulness and Negative Self-Talk: What Are We Thinking?
Several studies use a mindful self-care and resiliency (MSCR) program to evaluate mindful practices' effectiveness and look at negative self-talk among health care professionals. Burnout and compassion fatigue are real issues in our medical professions, especially during this pandemic time. At an acute care hospital in Australia, researchers reported, "… participants gained more awareness of their thought patterns in stressful situations, thus providing them with the ability to circumvent rising negative self-talk and consciously adopt a more positive perspective on the situation."
by Judith Dreyer, MS, BSN
Several studies use a mindful self-care and resiliency (MSCR) program to evaluate mindful practices' effectiveness and look at negative self-talk among health care professionals. Burnout and compassion fatigue are real issues in our medical professions, especially during this pandemic time. At an acute care hospital in Australia, researchers reported, "… participants gained more awareness of their thought patterns in stressful situations, thus providing them with the ability to circumvent rising negative self-talk and consciously adopt a more positive perspective on the situation."
Alison Ledgerwood, a social psychologist and TED talk speaker conducted a study at the University of California to evaluate which thoughts are stronger: positive or negative ones. She used the concept of half-empty or half-full in her experiment. She discovered that it's harder to shift from bad to good with our thoughts. Doing so requires disciplined effort due to what is known as our negativity bias.
How many thoughts do we experience per day? Dr. Poppenk, Canada Research Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience at Queen's University, and his team of researchers discovered a brain-based marker for new thoughts. They estimate that the "average person has about 6,200 thoughts per day".
Self-talk is something we are aware of in our everyday life. Thoughts can be positive or negative, and some days I know I wish mine would just be quiet. Six thousand two hundred thoughts seem incomprehensible.
"Negative self-talk is any inner dialogue you have with yourself that may be limiting your ability to believe in yourself and your abilities and to reach your potential. It is any thought that diminishes your ability to make positive changes in your life or your confidence in yourself to do so. Negative self-talk can not only be stressful, but it can stunt your success." Most of the time, the inner critic's voice is not an accurate marker of your successes, your intelligence, or character.
However, we have thoughts that are here to protect us. For example: don't jump off that bridge. Then there's emotional self-talk that usually has no basis in fact. Once we understand that both will always be there, then we can learn to manage the negative and reframe the ideas into more positive ones. Does it happen overnight? Mindfulness techniques, when applied consistently, do make a difference.
What can we do to manage these negative thoughts?
1. Pay attention to your thoughts in the present moment. Simply pause.
2. Meditation practices help you listen a little more deeply. Negative self-talk can be a blanket covering up deeper hurts, negative patterns. It can also be a distraction from what you are feeling. Negative thoughts can be a treasure in that these types of thoughts can highlight an issue, a problem.
3. Be kind to yourself. Within our 6,200 thoughts, some are negative. Kindness and gentle awareness, compassion for self open the door to acknowledging them and softening them.
4. Change negativity to neutrality: For example, "I hate" becomes "I find this challenging."
There are many mindfulness techniques to use.
Pause and focus on your breath.
When a thought arises, acknowledge it and refocus on your breathing.
Then resume your day.
"Mindfulness is like that—it is the miracle which can call back in a flash our dispersed mind and restore it to wholeness so that we can live each minute of life."
— Thich Nhat Hanh
MediMindful Moment: Meet Bradford Tilden
In this episode of Cloud9 Online’s MediMindful Moments Podcast, co-hosts Judith Dreyer, Jeff Nelder, and Henry Edinger interview Bradford Tilden, classically trained composer, pianist, and crystal-sound healer at Crystal Music Healing. Bradford talks about the abilities of crystal healing and how music is utilized as a tool in helping people become mindful.
In this episode of Cloud9 Online’s MediMindful Moments Podcast, co-hosts Judith Dreyer, Jeff Nelder, and Henry Edinger interview Bradford Tilden, classically trained composer, pianist, and crystal-sound healer at Crystal Music Healing. Bradford talks about the abilities of crystal healing and how music is utilized as a tool in helping people become mindful.
Listen HERE!
Episode Highlights:
● Judith introduces Bradford Tilden. (00:39)
● Bradford mentions that he’s working a lot in raising consciousness, expanding people's awareness, and empowerment. (1:36)
● Bradford leads the mindful moment exercise. (4:03)
● Bradford thinks that his favorite modality that’s fun to play with is crystal healing. Because crystals are conscious beings and crystals have a lot of information. (11:12)
● Bradford mentions that crystal healing has a lot of potential for charging, raising your vibration, loosening up, clearing negative energy, and expanding your consciousness. (11:28)
● Bradford shares that engaging with the power of your voice is the most profound transformation that he’s been able to create. (12:39)
● Bradford shares that sound has a significant force or energy expression, it can both create and destroy. (15:08)
● Bradford mentions that music is a very powerful tool to help people become mindful or to move on from difficult times or to release emotions. (17:57)
● Bradford shares that he’s currently working on the language of reality being understood as a quantum holographic model, where the attention of the concert, the focus of consciousness is what creates reality. (21:03)
● Bradford mentions that the quality of sound is one of the pure essences of lifeforce in a sense. (25:58)
● Bradford mentions that the breath is the gateway to your higher consciousness. (27:48 )
● Bradford shares that the Amethyst crystal is significant because it’s the universal healing stone. (32:47)
Key Quotes:
● “I always love to inspire people whenever I get the opportunity to teach people. I love seeing that flash of awakening in their eyes and it's just a very wonderful world that I'm envisioning for all of us. And I work a lot with raising consciousness, as a whole of humanity along with Mother Earth.” - Bradford Tilden
● “Meditation takes you out of the 3D, and crystals are multidimensional beings when you feel their energy that's taking you out of the 3D. And I think that's where we're all headed. Mindfulness and being in the present moment ironically takes you out of the 3D because you become so much more aware of everything else beyond the physical.” - Bradford Tilden
● “The sound is just everywhere. You know, just because you can't hear it doesn't mean it's not producing a sort of vibration or frequency. And when you find the right frequency, you can work with it therapeutically, and your music soothes the savage beast and music helps to unlock emotions, and brings back memories.” - Bradford Tilden
● “I believe that when you're enlightened, you're able to maintain that state of centered connectedness, groundedness at all times. But as humans, we oscillate and we're looking for tools to bring us back into that state, to maybe stay in that state a little bit longer, or to have our fundamental vibration within ourselves, rise a notch and be just that little bit higher and stronger.” - Bradford Tilden
● “Just acknowledge within yourself, that you are a being of love and light, that your intentions are pure, loving, and all that you do. And once you get to that mindfulness moment, just say I am a being of love and light and know that you're here now and the best thing that you can do to help with all that noise is to stay positive, have a strong vibration, and share that positivity.” - Bradford Tilden
Resources Mentioned:
Studies Show Mindful Eating Helps with Eating Issues
Mindfulness research and eating studies are relatively new, yet the conclusions are promising, especially for eating disorders such as, “binge eating, emotional eating, and eating in response to external cues… Mindfulness-based approaches may prevent weight gain.” They suggest that mindfulness practices appear to work by increased awareness of the internal cues, not the external ones for eating.
by Judith Dreyer, MS, BSN
Mindfulness research and eating studies are relatively new, yet the conclusions are promising, especially for eating disorders such as, “binge eating, emotional eating, and eating in response to external cues… Mindfulness-based approaches may prevent weight gain.” They suggest that mindfulness practices appear to work by increased awareness of the internal cues, not the external ones for eating.
Harvard’s School of Public Health reviewed 69 intervention studies that show that slowing down the pace of a meal, recognizing our feelings of fullness, and exerting greater control over our food choices all improved eating behaviors.
Studies using the MB -EAT, Mindfulness-Based Eating Awareness Training show decreased binge eating, and further trials showed weight loss within this same population. MB-EAT adapted for Diabetes patients showed improvements in glycemic control, significant weight loss, and decreases in choices for trans-fat and sugar consumption.
Today, many folks work from home. Schools offer online learning, where students and their families can choose to stay home. Holidays are here, and many celebrations will be virtual or within the immediate household. Today restaurants offer more take-out services as they were mandated to restrict the capacity for in-house dining. Some of us are not comfortable eating out with the pandemic. Or our frequency of dining out shifted.
Today we face new stresses that affect us locally and globally. While mindful eating studies are happening today, some are looking at the effects of mindless eating.
Mindful eating practices include:
1. Mealtime can offer a pause from all our daily activities. Consider taking a moment with your next meal to focus on the food.
2. Enjoy the meal prep; involve all your senses with the preparation. If you do not cook, then stop a second or two and enjoy the aromas of the meal before you.
3. When we choose the foods we enjoy, there is a delight factor. Use this sense of deliciousness to bring you into the moment.
4. Take your time. In the nutrition world, we recommend chewing each bite 20 times. It takes about 20 minutes for our brains to signal that we are sated. We forget that digestion begins in our mouth and includes the brain. It takes a bit of practice if you are used to multitasking while eating or tend to gulp down food without paying attention to the eating of it. How many of us watch a show, get caught up on the news during mealtime? This pandemic is an opportunity to press a reset button and adopt mindful awareness with all activities of daily life, including mindful eating.
5. Food is emotional. We have favorites and dislikes that can evoke an emotional response. Be aware of how you are responding to the food you are eating.
6. We must eat and drink fluids every day. Our health depends on it. When we eat with gentle awareness, we provide more ease to our digestion.
7. Lastly, eat with gratitude. Remember, you probably did not grow the food you are eating. Maybe you did not prepare it. Our food industry is complicated. Today many hands grow, harvest, package, deliver, and serve foods to us. Who are they? Folks like you and I who contribute to our food systems. Mindfulness, in general, and with eating, connect us to something greater in the moment.
Thich Nhat Hanh from his book How to Eat:
“When we can slow down and really enjoy our food, our life takes on a much deeper quality. When I eat in this way, not only am I physically nourished, I am also spiritually nourished.”
Today we leave you with a gentle reminder to eat with gentle awareness. Start with one bite.
It’s that simple.
MediMindful Moment: Meet Sara Daves
In this episode of Cloud9 Online’s MediMindful Moments Podcast, co-hosts Judith Dreyer, Jeff Nelder, and Henry Edinger interview Sara Daves, Intuitive Purpose Coach, and Conflict Strategist. Sara talks about how she helps people discover their true purpose in life and how the conflict resolution circle helps in understanding ourselves.
In this episode of Cloud9 Online’s MediMindful Moments Podcast, co-hosts Judith Dreyer, Jeff Nelder, and Henry Edinger interview Sara Daves, Intuitive Purpose Coach, and Conflict Strategist. Sara talks about how she helps people discover their true purpose in life and how the conflict resolution circle helps in understanding ourselves.
Listen HERE!
Episode Highlights:
● Judith introduces Sara Daves. (00:41)
● Sara shares that when she’s talking about purpose, it’s about natural talents, gifts, and abilities that we are all born with. (1:32)
● Jeff proceeds with the mindful moment exercise. (3:55)
● Sara mentions that she has an online coaching program for women or those who lead with their feminine energy to learn how to manifest, and she’s doing conflict resolution as well. (7:25)
● Sara shares that the conflict is a gift and it serves as the bridge between separation and connection. (11:24)
● Sara mentions that the tool she offers is called a conflict resolution circle. (12:56)
● Sara shares that if you have a conflict that is occurring, there are ways to handle that, and she teaches the process of the unit of the circle to everyone. (13:44)
● Sara shares that mindfulness is about being aware of what's going on around you, and practicing mindfulness with yourself, which means that you are growing your self-awareness. (16:08)
● Sara mentions that the more we learn about ourselves, the less we judge ourselves. (17:11)
● Sara shares a story about purpose and conflict resolution. (19:27)
● Sara mentions that everyone's different and everyone has their own way of being in service to the world. (21:50)
● Sara shares that the more that you're in a state of joy, the more you will uplift others. (35:47)
Key Quotes:
● “I think of this as a big pie, and it's cut into seven and a half billion pieces. So everyone is like one of those slices of this beautiful, delicious pie. And there is a different perspective for every slice. So we're never looking at the world in the same way, and we're never moving through the world in the same way, and we all have something very special to give in service to each other.” - Sara Daves
● “My purpose is to anchor the consciousness of oneness here on the planet, or help do that in my very small way because we do need to come into this understanding of our connection, and have that concept. And really getting to know yourself is a perfect way to do that. It's a perfect way to begin.” - Sara Daves
● “You don't have to wait for something horrible to happen to you, you can choose to get on the front end of that and learn about yourself and decide to do something different. Because the longer we tolerate that, the more of a blow-up it's going to be, later.” - Sara Daves
Resources Mentioned:
Web-Based Mindfulness Results in Significant Improvement in Depression
In a recent randomized clinical trial published in JAMA and conducted in primary care and behavioral health clinics at Kaiser Permanente Colorado, Denver, from among “460 participants with residual depressive symptoms, those who received an online version of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in addition to usual care had greater reductions in depressive and anxiety symptoms, higher rates of remission, and higher levels of quality of life compared with participants who received usual care only.”
by Judith Dreyer, MS, BSN
In a recent randomized clinical trial published in JAMA and conducted in primary care and behavioral health clinics at Kaiser Permanente Colorado, Denver, from among “460 participants with residual depressive symptoms, those who received an online version of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in addition to usual care had greater reductions in depressive and anxiety symptoms, higher rates of remission, and higher levels of quality of life compared with participants who received usual care only.” People living with residual depressive symptoms face gaps in access to in-person care because of costs and a lack of options available outside of major cities. One of the most important implications of this study was that web-based mindfulness interventions have the potential to scale access to those who face gaps, as well as the overall improvements in outcomes for those being tested.
In this study, the intervention used was a web-based Mindfulness intervention called Mindful Mood Balance (MMB), based on Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), which combines the best practices of cognitive therapy with the tools of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), and according to B Grace Bullock at Mindful.org, is designed, “to teach individuals how to better regulate their emotions. Previous studies have found MBCT to be as effective as antidepressant medication in preventing depressive relapse. To date, however, access to the program has been limited largely to those living in large cities. Mindful Mood Balance (MMB) was created to fill the access gap by delivering MBCT online.”
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:
Mind-Body Connection in Meditation: New Study Links the Breath to Free Will
According to a recent study by a group of Swiss researchers, breath means more than simple respiration – it is actually linked with the ability to make choices by exercising free will. This research is so groundbreaking because it is another proof-point that attention, when connected with the breath, activates the circuits of the mind-body connection.
by Judith Dreyer, MS, BSN
According to a recent study by a group of Swiss researchers, breath means more than simple respiration – it is actually linked with the ability to make choices by exercising free will. This research is so groundbreaking because it is another proof-point that attention, when connected with the breath, activates the circuits of the mind-body connection.
In the study, these researchers correlated free will with a term called, “Readiness Potential.” According to the study’s results, “Voluntary action is a fundamental element of self-consciousness,” and “participants initiate voluntary actions more frequently during expiration… Our findings demonstrate that voluntary action is coupled with the respiratory system and further suggest that the RP is associated with fluctuations of ongoing neural activity that are driven by the involuntary and cyclic motor act of breathing.” In other words, participants were more likely to exercise free will in decision making when they were breathing out.
For thousands of years, breath has been the most widely used object of focus in meditation. Breathing in and out, we become present. Why? You can’t take a breath in the past. It’s impossible to take a future breath. So - all we can do is breathe in this very moment, right now. However, going deeper, the in-breath can also be differentiated from the out-breath as more than a respiratory direction.
What is less known is that breath stimulates different areas of the human Autonomic Nervous System (ANS). The Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS), which is designed to prepare us for “fight-or-flight” during times of danger or threat, is linked to the in-breath. The Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS), which is the part of our nervous system dedicated to “rest-and-digest,” where we relax and repair, is linked to the out-breath. Both “fight-or-flight” and “rest-and-digest” serve a critical purpose in protecting us and keeping us well. Focusing on the breath as an object of meditation, we are able to gently stimulate both the SNS and PNS, back and forth, in a gently rhythm, to balance out “rest-and-digest,” with “fight-or-flight.”
Please make time for your own mindful wellbeing on a daily basis. It can be as simple as breathing in… and out… What’s good for you is also good for all those you love, all around you.
MediMindful Moment: Meet Dr. Reginald Eadie
In this episode of Cloud 9 Online’s MediMindful Moment Podcast, co-hosts Judith Dreyer, Jeff Nelder, and Henry Edinger interview Dr. Reginald Eadie, MD, MBA, President and CEO of Trinity Health of New England. Dr. Reginald talks about the 61 Day Challenge and how significant a community can be.
In this episode of Cloud9 Online’s MediMindful Moments Podcast, co-hosts Judith Dreyer, Jeff Nelder, and Henry Edinger interview Dr. Reginald Eadie, MD, MBA, President and CEO of Trinity Health of New England. Dr. Reginald talks about the 61 Day Challenge and how significant a community can be.
Listen HERE!
Episode Highlights:
● Judith introduces Dr. Reginald Eadie. (00:40)
● Reginald mentions that he’s an emergency medicine physician and he’s the founder of the 61 Day Challenge. (1:07)
● Jeff proceeds with the mindful moment exercise. (3:13)
● Reginald shares that the purpose of the 61 Day Challenge is to identify the necessities within the community, and they have a different theme every year that they must consider the mind, the body, and the spirit. (7:16)
● Henry mentions that it’s significant to take time for your own mental well-being. (10:16)
● Reginald shares that whenever two or three of them gather, they start their meeting or conversation with a reflection. (11:20)
● Reginald mentions that Trinity Health of New England is a Catholic healthcare system, and reciting scripture versus taking time to be in the moment, are two different actions. (12:02)
● Reginald shares that the 61 Day Challenge is held every year, starting November 1 through December 31. (19:48)
● Reginald mentions that they have seen an increase in behavioral health issues within the community. (22:00)
● Reginald shares that this year, they’re going to address the most significant aspect of the pandemic. (23:28)
● Henry shares the idea that Reginald’s team and the Cloud 9 team came up with a new feature that will be available on the app called, Counting Mindful Minutes. (23:49)
● Reginald shares that from a colleague’s perspective, they’re doing it as a region and they will become a much stronger organization. Therefore, they’re more equipped to handle the community and its needs, as they interact with Trinity Health of New England. (27:00)
Key Quotes:
● “We’ve learned a lot from our experiences through the pandemic and we are grateful that we were able to establish a relationship with you guys and the work that you do.” - Dr. Reginald Eadie
● “I think I'm blessed to have men or women who do a great job in putting together, and this year's partnership with you guys is evident that we need to look in the rearview mirror, and try to control the post-pandemic impact that it will have on our minds, our bodies, and our spirits.” - Dr. Reginald Eadie
● “So just this interaction, just the time we will take regardless, of the number of minutes to sort of reset and become present at the moment, has the same impact with the food that you eat because of the hormones, foods, and things in that nature.” - Dr. Reginald Eadie
● “I think negotiating with the kids is very favorable because it gives them the ability to participate in the decision, they have ownership, it builds responsibility, and instills accountability.” - Dr. Reginald Eadie
● “What we've gone through from a pandemic perspective and what we will likely go through again, for the remainder of this calendar year. We can't go through this alone, and we have to have a partnership as you indicate, we've got to be the change you want to see.” - Dr. Reginald Eadie
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:
MediMindful Moment: Meet Lois Grasso-Barrett
In this episode of Cloud 9 Online’s MediMindful Moment Podcast, co-hosts Judith Dreyer, Jeff Nelder, and Henry Edinger interview Lois Grasso-Barrett, Holistic Health Coach, Public Speaker, Founder, and Director at OxyGenesis Institute. Lois talks about the ability to focus on our breathing and becoming mindful of our breath. She also shares her knowledge and expertise in understanding the different types of breathing exercises.
In this episode of Cloud9 Online’s MediMindful Moments Podcast, co-hosts Judith Dreyer, Jeff Nelder, and Henry Edinger interview Lois Grasso-Barrett, Holistic Health Coach, Public Speaker, Founder, and Director at OxyGenesis Institute. Lois talks about the ability to focus on our breathing and becoming mindful of our breath. She also shares her knowledge and expertise in understanding the different types of breathing exercises.
Listen HERE!
Episode Highlights:
● Judith introduces Lois Grasso-Barrett. (0:40)
● Lois shares her background. (1:08)
● Lois shares that she teaches people how to use their breathing, to become present, to own themselves, and we can use the breathing to own and take responsibility for our feelings. (3:58)
● Lois leads the mindful moment exercise. (5:47)
● Henry mentions that as the world's coming back together again a little bit, even with masks on, being compassionate is more vital. (10:21)
● Lois thinks that all our hearts want is more compassion. (10:35)
● Lois mentions that laughter is one of her favorite breathing exercises. (11:25)
● Lois shares that she’s done a lot of laughter yoga, bringing a group of people together and laughing for no reason, we come up with silly little games and silly little exercises to play. (11:35)
● Lois shares that when you're laughing, you're in the moment where you’re present and enjoying yourself. (13:08)
● Henry mentions that they have a meditation on MediMind called laughter meditation. (14:28)
● Lois mentions that yawning is also a breathing exercise and contagious, as well. (15:40)
● Lois mentions that crying is also a breathing exercise and contagious, as well. (16:28)
● How does Lois stay mindful, or coach people to be mindful when it’s not laughter? (17:06)
● Lois shares that when we do deep breathing, it leads us out of the fight or flight mode, where our nervous system is when we are angry, afraid, or anxious. (18:16)
● Lois explains the belly button breathing. (18:28)
● Lois mentions that she has a children’s book entitled, Maven and The Magic Buttons. (18:37)
● How do mindfulness programs in school work? (21:36)
● Lois shares that by tapping on acupuncture points, it calms down the amygdala, which is the fear center of the brain. (22:40)
● Lois shares her fantasy and goal (25:39)
● What’s Lois’ vision for her mindfulness programs? (26:17)
● Judith shares that we have to learn how to accept uncertainty and the techniques to help children come into a sense of peace, within themselves at the moment. (28:488)
● Judith mentions that we're learning scientifically that by focusing on our breath, we change our whole biochemistry, and people don't realize that those three to six breaths, could help our immune system to stay strong. (29:18)
● Lois shares a brain hack. (29:45)
● Lois shares that there are different purposes for different breathing exercises, and everybody needs to become aware of and focused on our breathing. (32:23)
● Lois mentions that all we need is to master our breathing. (34:35)
Key Quotes:
● “The number one way to claim ourselves on all these levels is to claim our breathing and learn how to breathe fully, which is not just a conscious learning thing, it's a process whereby we have to reclaim our feelings, or our willingness and our ability to cry.” - Lois Grasso-Barrett
● “Laughter is ultimately a breathing exercise and gets us breathing big. It has all the benefits of breathing, and it's a beautiful thing not to mention, it kicks into gear all those happy hormones in our brain and makes us feel blessed.” - Lois Grasso-Barrett
● “I want to make sure people who are listening to this understand that when they're feeling anger, or fear or anxiety or any of the unpleasant emotions, what it usually means is that they have been breathing shallowly, and those emotions can exacerbate shallow breathing.” - Lois Grasso-Barrett
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