MPDR Archives Blog Post #239 - March 31, 2015

Pause for 3 Mindful Breaths

image by M. Lee Freedman

As mentioned in yesterday’s mindfulness practice daily reminder, please note that as I will be out of the country for most of April with limited access to email, April 1 will mark the beginning of a pause in the sending out of these reminders until the beginning of May.  

As promised in yesterday’s reminder, I am listing below some suggestions and resources to help you continue to return to your intention to practice mindfulness in daily life as well as formal mindfulness practice such as sitting meditation, mindful movement practices, etc.

• CULTIVATING MINDFULNESS: Beginning or Deepening a Personal Meditation Practice http://static.oprah.com/download/pdfs/presents/2007/spa/spa_meditate_cultivate.pdf
• Suggestions for Daily Practice http://static.oprah.com/download/pdfs/presents/2007/spa/spa_meditate_daily.pdf
• mpdrarchives.blogspot.ca: archived collection of each daily reminder since July 2014: The MPDRs from the last several days each include links to articles that list various suggestions for practicing everyday mindfulness
• If you have a friend, relative or workmate who is also practicing mindfulness, you can ask them if they would like to be your mindfulness buddy. You can choose times to meditate together. Perhaps, when you or your buddy remember to pause and take 1 or more mindful breaths, you might text the other to remind them to do the same.
• Every time you see a stop sign, it can signal you to S.T.O.P:  Stop…Take a breath…Observe thoughts, body sensations, emotions and sensory experiences ……  Proceed
• Practice mindful awareness of breathing or a three minute breathing space just before an activity you already do routinely such as opening a door, brushing your teeth, answering a phone or checking email. 

Mindfulness Apps 

• Calm.com
• Headspace
• Sitting Still
• Stop, Breathe and Think
• Mindshift

 Links to free guided meditations:

• http://marc.ucla.edu/body.cfm?id=22
• http://franticworld.com/free-meditations-from-mindfulness/
• http://elishagoldstein.com/videos/mindful-check-in/

Links to 3 Minute Breathing Spaces

• http://www.guilford.com/add/segal2/track8.mp3
• http://tinyurl.com/czrxq5v
• http://www.themindfulnessclinic.ca/wp-content/uploads/Three-Minute-Breathing-Space-Sarah-Housser.mp3

Wishing you a wonderful evening and a mindful month of April

Lee

M. Lee Freedman, MD,CM, FRCP(C)

http://mpdrarchives.blogspot.ca/

If you would like to unsubscribe, please let me know by sending an email to drmlfreedman@hotmail.com

MPDR Archives Blog Post #238 - March 30, 2015

Pause and intentionally bring attention to the next 3 breaths

image by M. Lee Freedman

Please note that as I will be out of the country for most of April with limited access to email, April 1 will mark the beginning of a pause in the sending out of these reminders until the beginning of May.  

Pausing is foundational to the practice of mindfulness, an opportunity to check in, take a closer look, and consciously choose a response to what is observed.

This April pause may be an opportunity for you to reflect on your mindfulness practice.

What is your motivation for practicing mindfulness?

What conditions support your practice?

What gets in the way?

What other ways might remind you to be aware of where your attention is directed, and to intentionally shift your attention into the present moment when needed?

If your intention is to practice mindfulness in a formal way (such as breath awareness, sensory awareness and/or body sensation awareness practices while sitting, standing, walking and/or moving) what additional ways might you support this intention?

Tomorrow’s daily reminder will include some suggestions and resources to consider.

Wishing you a mindful evening

Lee

M. Lee Freedman, MD,CM, FRCP(C)

http://mpdrarchives.blogspot.ca/

MPDR Archives Blog Post #237 - March 29, 2015

Bring some curious attention and wonder

to the flow of air into your body

and to the releasing of air into the world for the next 3 breaths

image by M. Lee Freedman

I invite you to view an inspirational and meaningful 7 minute video called “Seeing”. Awesome photography…..inspiring story.....potentially transformative message.

Here is the link: http://vimeo.com/37153340

Wishing you an evening filled with extraordinary ordinary moments

Lee

M. Lee Freedman, MD,CM, FRCP(C)

http://mpdrarchives.blogspot.ca/

MPDR Archives Blog Post #236 - March 28, 2015

Pause

Be aware of the sensations

of breathing in and breathing out

for the following three breaths

image by M. Lee Freedman

“You can “check in” with the sensations of your physical body throughout the day. I find this especially helpful for finding the parts of my body that are tense, and then I imagine breathing in to those parts of my body to relax. Check in with:

    1.    Your face — so much stress resides here! Check in with the jaw, the eyes, the forehead…

    2.    Your neck and shoulders — a common place where a lot of us carry stress.

    3.    Your posture — just straightening up a bit and letting the head rest comfortably on the spine can do wonders for our attention, and our mood!

    4.    Your hands, especially if you’ve been working at a computer all day!

    5.    Your whole body — the UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center has a free, 3-minute body scan guided meditation here.”

 -Sarah Rudell Beach.

(excerpt from 40 Ways to Bring Mindfulness to Your Days)

http://www.everyday-mindfulness.org/40-ways-to-bring-mindfulness-to-your-days/

Wishing you many moments to pause

and check in with the sensations of your body today

Lee

M. Lee Freedman, MD,CM, FRCP(C)

http://mpdrarchives.blogspot.ca/

MPDR Archives Blog Post #235 - March 27, 2015

Pause and intentionally bring attention to the next 3 breaths

image by M. Lee Freedman

“Living in a culture where idleness is frowned on has made many of us forget how to be still and do nothing at all. The mentality has been ingrained in us that screams, do, do, do! Go, go, go! The idea of sitting and doing nothing can be so foreign to us, it makes many feel uncomfortable—guilty, even.

We don’t have to be doing all the time, though. Take some nothing time each day. Even if it’s just five minutes, sit for that five minutes and do… nothing.

Sit silently in a favourite chair or in a sunny spot outside. If possible without mobile phones, beepers or other distractions near you. Become still. Bring your full awareness into the present moment and to your sensory perceptions. All that exists for you is the here and now.

You may be amazed at how pleasurable and satisfying it is just to ‘be’ – how much taking five minutes from your day will give back to your life.”

-Melli O’Brien

(excerpt from 7 Ways To Bring More Mindfulness Into Your Life Today)

to read the entire post please click on the following link:

http://www.everyday-mindfulness.org/7-ways-to-bring-more-mindfulness-into-your-life-today/

Have a mindful evening

Lee

M. Lee Freedman, MD,CM, FRCP(C)

http://mpdrarchives.blogspot.ca/

MPDR Archives Blog Post #234 - March 26, 2015

Be here now

Bring your attention

to the sensations of breathing

for the following 3 breaths

image by M. Lee Freedman

“These days we often do many things while walking - we listen to ipods, text message, speak on our phones. Try using walking as a mindful practice. Feel your feet making contact with the ground. Notice what it feels like to walk a little slower if you’re not actually in a rush.  Take in your surroundings, the smells, the colours, the sounds. Use mindful walking between meetings to create a moment of mindfulness in your day.”

-Dr Elise Bialylew

(excerpt from post : 10 Ways to Bring Mindfulness into Everyday Life)

to read about the other 9 ways, please click on this link:  http://www.lifestyle.com.au/health/10-ways-to-bring-mindfulness-into-everyday-life.aspx#

  

Enjoy the moments in your day

Lee

M. Lee Freedman, MD,CM, FRCP(C

mpdrarchives

MPDR Archives Blog Post #233 - March 25, 2015

Bring your attention into this moment

By noticing the next 3 breaths

Image by M. Lee Freedman

“It is never too late to turn on the light. Your ability to break an unhealthy habit or turn off an old tape doesn't depend on how long it has been running; a shift in perspective doesn't depend on how long you've held on to the old view.

When you flip the switch in that attic, it doesn't matter whether its been dark for ten minutes, ten years or ten decades. 

The light still illuminates the room and banishes the murkiness, letting you see the things you couldn't see before.

Its never too late to take a moment to look.” 

― Sharon Salzberg

Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation

   Warm wishes for a mindful day

Lee

M. Lee Freedman, MD,CM, FRCP(C)

http://mpdrarchives.blogspot.ca/

MPDR Archives Blog Post #232 - March 24, 2015

Pause

intentionally bring caring attention

to the next 3 breaths

image by M. Lee Freedman

"Living mindfully isn’t limited to meditation, but can also be applied to effective communication in our daily interactions with other people." 

 -Nadia Ballas-Ruta

(Excerpt from post Effective Communication with Mindfulness)

To read the article describing 10 effective communication tips using the principles of mindfulness, please follow this link:

http://thinksimplenow.com/communication/effective-communication-mindfulness/comment-page-1/

Wishing you a peaceful night

  

Lee

M. Lee Freedman, MDCM, FRCP(C)

http://mpdrarchives.blogspot.ca/

MPDR Archives Blog Post #231 - March 23, 2015

Take a moment to step out of the auto pilot “doing mode”

into simply being here and now

by bringing awareness to the sensations

of the next three breaths.

image by M. Lee Freedman

Practice mindful driving

"I live in Los Angeles, where daily life is built around the ebb and flow of rush hour traffic, so needless to say, I spend quite a bit of time in my car. This time used to make me feel annoyed and irritated, but now I use it as a chance to practice.

 “Write “Drive Mindfully” on a small index card and post it on your steering wheel to remind you of your new practice. Turn off the radio and put away your cell phone. As you drive, try to pay attention to the sensations that you typically ignore.

 How does your body feel in the seat? Is it hard or soft? How do you hold your hands on the wheel? What sounds do you hear coming from your car and out the window? Can you feel the vibrations of the road? Was it recently paved or are there a lot of potholes?

 When I drive like this I find it to be a much more peaceful experience, even if I’m caught in traffic.”

-Elana Miller

(excerpt from post 6 Simple Tips to be More Mindful in Everyday Life

You can read the remaining 5 tips at:

http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/6-simple-tips-to-be-more-mindful-in-everyday-life/#4iMEMuVwBe1ohUkF.99

Have a mindful night

Lee

M. Lee Freedman, MD,CM, FRCP(C)

http://mpdrarchives.blogspot.ca/

Welcome to new recipients of Mindfulness Practice Daily Reminders

As many of us have experienced, mindfulness is pretty simple, but not so easy and remembering to practice mindful awareness can be quite challenging. 

These daily reminders are intended to help us remember our intention to practice present moment awareness through formal and informal mindfulness practice.

Opening a reminder email represents a decision to pause, step out of automatic pilot mode and into the here and now by intentionally bringing attention to the sensations of three breaths. Then proceed with your day.

You may choose to treat this as an experiment by noticing if and how this brief pause impacts on the next moments of your day.

The second part of the reminder email consists of a quote, poem, image, link to article and/or link to short video relevant to the practice of mindfulness. The images included in the emails have all been created from my mindfulness practice with a camera. 

I suggest consciously choosing whether you have the time and/or the interest in reading/watching anything further, rather than automatically clicking on the link.  In this way you are practicing bringing mindful awareness practice into conscious decision making and action.

The mindfulness practice daily reminders that have been sent out since July 2014 are now archived on a blog called MPDR Archives.  Here is a link to the first entry that describes the history of and intention for the reminders.http://mpdrarchives.blogspot.ca/2015/01/welcome-to-archives-of-mindfulness.html.

Please feel free to share these reminders with others who may be interested.  If you know anyone who would like to be included in the list of recipients of the reminders, please ask them to email my assistant at drmlfreedman@hotmail.com.

Please let me know if you would like to remove your name from the email list at any time.

MPDR Archives Blog Post #230 - March 22, 2015

PAUSE for three mindful breaths

image by M. Lee Freedman

“What does it mean to be mindful?  Essentially, mindfulness means to be present, and in the moment.  It is important that we remind ourselves of this simple fact.  All too often we can lose the true essence of mindfulness by over-complicating things or putting all our emphasis on the act of meditation alone.  Mindfulness is not something we leave at the chair, but something we can carry through our everyday lives.  

 

If we can apply mindfulness on the chair, then why not while brushing our teeth, catching up with an old friend, or even waiting for our morning train?  All these moments present an opportunity for us to apply mindfulness, and live our lives more fully, in the present moment. 

 

According to recent research, we spend up to 50 percent of our time caught up in our thoughts; a proven contributing factor to our unhappiness. Instead of drifting through our lives in a daze, consumed by thoughts of what could have been or planning those things which our out of our control in the first place, mindfulness allows us to engage with the here and now and approach our lives with greater clarity and peace of mind.

 

It is often in the more repetitive, day-to-day activities that we find ourselves switching into auto-pilot.  So why not embrace these moments and see them as an opportunity to be more mindful?  In this piece the mindfulness experts at Headspace provide their tips on how best to incorporate mindfulness into our daily lives.  Remember not to worry about trying to clear the mind of any thoughts or feelings.  Instead, try and see yourself taking a back seat; witnessing the thoughts and emotions as they come and go.  If you find yourself getting distracted simply bring your attention back to the physical senses and focus your attention back on the activity itself.”   - 

excerpt from post/infographic 5 Ways to Bring Mindfulness into Everyday Life

To view the infographic describing 5 ways to bring mindfulness into everyday life, please follow this link:

 http://m.dailygood.org/story/497/5-ways-to-bring-mindfulness-into-everyday-life-headspace-com/

 

Wishing you many moments of remembering 

to return to the present moment today

Lee

M. Lee Freedman, MD,CM, FRCP(C)

http://mpdrarchives.blogspot.ca/