Pause
Bring awareness to the experience
of the inhale, the exhale
and the spaces between
for the following three breaths
image by M. Lee Freedman
“Like mindfulness itself, kindness is a natural human quality that requires intentional action to realize it’s potential. And like mindfulness, research shows that kindness is good for our physical and our emotional well-being.
Studies show that thinking about, observing or practicing a kind act stimulates that vagus nerve, which literally warms up the heart and may be closely connected to the brain’s receptor networks for oxytocin, the soothing hormone involved in maternal bonding. Kindness also triggers the reward system in our brain’s emotion regulation center releasing dopamine, the hormone that’s associated with positive emotions and the sensation of a natural high.
Kindness—which reduces stress, anxiety and depression—can literally put us, and others, at ease. It works wonders in the relationships we have with ourselves and with everyone else, even with people we don’t know. “
-Mary Ann Christie Burnside
(excerpt from blog post Intentional Acts of Kindness)
Wishing you a mindful evening
Lee
M. Lee Freedman, MD,CM, FRCP(C)
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