2020 = Increased Stress Reduction Practice = Resilience

Resilience is key in a pandemic world with huge changes, and so much out of our control. One way to build resilience and stress reduction is through meditation. Please try one or more of these suggestions to add to your daily or weekly stress reduction practice.

What is meditation?

Meditation can be deep breathing exercises like alternate nostril breathing, or body scan is a wonderful meditation. Or eating meditation where you slowly eat a raisin or an item and really pay attention to the smell, texture and taste.

If you need to move, try walking meditation where you go for a small walk and put your attention on the steps you take. Or mindful yoga where you breathing and keeping your awareness on your breathing through yoga poses.

Why Meditate? 

Meditation nourishes Attention, living in the Now, Non-judgmental, Gratitude and Patience. All character traits needed for resilience and 2020.

Meditation brings our attention to the now with each breath. Continued practice helps us live in the now. Not the future – often anxiety. Not in the past – often depression. You can organize for the future in the now but don’t stay in the future. 

Where your attention is matters, if you try the raisin meditation you may notice how delicious a raison can be, and how often you are racing through life and wonder what you are missing that is right infront of you.  Next week I will create the raisin meditation video and blog.

Position

For breathing exercises, I use a pillow under my seat. My favourite meditation position is laying down in the end yoga pose, “shavasana” or laying down with my legs up against a wall or knees bend on the chair (this is beneficial for our adrenals).

Caption: Play – to see Meditation position: Laying down, with legs on chair/ couch.

My Stress Reduction Practice Journey

My stress reduction practices continue to change as my life changes. Fifteen years ago, I took Jon Kabit Zin’s Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) 8 week course. Yoga practice with Brian Kest‘s videos and now online, and many others since 1990’s. Holistic Nutrition teachings from 2013 to 2015. Mindfulness Leadership through Sigma Assessments System with the talented Julie Carswell. Last month, I read the book Breath by James Nestor, his website shares breathing exercises from many. I have joined a local zoom morning breathing group and during the day, I bring my attention to breathing through my nose. “Nose breathing begates nose breathing”, Breath by James Nestor.

Mark Williams and Danny Penman’s created Mindfulness, Finding Peace in a Frantic World book that is an 8 week mindfulness practice worth picking up or as an audiobook. Mark Williams has a wonderful voice for meditation, here are all the meditations from his book. I suggest trying the 8 minute breathing anchor or 3 minute meditation for a week, then changing it up. Or try Mindful Movement meditations, here is one of my favourites “Inner Peace and Calm”.

When you are at a stop sign you can stop and pause, and say “I am”. Giving you a chance to relax, to be, and practice being kind to yourself. Your journey of stress management will be your journey, unique to you, enjoy your ride.

Many of these topics I will break down further in future blogs. Let me know what you are more interested in learning more about.

Hope this helps you create a practice of meditation, breathing, or yoga or all, that help make you more resilient and reduces your stress. When you are having stress, you become more aware of it, be kind to yourself and practice your stress reduction method.

Share with me what you tried, and what you helped you, by commenting below or on my Facebook.

Happy Holidays!!!