Mindfulness: Non-Striving in Practice
As a mindfulness practice and stress reliever I recently took up abstract painting. I was messing around with exercises provided by an online class when a friend asked, “Are you having fun?” to which I unenthusiastically replied, “Sort of.” The process was frustrating at times. My projects were not resembling anything like the seemingly effortless and […]
The Attitude of Non-Striving
When we practice Mindfulness, we can intentionally cultivate one of 7 foundational attitudes. This week we’ll explore Non-Striving. Non-striving can seem like a tricky mental posture in our goal-oriented world, but Jon Kabat-Zinn puts it this way, “Mindfulness is never about doing something perfectly because it is not about doing or accomplishing at all. It […]
Mindfulness: The 5 Senses
There is a saying, ‘You can’t give what you don’t have.’ Taking care of yourself and addressing your needs is a vital part of improving wellbeing, maintaining balance, and preventing burnout. It all starts from a place of grounding and awareness. This practice is a classic grounding exercise to help you get out of your […]
Mindfulness: Working with Difficult Emotions
Soften, Sooth, Allow As sentient beings we will encounter difficult emotions. It is part of the full spectrum of being alive! Strong feelings like anger, confusion, fear, loneliness, even joy amid chaos and disaster can feel awkward or difficult. The best strategy I’ve found to attend to these emotions is the process developed by Kristin […]
Mindfulness: When it Rains
I’m a lover of petrichor; the smell of rain on dry earth. There’s nothing better, and it’s a good thing living here in the great Pacific Northwest. There are also times that are not so inspiring to our senses. Difficult emotions, limiting beliefs or situations can feel overwhelming. The rain comes down too hard. It’s […]
Mindfulness: Mental well-being
We have far more impact on our own mental wellness than we may have been told. Every day, we can make choices to create who we want to become. Psychologist Dr. Nicole LePera, offers these ways to begin to create mental well-being: Place boundaries, honor your limits, say “no” to things that cause resentment Keep […]
Mindfulness: Tactical Breathing
Today we keep it simple. Here is an easy ‘go-to’ breathing technique you can use to help reset yourself. Whether you are recovering from exposure to a stressful situation or heading into one, this is one of the best reset breathing patterns you can access for yourself. It’s referred to as Tactical Breathing, Combat Breathing, […]
Mindfulness: Autopilot
February is a good ‘reset’ month, so just as a reminder, today I’ll delve into one of the reasons we practice mindfulness: AUTOPILOT We can tend to run on autopilot much of the time, automatically making decisions and moving about our day rather mindlessly. But being in autopilot is not necessarily a bad thing. It’s […]
Mindfulness: Mindful Speech
On February 1, 1884: The first portion, or fascicle, of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), considered the most comprehensive and accurate dictionary of the English language, was published. Plans for the dictionary began in 1857 when members of London’s Philological Society felt an error free dictionary covering all vocabulary from the Anglo-Saxon period (1150 A.D.) […]
As we start November, your invitation is to discover moments to…
Mindfulness is “The awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally.” ~Jon Kabat-Zinn “Mindfulness is simply the knack of noticing without comment whatever is happening in your present experience” ~ Guy Claxton Lisa Wellington is a Certified Mindfulness Teacher who writes about integrative practices that downshift stress, increase insight, and jumpstart […]
