MPDR Archives Blog Post #229 - March 21, 2015

Bring awareness to the experience

of the inhale 

the exhale

and the spaces between

for the following three breaths

image by M. Lee Freedman 

Slow down and enjoy life.  It's not only the scenery you miss by going too fast - you also miss the sense of where you are going and why. 

-Eddie Cantor

Wishing you peace and joy

on this lovely spring day

  

Lee

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

http://mpdrarchives.blogspot.ca/

MPDR Archives Blog Post #228 - March 20, 2015

Bring your attention into this moment

By noticing the next 3 breaths

image by M. Lee Freedman

Here is a link to a 5 minute video of Bill Murray responding to the question "What is it you want that you don’t have?" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9TvFkiLLMo

If you have only 1-2 minutes to spare, the first 2 minutes are especially well worth it, (in my opinion)

Wishing you many moments 

of returning to being fully present in the here and now 

as you progress through your day today

Lee

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

http://mpdrarchives.blogspot.ca/

MPDR Archives Blog Post #227 - March 19, 2015

Pause for 3 Mindful Breaths

 

image by M. Lee Freedman

Just Like The Roots 

By Lorin Bulmash - Toyman 

I could get lost wandering in a forest for hours

Walking along the roots of the trees.

Their presence never fails to impress me

Roots have a long reach

Growing continuously 

Ageless, it seems, but not without challenges

Struggling just to let it self be

The roots of the trees anchor us, or so it seems

They remind me of the breath

So generous and strong

They never fail to impress

They never fail to be strong 

Just like our breath, the roots may nourish our spirit and our dreams

Just like the roots, the breath may ground us

Just like shimmering sun 

Just like the sapphire sky

Just like moments that may fly by 

Just like our laughter 

Just like our tears

We come to know

Our anchor resides here

Gentle and brave

The roots of trees and the breath matter more then it would seem.

Wishing You a Mindful Day

Lee

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

http://mpdrarchives.blogspot.ca/

MPDR Archives Blog Post #226 - March 18, 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

“Being heard 
is so close to being loved 
that for the average person, 
they are almost indistinguishable.”

― David Augsburger

Wishing you moments of fully hearing and being heard by whoever you meet today

Lee

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

http://mpdrarchives.blogspot.ca/

MPDR Archives Blog Post #225 - March 17, 2015

Bring your attention into this moment

By noticing the next 3 breaths

image by M. Lee Freedman

“Our bodies are always in the present. Our sensory data continually reports whether our current experience (either inside or outside of ourselves) is perceived as good or bad for us. If an experience is initially felt as positive we tend to move toward it, if aversive we tend to move away. Experiences we find neutral may escape our conscious awareness altogether. These tendencies are often the first step into our habitual reactions of clinging, avoidance, rumination, or anxiety depending on the nature of what is showing up.

Mindfulness is the awareness that emerges from intentionally training to regulate our attention and affect and a willingness to encounter, at least temporarily, whatever is arising so we can come to fully know our direct experience. Why develop this capacity? Because we can then choose to de-fuse or get some distance from difficult thoughts and feelings that may often overwhelm, or in which we become immersed. We can make more skillful choices about how to respond to life challenges and disturbing emotional states.”

-Dr. Patricia Rockman

(excerpt from post “Dealing With Difficulty”)

to read the full post, please follow this link:http://www.mindfulnessstudies.com/blog/page/15/

Wishing you peace of mind amidst challenges today

Lee

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

http://mpdrarchives.blogspot.ca/

MPDR Archives Blog Post #224 - March 16, 2015

Bring curious attention

to the sensations of the breath

flowing in and out of your body

for the next 3 breaths

image by M. Lee Freedman

“When you are mindful you are fully present, in-the-moment without judgment. When it comes to eating, mindfulness helps amplify the volume of your body’s cues so you can hear loud and clear when you are hungry and full. Many social and environmental factors can stand in the way of being able to accurately decode your body’s feedback. Mindfulness helps you break free from routine eating habits by examining the thoughts, feelings and internal pressures that affect how and why you eat (or don’t eat).” 

-excerpt from 7 Mindful Eating Tips

© 2004 National Eating Disorders Association.www.NationalEatingDisorders.org

To read the seven mindful eating tips, please follow this link: http://www.uhs.berkeley.edu/eda/7Mindful.pdf

Wishing you

moments of presence, enjoyment and gratitude

while you are eating

Lee

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

http://mpdrarchives.blogspot.ca/

MPDR Archives Blog Post #223 - March 15, 2015

Connect with the Rhythm

of your next 3 breaths 

image by M. Lee Freedman

“Another wonderful way to calm down when we are upset is by walking.

As we walk, we pay attention to each step we take. We notice how the foot touches the ground.

The Earth is our Mother. When we are away from Mother Nature, we get sick.  Each step we take allows us to touch our Mother, so that we can be well again.  A lot of harm has been done to Mother Earth, so now it is time to kiss the Earth with our feet, with our love.

 During your walk, stop to observe the beautiful things around you, above you, and below you.  Continue to breathe in and out in order to get in touch with these wonderful things. The moment you stop being aware of your breathing, the beautiful things may vanish, and thinking and worrying may settle in your mind again. 

Just allow yourself to be!  Allow yourself to enjoy being in the present moment.  The Earth is so beautiful.  Enjoy the planet Earth.  You are beautiful too, you are a marvel like the Earth.  To walk like this is called 'Walking Meditation'. 

Remember that while you are walking, you are not going anywhere, yet every step helps you to arrive. To arrive where?  To arrive in the present moment, to arrive in the here and now.  You don't need anything else to be happy.”

-Thich Nhat Hanh

  

Enjoy our beautiful planet Earth today

Lee

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

http://mpdrarchives.blogspot.ca/

MPDR Archives Blog Post #222 - March 14, 2015

PAUSE for three mindful breaths

image by M. Lee Freedman

First Notes

By Richard Greene

Though winter is with us still 

the birds have begun to sing 

to the cues of spring, 

first a cardinal, then a wren 

and now this morning in early March, 

as a chill dawn pinks the sky, 

the wistful fluting of a mourning dove 

which, after winter’s longueurs, 

when few but crows were heard, 

now finds itself bestirred  

to loose its song.

from Explorations (Antrim House Books, 2009).

Text as published on the poet's website. 

(from A Year of Being Here newsletter)

Wishing you a mindful evening

Lee

M. Lee Freedman, MD,CM, FRCPC

http://mpdrarchives.blogspot.ca/

MPDR Archives Blog Post #221 - March 13, 2015

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

image by M. Lee Freedman

Consider giving yourself  8 minutes for a practice of mindful awareness of sounds and thoughts guided by Mark Williams co-author of Mindfulness: Finding Peace in a Frantic World 

Here is the link:

http://cdn.franticworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Sounds-and-thoughts-meditation-from-book-Mindfulness-Finding-Peace-in-a-Frantic-World-128k.mp3 

  

      Wishing you and yours a mindful day

Lee

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

http://mpdrarchives.blogspot.ca/

MPDR Archives Blog Post #220 - March 12, 2015

Step out of auto-pilot mode

and into this present moment

by enjoying 3 mindful breaths

image by M. Lee Freedman

“There are moments in life that are hard, painful, scary and difficult to endure. There are times when we feel anger, anxiety, grief, embarrassment, stress, remorse or other negative emotions.

In these trying times we often want to escape the pain, drown it out or push it away somehow. We may begin a mental struggle with the pain trying to mentally talk our way out of it, or we distract ourselves with activities or drown it out with food or drink or something stronger.

All these ways of avoiding pain only perpetuate it in the long run. Avoidance creates suffering and keeps us from living fully this miraculous and precious life that we have.

Through mindfulness you can learn to turn your negative emotions into your greatest teachers and sources of strength.

How?

Instead of ‘turning away’ from pain in avoidance we can learn to gently ‘turn towards’ what we’re experiencing. We can bring a caring open attention towards the wounded parts of ourselves and make wise choices about how to respond to ourselves and to life.

It’s a paradox that we all must understand: It is by turning towards negative emotions that we find relief from them – not by turning away.”

 -Melli O’Brien (excerpt from post How to Use Mindfulness to Work With Negative Emotions)

To read the full post including a six step process for mindfully dealing with difficult emotions, please follow this link: http://mrsmindfulness.com/mindfulness-for-negative-emotions/

Wishing you equanimity and self-compassion

as you become aware of challenging thoughts and emotions today

Lee

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

http://mpdrarchives.blogspot.ca/