Simple Daily Meditation: Thank You Thich Nhat Hanh

Meditation continues to be recognized by our western culture as an important practice for better health.  It does not mean that you must join a mediation center or dedicate thirty minutes per day to breath and try to clear your mind… That is an overwhelming prospect for most of us! Daily meditation can be as simple as taking time to breathe while repeating positive words that remind you to calm down and be aware of your body.

Thich Nhat Hanh is a global spiritual leader, poet and peace activist, revered throughout the world for his powerful teachings and bestselling writings on mindfulness and peace. 

His key teaching is that, through mindfulness, we can learn to live happily in the present moment—the only way to truly develop peace, both in one’s self and in the world. (http://plumvillage.org/about/thich-nhat-hanh/)

Thich Naht Hanh has played a pivotal role in sharing mindfulness practices and mediation to western culture, and he is currently in critical condition after suffering a brain hemorrhage.  To honor his compassionate gifts to the world, we share with you some of the meditations he recommends for daily practice.

• You may take three steps while breathing in and say “Breathing in, I calm my body” and then with the following three steps “Breathing out, I relax.” You can then shorten this to saying “calm” as you breathe in, and “relax” as you breathe out.                        
• “Breathing in, I have arrived, breathing out, I am home.” Then shorten too “Breathing in, arrived, breathing out, home.” Have you ever had the experience where you were rushing home to relax. It doesn’t make sense and isn’t effective is calming the nervous system. Sometimes reminding ourselves that we have arrived to the present moment already and that we are home can help calm an anxious mind. We can then slow down and get home a few minutes later in a more collected and relaxed state.
• “Breathing in, I notice the colors all around me, breathing out, I smile.” Then shorten to “Breathing in, colors, breathing out, smile.” Even if we don’t feel like smiling, the simple act of doing a half-smile sometimes can change the tension in our faces, which in turn affects our mood.

Take the time to experience mindfulness mediation.  Even a few minutes a day can change the way your body and mind cope with stress.  Thank you Thich Nhat Hanh for dedicating your life to  promoting peace, sharing love, and encouraging kindness.  

Daily Gratitudes for Better Bedtimes

One of the mindfulness practices we use at mke MindBody wellness is the acknowledgement of gratitude.  Living in a fast-paced culture, it can be very easy to lose control of our stress and spiral into a mental loop of worry, analysis, frustration, and fear. At all ages, we are faced with stress and expectations placed on ourselves or by others that can make life feel overwhelming. Getting lost in stress robs your mind and body of the pleasure of accomplishment and gratitude.  Sometimes it really is simple: What am I grateful for? There has been a beautiful trend happening on Facebook that challenges individuals to list 3 things they are grateful for everyday for 5 days.  Each day, like a chain letter, the individual must nominate 3 more people to do the same.  We all get to reap the joy of this shift in perspective!  

So I encourage everyone- my children included- to spend the last moments of the day lying in bed and thinking of the 5 gratitudes of the day.  If your mind wants to wonder back into the worry and fear that usually dictates this time of day, try your best to breathe deeply and continue to find things to be grateful for- even if its the sun shining, the roof over your head, or the ability to cherish the time you have with loved ones.  I promise you will find at least 5 gratitudes and feel better for it.

For more on fostering gratitude (not only for kids- these techniques are useful for everyone):

http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/seven_ways_to_foster_gratitude_in_kids

http://kidsforgratitude.org

http://phippsscienceeducation.org/2014/01/14/cultivating-attitudes-of-gratitude-teaching-thankfulness-through-nature/

How does acupuncture relieve anxiety?

It has long been known to practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine that acupuncture is effective in treating the symptoms of anxiety and stress.  What has been difficult for our western culture to grasp is exactly HOW this is possible.  

Researchers were able to measure biological mechanisms involving an assortment of hormones that the body secretes into the bloodstream as a reaction to stress.  In this controlled study of rats, they assessed blood hormone levels secreted by the hypothalamus, the pituitary gland and the adrenal gland -- together these are known as the hypothalamus pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis. They also measured a peptide involved in "fight or flight" responses, called NPY. 

 "The researchers discovered that stress hormones were lower in rats that had received electronic acupuncture. Results were published in the Journal of Endocrinology."

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