
On Mindful Monday, my readers and I practice the art of pausing, TRYING to be still, or considering, ever so briefly, the big picture. We're hoping this soul time will provide enough peace of mind to get us through the week!
I've been pursuing a better understanding mindfulness--and trying to practice it--for a good six months now. In the last few weeks, though, I think I've made some progress due to a CD I've been listening to by Dr. Elisha Goldstein called "Mindful Solutions for Stress, Anxiety, and Depression." I have been listening to the CD in the car on my way to pick up the kids from camp or run an errand (I don't close my eyes, though, like you are supposed to).
At any rate, his four step model to mindfulness has helped me divide the awesome job of becoming more mindful into a few steps that are easier to process. He breaks mindfulness into four categories: calming exercises, mindfulness of thoughts, mindfulness of emotions, and the wandering mind.
1. Calming Exercises
For calming exercises, Dr. Goldstein (who has a very soothing voice I might add!) offers two strategies: breath work and a body scan. He starts with the breath because it is something that is always with us, and because it provides oxygen to all of our major organs, including our brain. It's the source of life, and so often we breathe from our chest, not getting the full oxygen our body needs.
Lately, when I grow anxious or have had a fourth cup of coffee in an hour, I have noticed my breath turn shallow. It moves from my belly or diaphragm to my chest. So I'll try to concentrate on it--to begin counting with each breath--and to try to get it back to the belly.
Dr. Goldstein claims that the body scan is another way we can regulate our stress. He says:
By taking time to focus on the body part by part we begin to realize that we are more than our busy minds. We give our bodies the acknowledgment it rightfully deserves, possibly noticing pleasant or unpleasant sensations that we are carrying with us throughout the day. We may also become more aware as thoughts or emotions rise up in connection with particular body parts. Connecting with the body in this way is often where deep healing can occur.

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