Mindfulness For When You Are Not Feeling OK

Today is one of those days for me. I've had a cold for the last 3 days and have been trying to "power through" it, as if it wasn't there. Though my stuffy nose, and sore throat, have been letting me know, loud and clear, that I do have a cold; I wasn't letting myself assume that, until I decided to look for a meditation practice for discomfort. 

After doing this UCLA meditation I realized I still have a looong way to go until I fully learn to apply mindfulness to my every day life. 

This particular meditation is simple, but powerful. It guides you to bring awareness to what you are feeling (in my case a stuffy nose that won't let me breathe normally) and helps you to let it be. Yes, the key is to let the discomfort be. That, was a breakthrough. I was expecting to get rid of the cold too soon. Sounds pretty obvious, but have you heard about big old denial? Well, it can be very powerful!

Somehow, trusting the process, and simply bringing awareness to what, and where you feel the difficulty in your body, is enough to help you feel OK with it, and also evaporates any traces of stress, or rush to get rid of it. (Go figure! ha!)

I hope you are feeling OK, and not in need of this meditation, but in case you do, give it a try! aaa....achooo!

P.S. How to caring mindfulness, and How to Body Scan. 

How To Practice Caring Mindfulness: Cultivating Loving Kindness

In previous posts, I commented on why altruism is a win-win situation. How can we implement this in our practice for well-being?

Given that the benefits are clearly measurable, psychologists and therapists are turning to meditations that include loving kindness, and compassion.


Why cultivate loving kindness?

Because the practice of mindfulness, by itself, can be used incorrectly, and deviate from its original purpose, which is, not only to increase our well-being, but also that of others, and the place we live in: our planet. 

Matthieu Ricard wrote:

"A calm and clear mind is not in and of itself, a guarantee for ethical behavior. There can be mindful snipers and mindful psychopaths who maintain a calm and stable mind. But there cannot be caring snipers and caring psychopaths."

Compassion and neural changes.

Several studies have shown the benefits of practicing caring mindfulness. This one study in particular, led by positive psychologist, Barbara Frederickson, shows clear cut findings: 

"The practice of LKM (loving kindness meditation) led to shifts in people's daily experiences of a wide range of positive emotions, including love, joy, gratitude, contentment, hope, pride, interest, amusement, and awe. These increases in positive emotions were evident both within the trajectories of change in daily emotions over the span of 9 weeks and within a detailed analysis of a given morning 2 weeks after formal training ended."

The 140 adults who participated in this study also showed improvements in physical health.

Ricard puts it this way,

"Meditation gives you inner strength and confidence, and if you don't feel vulnerable, you can put that to the service of others. So it's not just about sitting and cultivating caring mindfulness. It's building up a way of being and then using it for the service of others."

Here's how you do it.

Got 9 minutes and 20 seconds to spare? 

UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) to the rescue! I like this loving kindness meditation  because it's very easy to follow and it leaves you with a good mood, and a sunny disposition. I hope you give it a try and let me know how it went! 



P.S. How to practice a Body Scan? and Mindful Eating.

How To Practice Mindfulness: A Quick Exercise

How was your mindful eating practice? Were you able to focus on what, and how you were eating? If you did, even if it was for 30 seconds, it's a success. Pat yourself on the back. 

Today, I thought I'd share an exercise we can do in the car when we are waiting for the light to turn green. Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk who was nominated by Martin Luther King Jr. for the Nobel Peace Prize, explained this at mindful.org. 

"...make use of the red light. You can sit back and relax--take the ten seconds the light is red to practice mindful breathing and release the tension in the body. So next time you 're stopped at a red light, you might like to sit back and practice... "Breathing in, I'm aware of my body. Breathing out, I release the tension in my body"  Peace is possible at that moment, and it can be practiced many times a day--in the workplace while you are driving, while you are cooking, while you are doing the dishes... It is always possible to practice releasing the tension in yourself."

What do you think? Is this helpful? Are you an anxious driver or a peaceful one? Let me know! In my case, I can get pretty anxious whenever I'm being late. Otherwise, I tend to remain calm and enjoy the ride. What about you?

Next wellness Wednesday will be about adding kindness to your everyday life. Stay tuned!

P.S. The Body Scan Meditation, Mindful Walking Meditation, Breathing Meditation, Practice mindfulness everywhere.