Today’s
#MindfulnessMonday Tip: Remember to take time
to enjoy life and those around you. So often we find ourselves working tooth
and nail so that SOMEDAY we might enjoy our retirement. Make sure you’re taking
time to enjoy life today… not just hoping to do it SOMEDAY in the future.
Check out today’s #MindfulnessMonday video where I talk about stress; what it is, signs of stress, what to do when you start feeling stressed, and how to protect yourself from stress! You can check out the video by clicking HERE!
This is a partner activity. It can be done with a spouse,
a friend, even your children. All you have to do is have a conversation that
doesn’t have anything to do with work, school, stress, or anything else that
has been bogging you down. For five to ten minutes, I want you to talk about
only the things you notice around you. This is best done while taking a walk,
sitting in a park, or even over coffee at an outdoor café.
If you’re having trouble starting the conversation or you
find yourselves getting sucked into typical meaningless small-talk, try playing
a game of eye-spy to get your started. You might just find the conversation
takes on a life of its own, allowing you some time away from the daily
stressors that tend to fill our minds throughout the day.
Don’t be afraid to let this conversation continue as long
as is comfortable.
Mindfulness Journaling Prompt:
After completing the Observation Communication Exercise, take a few minutes to write down as many observations you made throughout the conversation. How many drew your attention back to work/school/stress related topics and how many were completely unrelated to any stressors in your daily life.
Keep this list and try this exercise when you are further along in your mindfulness practices and see if you do better.
Check out
my #MindfulnessMonday YouTube Series and don’t forget to click subscribe so you
never miss an episode!
A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook (A New Harbinger Self-Help Workbook)
Stress and pain are nearly unavoidable in our daily lives; they are part of the human condition. This stress can often leave us feeling irritable, tense, overwhelmed, and burned-out. The key to maintaining balance is responding to stress not with frustration and self-criticism, but with mindful, nonjudgmental awareness of our bodies and minds. Impossible? Actually, it’s easier than it seems.
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I’m certified in Holistic Stress Management and Mind/Body Fitness. I’ve been practicing Mindfulness for 10+ years and am passionate about helping others in their pursuit of a more mindful existence.
Today’s #MindfulnessMonday Tip: Remember that mindfulness takes time. Like learning to ride a bike as a young child, mindfulness is a practice that often times leads us to stumble when we’re first learning but gets easier and easier with practice.
Check out today’s #MindfulnessMonday video and hear the truth about 4 mindfulness myths that just aren’t true! You can check out the video by clicking HERE!
I want you to write the word
‘mindful’ on a blank piece of paper and look at it. Really focus on the word
and how it makes you feel. What does it mean? What do you feel about the word
mindful? What other words can you find in its letters? Write the word multiple
times to see if it changes how you feel about it. Write it in different ways,
fonts, and colors. What does mindfulness represent for you?
After spending a few minutes with just that single word, I want you to write down what it means, to you, to be mindful.
Mindfulness journaling can be very private. However, I would love to invite you to comment below and share what being mindful means to you.
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Check out
my #MindfulnessMonday YouTube Series and don’t forget to click subscribe so you
never miss an episode!
EPISODE 22
~ Mindfulness Myths!
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I’m certified in Holistic Stress Management and Mind/Body Fitness. I’ve been practicing Mindfulness for 10+ years and am passionate about helping others in their pursuit of a more mindful existence.
These are some of my favorite Mindfulness Resources:
Mindfulness in Plain English was first published in 1994, is one of the bestselling — and mostinfluential — books in the field of mindfulness. It’s easy to see why.
Author Bhante Gunaratana, a renowned meditation master, takes us step by step through the myths, realities, and benefits of meditation and the practice of mindfulness. The book showcases Bhante’s trademark clarity and wit as he explores the tool of meditation, what it does, and how to make it work.
This book is:
A best-selling introduction to mindfulness
Full of practical advice on developing a meditation practice
Written in approachable, clear language
Containing chapters on loving-kindness and concentration
From finding your breath to feeling grounded, these practice-based exercises make integrating mindfulness into your routine easy. With over 75 essential meditations―that take between 5-20 minutes from start to finish―Practicing Mindfulness is an approachable way to apply mindfulness in your day-to-day life.
Reduce stress, improve mental health, and stay present no matter what the day holds when you practice mindfulness, with:
Mindfulness 101 that provides clear explanations of what mindfulness is, along with why and how it helps in your day-to-day life
75 mindfulness exercises that are organized by difficulty to help develop your practice
Practical advice for overcoming obstacles to your mindfulness practice like how to deal with distracting noises or fight off sleepiness
Today and every day, mindfulness takes practice. Practicing Mindfulness offers effective, modern meditations and exercises to start practicing everyday mindfulness, today.
Today’s #MindfulnessMonday
Tip: Don’t take mindfulness to seriously… It
isn’t a competition of who can be more mindful. It is
about being present in the moment and enjoying life as it comes.
Check out today’s #MindfulnessMonday video to discover a secret about mindfulness. You can check out the video by clicking HERE!
Reading
is a huge part of our daily lives. So much so that we often take it for granted.
from text messages to emails to social media posts we are constantly staring at
our phones, tables, computers and other devises. Find some time during the day when
you can put down your electronic devises and focus on reading something
in print… a book, a magazine, a newspaper (yes, they still print those). Allow
yourself 5-10 minutes each day, when you can let go of all your other
responsibilities to just get lost in the written word. You just might find that
10 minutes turns into 20 and 20 turns in to 30. I will warn you, there are some
side effects to quiet reading which include…
Getting lost in a book and becoming attached
to the characters you meet,
Choose a poem you like and read through it very slowly. If you don’t have a favorite poem, do a google search for popular poetry or ask your Google Home, iPhone Siri, Alexa, or other smart device to tell you a poem about nature.
What do you like most about it? What images does
it conjure up for you? What do you think about the words the poet chose to use?
Mindfulness journaling can be very private. However, if you are willing to share your experiences with me and my readers, I would love to invite you to comment below and let me know what poem you selected and how it made you feel.
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Check out
my #MindfulnessMonday YouTube Series and don’t forget to click subscribe so you
never miss an episode!
I’m certified in Holistic Stress Management and Mind/Body Fitness. I’ve been practicing Mindfulness for 10+ years and am passionate about helping others in their pursuit of a more mindful existence.
Today’s #MindfulnessMonday Tip: Eat cake! Withholding dessert and other treats can lead to overeating and/or emotional eating.
Check out today’s #MindfulnessMonday video and find out why you should EAT CAKE! You can check out the video by clicking HERE!
Today’s Mindfulness Exercise Mindful Eating!
Mindful Eating is not a diet, it is eating with awareness. It uses a form of meditation called mindfulness, which helps you acknowledge and manage your emotions and physical sensations. Using this approach will help you reach a state of full awareness to your experiences, cravings, and physical cues when you’re eating.
Practice using all of your senses when eating and choose foods that are both satisfying and nourishing.
Practicing Mindful Eating Involves:
Acknowledging that there is no right or wrong way to eat.
Accepting that there are different degrees of awareness surrounding your experience with food.
Accepting that everyone’s eating experiences are unique and personal to them.
Giving your full attention to eating in the moment in order to avoid over eating and emotional eating.
Recognizing how and why you make choices involving food.
Developing healthy habits in the selection of your food to improve your overall health and well-being.
Promoting a healthy balance.
For today’s exercise, select a healthy snack (fruit, raw vegetables, cheese and crackers, etc.) and spend a few minutes of total focus and concentration while eating. What does the food look like, smell like, feel like, taste like? How does it make you feel as you eat it? How do you feel about your food selection? Why did you choose that snack?
Mindfulness Journaling Prompt:
After you’ve completed the Mindful Eating exercise, take a couple of minutes of quiet time to write out your answers to the questions above. Then, make a list of healthy snack selections to use as substitutes the next time you’re feeling stressed, emotional, or just looking for a midnight snack.
Remember, there is no wrong way to eat but making healthy food choices can make a huge difference in your overall health both mentally and physically. That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a slice of cake, a cupcake, a bowl of pudding, or whatever your sweet-tooth desires. Just be mindful of your choices and make sure you reach for the healthy snacks more than the less than desirable choices. When we restrict ourselves to the point of denying things like cake and ice cream completely, we tend to binge eat those things due to stress, depression, and other emotional eating triggers.
Mindfulness journaling can be very private. However, if you are willing to share your thoughts with me and my readers, I would love to invite you to comment below and let me know what healthy snack choices you plan to make in the future.
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Check out my #MindfulnessMonday YouTube Series and don’t forget to click subscribe so you never miss an episode!
An Invitation to the Practice of Mindfulness
We may long for wholeness, suggests Jon Kabat-Zinn, but the truth is that it is already here and already ours. The practice of mindfulness holds the possibility of not just a fleeting sense of contentment, but a true embracing of a deeper unity that envelops and permeates our lives. With Mindfulness for Beginners you are invited to learn how to transform your relationship to the way you think, feel, love, work, and play―and thereby awaken to and embody more completely who you really are.
Here, the teacher, scientist, and clinician who first demonstrated the benefits of mindfulness within mainstream Western medicine offers a book that you can use in three unique ways: as a collection of reflections and practices to be opened and explored at random; as an illuminating and engaging start-to-finish read; or as an unfolding “lesson-a-day” primer on mindfulness practice.
Beginning and long-time meditators alike will discover in these pages a valuable distillation of the key attitudes and essential practices that Jon Kabat-Zinn has found most useful with his students, including:
• Why heartfulness is synonymous with true mindfulness
• The value of coming back to our bodies and to our senses over and over again
• How our thoughts “self-liberate” when touched by awareness
• Moving beyond our “story” into direct experience
• Stabilizing our attention and presence amidst daily activities
• Three fundamental mental factors that cause suffering
• How mindfulness heals, even after the fact
•Reclaiming our wholeness, and more
The prescription for living a more mindful life seems simple enough: return your awareness again and again to whatever is going on. But if you’ve tried it, you know that here is where all the questions and challenges really begin. Mindfulness for Beginners provides welcome answers, insights, and instruction to help us make that shift, moment by moment, into a more spacious, clear, reliable, and loving connection with ourselves and the world.
Includes a complete CD with five guided mindfulness meditations by Jon Kabat-Zinn, selected from the audio program that inspired this book.
Amazon #1 Best Seller! Kick-start and sustain a fun mindfulness practice with kids and teens.
“This book makes it easy and is a must have for every parent and teacher!”
– Denise Besic, Mother and Teacher
Give kids lasting life skills to de-stress and calm down, navigate difficult emotions, control impulses, focus on what matters, and nurture empathy, kindness, and joy.
In Ultimate Mindfulness Activity Book you will find:
150+ playful mindfulness activities
Tools for calm, focus, joy, kindness, and emotional intelligence and regulation
A 21-step guide to kick-start and sustain your practice together
Inspirational examples of how mindfulness makes positive change
Easy to understand explanations on how to explain mindfulness to kids and youth
A FREE audio course for grown-ups and more
Establish a practice of mindful eating with actionable strategies and exercises from The Mindful Eating Workbook.
Eating mindlessly is easy―eating mindfully takes practice. The Mindful Eating Workbook offers actionable, mindfulness-based strategies and exercises to adopt a mindful eating practice and nurture a healthy relationship with food.
Vincci Tsui, a “non-diet” dietitian and certified Intuitive Eating counselor, offers step-by-step guidance to core concepts and philosophies of mindful eating. Applying theory to practice, this mindful eating workbook uses a combined approach of reflective exercises and strategies to reconnect you with your body and your needs.
The Mindful Eating Workbook includes:
Mindful eating 101 explores the lifelong benefits of eating mindfully, and outlines how you can bring this practice into your life.
Real strategies to practice mindfulness while cooking and eating, and using mindfulness to recognize your body’s signals.
Reflective exercises that include assessments, journal entries, and observation logs to keep track of your journey and progress.
Savoring flavors, intuitively nourishing your body, and appreciating food’s true purpose to provide energy―mindful eating isn’t a diet, it is a way of life. Start practicing mindful eating with The Mindful Eating Workbook.
Today’s #MindfulnessMonday Tip: Everyday stresses have a tendency to pile up, if we aren’t keeping them in check. Don’t let yourself get bogged down by stress, there are ways to avoid or reduce stress. Find out what works for you and stay consistent.
Check out today’s #MindfulnessMonday video for 5 Easy Tips for Reducing Stress in your Daily Life. You can check out the video by clicking HERE!
With that little piece of advice, I give you today’s Mindfulness Exercise:
Mindfulness Meditation – Stress Reduction!
Find a place that is comfortable, sitting or lying down and take a moment to connect with your breath. Breath in through your nose and out through your mouth. Once you feel grounded and comfortable, I want you to think about what weighs you down. What causes the most stress in your life? Is it work? Money? Health issues? Or, maybe it’s a big change in your life, moving, graduating, marriage. Whatever the stressor is, it can be managed through consistent focus and balance.
Now, that you recognize your primary stressors, I want you to focus on just one as you take a few deep breaths in through your nose and exhale through your mouth. As you breathe in, repeat the words; I accept all that is good and right with the world. As you breathe out, repeat the words; I let go of what I can not control.
Repeat this process until you feel your body relax. Then, when you’re ready open your eyes and move on to today’s Mindfulness Journaling Prompt.
Mindfulness Journaling Prompt:After you’ve completed the Stress Reduction Meditation, take five minutes of quiet time to write out your stress reduction plan. This is the first step in deciding today how your tomorrow will look. Jot down three things you are going to commit to do in order to reduce your stress and the first step you’ll take for each idea. Some suggestions can be found in today’s #MindfulnessMonday video below.
Mindfulness journaling can be very private. However, if you are willing to share your thoughts with me and my readers, I would love to invite you to comment below and let me know how today’s exercise made you feel.
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Check out my #MindfulnessMonday YouTube Series and don’t forget to click subscribe so you never miss an episode!
EPISODE 19 ~ 5 Easy Tips for Reducing Stress in your Daily Life!
I’m certified in Holistic Stress Management and Mind/Body Fitness. I’ve been practicing Mindfulness for 10+ years and am passionate about helping others in their pursuit of a more mindful existence.
Today’s #MindfulnessMonday Tip:Your value… your self-worth… does not decrease because of the experiences you’ve had or the hurdles you’ve had to overcome.
Check out today’s #MindfulnessMonday video for a quick lesson on self-worth. You can check out the video by clicking HERE!
With that little piece of advice, I give you today’s Mindfulness Exercise:
Mindfulness Meditation – Self-Worth Affirmations!
Take a moment to connect with your breath. Breath in through your nose and out through your mouth. Then, repeat the following:
‘I am worthy of all that the world has to offer, just as much as anyone else. I am deserving of love, hope, peace, friendship, and all that is good in this world, simply because I am human. I release any need to prove myself to others. I release any need to seek and gain acceptance from others. Others cannot define my value or dictate my worth any more than I can theirs. I am unique and special. I am strong and gentle. I surrender myself, allowing the universe to guide me so that my unique gifts can surface and provide value in my life and my relationships. I let go and accept my worthiness as the amazing unique me that I am.’
Notice how these words feel in your body and mind. Then repeat them again, three or four times during your meditation, until the words become comfortable and you begin to feel the weight of their truth.
Mindfulness Journaling Prompt: After you’ve completed the Self-Worth Affirmations meditation, take five to ten minutes of quiet time to journal about the experience and answer one (or more) of the following questions: What makes you unique? What strengths do you see in yourself?
Mindfulness journaling can be very private. However, if you are willing to share your thoughts with me and my readers, I would love to invite you to comment below and let me know how today’s exercise made you feel.
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Check out my #MindfulnessMonday YouTube Series and don’t forget to click subscribe so you never miss an episode!
I’m certified in Holistic Stress Management and Mind/Body Fitness. I’ve been practicing Mindfulness for 10+ years and am passionate about helping others in their pursuit of a more mindful existence.
Today’s #MindfulnessMonday Tip: It’s important to recognize your strengths so that you don’t allow yourself to be defined by your weaknesses.
Check out today’s #MindfulnessMonday video to learn how to choose self-love and stop negative self talk. You can check out the video by clicking HERE!
With that little piece of advice, I give you today’s Mindfulness Exercise:
Talk About Your Strengths!
With a close friend or loved one, start a conversation by explaining that you want their true and honest opinion, then ask the question, ‘What do you think are my key strengths?’ Listen, without interrupting. Then, think about their answer, ask clarifying questions if you need to, try engaging in an open dialogue so you can see yourself the way they see you. Don’t judge their opinion, take it in – and be willing to take a complement when given.
Mindfulness Journaling Prompt:After you’ve completed the ‘Talk About Your Strength’ exercise, take five to ten minutes of quiet time and create a list of your strengths. These should be the strengths you see in yourself as well as the strengths your loved ones and friends say that they see in you – Even if you don’t believe them just yet. Then, once a day, I want you to pull out your list of strengths and read over the. This shouldn’t take long, but over time it will help you to change the way you see yourself so that how you define yourself shifts from focusing on weaknesses to focusing on strengths.
Mindfulness journaling can be very private. However, if you are willing to share your thoughts with me and my readers, I would love to invite you to comment below and let me know how today’s exercise made you feel and what strengths you found others see in you that you maybe didn’t see in yourself.
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Check out my #MindfulnessMonday YouTube Series and don’t forget to click subscribe so you never miss an episode!
I’m certified in Holistic Stress Management and Mind/Body Fitness. I’ve been practicing Mindfulness for 10+ years and am passionate about helping others in their pursuit of a more mindful existence.
Today’s #MindfulnessMonday Tip: Savor the positive experiences in your daily life through joy!
Check out today’s #MindfulnessMonday video to learn 4 easy to ways to savor the positive experiences in your daily life through joy. You can check out the video by clicking HERE!
With that little piece of advice, I give you today’s Mindfulness Exercise: Talk About Your Joy!
With a close friend or loved one, start a conversation by asking the question, ‘what makes you really happy?’ Take the time to listen to their answer and engage in open dialogue. Make sure you are sharing the experiences you’ve had and the memories you hold onto that bring you true joy as well. Often times, when we first start to talk about what brings us joy, the conversations can be constricted… make sure you open yourself up and don’t hold back –make sure you pick someone you feel very comfortable with.
Mindfulness Journaling Prompt:
It’s time to start your own Joy Journal!!! This can be electronic – in your computer, phone, or tablet – or do it the old-fashioned way with pen and notebook. Take fifteen minutes of quiet time and see how many different things you can come up with (events, memories, people, etc.) that truly bring you joy when you think about them. If you update this journal once a week, you’ll have plenty of things to turn to the next time you’re feeling down and need a little joy boost.
Mindfulness journaling can be very private. However, if you are willing to share your thoughts with me and my readers, I would love to invite you to comment below and let me know a few of the things you’ve added to your new Joy Journal.
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Check out my #MindfulnessMonday YouTube Series and don’t forget to click subscribe so you never miss an episode!
EPISODE 16 ~ Savor the Positive Experiences in your Daily Life!
I’m certified in Holistic Stress Management and Mind/Body Fitness. I’ve been practicing Mindfulness for 10+ years and am passionate about helping others in their pursuit of a more mindful existence.
Today’s #MindfulnessMonday Tip: Be aware of the choices you’re making in order to avoid SELF-SABOTAGE!
Check out today’s #MindfulnessMonday video to learn about 6 steps you can take today to help you recognize and avoid SELF-SABOTAGING habits. You can check out the video by clicking HERE!
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With that little piece of advice, I give you today’s Mindfulness Exercise: Positive Self-Talk Meditation
Sit or lie somewhere you feel comfortable. Close your eyes, slowly breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Allow your body to fully relax into the position. Focus on your thoughts. How are you feeling? What is your emotional state? What do you think of your body? Your hair? Your job? Your house? Your family? Etc. Listen to the way your thoughts respond to these questions and the way you instinctively talk to and about yourself. Each time a negative comment or thought comes up, push it back and say something positive about yourself. The goal is to push out the negative thoughts and replace them, over time, with healthy, positive self-talk.
Mindfulness Journaling Prompt: Now that you’ve completed the Positive Self-Talk Meditation, take a few minutes to write down how it made you feel. What emotions were you feeling when you started? How did you feel when you were done? Did your mood change throughout the process? What negative self-talk did you discover you do? Was it hard to find positive things to say to yourself? Etc.
Mindfulness journaling can be very private. However, if you are willing to share your thoughts with me and my readers, I would love to invite you to comment below and let me know how this exercise affected you and what you learned about yourself through the Positive Self-Talk Meditation.
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Check out my #MindfulnessMonday YouTube Series and don’t forget to click subscribe so you never miss an episode!
EPISODE 15 ~ How to Recognize and Avoid Self-Sabotage!
I’m certified in Holistic Stress Management and Mind/Body Fitness. I’ve been practicing Mindfulness for 10+ years and am passionate about helping others in their pursuit of a more mindful existence.
Today’s #MindfulnessMonday Tip:How to justBE HAPPY!(1) Make a choice, (2) Cultivate habits, (3) Practice over and over and over, and (4) Make space for life.
Check out today’s #MindfulnessMonday video to get more details on how to just BE HAPPY. You can check out the video by clicking HERE!
With that little piece of advice, I give you today’s Mindfulness Exercise:
Happiness Dancing Exercise
Physical movement is just as important to our mental health as it is to our physical health. It is one of the primary ways we express ourselves and yet, if we aren’t dancers or we don’t have a lot of physical activity in our day-to-day jobs, we often tend to ignore how crucial it can be. So, for today’s Happiness Exercise, I want you to dance like no one is watching! Put on music or just move to the music in your mind. Dance in a way that makes you feel… in a way that expresses how you’re feeling in that moment. No movement is right or wrong, so don’t worry about messing up. Allow yourself to just enjoy the freedom that dancing provides.
Mindfulness Journaling Prompt:Now that you’ve completed the Happiness Exercise, write down how it made you feel. What emotions were you feeling when you started? How did you feel when you were done? Did you dance longer than you expected? Did your mood change throughout the process? Etc.
Mindfulness journaling can be very private. However, if you are willing to share your thoughts with me and my readers, I would love to invite you to comment below and let me know how this exercise affected you and what you learned about yourself through the Happiness dancing exercise.
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Check out my #MindfulnessMonday YouTube Series and don’t forget to click subscribe so you never miss an episode!
I’m certified in Holistic Stress Management and Mind/Body Fitness. I’ve been practicing Mindfulness for 10+ years and am passionate about helping others in their pursuit of a more mindful existence.
Would you like to take the 52-week challenge and experience a more mindful existence? Check out 
Nina Soden 