MPDR Archives Blog Post #791 - Nov 28, 2016

Pause to be in this present moment by bringing attention to your next three breaths

image witnessed by M. Lee Freedman

"Every particular in nature,  a leaf, a drop, a crystal,  a moment of time  is related to the whole,  and partakes of the perfection of the whole.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson Wishing you mindful moments in your day To view the MPDR archives, click here.

MPDR Archives Blog Post #790 - Nov 27, 2016

Enjoy 3 Mindful Breaths

image witnessed by M. Lee Freedman “For me, it's really easy to be kind to others when I remember that none of us came into this world with a manual about how to get it all right. We are ultimately a product of our biology and environment. Consequently, I choose to be compassionate with others when I consider how much painful emotional baggage we are biologically programmed to carry around. I recognize that mistakes will be made, but this does not mean that I need to either victimize myself or take your actions and mistakes personally. Your stuff is your stuff, and my stuff is my stuff.” -Jill Bolte Taylor (excerpt from book “My Stroke of Insight”)  Wishing you kindness and compassion   To view the MPDR archives, click here.

MPDR Archives Blog Post #789 - Nov 26, 2016

Pause Be aware of the sensations of breathing in and breathing out for the following three breaths

image witnessed by M. Lee Freedman "How many times have you noticed that it's the little quiet moments in the midst of life that seem to give the rest extra-special meaning?" -Fred Rogers   Wishing you mindful moments this evening   To view the MPDR archives, click here.

MPDR Archives Blog Post #788 - Nov 25, 2016

image by M. Lee Freedman "What we get from each moment depends on the attention we give it, and the quality of our experience reflects the quality of our awareness." - Roger N. Walsh Wishing you mindful moments Lee M. Lee Freedman, MD, CM, FRCP(C) To view the MPDR archives, click here.

MPDR Archives Blog Post #787 - Nov 24, 2016

Bring grateful attention to the sensations of your following three breaths flowing in and out of your body

image witnessed by M. Lee Freedman  "In the face of demoralization, gratitude has the power to energize. In the face of brokenness, gratitude has the power to heal. In the face of despair, gratitude has the power to bring hope. In other words, gratitude can help us cope with hard times." -Robert Emmons excerpt from post How Gratitude Can Help You Through Hard Times http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_gratitude_can_help_you_through_hard_times "When you go deeply into the present, gratitude arises spontaneously, even if it's just gratitude for breathing, gratitude for the aliveness that you feel in your body. Gratitude is there when you acknowledge the aliveness of the present moment." -Eckhart Tolle "Living in the moment brings you a sense of reverence for all of life's blessings." -Oprah Winfrey "Reflect upon your blessings" -Charles Dickens for additional inspiration here is a link to two of my favourite videos with the theme of gratitude: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXDMoiEkyuQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sO2o98Zpzg8 Wishing Americans Happy Thanksgiving and all Beings opportunities to develop a gratitude attitude   To view the MPDR archives, click here.

MPDR Archives Blog Post #786 - Nov 23, 2016

Step out of auto-pilot mode and into this present moment by enjoying 3 mindful breaths

image witnessed by M. Lee Freedman "Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet." -Thich Nhat Hanh Wishing you many mindful moments in your day   To view the MPDR archives, click here.

MPDR Archives Blog Post #785 - Nov 22, 2016

image witnessed by M. Lee Freedman   "You are whole and also part of larger and larger circles of wholeness you many not even know about. You are never alone. And you already belong. You belong to humanity. You belong to life. You belong to this moment, this breath." -Jon Kabat-Zinn Wishing you many moments of feeling connected  Lee M. Lee Freedman, MD, CM, FRCP(C) To view the MPDR archives, click here.

MPDR Archives Blog Post #784 - Nov 21, 2016

PAUSE for 3 mindful breaths

image by M. Lee Freedman "Compassion brings us to a stop, and for a moment we rise above ourselves." – Mason Cooley   Wishing you compassionate moments in your day Lee M. Lee Freedman, MD, CM, FRCP(C) To view the MPDR archives, click here.

MPDR Archives Blog Post #783 - Nov 20, 2016

Be here now Bring your attention to the sensations of breathing for the following 3 breaths

image witnessed by M. Lee Freedman "Mindfulness allows us to watch our thoughts, see how one thought leads to the next, decide if we're heading down an unhealthy path, and, if so, let go and change directions." -Sharon Salzberg   Wishing you mindful moments in your day   To view the MPDR archives, click here.

MPDR Archives Blog Post #782 - Nov 19, 2016

Bring grateful attention to the sensations of your following three breaths flowing in and out of your body

image witnessed by M. Lee Freedman "To dwell in the here and now does not mean you never think about the past or responsibly plan for the future. The idea is simply not to allow yourself to get lost in regrets about the past or worries about the future. If you are firmly grounded in the present moment, the past can be an object of inquiry, the object of your mindfulness and concentration. You can attain many insights by looking into the past. But you are still grounded in the present moment." -Thich Nhat Hanh Wishing you peace of mind   To view the MPDR archives, click here.

MPDR Archives Blog Post #781 - Nov 18, 2016

Pause to FEEL the next 3 breaths flowing in and out of your body

image witnessed by M. Lee Freedman "The future hasn't happened yet and the past is gone. So I think the only moment we have is right here and now, and I try to make the best of those moments, the moments that I'm in." -Annie Lennox Wishing you many moments of mindful awareness today   To view the MPDR archives, click here.

MPDR Archives Blog Post #780 - Nov 17, 2016

With an attitude of kindness and curiosity Direct your attention to feeling the sensations of your next 3 breaths flowing in and out of your body

image witnessed by M. Lee Freedman "Mindfulness is a pause -- the space between stimulus and response: that's where choice lies" .-Tara Brach Wishing you many moments to pause and to choose To view the MPDR archives, click here.

MPDR Archives Blog Post #779 - Nov 16, 2016

Pause for 3 Mindful Breaths

image witnessed by M. Lee Freedman "Kindness begins with the understanding that we all struggle." -Charles Glassman Wishing you moments of kindness today     To view the MPDR archives, click here.

MPDR Archives Blog Post #778 - Nov 15, 2016

Pause to FEEL the next 3 breaths flowing in and out of your body

image witnessed by M. Lee Freedman   As I Began to Love Myself by Charlie Chaplin As I began to love myself I found that anguish and emotional suffering are only warning signs that I was living against my own truth. Today, I know, this is “AUTHENTICITY”. As I began to love myself I understood how much it can offend somebody as I try to force my desires on this person, even though I knew the time was not right and the person was not ready for it, and even though this person was me. Today I call it “RESPECT”. As I began to love myself I stopped craving for a different life, and I could see that everything that surrounded me was inviting me to grow. Today I call it “MATURITY”. As I began to love myself I understood that at any circumstance, I am in the right place at the right time, and everything happens at exactly the right moment. So I could be calm. Today I call it “SELF-CONFIDENCE”. As I began to love myself I quit steeling my own time, and I stopped designing huge projects for the future. Today, I only do what brings me joy and happiness, things I love to do and that make my heart cheer, and I do them in my own way and in my own rhythm. Today I call it “SIMPLICITY”. As I began to love myself I freed myself of anything that is no good for my health – food, people, things, situations, and everything that drew me down and away from myself. At first I called this attitude a healthy egoism. Today I know it is “LOVE OF ONESELF”. As I began to love myself I quit trying to always be right, and ever since I was wrong less of the time. Today I discovered that is “MODESTY”. As I began to love myself I refused to go on living in the past and worrying about the future. Now, I only live for the moment, where EVERYTHING is happening. Today I live each day, day by day, and I call it “FULFILLMENT”. As I began to love myself I recognized that my mind can disturb me and it can make me sick. But as I connected it to my heart, my mind became a valuable ally. Today I call this connection “WISDOM OF THE HEART”. We no longer need to fear arguments, confrontations or any kind of problems with ourselves or others. Even stars collide, and out of their crashing, new worlds are born. Today I know THAT IS “LIFE”! Have a mindful day   To view the MPDR archives, click here.

MPDR Archives Blog Post #777 - Nov 14, 2016

Pause to gather your attention and focus on the sensations of the following three breaths

image witnessed by M. Lee Freedman "The ability to recognize and disengage from self-perpetuating patterns of ruminative, negative thought is a core mindfulness skill. The basic tool to shift mental gears is the intentional use of attention and awareness. By choosing what we are going to attend to, and how we are going to attend to it, we place our hand on the lever that enables us to change mental gears." -Zindel Segal (excerpt from post A 7-Minute Mindfulness Practice to Shift out of “Doing” Mode http://www.mindful.org/a-7-minute-practice-to-shift-out-of-doing-mode/ Wishing you many moments of mindful awareness in your day   To view the MPDR archives, click here.