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Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Pleasure Healing: What and Why?

by guest blogger Mary Beth Janssen Henry Miller said “the aim of life is to live, and to live means to be aware—joyously, drunkenly, serenely, divinely aware.” Amen. Pleasure Healing is a dynamic 21st century approach to waking up to your full human potential, to higher levels of consciousness, and the resultant well-being. Many of us are simply living on the surface. Pleasure healing encourages you to plunge into the depths of who you are—your essence. Pleasure healing activities nurture you and give you a respite from the stressors in your life. They get you to pay attention. You come inside to the core of your being and commune with your higher self. When you pay exquisite attention, your energy shifts and you become the best that you can be—and you have fun while you’re at it! The capacity for delight is awakened and enlivened. Pleasure healing is when we engage in mindful practices, therapies and treatments drawn from the spa world for purposes of nurturing ourselves a...

Posted By / 12:00 AM / Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Monday, May 18, 2009

Urge Surfing - A Mindfulness Skill to Cope with Self-Harm Urges

Find a quiet place where you will be relatively free from distractions and unlikely to be bothered by anyone. Sit in a comfortable position. Write down how strong your urge is on a scale from 0 (no urge at all) to 10 (the strongest urge you’ve ever had). Then, write down how much you feel as if you can handle your urge on a scale from 0 (can’t take it for one more second) to 10 (could handle it for ten hours straight if you had to). Imagine that you’re standing on a surfboard on the ocean in a warm, tropical place. You can see the white, sandy shore in front of you, there’s a slight breeze, and you can smell the salt of the ocean. There are a few fluffy, white clouds overhead, and the sun feels warm on your back. Really transport your mind to this scene. Now, imagine that your urge to harm yourself is the wave that you’re riding. Really notice what the urge feels like in your body. Zero in on the sensations you feel (for example, tightness in your muscles). Now, imagine that you’...

Posted By / 12:00 AM / Monday, May 18, 2009

Friday, May 08, 2009

Mindful Motherhood: The Freedom to Choose

Mindfulness is great in situations where you don’t want to change anything about what is happening, but it’s still distressing, and you’d like to be able to remain present and able to function in the face of that distress. For example, you may need to interview for a job that you want a lot, and you feel quite intimidated and nervous. You might be called upon to speak publicly about something you are passionate about and really want to do it, but you’re also seized by stage fright. You may have anxiety about flying but really want to visit your grandmother who lives on the opposite side of the country. Or, you might have a baby who is crying due to stomach pain or colic, and while you may not be able to change the situation, you really want to be able to remain present, aware, and nurturing in those moments. We all have our favorite coping strategies to deal with situations like this—some healthy and some not as healthy. Some of these are calling a friend, taking a walk, taking some...

Posted By / 12:00 AM / Friday, May 08, 2009

Tuesday, May 05, 2009

Mindful Acceptance

Your relationship with your body and how you view it can affect everything you do in life. When you’re feeling well and looking good, you give little thought to where you go or whom you might run into. But if you’re feeling self-conscious or preoccupied with something you don’t like about your body, then you might avoid other people or situations where others might see your perceived flaws. For example, one woman admitted that when her acne flared up, she spent days isolating at home. This next exercise will teach you how to accept your body nonjudgmentally. Begin by observing the negative thoughts and criticisms that you have toward your body, such as “I’m fat and ugly” or “I’m too scrawny and need more muscles” or “I hate my thighs.” Take a quiet moment to experience these random negative thoughts. Then, begin to practice nonjudgmental acceptance of yourself by saying aloud or thinking, “I’m not perfect. This is the body that I was born with and I am learning ...

Posted By / 12:00 AM / Tuesday, May 05, 2009

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Keeping Hope Afloat

Hope is an inside job. Although poet Alexander Pope said, “Hope springs eternal in the human breast,” hope springs faster and more consistently when we consciously encourage and consistently practice keeping hope afloat in our hearts and souls. In order to keep hope alive, it’s extremely important that we monitor what we allow ourselves to see, hear, and feel, especially in regards to the media. Because our subconscious minds accept as real not only our personal experiences but also those we watch or imagine vividly, it’s up to us to choose mindfully and wisely what we watch and read. Because images imprint deeply, the disturbing pictures and commentary favored by the media can act as an emotional acid, etching the pain and suffering we witness into our own psyches. Such images can pull the plug on our reserves of hope. Limiting your exposure to sensationalism of all kinds is wise. Allow yourself to be as informed as you feel the need to be but not deformed by overexposure and overs...

Posted By / 12:00 AM / Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Loving-kindness toward difficult emotions: Be still

If you're restless and don't know what to do with yourself, stay where you are. Just be still, be quiet. Let the eagerness to do something cool down. Let the pull of the outside world release its grip on you. Just as the sediment in a bottle settles to the bottom, so will your emotions if you let them be still. Wherever you are in this moment, stay there. Don't go anywhere. You are right where you need to be. Bring your attention to your breath. Take three or four deep breaths. When you inhale, let it be deep. When you exhale, let the breath out slowly. Now repeat the following phrases to yourself a few times. Every time you say the words, let them penetrate your restlessness. May I have courage. May I trust myself. May I have patience. May I be free from fear. Remember, you are right where you need to be. from The Gift of Loving-Kindness: 100 Meditations on Compassion, Generosi...

Posted By / 12:00 AM / Thursday, April 23, 2009

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

The Joy of the World

The energy flowing between you, your body, and your connections with the body of the world can be consciously appreciated - if you pay close enough attention. Let this practice of mindful listening to a larger body tune you in to the joy of the world. The next time you are part of an audience or group of people who are laughing, decide to explore the energetic connections of joy. Set your intention. For example, "May this practice inspire and enliven me." Direct your mindful attention to the sounds of laughter; notice the loudness, the high and low tones, the rising and fading sounds, and the quiet spaces. As thoughts or stories arise in your mind, let them go without following them. Notice the sensations in your body as the laughter flows around you. Enjoy the moment as your body feels the joyful energy flowing through it. Take comfort in the sounds of joy. You are part of this laughter and human c...

Posted By / 12:00 AM / Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Friday, April 17, 2009

Loosen the Grip

Do you ever want to let go of something—an unpleasant feeling, a memory, or a worry? Perhaps all you really need is to remember how it feels to let go. The following practice is a way of understanding the physicality and feeling of letting go. You can learn to link this physical experience of recognition and release with tightness around thoughts or feelings. Breathe mindfully for about a minute. Set your intention. For example, “May this practice empower me to recognize patterns of holding and tightening in myself and to release them.” Breathe mindfully for a few breaths. Then make a fist with one hand. Squeeze the fist hard. Then gently but quickly release it. Repeat, focusing on the sensations of contracting and releasing. Notice how the feelings extend through your body and inner life. Whenever you have a painful feeling or emotion, look mindfully for a feeling of contraction or holding i...

Posted By / 12:00 AM / Friday, April 17, 2009

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Relax Deeply

How often do you wish you could calm down or just relax? Everyone has a built-in capacity for deep relaxation, but they may not appreciate or know how to access it. This practice will teach you a way to connect with your own ability for deep inner relaxation. Breathe mindfully for about a minute. Set your intention. For example, “May this practice of deep relaxation bring me health and ease.” Focus mindfully on the sensations of your breath, in and out. Imagine that you are inhaling calm and peace. With each out-breath, exhale any unnecessary tension in your body. Breathe this way for a few more minutes. Let the actual flow of your breath support you, bringing in peace and carrying out tension. End by opening your eyes and moving gently. adapted from Five Good Minutes®: 100 Morning Practices to Help You Stay Calm and Focused All Day Long.

Posted By / 12:00 AM / Thursday, April 16, 2009

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