MPDR Archives Blog Post #429 - Nov 10, 2015

Pause in this moment

Bring awareness to the next three breaths

  

image by M. Lee Freedman

Being There

by Michele Chaban

The rains that fell,

Begin

The change.

Distinguishing

tree tops

From their seasoned green .

Brown to yellow.

Orange to burgundy.

Reds.

And then, yet another rain

will unteather those leaves,

helping them fall.

They will cloak the earth

Protecting it against

winter’s cold and white.

Those leaves

become the earth,

covering tree roots and grass.

Until

another bloom of green bursts forth,

to begin anew.

Have a mindful day

Lee

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

http://mpdrarchives.blogspot.ca/

MPDR Archives Blog Post #428 - Nov 9, 2015

Pause for 3 Mindful Breaths

image by M. Lee Freedman

"When we open to the terrifying truth that we can't control life,

we open to life's incredible, fragile beauty.”

-Anne Cushman

 Wishing you many moments of mindfulness today

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 atdrmlfreedman@hotmail.com.

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

Sincerely,

Lee 

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

MPDR Archives Blog Post #427 - Nov 8, 2015

With an attitude of kindness and curiosity

Direct your attention

to feeling the sensations

of your next 3 breaths

image by M. Lee Freedman

“While meditating we are simply seeing what the mind has been doing all along.” 

-Alan Lokos

  

Warm wishes for a mindful evening

Lee

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

http://mpdrarchives.blogspot.ca/

MPDR Archives Blog Post #426 - Nov 7, 2015

Pause for 3 Mindful Breaths

image by M. Lee Freedman

“There are two basic motivating forces: fear and love. When we are afraid, we pull back from life. When we are in love, we open to all that life has to offer with passion, excitement, and acceptance. We need to learn to love ourselves first, in all our glory and our imperfections. If we cannot love ourselves, we cannot fully open to our ability to love others or our potential to create. Evolution and all hopes for a better world rest in the fearlessness and open-hearted vision of people who embrace life.”

-John Lennon

  

Wishing you moments of open-heartedness this evening

Lee

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

http://mpdrarchives.blogspot.ca/

MPDR Archives Blog Post #425 - Nov 6, 2015

Bring your attention

to the flow of

the following three breaths

image by M. Lee Freedman

“Incredible change happens in your life when you decide to take control of what you do have power over instead of craving control over what you don't.” 

― Steve Maraboli

Wishing you the peace of mind

that may arise with accepting that which you cannot change

and the courage to change what you can

Lee

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

http://mpdrarchives.blogspot.ca/

MPDR Archives Blog Post #424 - Nov 5, 2015

Pause to feel the breath

as it moves in and out of your body

for the next 3 breaths

image by M. Lee Freedman

"Be mindful when walking: 

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."

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

http://www.lifestyle.com.au/health/10-ways-to-bring-mindfulness-into-everyday-life.aspx#

Wishing you a mindful day

Lee

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

http://mpdrarchives.blogspot.ca/

MPDR Archives Blog Post #423 - Nov 4, 2015

Bring your attention to the following 3 breaths

image by M. Lee Freedman

"The path through trouble is always made

a step at a time,

a breath at a time,

 a day at a time”

-Jack Kornfield

Wishing you a peaceful day

Lee

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

http://mpdrarchives.blogspot.ca/

MPDR Archives Blog Post #422 - Nov 3, 2015

Pause to celebrate this present moment

By bringing full and loving attention

To your next three breaths

image by M. Lee Freedman

“We begin to learn wisely when we're willing 
to see the world from other people's perspective.” 

-Toba Beta

  

Wishing you the wisdom and compassion 

that may arise from seeing from other’s perspectives

Lee

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

http://mpdrarchives.blogspot.ca/

MPDR Archives Blog Post #421 - Nov 2, 2015

Pause for 3 Mindful Breaths

image by M. Lee Freedman

"Practice mindfulness while you wait. In our fast-paced lives, waiting is a big source of frustration – whether you’re waiting in line or stuck in traffic. But while it might seem like a nuisance, waiting is actually an opportunity for mindfulness….

When you’re waiting, he suggested bringing your attention to your breath. Focus on “the flow of the breath in and out of your body, from moment to moment and allow everything else to just be, even if what’s there is impatience or irritation.”

Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S.

(excerpt from Psych Central post 7 Easy Ways to be Mindful Every Day)

http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2012/06/09/7-easy-ways-to-be-mindful-every-day

Wishing you patience and moments of mindful awareness while waiting today

Lee

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

http://mpdrarchives.blogspot.ca/

MPDR Archives Blog Post #420 - Nov 1, 2015

Pause for 3 mindful breaths

images by M. Lee Freedman

“Laughter is important, not only because it makes us happy, it also has actual health benefits.

And that's because laughter completely engages the body and releases the mind.

It connects us to others, and that in itself has a healing effect.”

-Marlo Thomas

Wishing you some moments of laughter and of connection today

Lee

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

http://mpdrarchives.blogspot.ca/