MPDR Archives Blog Post #167 - January 13, 2015

Pause

Come into the present moment

by really feeling

the sensations of 3 or more breaths

 image by M. Lee Freedman 

Consider extending this pause with a 2 ½ minute mindfulness breathing practice led by Jeremy Woodall: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nw4tJrkjpfk

Wishing you a mindful day

Lee 

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

MPDR Archives Blog Post #166 - January 12, 2015

Step out of auto-pilot mode

and into this present moment

with 3 mindful breaths

 image by M. Lee Freedman

The following poem by Dr. David Etlin “If the Breath was a Pharmaceutical” has been shared in a previous mindfulness practice daily reminder.  I am choosing to share it again in keeping with the theme of “the breath”   

If The Breath Was a Pharmaceutical

It’s fun to imagine

If breath was a pill

What would ads say?

Is breath marketable?

You could easily claim

That use of the breath

Will keep you alive

And prevent early death

You could, surely declare

It’s so simple to treat

And the price, guaranteed

Is impossible to beat

Conveniently located

Right under your nose

Always available

For relaxing, repose

Very effective

For all types of stress

May be lifesaving

With no side effects

Used successfully by millions,

Over thousands of years

Satisfaction is promised

Be at peace with your fears

-David Etlin MD FRCPC

Wishing you a mindful evening

Lee

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

MPDR Archives Blog Post #165 - January 11, 2015

PAUSE for three mindful breaths

 before proceeding 

“The breath happens in the body. For those of us accustomed to experiencing everything from our heads, the breath invites us to a lower centre of gravity. We let go of thinking for a time, and come down to the belly. We feel the texture of the breath, its rising and falling, and the physical sensations of movement that accompany it. This helps synchronise body and mind, bringing us more into a mode of present-moment sensing. When we feel the breath, we feel the essence of being alive.”

Excerpt from “6 Reasons Why Mindfulness Begins with the Breath” by Ed Halliwell,

 for the full article visit:  http://ow.ly/zIPHj

 image by M. Lee Freedman

 Enjoy the fruits of being present today

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.

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 me directly.

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

Lee 

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

MPDR Archives Blog Post #164 - January 10, 2015

Pause and intentionally bring attention to the next 3 breaths

image by M. Lee Freedman

Please enjoy this 2 ½ minute music video on "Belly Breathing” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mZbzDOpylA

You may find yourself smiling

You may want to share this with the young child(ren) in your life

Wishing you and yours a wonderful day

Lee

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

MPDR Archives Blog Post #163 - January 9, 2015

Pause for 3 Mindful Breaths

image by M. Lee Freedman 

“Let the breath lead the way.” 

-Sharon Salzberg 

Wishing you a mindful evening

Lee

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

MPDR Archives Blog Post #162 - January 8, 2015

PAUSE for 3 mindful breaths

 image by M. Lee Freedman

 Why Mindful Breathing Works

“Pause briefly and repeatedly throughout the day. Just shifting your attention from whatever is going on to the act of taking a single purposeful breath can make a meaningful contribution to managing stress.” 

Excerpted from: Why Mindful Breathing Works, by Deborah Schoeberlein.

 The full article explains what happens to the brain and nervous system under chronic stress in order to clarify why pausing and connecting with the breath can be a practical strategy to manage stress. Understanding the scientific rationale for why regular pauses with intentional focus on breathing can be an anti-dote to the physiological effects of chronic stress may provide you with further incentive to practice mindful pausing regularly throughout the day. It is a fairly short post. Here is the link  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/deborah-schoeberlein/mindfulness-stress_b_2131482.html

Wishing you mindful moments today

Lee

M. Lee Freedman MD, CM, FRCP(C)    

MPDR Archives Blog Post #161 - January 7, 2015

Pause

Bring your attention

to the sensations of breathing

in your body

where it is most clear to you

for the next three breaths

image by M. Lee Freedman 

You may have noticed that the past several mindfulness practice daily reminders have featured the theme of the breath and breathing. 

Today, with gratitude to Shari Stein, I share the following reflection about the breath and self-compassion.

“I believe that focus on the breath is an ideal tool to enhance self-compassion.  The breath is our life force and each breath represents renewed possibility and in its own way is a small, powerful celebration of life. For me, often with the inhalation comes receptivity and opening and with the exhalation comes stability and release – though there are endless possibilities for how I might experience breathing. With the pause comes the invitation to look inward, to linger on the feelings of acceptance, and to begin to understand what it might mean to embody change.” 

-Shari Stein

(excerpt from Yoga as a Vehicle for Cultivating Self-Compassion)

Wishing you frequent moments of pausing 

to connect with your breath

and to practice self-compassion

today

Lee

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

MPDR Archives Blog Post #160 - January 6, 2015

PAUSE for three mindful breaths

image by M. Lee Freedman

Do you have 3 more minutes to practice a 3 minute breathing space meditation?

If so, follow this link to an audio recording of Dr Zindel Segal, (co-developer of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy) guiding a 3 minute breathing space meditation.  

http://www.guilford.com/add/segal2/track8.mp3 

Wishing you a mindful day

Lee

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

MPDR Archives Blog Post #159 - January 5, 2015

Pause in this moment and bring awareness to the next three breaths

Thich Nhat Hahn 

-image by M. Lee Freedman

“Breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness, which unites your body to your thoughts. Whenever your mind becomes scattered, use your breath as the means to take hold of your mind again.” 

- Thích Nhất Hạnh

Have a mindful day

Lee

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

MPDR Archives Blog Post #158 - January 4, 2015

PAUSE for three mindful breaths

“What's your relationship like to your breath? Do you have one?

There are days that go by when I think I take about two full breaths. Sound familiar? ……

…….. We are so used to the breath always being with us, that we unequivocally take it for granted. We're too so often checked out of our bodies, that we believe we breathe with our brains.”

-Maggie Lyon

Excerpt from post The Five Healing Benefits of Breath

If you are interested in reading the entire post, here is the link:    

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/maggie-lyon/breathing_b_1247417.html

Wishing you a peaceful &mindful Sunday 

Lee

 M. Lee Freedman MD, CM, FRCP(C)