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Last week, we asked you to spend 5 minutes twice each day in some self-care activity which could be closing your eyes and paying attention to your breath (mindful breathing) or noticing the sensory experience of taking a shower, walking in nature or washing the dishes. How’d you do? For now, what’s most important is dedicating the time to being in the moment and having a different experience than we usually do when we’re caught up in our busy, stressed out lives. True self-care.

On Monday we challenged you further, asking that you spend 10 minutes twice a day practicing self-care mindfully. Now it’s Thursday? What has your experience been? Whatever’s happened, just the thought to make time for yourself each day is mindful. Let me tell you how.

Research indicates that we spend 80% of our time worrying about the future, 20% of our time regretting the past, and very little in the present moment. However, when we start to notice that our mind has strayed from some activity we intended to do, in that moment, we are living in the present. Sound confusing? It can be.

Let me give you another example. In mindful stress reduction class, we often focus our attention on our breath or a phrase/mantra. After seconds or moments, thoughts begin to interrupt and try to distract us. In the moment when we catch ourselves having a thought instead of paying attention to our breath or mantra, we are being mindful of the present. Still, the best way to learn this is to practice by first setting time aside for self-care and mindfulness and then, noticing when you do or don’t and trying to come back to it.

Here’s the best example though. Today, I noticed that my mind was getting agitated and I felt restless. I’d told my mom I’d visit her and realized after two days of being in my office, I needed some alone time. I called my mom who totally understood and guess what? My mind settled down and I felt calmer. Self-care and mindfulness all in one.

Best Always. Namaste.

Last Friday, I got to speak at the Postpartum Support International (PSI) certificate training in St. Louis. It was a wonderful blend of maternal child health providers from public agencies and private practices gathered together to support pregnant, birthing and postpartum women and their families. Both welcoming and warm, I felt much at home.

After my opening remarks, I led the group in a mindfulness exercise.  I was returning to my seat when a woman at the table next to mine stopped me and said, “You have such a soothing voice. You should make a meditation CD.” Since, I’m practicing mindfulness these weeks along with you, she got my attention and I listened. Of course, in my head, I’m thinking like many of us do “Where will I start? Which of the many mindful coping skills that I teach, shall I choose.”

Then I realized, keep it simple. Just click here on Simply Breathe or Soothe Your Body Mind, and you can try my guided mindfulness exercises. Pick the one you like or alternate between the two. Whichever suits you.

Please listen to one of these mindful coping skills daily or every other day for the next week. We call this “formal” practice. For your other 10 minutes of daily practice,”informally savor the moment you’re in” by tuning in to any activity you’re already doing. It could be showering, walking, gardening, playing with your children or spending time with your pet. When thoughts occur, redirect your attention to the sensory experience of what’s going on.

Make your best effort to commit to “formal” practice 10 minutes daily and “informal” practice 10 minutes daily. Do your best. Whatever happens, it’s okay. Be gentle with yourself. No judgement or criticism.

Have a good week. Namaste.

Welcome to my first ever Thursday’s “Cup of Comfort.” I’ve decided by the end of the week, most of us need encouragement and inspiration instead of another “assignment” when many of us haven’t made time yet this week to look at Monday’s Mindfulness Practice. Also, I realized by later in the week, it’s good for me too.

Today I just happened across a post from Vishnu’s Virtues on MindBodyGreen which I wanted to share. A “happy coincidence” as I like to call it. I picked out the ones I liked best. If you want to read the whole post click here.

Just in time for our first “cup of comfort.” From Vishnu Subramaniam’s 10 ideas for soulful living. Enjoy!

6. Choose quiet-time over busy-time.

We run around our day-to-day life embracing our perfectionist tendencies and our unknown desire to get it all done. Forget that.

Cut out the things you hate doing out of obligation.

Create downtime for yourself to breathe, rest and reflect. Cultivate quiet time for your soul to take in life at its own pace.
Your life will not be remembered by what you got done, it will be remembered by how much you embraced each moment in front of you.

7. Choose today over what happened.

Unless you have access to a time machine, you can’t change the past. But you can embrace what you’re doing today, and the experiences that you’re facing right now.

Lighten your load by releasing the burdens of the past. Catch yourself when you want to brood over past failures and pain. Center yourself and bring your attention back to the present.

10. Choose vulnerability over hiding.

Show up in the world exactly as you are. Embrace your emotions, hurts, pains and life’s story. Your unique journey is what makes you, you.

Share who you truly are and what you’re feeling with others. No need to hide, create stiff boundaries or put up walls around you. Being vulnerable with others allows you to show up honestly in the world and create deeper and more genuine relationships with others. Yes, you might get hurt sometimes, but at least you’ll always be deeply seated in your truth.

You have a choice everyday about how you live your life.

Let go of fear-based, ego-filled living.

Opt for a more joyful, soul-centered life.

“At any moment you have a choice that either leads you closer to your spirit or further away from it.” -Thich Nhat Hanh

Looking for something I could post today in honor of Memorial Day, I found this. One of the most moving songs I’ve heard recently about losing someone you love-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCSMCgqlc-0.

As you listen, remember those you’ve loved and lost, and let your heart radiate those feelings. This one’s for you, dad. Even though it’s been 16 years, I still feel the love for you and your love for me.

Namaste.

I love this phrase which a colleague of mine suggested be our blog’s theme. “Seize the moment,” is a phrase people like to use BUT are they? Since the start of May, we’ve been asking you to practice mindfulness twice a day for 10 minutes or once daily for 20 minutes. We’ve given you both formal and informal ways to practice.

So, how are you doing? What’s your experience been? What obstacles have gotten in the way? Have you figured out a way not to let them stop you. This week I was happy to hear that one of my newer clients had found a way to practice most days and was noticing the benefits that happen when you do. Even in moments when she was not engaged in mindfulness, she found that she was less quick to get upset and irritable. A welcome change for anyone.

It also helps to practice in a group like I mentioned in an earlier. If you live in St. Louis, I’ll be teaching “Mindfulness in 5 Simple Steps: How to Stress Less and Live Better” at my place on June 5 and 6. Click on this link to see a Fox Files TV segment about it-http://fox2now.com/2015/05/05/mindfulness-approach-for-infertility-and-overall-health/. Click here for a new video on my YouTube channel on how to “Settle Your Thoughts,” one of my 5 Simple Steps.

For more info on my class, call 314-99-5666 or visit my FB page at https://www.facebook.com/MidwestMindBodyHealth.  I’ll have info and be posting there this week as I’m in Chicago this week celebrating my mom’s 83rd birthday.

Have a good week. Keep practicing. Namaste

I had no idea what I was going to write about for tomorrow until I googled The Prophet online and found that this amazing book is coming out this August as a movie. A week ago Friday I read from it in a luncheon talk I did in STL at our Postpartum Support International training (PSI). When I went back to my seat, a woman at the next table stopped me and asked me if she could look at it “for a minute.” “Take your time,” I replied. “It’s filled with beautiful poetry and Illustrations by its’ author, Kahlil Gibran. You can give it back to me when you’re done.”

She was an older African American woman and for weeks I’d worried that my lunchtime mindfulness exercise which included reading Gibran’s poem about children might not be well-received by my “culturally diverse” audience. Instead, most of them were engaged beyond my expectations. Returning The Prophet to me, she said “This is a very spiritual book.” I simply replied, “Yes.” Then she proceeded to order it online while I returned to my seat.

What a lesson for me! The universe took me by the hand and showed me that the language of spirit is universal. Although we may call it by different names-God, Jesus, our higher power, Buddha, Allah, The Divine Feminine-whatever beckons us to be our “best selves,” is shared between us. There is no separation. Likewise, it is always there to guide and support us if we are willing to be aware and don’t miss out on the message being sent.

This week pay attention to what the universe is telling you. Look. Listen. Be mindful.

Have a good week. Namaste.

In mindfulness practice, we talk about being aware of our lives one moment at a time and to savor the moment we’re in. I had a particularly wonderful opportunity to savor several experiences this week but almost sacrificed them by “doing too much.” Because it alerted me to the self-sabotage that many of us engage in, I wanted to share my story with you.

Tuesday, I discovered that my schedule on Thursday was going to be relatively free. Instead of recharging Wednesday which is “sort of” my day off, I decided to make a backlog of calls which had been bugging me after a fruitful but energy depleting business lunch. Not only did I succeed in exhausting myself Wednesday with all the “work” I created but by the end of the day, felt less excited over the grand opening of The Corner Gates event venue last Thursday which I’d looked forward to all month.

That night my mother reminded me I was “over-doing it again” and while my immediate response was “I’m just energized by everything that’s going on,” the next morning, I knew she was right. Fortunately, I had a slow day Thursday and kept it that way. I had a wonderful time Thursday night at The Corner Gates with Chef Ashley Nanney’s delicious food and hospitality, music from the Whiskey Raccoons, and good company. I felt happy and nourished by my deliberate self-care and the universe rescuing me once again from burn-out.

Why are we always finding and losing our “peace of mind?” What gets in your way? Why do you sacrifice contentment with the need to do more? What do YOU do to get it back,

Here’s an exercise from my new program “Mindfulness in 5 Simple Steps: How to Stress Less and Live Better” on how to “stay in the moment.”

Take time to rest and recharge this week. Namaste.

I was “noticing” my life when I came across a free podcast from Deepak Chopra, one of my mentors, about how to have do less and have more without “struggling for success.” It resonated with me so I wanted to write about it here. Actually, when I got back on my mindfulness path, attending this seminar “in person” was the first thing I’d done. What a co-incidence.

Anyway, Deepak spoke about being aligned with our soul’s purpose or dharma and living from the level of the soul. He said that when we are life flows effortlessly like our breath or bodies which keep us alive without us consciously doing anything. He reminded his listeners of The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, which he’d written 15 years earlier, and how if we follow these “laws for living” which mimic nature’s unfolding we can live a life of more ease and less struggle. I love this book and especially it’s adaptation in The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga by Dr. David Simon, Chopra Center co-founder and Deepak which I draw upon when teaching.

“Synchrodestiny” as he calls it, is all around us if we tune in with awareness and let go of how we may be “forcing” our lives. Since mindfulness has become my mindset, many wonderful experiences have been unfolding when I’m aware of what’s occurring “in the moment” instead of being occupied with stress and striving. In the past month, I’ve met several like-minded and like-spirited folks who have agreed to partner with me on some of my upcoming projects, like a mindfulness program for parents and pre-schoolers. I’ve also become more closely affiliated with these same kind of folks, in some ongoing efforts to promote community-based projects which will bring more peace of mind and ease of living to themselves and those they serve. Sound too good to be true?

Deepak says that the more you live in the present and follow your soul’s not ego’s calling, this will happen. I’m certainly discovering it does. What about you? Are you following your soul’s path? When you do, do you notice the universe opening doors for you? When you don’t, what happens?

Pay attention this week by asking yourself these 3 soul questions daily. “Who am I?”  “What do I really, really want?”  “How may I serve?” Then watch and listen.

Have a good week. Namaste.

A story I was looking for the past two weeks, showed up in my newsfeed over the weekend. I wanted to share it with you because it resonates with me, and what I believe is the truth of our existence. See what you think.

“One evening an elder Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside all people. He said, “My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us. One is Fear. It carries anxiety, concern, uncertainty, hesitancy, indecision and inaction. The other is Faith. It brings, calm, conviction, confidence, enthusiasm, decisiveness, excitement and action.” The grandson thought about if for a moment and then meekly asked his grandfather: “Which wolf wins?” The old Cherokee replied, “The one you feed.”

Be aware of which wolf you choose to feed more over the next few days. Notice when you feed “Fear” and what motivates you? Likewise, when you feed “Faith,” what are you experiencing? Don’t judge yourself. Just be mindful of what’s going on.

Thanks Leslie Rauk (click here for more info) for posting this last weekend. Namaste.

I will be in Montana at a women’s retreat “Moon, Yin and Water” with Dr. Jean Shinoda Bolen from June 20-27. Before leaving on Saturday, I became aware of how much I need this. While I’ve been thoroughly enjoying life lately, it’s been a little too much “doing” and not enough being. Awareness reminding me it’s time for a break.

On the lighter side, Jean’s newest books “Crones Don’t Whine” is a perfect weekend or night-time read for women 55+ and honestly, it’s fun for all ages. I have read and re-read it many times since my daughter gave it to me last year for my birthday. Here’s an excerpt from it about “Choosing A Path With Heart.”

“To be human, is a body and soul experience unique to each person. On a physical level, no one is the same as anyone else. Each of us has our own unique story, the fulfillment of which has to do with choosing the path with heart. We come into the world with a particular disposition. The predispositions we unpack along the way in response to what we encounter…If we are spiritual beings on a human path, the answers to the questions that shape the journey do not come from outside of us, for the wisdom that knows is within us.”

I am excited and honored to spend the week with Jean and 29 other women on what I know is my soul’s path. Last week we asked you to think about yours with the 3 Soul Questions from Deepak Chopra, “Who am I? What do I really, really want? How my I serve.”

This week, keep asking and dedicate some time for rest and recharging when you feel physically, emotionally or mentally weary. Remember, the universe is here to support you. Take care. Namaste.