Mindful Boston

Economic Stress

2011-11-23T09:08:00.006-05:00

At this time of budget cuts, layoffs and other manifestations of economic crisis, it is not uncommon to react with feelings of fear, horror, etc.

As a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction teacher, I am not able to change these outside stressors for you. I can't do anything about your bills. I can't find you a new job. If you have health concerns, I can't cure your body. I am deeply sorry.

What I can do is help you with an "inside job." I can assist you in addressing your own feelings of fear and horror. I can show you strategies for transforming knee-jerk emotional reactions into measured responses. In mindfulness, we work towards creating sane responses that give us more control over our inner experience of happiness regardless of the outside circumstances, even when circumstances are dire.

In MBSR class, we work on our inner perceptions of reality. We work on seeing a feeling of horror as a feeling instead of perceiving the feeling as a reality. Reality itself is much bigger than a single feeling. A feeling is a feeling. And, sure, it does have it's own validity, it is valid to feel it. I actually encourage you to feel it. But here's the trick: feel it for what it is without adding additional projections on to it. Without our awareness, a single feeling can easily snowball into a projection into the future, or an overwhelming belief that will cause us additional stress. Addressing that snowball effect itself is one powerful way to put things into a proper perspective.

When a person feels a feeling of horror, the body stiffens, the breath stops, and a belief can arise. Sometimes the belief is a belief in immanent death. Sometimes the belief is a belief in personal homelessness. In MBSR class, we work towards seeing a belief in a future of homelessness as a belief that is projected into the future instead of a reality about right now.

The present moment is workable. A projection into the future is not workable. Wherever you are right now, you can make choices and move forward. In a hazy fear-projection into the future, there isn't a way to move forward because you are not actually there. For you, as you are right now, the projection itself is an additional stressor that you don't need.

The experience of homelessness has many different levels. Very few of them are pleasant. It is valid to be unhappy about most aspects of homelessness. But for an individual who is now living a homeless life, there are basic choices and empowering decisions to be made in the present moment. MBSR classes are currently being taught to homeless populations in order to offer strategies to homeless individuals for making empowering choices for themselves.

For those of you who are not living a homeless life right now, the projection of a future of homelessness gives you no choices, and dis-empowers you. Addressing the projections and the fears themselves is what will allow you to make empowering choices.

One reason to join the MBSR classes that I offer (see mindfulboston.com) is to learn strategies for seeing projections about an uncertain future as simply projections. When you can create a little breathing room between any negative projections and the truth of the moment, you can better navigate around any paralysis of fear. You have the space to use whatever resources are actually available to you to their greatest benefit.

The All Day Retreat on Saturday

2011-11-10T10:42:00.001-05:00

During our MBSR class #6 last week, I handed out a sheet on logistics for the All Day Retreat. At the end of the page I wrote a section on possible intentions for the All Day which included some blanks to fill in. It looked like this:

Possible intentions:
A full and deep experience of the MBSR practices.
Immersion into your own direct experiences without outside distractions.
Respite.
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________

In reply, one student said, "I plan to have a Saturday." We all laughed.
This was a funny joke because class discussion has included the concepts of non-judgment, content-neutral acceptance, and unconditional kind regard (aka unconditional love). For a couple of weeks now, as part of saying goodbye at the end of class, we have been telling each other "have a week" instead of "have a good week."

"I plan to have a Saturday" is not only a funny joke, it is actually an excellent intention for a mindfulness retreat. (Not that I'm judging anything as excellent... haha.) For some MBSR students there can be expectations or fears about participating in a full day of mindfulness. Part of the "curriculum of the moment " is to be aware of the expectations/fears as thoughts about the future.

We have all had our Saturdays week after week, year after year, for as long as we've been alive. In truth, the basic difference between the retreat this Saturday and any other Saturday is that we will be paying attention to it moment by moment. The difference will be the quality of our attention, but the day will be similar to any day. It will be just one more Saturday within a lifetime of Saturdays.

From a time-based perspective, the seven hours will unfold in sixty second minutes, just as any seven hours do. From a body-based perspective, there will be stillness and then movement overlapping with movement and then stillness, as there always is for the body. The formal practices will unfold according to the schedule I have written out, or not according to any prepared plan in the way that they do.
We will arrive in the room.
I will speak words descrbing the practice.
We will engage in practice. The mind will wander. We will escort the focus back to the practice. Or not. As is possible.
Saturday will happen, as it happens.

Mindfulness is not enough.

2011-11-01T11:49:00.001-04:00

Think about a toolbox. In any toolbox, a screwdriver is great. A screwdriver is even essential. A tool box could be considered incomplete if it doesn't include a screwdriver. But a screwdriver is not enough in order to consider your tool box complete. A screwdriver alone couldn't handle all of your handyperson needs.

Here we are in week number 5 of the fall MBSR series. And the theme that I'm seeing arise for the students is that mindfulness by itself is not fulfilling all their needs. Mindfulness is an essential part of the "toolbox" of life, but it cannot address everything. During this week's classes, we discussed some of the other tools that are essential: compassion, humor, kindness, self-care, established coping mechanisms, therapy, therapeutic drugs, friendships, social networks, family and chosen family, and more...

I asked the class, "How many people here signed up for this program because they wanted to fix a specific thing in their life?" All but one person raised their hands.
And then, when I asked the class, "How many people here are not getting exactly what they signed up for?" Again, all but one raised their hands. (And it was a different one person.)
This realization created some laughter. Everyone in class is getting a lot out of class. They show up every week because of the rich rewards they are receiving from this work of mindfulness training. But most of them are being surprised that they are getting something very different than what they expected. Some of them are being happily surprised that there is a form of what they would have once called "failure" that can be accepted as part of the larger picture of having a full life.

Guest blogger: MindfulRookie

2011-10-26T13:36:00.000-04:00

At one point I had the intention to blog each week. I did succeed in accomplishing a weekly post during the 8 weeks of the Fall 2010 MBSR. And then I really just felt done with that intention... Now I blog when I can. And I've asked some fellow practitioners if they are interested in helping out here and there. A good friend who goes by MindfulRookie submitted this blog post. Many thanks to MindfulRookie for being my first guest blogger!
-GB

Out of Practice

The dentist said to make sure to brush every tooth individually.
That should be no problem for a practitioner of mindfulness, I thought
but was I a practitioner? It had been-- phew-- a while since I took
the time to sit and meditate. As I brushed my teeth I started to
daydream about beginning my practice again. I remembered how good I
felt when I practiced every day. I had so much more energy. I started
thinking about all the things I could do with my extra energy. I would
be so accomplished and successful!
The timer on my electric toothbrush went off. I had been brushing for
two minutes. Did I brush every tooth? I wondered. I couldn't be sure.
I hadn't exactly been in the reality of my experience, had I?
This is a little trick of mindfulness. You can't get into shape by
thinking about riding your bike. The problem is that mindfulness kind
of involves doing nothing. So it might seem like thinking about or
reading about (or blogging about) mindfulness can seem like enough.
But *understanding* mindfulness doesn't actually have much of an
influence on your stress level. On the other hand, understanding
mindfulness can help you get the most out of your practice, if you
commit to one. And unlike committing to get into shape, you can pretty
much do nothing.

Hammy Time

2011-10-19T17:45:00.028-04:00

For my city apartment, the "back yard" consists mainly of the space between the fire escape and the chain link fence. A while ago, I put up a hammock there. One end of the hammock is attached to the fire escape. The other end of the hammock is attached to the post of the chain link fence. I hang out there on a regular basis, sitting on the hammock maybe with a cup of coffee. For some days, I have one minute. Other days I have time for a nap. Some days, I bring my headphones and listen to the MBSR body scan. I can lie down and look at the sky, I can sit up and look around me. My family has come to call this my Hammy Time, shortened from Hammock Time, so named because there was a rap song in the 80's called "Hammer Time" by MC Hammer. The theme is that this is time that's all about me.

In between the buildings, trees, and fences, sunshine does fall on my hammock. And the timing of direct sun, and the sun's intensity shifts with the seasons. Right now it's October in Boston, and it's been one of those exquisite golden Octobers that fuels the New England fall tourist industry. During the summer, I avoid the times of day when sun beats down on the hammock. But not now. The October sun dapples the hammock through oak leaves in the morning, it bathes the hammock in the afternoon, and it highlights the hammock towards sunset.

Art and poetry happens between that fire escape and the chain link fence, moment by moment. Through this movement of light and shadow, I tune into an archetype that inspired clocks - long before all the mechanical ticking (and tyranny of time) stuff happened. Many days, I don't have much "time" to spend on my hammock. But as I'm doing my other work, I know that the hammock is out there. And there's a kind of tuning-in moment that happens when I ask myself where the sun would be if I were on the hammock in that moment.

Finding the -time- and the motivation for formal mindfulness practice can be difficult. Currently, we are in week #3 of an MBSR program here in the MindfulBoston Universe. My students have described a common cycle. MBSR class happens on the weekend. The motivation built up during class carries them through Monday and Tuesday, but then Wednesday and Thursday are tough. During last Friday's class, they asked me how to keep up the practice. There are so many ways to answer that question...! We went over some ideas in class. I would like to be able to offer an answer, yet there is no one answer that really fits the multiple dimensions of that question. Any succinct answer diminishes the enormity of the question. How to keep up the practice. How to make the time. It's immense.

Mindfulness is present in the mind. It's a part of the human experience to be aware. In MBSR class we create formal structures in order to relate to our own mindfulness capacity. I see a metaphor to my hammock. The October sun has always shone upon this land. From October to October since before chain link fences, or even the language skills to say the word october ever existed. And I have set up my hammock as a viewing platform to tune into the seasons, and a more natural sense of time.

In a similar way, the formal MBSR practice can be seen as one platform from which to tune into the human capacity for mindfulness. In many ways I don't feel that I teach mindfulness itself to my students, even though I am called a mindfulness teacher. I feel more like I am reminding my students about something that they (we all) have always had. We just all need to tune into it.

On Wednesday night, it's possible that a ticking clock might feel like the end of any hope of a formal practice. And yet here I am, in my capacity as a person who can remind others, blogging a little free advise out to you. I recommend reminding yourself that mindfulness existed in the human brain before ticking clocks existed. And it is even possible that the human capacity to observe/be aware/be mindful in itself is what made the conception of ticking clock time even possible. Time is a concept, a thought.

In this moment, you have a choice.
-Notice- the fact that you have a choice, and already you have achieved one moment of mindfulness practice. And then in the next moment you also have a choice.
Are you between emails?
Are you between dinner and bedtime?
In those in-between moments, you could create a five-minute Hammy Time meditation, if you have set up a hammock. Or you could go outside for one minute. It's raining tonight. Could you do one minute of Rain-On-My-Face meditation? On a future moon lit night, could you do one minute of Look-At-The-Moon meditation? Observing the phase of the moon mindfully for one minute each night could be an excellent practice.

But, maybe for some reason, that won't work for you.
If so, simply noticing the lull of Wednesday night counts as a mindful moment, as part of noticing the cycles of your own week. Feel free to log it on your MBSR homework sheet.

One benefit of engaging in the formal structure of an MBSR program is that each of us is carving out eight weeks to assess the structure of our lives. It's eight weeks to figure out what structures are serving us in being happier and less stressed. These eight weeks might be a time of erecting a physical support, such as stringing a hammock from a fire escape and/or a time of creating internal supports and structures and habits for self care.

To my MBSR students, I say this:
To the best of your ability, each day, just do it.
Just do a formal practice.
Just do it.
And that being said, if a day (or a week...) happens when you don't do a formal practice, know what's happening, know why it's happening, and have -awareness- and -choice- be a mindful part of your non-practice moments.

What's the difference between a Yoga Nidra practice and an MBSR Body Scan?

2011-10-10T15:37:00.000-04:00

Today's MindfulBoston Blog is dedicated to a couple of yogis out there who have asked me the following question:

What's the difference between a Yoga Nidra practice and an MBSR Body Scan?

If you don't know what Yoga Nidra is, then you haven't been spending much time in a Kripalu Yoga Sudio. Yoga Nidra is a meditation that is sometimes done at the end of an asana practice as part of shavasana time.

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As an MBSR teacher I lead a lot of body scans and as a yoga teacher I lead regular Yoga Nidra workshops. I do see that there are a few surface similarities between the two practices that might lead to confusing them. From my direct experiences of teaching each practice, I am of the opinion that the two are distinct and that each has a different purpose.

I have studied at Kripalu with Yoganand Michael Carroll and have taken a specific Yoga Nidra Teacher Training workshop at Kripalu with Tarika Diana Damelio. From what I have heard each of these senior teachers say, my understanding is that the term "Yoga Nidra" is more a description of the inner state a yogi reaches through any of a number of meditation practices rather than a description of one specific format. There are many different practices that could potentially lead a meditator to a state of Yoga Nidra, and there is a form of body scan that is included in the typical Kripalu format of Yoga Nidra practice that I've encountered. In a similar way, there are many different practices that could potentially lead a meditator to a state of Mindfulness within the MBSR program, and the MBSR form of body scan is one of them.

So, the first layer of my answer to the question "What's the difference between a Yoga Nidra practice and an MBSR Body Scan?" is that a Yoga Nidra practice is designed to create an inner state of Yoga Nidra. While an MBSR Body Scan practice is designed to create an inner state of Mindfulness.

"Yoga Nidra" is translated from the Sanscrit as "yogic sleep." And Richard Miller, who is writing the books on Yoga Nidra these days wrote, "Yoga nidra is not simply a technique for deep relaxation, but a tool for psychospiritual healing as well as a profound meditative inquiry that ultimately reveals and awakens us to our true nature—the ultimate goal of yoga."

Mindfulness has many definitions, but one by Jon Kabat-Zinn who founded the MBSR program, is, "mindfulness is the awareness that arises from paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally." He also wrote in the book Full Catastrophe Living, "Meditation practice is, more than anything, a way of being. It is not a set of techniques for healing."

The differences between the two quotes are subtle, and interesting. I note especially Richard Miller's focus on tools and goals, and Jon Kabat-Zinn's refraining from tools and goals.

But back to the actual practices... I'll start by describing the basic format of each meditation practice.

The Yoga Nidra format that I learned from Tarika at Kripalu would loosely follow the following points during a one hour meditation:

A "sankalpa" which translates as a setting of intention.
A very quick body scan that starts with the right hand and then moves across and down the body. The scan moves rather quickly through the body so that the mediator doesn't focus for very long on any one area.
Being aware of parts of the body, then the whole body, then points of contact between the body and the floor, then points of contact on the body itself.
Counting the breath backwards using a number such as 108, 54, or 27 that has Hindu associations to divinity.
A period of creating or "awakening" sensations in the body that were not present before. In a way, imposing a sensation onto the body from the mind. In my opinion, this is a very important opposition to the intention of an MBSR Body Scan.
A creative visualization that loosely follows the chakra system - which is considered an energy-body that is not necessarily the same as physical parts of the body.
A creative visualization that involves expanding consciousness.
Using wording that describes concepts that are not related to the physical body such as "witness conciousness" and being awake within an alternative mental state. For example, in my Yoga Nidra Teacher Training, I was told about theta brainwaves in a way I have never encountered in my Mindfulness trainings.
There is an intention towards creating an alternative or expanded consciousness that could very well include feeling an "out of body" or "above body" experience and/or dream-like images.

The MBSR Body Scan format is simply scanning the physical body as-it-is throughout the meditation.
If you practice the MBSR Body Scan for one hour, you will spend one full hour tuning into your direct experiences of your physical body very slowly.

Starting with "Beginner's Mind" which is a form of openness, without presupposition. (Which also means no intention-setting.)
The instructions are to slowly move through the physical body as it is. Starting with the left foot and moving up.
Being awake to sensations that are currently present within the physical body.
Refraining from creating anything extra, or imposing a feeling that wasn't there before.
Focusing on one area of the body for long periods of time is welcome.
There is no wording about alternative states or any associations with divinity.
There is an extra emphasis on making conscious decisions for self-care.

As I look at the above details of each practice, I see very different intentions behind each meditation.

What I see in Yoga Nidra is an expanded form of consciousness where the mind is in a very different state than a normal work-a-day state. Just for example, I personally would not want to do my banking while my brain was in a Yoga Nidra mode. Though it is a wonderful experience on a yoga mat.
In practice, I see people using Yoga Nidra practice as a way of changing the self starting from the outside and going inward, where they set mental intentions for self-change and use a Yoga Nidra practice to make their intentions "stick."

What I see in the state of Mindfulness, on the other hand, might be very useful the next time I do my banking. Being very present and aware of physical reality is a support in many work-a-day situations. And in practice, Mindfulness is not about setting intentions or goals or making resolutions. It is about coming to a sense of peace with how things are as they are.
When self-changes are made as a result of mindfulness practices, change starts with an earnest assessment of what is already present on the inside, and then moving forward, navigating the world based on the inner resources that are here now. So, I see more change originating from the inside and going out.

There is an article about Yoga Nidra at the Kripalu Website.
Information about MBSR can be found at the Center for Mindfulness website.

A skiing analogy

2011-09-04T13:45:00.000-04:00

When meeting a ski instructor, a non-skier could say, "I would try skiing, but gravity makes me fall down." Then everyone would laugh, because it's a witty joke. Yes, gravity makes new unskilled skiers fall down on the side of the mountain... BUT skiing itself would be impossible without gravity. If fact, successfully skiing down a mountain to the bottom could be considered simply falling down the mountain with skill.

There seems to be a misunderstanding that meditation is different than that. As I go out and about in the world, I sometimes mention that I am a meditation teacher. On a regular basis, folks say to me, "I would try meditation, but I can't keep my mind still." From my point of view, this should be a witty joke and everyone should laugh. In my experience, the racing mind is actually essential for many of the forms of meditation, including Mindfulness Meditation, which is what I teach.

Yes, in beginners' skiing class it does feel uncomfortable to fall down. And similarly, when a new mediator initially encounters the racing mind it can be uncomfortable. Some people do experience a "bumpy ride" at first. But that doesn't mean that it's impossible to get down the mountain.

Secret Ingredients

2011-08-26T10:23:00.001-04:00

I'm considering doing a retreat with Bernie Glassman. He wrote the book Instructions to the Cook, which uses cooking as an analogy for his Zen teaching. This inspires me to blog about a mindfulness-cooking analogy.

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There are some stews that don't quite taste right until you add salt. And then, when you add just a teaspoon of salt to a big pot of stew, it becomes delicious. You could give a child two different cups of the stew to compare, one cup without the salt, and one cup with the salt. The child might not be able to articulate why one stew tastes better, but she'll eat all of the stew she likes and leave the stew that she doesn't like.

Lemon juice can work in a similar way for lentil soup, or for some salads. There can be a type of brightness to the flavor of a summer salad with a little lemon juice. Without the lemon, there can be a dullness. Excellent chefs are trained in combining small amounts of just the right spice so that even ordinary dishes have a brightness. It is common to call it the "secret ingredient." The person eating a dish might not be able to articulate why it tastes special, or if it's an ingredient or a type of cooking method, or something else that works so well. But if it works, they'll eat the whole dish.

This is, of course, an analogy for a life well-lived versus a life of dullness.
A life lived with mindfulness is a life that is actually tasted.

So, what is it that I teach in MBSR class?
The answer to this question can be as hard to articulate as the answer to, "exactly what does salt do to the flavor of your beans?" I've heard Jon Kabat-Zinn say that MBSR is "much ado about almost nothing." Putting a teaspoon of salt into a big pot of stew can seem like almost nothing. And yet, it makes all the difference. It can be the difference between a stew that your 10-year-old will love, and a stew that she refuses to eat.

And, analogously, a pinch of mindfulness can be the difference between a robotic sort of going-through-the-motions kind of life, and a life that feels human and bright. So when life feels robotic, stressed-out, dry, and tasteless, an MBSR class might be an appropriate way to re-inspire the way you are cooking the meal of your life. MBSR will not really teach you anything you don't already know. It will instead be a reminder to you about a kind of "lemon juice" ingredient that you already have in the back of your metaphorical cupboard.

For many people, the process of going through the eight weeks of an MBSR class can jog their memories about their own secret ingredients. The MBSR program involves learning a number of practices, such as mindful meditations, mindful walking, and yes, mindful eating.

Each practice, when looked at from the perspective of a cooking analogy, can be viewed as a kind of saltshaker/container that has the potential to hold a secret ingredient. In class, I offer options to see what works for each individual.
     Here's a kind of container that holds "lemon juice" for some people.
     Does it hold lemon juice for you?
     Here's a kind of container that holds "nutmeg" for some people.
     Does it hold nutmeg for you?
We experiment. Each mindful practice "container" has worked for some people at one time or another. But no one container can show everyone how to access their own lemon juice. One type of container might be good at one point in a practitioner's life, but then life shifts, and a new container becomes more appropriate.

Just as any good cook experiments in the kitchen, a mindfulness practitioner experiments in life.

What's interesting about mindfulness?

2011-04-25T15:48:00.000-04:00

Writing about mindfulness is interesting.
Reading blogs about mindfulness is interesting.
Researching the effects of mindfulness is interesting.
Finding out how other people are using mindfulness for healing is interesting.
Seeing how educators are bringing mindfulness into classrooms is interesting.

But what about actually being mindful?

During mindfulness practice itself there are endless expanses of boredom. Sure, there's lots of great stuff too. There are plenty of perks to doing your mindfulness practice. But it is very rarely as interesting as other activities.
For example, this very second.
Take a moment to notice. As far as -interesting- goes, is it more interesting to be on your computer right now reading blogs and surfing the net... or would it be more interesting to go sit in a dark corner alone and notice the rhythm of your breath? ???

The truth is that mindfulness practice is pretty boring compared to any of your other options. This is just something to notice.

Being aware of what is true, boredom is present during much of mindfulness practice time. And even so... you shut down your computer and you go do it.
Because doing only interesting things is not the point.
Avoiding boring things is not the point.

Acknowledge the courage it takes to wake up

2011-04-17T13:49:00.000-04:00

There is a lot of hope in this season of early spring. I hear people mentioning the pretty flowers and the returning sunlight. There is also the Christian and pagan concept of returning from the dead at this time, around the Easter holiday. There is a celebration at the springtime affirmation of life. And, there is also an aspect to this blossoming that is not usually talked about in polite circles. With mindfulness of the full spectrum of experience, I am also aware of the pain of springtime.

The winter is associated with forms of hibernation, and even forms of death. So there can be negativity about the winter. And yet, there are aspects of hibernation that are comforting. Primarily, I am thinking of the withdrawal from the stressful aspects of life. Deadening one's feelings can be a way of handling stress. The liquor industry, for example, is based on the human tendency to "check-out" and deaden sensations.

The spring means re-engaging with life in all its manifestations. It means opening. Opening to the cold spring rains as well as to the sunshine. My point is to acknowledge the courage it takes to wake up, the courage it takes to open to life.

Engaging fully with life is not always like rolling out of bed into a sun-filled field of flowers. At times it can be more like standing firm in gale force winds. It is important to have awareness of both the pleasant and unpleasant, both the pleasure of living and the need for courage during the rough spots. A focus on only the painful aspects leads to feelings of depression. A focus on only the pleasant aspects lead to denial and repression of truth.

A balanced awareness of the ups and downs as they occur creates a resilient human life lived within the cycle of the seasons.

Medicinal Cupcake

2011-04-16T02:18:00.001-04:00

I logged onto FaceBook, and found this conversation on one of my friend's pages:

JP Thursday at 8:15pm
Survived the stresses of public speaking without needing alcohol, but I will cop to a medicinal cupcake. Nom nom.

G Thursday at 9:27pm
Medicinal cupcake?

JP Thursday at 9:34pm
Self-medicating. :-P

ML Thursday at 10:00pm
Ask your baker about Confection (TM). Side effects may include frosting on the nose. If this occurs for more than 4 hours, please consult a napkin.

JP Thursday at 10:29pm
Confection (TM) used in moderation can be part of a healthy diet. If you find that you're overly reliant on Confection (TM), please consult a physician and look into alternative stress relief techniques such as Mindful Boston (TM).

ML Thursday at 10:50pm
Adult dosage: one or two Confections (TM) may be taken with milk or coffee. Do not exceed a maximum of four in a twenty-four hour period. Overdose may result in bulging midsection.Ha

Ha! I loved this.
These are friends who have never taken the MBSR program. But they totally get it. Medicinal Cupcakes are an important part of a balance mindfulness practice.

Snow Practice

2011-02-01T11:37:00.000-05:00

Mindful Bostonians, are you hiding in your house?
I do recommend going out into the snow.

Yes, the novelty has worn off. And no, it's not going to be all that much different from the last foot of snow that dumped on us. But go out into the snow. Feel the cold yet again, but for this time.

In December I did a four day silent meditation retreat. Four days of sitting can be grueling. (The way that four heavy winter storms can be grueling.) It was a Zen retreat, and the tradition is that one person gets up and recites some Buddhist wisdom periodically. In the afternoon of the 3rd day, her voice echoed in the meditation hall, "DO NOT SQUANDER YOUR LIFE."

I can still hear the echo of those words now.

This is it. This is what we've got. Right now it's snow. It's record breaking amounts of snow burying us, and our cars, and our plans, and our travels. Don't miss it. This is your life. Be present with the snow. And with any frustration that arises. And with the pain after shoveling. Do not squander your life just because your life includes debilitating amounts of snow.

Mindful Moment for today

2011-01-18T13:25:00.001-05:00

I looked up from this screen to see snowflakes the size of small birds falling from the sky. No one of a mindful ilk could resist. I jumped up and ran out the door.

There are movies these days with cheesy CGI versions of locusts or other swarms. I looked up into a sky filled in real-life with a kazillion 3-inch diameter snowballs. The entire sky. Filled. Surreal, and real.

I tried catching the snowballs. They were very thin and lightly constructed. Caught with my coat-sleeve, they burst into snow powder. Caught with my hand, they delicately melted away.

I went inside to pull on my snowsuit and boots, then went out the back to my hammock, dumped the bed of snow off the hammock, and laid down looking up into the sky. Immediately ice drops stung my eyes and choked me making me shift position.

Once I shifted to a semi-upright pose for the sake of my breathing, I stayed still in the cold and watched the snow balls shift smaller into snow flakes and then shift wetter into rain.

Do you have a guess as to how many times I had to remind myself to "stay in the moment" and "be with this snow as it is right now" instead of thinking about how I was going to write this blog post...?

A Scrambled Egg Analogy for Life

2011-01-16T10:25:00.000-05:00

I’ve run across some folks who have gotten the impression from magazine articles that Mindfulness practice is a cure for suffering. They have an impression that there is a choice we can make between living a life like Disneyland and living a life of despair. But that choice is not available to us.

Jon Kabat-Zinn named his book on Mindfulness Full Catastrophe Living. To me, that succinctly describes life as a combination of both Disneyland and despair mixed up like scrambled eggs. There is no way to separate them. You either eat the scrabbled eggs with all the ingredients, or you don’t.

Human life is a full catastrophe. It includes ecstasy, victories, and fun games. It also includes despair, defeat, and boredom. We can’t pick and choose one set of ingredients over the others. We either live it all, or we shut down and don’t experience any of it.

Most of us separate from living the full experience of our lives by shutting down or withdrawing in some way. From that place of being shut down, we take tiny sips of the full experience of life. But whenever it gets to be too much, we withdraw again, trying to feel nothing. Refusing to drink of our lives.

Our choice is not a choice between living a life like Disneyland and living a life of despair. The choice we do have is between either being shut down feeling nothing or opening to the scrabbled egg of full living with all its ups and downs.

If we are taking tiny sips of our lives, Mindfulness gives us bigger straws so that we can drink in a little more. Mindfulness practices raise the “stress hardiness” levels so that we can handle more of life’s experiences. It will not cure our suffering, but it does make us better equipped to feel it.

I’ve seen Mindfulness students become shocked once they really start to understand that feeling their suffering is what this is all about. But the shock is also because they come to understand that feeling their joy is also what this is all about. It can be shocking to realize just how much good stuff has been missed while trying to avoid the bad stuff.

Mindfulness is not a quick-fix

2011-01-03T16:10:00.000-05:00

Mindfulness is not a technique to help you stop feeling bad feelings.
I will say it again.
Mindfulness is not a technique to help you stop feeling bad feelings.

Mindfulness is a technique to help you accept the truth of what you do feel. What you feel right now is valid. Sometimes what you feel is despair. Sometimes what you feel is panic. It is valid to feel that. Sometimes what you feel is pleasure. Sometimes what you feel is joy. It is valid to feel that.

Is your sadness unacceptable to you?

If yes, you do have the option of distracting yourself, or taking a pill, or any one of a number of ways to change things.

But if you are practicing mindfulness, you will start by accepting that you judge sadness (or joy) as unacceptable. And then, taking your time, perhaps over the course of years, you will come to understand the conditioning that led you to judge sadness (or joy) in that way. And then, taking your time, perhaps over the course of many more years, you will come to accept the sadness (or joy) itself.

Mindfulness is not a quick-fix. Mindfulness is the radical idea that what you feel (both negative and positive) is valid to feel. And that radical form of acceptance can over-haul your life for the better.

This doesn't mean dwelling on it. Simply feeling it and then moving on.

I will be starting up a new Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction class in a few weeks on January 28th 2011. Consider joining class if you are ready to engage in a deep transformation of relationship to yourself.

MBSR #7 - Respite

2010-11-09T19:41:00.000-05:00

I've run into a number of non-meditators who say that meditation would be hard for them "because I can't stop my mind from thinking." Meditation has been falsely advertised as "stopping the mind from thinking." That's not meditation at all. The brain is a thinking organ, the way that the heart is a pumping organ. Asking it to stop doing its job would have disastrous consequences. In my view "stopping the brain from thinking" is actually another definition for being dead... (!) Meditation is a very different thing.

This week after our MBSR class, I happened upon another word whose definitions are closer to my experience of what meditation is actually about.

And that word is RESPITE

Noun
1.respite - a (temporary) relief from harm or discomfort
2.respite - a pause from doing something
3.respite - an interruption in the intensity or amount of something
4. respite - a pause for relaxation; "people actually accomplish more when they take time for short rests"
5.respite - the act of reprieving; postponing or remitting punishment
Verb 1. respite - postpone the punishment of a convicted criminal, such as an execution

I find the definition of "postponing punishment" especially appropriate. I have met so many meditation students who live lives of punishing themselves. In their minds, they re-run past failures and they create worst-case scenarios of the future. In this way, they create mental torment for themselves.

Meditation practice is a tool for giving oneself a much needed break.

MBSR #6- feel anger, speak lies, scream real loud

2010-10-30T17:30:00.000-04:00

This week I found myself telling people things that they didn't expect to hear from their meditation teacher. In fact, since I hadn't actually intended to say any of these things in quite this blunt a way, I hadn't expected to hear it from myself. People who are not meditation teachers like to think that meditation teachers have some kind of Zen superpowers to avoid being the fallible human beings that all people are. But actually meditation teachers are intentionally facing down their own fallible humanness more than most. Feeling fear, speaking lies, and screaming loud are some of the tools I use to navigate the storms of my real, fallible human life. As a mindfulness practitioner, I can only teach what I have direct experience in living.

I said, "Feel anger."

When I tell people to feel what's real in the moment right now, they seem to register the words. But they don't seem to register that I actually mean it. Feel your anger. Yes. Feel. Your. Anger. Instead of repressing, instead of distracting yourself, instead of grinning-and-bearing-it, FEEL it. As it is. Accept the responsibility for feeling your own feelings. You don't have to do any action or reaction, unless you choose to. But just feel it. Having the knowledge gives you the option to choose an action if that's what's best. You can always choose not to act. But if you don't know what it is you are really feeling, you have no choices.

I said, "Speak Lies."

This one is a little unusual, and not in keeping with many meditation traditions, I do admit.
In MBSR practice, self care is primary. This week's focus was on interpersonal relationships. In interpersonal relationships, creating proper boundaries is key for stress reduction. And there are some relationships where creating healthy boundaries can seem to be nearly impossible.

If you find yourself in a situation where a person is demanding something that you cannot give them, and they will not accept a truthful/sane response from you, your options are limited. My advice is to create an answer that 1) they will accept, and 2) is as close to the truth as possible.

If you find yourself in a situation where folks ask you what you do for a living you also have options. Saying one form of truth like "I am a therapist" might open up a situation where others expect you to give them free therapeutic counseling while you are on vacation. Another form of truth might be to say "I work at a homeless shelter." While that answer is also the truth, it creates different follow-up questions and other people are more likely to let you have the relaxed vacation that you need.

I said, "Scream Real Loud."

I don't usually scream. It's not a part of my daily life. But it did happen this week. I became really angry about a situation in my life that I wanted to change. And I felt it. I felt that anger. Directly and strongly. Anger. Once I felt the anger, and I knew what was going on for myself I then had a couple of options. One option that is available is to feel anger and find a creative outlet, like exercise or hitting a pillow. Another option is to choose to repress/ignore/distract for a while. That one might not be the healthiest at all times, but it is sometimes the best option available. There are countless other options once one is self aware. But the one I chose to take this week was to express my anger verbally. I was pretty sure that expressing this anger could create a new situation in my life that I want to create, a situation that will bring about more happiness in the long term, even if the short term results could be uncomfortable.

I didn't know of another way to communicate to the person I was angry with. I wanted to express to him the depth of anger that I was feeling. And the way that I did express this anger that needed to be expressed was to scream at the top of my lungs.

I hadn't intended to tell my meditation students about this event that happened in my personal life. But in class, one of my students asked me if I ever felt anger. My impression about the nature of her asking this question is that she had some ideal in her head about that Zen superpower thing that I mentioned already. I thought to myself, "She asked 'do I ever feel anger.' Of course I feel anger! Hmmmm. Maybe she's been listening to the words I say about feelings, but I have not yet made it clear that I am actually living this and experiencing what it is that I preach." So I told some of the details about the event, and before I knew it I was reenacting my screaming obscenities and pounding my fists on the table to the point where my students' books bounced around on the table. I have a feeling that the classrooms at the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology haven't seen quite such a display before... But it was a beautiful teaching moment. I was able to communicate to my students that I am actually living this. And it is working for me. The mindfulness does give me the "superpower" of making choices that bring about meaningful changes towards a happier life with less stress.

So, what I can now say about this week is this:
I did my best to keep it real.

MBSR #5 - What about when it's actually bad?

2010-10-27T18:17:00.001-04:00

Some times bad things do happen to good people.

If there's any way out of a particular bad situation- you take it. Self care is primary. Your responsibility to take good care of yourself means that when faced with a terrible situation, you get out of it when ever it is possible to do so. In MBSR, we do spend time looking at specific instances that the students mention from their past. There are always some questions and some gray areas. So we work with the tools of re-framing, broadening perspective, and Non Violent Communication to address the gray areas that come up.

But- what happens when there is no way out? There are some situations that are not gray-areas. They can be no-win situations, or no-way-out situations. They can be situations of injustice.

In no-way-out types of situations, a person's actions are limited. Most of the available choices are internal choices rather than external choices about actions. In MBSR class this week we addressed the question of situations of injustice. Do you allow this situation to make you bitter? Do you decide to shut down your ability to feel anything at all so that you do not have the feel the negative feelings associated with this event? Do you believe that a terrible event can define you as a "victim" or some other term?

These are hard questions. And there are no objective "right" answers. But there are traditional means of releasing resentments and opening to a larger sense of self. These traditional tools include practices that build compassion.

In the Thursday class, we experimented with Tonglen Meditation.
In the Friday class we experimented with Metta Meditation.

The Dalai Lama said, "whether this meditation really helps others or not, it gives me peace of mind. Then I can be more effective, and the benefit is immense."

Compassion building practices have been effective for many people in releasing immense suffering. Not all tools work for all people. So we experiment. In MBSR class we experiment with many tools in order to assist each individual in finding the tools that are personally effective.

MBSR #4 - Stayin' Alive In The Wall

2010-10-20T16:01:00.000-04:00

Four weeks ago, I used this quote during MBSR class #1 to describe a theme I saw emerging for all of us:

"And then the day came, when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” - Anaïs Nin

The class we just had last Friday had a theme to it that was hard for me to put into words. In MBSR, we usually try to find poetry- but this week I was introduced to a youtube video that really described what I felt was our theme for class #4. Someone called WaxAudio mixed together Pink Floyd and the Bee Gees. (!)
Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U13xOvDa19U

This very strange, somewhat ridiculous, combination of music speaks to me about the questions we were facing in class:
How does one live for oneself within a system that expects super-human (or robotic) levels of performance?
When living in financial poverty (or emotional poverty) can there be happiness within the overwhelming levels of stress?

Again, in MBSR there are no easy answers. With our practice we are amassing information from which to eventually make better choices, even when our choices are limited, even when no answers come.
Rainer Maria Rilke wrote this about the paradox of living without answers-

"Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves like locked rooms and like books that are written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will find them gradually, without noticing it, and live along some distant day into the answer. "
-Rainer Maria Rilke

MBSR #3 - being good enough

2010-10-13T14:05:00.005-04:00

Sometimes our carefully constructed plans get side-railed. It could be a family member in the hospital. It could be a migraine headache. It could be that in some way your adult life did not turn out the way your child-self envisioned.

Real life, the way it is now, is what we have. This is the only reality we have to work with. It is the only starting place we've got. It's not all that useful to to think about "if only things had gone according to plan," or "if only I were in that other place."
That other place does not exist.
That other plan never came into being.
Right here, right now, is good enough.
Who you are, as you are, is good enough.
Start here. Start now. This is the only place from which to move forward.

It is valid to have this experience, even if it happens to be an unpleasant experience. Validating only pleasant experiences creates a fractured sense of self. In other words, repressing the truth of one's experience creates stress.

As we strengthen our abilities to validate both pleasant and unpleasant aspects of our lives, we create a more wholistic experience. And I do mean both pleasant and unpleasant. If a person were to focus exclusively on unpleasantness, that would lead to overwhelming stress levels as well.

The intention in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction is to hold a wholistic view of life that is greater than either the unpleasantness or the pleasantness. We are beings who experience things. No one experience, or group of experiences, can define the entirety of ourselves.

When the concept of "not good enough" comes up, it might be helpful to ask "good enough- for what?" or even "good enough- compared to what?" Our lives are easier when we take these thoughts less seriously. They are just thoughts, after all.

MBSR #2 - Efforting

2010-10-04T10:26:00.001-04:00

This is from Osho's book "Buddha Zen Tao Tantra"

...Nobody can just float, first you have to learn to swim. Don't go to the river or you will be drowned. A person has to learn to swim and when the swimming becomes perfect, he need not swim, he can just be in the river, floating; he can lie in the river as if he is lying in his bed. Now he has learned how to be in accordance with the river; now the river cannot drown him; now he has no more enmity with the river. A perfect swimmer becomes part of the river; he is a wave in the river. How can the river destroy the wave? When he floats in accordance with the river, he is no longer fighting, resisting, doing something. He is in tune with the river and he can simply float. But don't try this unless you know how to swim; otherwise, you may be drowned.

The same thing happens with Tao. You make a great effort to live in accordance with the truth, and by and by you understand that your great effort helps a little, but hinders a lot.

This week in MBSR, I noticed the human tendency to strive. Without the effort to learn, learning would not be possible. But past that initial impulse, the great striving helps a little, but hinders a lot. (For learning mindfulness specifically.)
A number of students expressed feeling guilty about the days when they did not do their meditation homework practice during the past week. An initial jolt of guilt might have some use to get a person back on track the next day. But past that one small jolt, the feelings of guilt might help a little, but they hinder a lot.

MBSR Class #1- September 2010

2010-09-26T10:14:00.001-04:00

Students who are new to the concept of mindfulness are used to changing or fixing things that are considered negative.

For example, anger is considered a negative emotion in our culture. When a student encounters an angry thought, her cultural conditioning leads her to repress it, deny it, or actively force a change so that it becomes another feeling that is more socially acceptable to feel.

If a person changes a feeling before getting the chance to know what it is, and why it's there, she's missing out on valuable information. "Know thyself" is important wisdom. It is stress-reducing wisdom.

If a person has a one hour meditation practice, for one hour each day she collects self-information without changing, denying, or repressing the truth of it. And then, for the other 23 hours in each day, she has the opportunity to change, deny, and repress as much as is necessary to live an effective life. Living in society does require self-censure at times. In meditation practice, self-censure is not so useful. Living one's entire life (24 hours per day) in a mode of self-censure creates high levels of stress.

During meditaiton practice refrain from changing or fixing. Just observe.

It can be helpful to know that the very act of observing an emotion can sometimes bring a shift/change to that emotion. There are wonderful metaphors for this shift in quantum mechanics. (See Schrodinger's Cat and the Heisenberg uncertainty principle for a couple of mind expanding ideas.)

It is also important to be aware that if an emotion does not happen to shift, that's okay too.

In mindfulness practice we are exploring the truth of this moment as it is.
Not as-we-would-like-it-to-be.
Yes, I am actually serious about that: this momement AS IT IS.

What is meditation?

2010-09-12T18:46:00.000-04:00

I'll be starting up a new eight week series on Mindfulness Meditation in two weeks. As part of my preparation for class, I wrote a new FAQ page about meditation for my webpage. I thought it would be nice to post the article here in the blog too. Enjoy!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

• What is meditation?
Meditation is a way of calming the mind's chatter.
There is a phrase "the still small voice inside" that refers to your own inner wisdom. Meditation is one of the ways to listen for your own voice of wisdom.
There are many forms of meditation. And different people meditate for different reasons. In the Mindfulness Meditation taught by Gena Bean, the intention is self-healing and stress reduction.

• How do I start?
Since meditation is hard to describe, I recommend that most people start with a teacher in a class. Though some people are able to read a book or magazine article about meditation and figure it out on their own. My classes are listed at my website.

• What do I bring to a meditation class?
Very little is needed to start meditation. You don't need any special materials, or chairs, or clothing.
Be prepared to sit still for a while. In many meditation settings, everyone takes off their shoes. So be prepared to be barefoot or have socks.

• Do I need to be flexible and in shape?
No, you don't.

• Do I have to sit on the floor?
No. In any class led by Gena Bean, there will be chairs to sit on. Many people do choose to sit on the floor, and there are cushions provided for sitting on the floor for those who choose to. If sitting is uncomfortable, students also have the option to lie down on a yoga mat instead of staying in a seated position.

• What is the point of doing meditation?
For many people these days,the purpose of meditation is personal development. But each person who meditates has his or her own reasons. In Gena Bean's Mindfulness classes, stress reduction and raising quality of life are the primary motivations.

• What role does spirituality play in meditation?
Meditation has been used in most religious traditions throughout history. It is a tool for calming and focusing the mind. That kind of tool is very useful in spiritual pursuits.
Gena Bean's Mindfulness classes are non-denominational.
The Mindfulness program originally developed by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn at the UMass Medical School is loosely based on some of the Mindfulness techniques from Buddhist practices. Therefore, during classes, Buddhist concepts are sometimes referenced for clarification purposes.

Burn Out

2010-09-04T16:54:00.001-04:00

Burnout

There is a way of re-assessing burnout that can give a much-needed boost to your self-esteem. If you are experiencing burnout it is an indication of just how deeply you care about the people in your life. It is an indication of a super-human commitment to change things for the better.

If you want to better the world—
If you want to see the people you love thriving—
That *wanting* itself is a mark of your compassion.

And then, once you acknowledge that amazing compassion that you feel for others, take a smaller moment to gently admonish yourself. Because, if you are experiencing burnout, you have not been taking proper care of yourself. You have not allowed your compassionate feelings to extend to yourself. And that is a problem that needs to be addressed. Now.
You need to make self-care the first thing on your list. And I will tell you why.
Imaging that you have a pitcher full of water.
When the people around you are thirsty and holding out their cups, you can fill their cups from the pitcher for a while. But then, once the pitcher is emptied, what do you do?
The metaphor for burnout is to desperately squeeze the pitcher trying to get more water out of a dry container. If one follows that mode, one ends up with shards of broken pitcher. Everyone goes thirsty and the container is broken.
Now imagine that you have a fountain of water. The fountain is tapping into a renewable source, and is filled until it is overflowing. When thirsty people hold out their cups to the overflowing water, everyone gets what they need and the fountain does not run dry.
If you feel burnout, you have “run dry.” You have been feeding others from your “source” instead of first “filling yourself to overflow” and then feeling others from that overflow. You have been following a non-sustainable mode of living.
In that stressed mode, everybody loses. You lose, and the people you care for lose as well. The change that you had wanted to effect in the world will not last long if you run yourself dry in the process of “helping.” A non-sustainable mode of helping is not a real help in the end.
You must fill yourself up to the point of overflowing energy first.
And you most likely already know what it is that you need in your life in order to attain that “fill up.” Perhaps you need more time for yourself. Perhaps classes in yoga, knitting, kayaking, etc. Perhaps a full nine hours of sleep each night. Perhaps a community of like-minded people to talk with, or a church.
You know what types of things make you feel stronger. But most people who experience burnout refrain from doing the things that make themselves stronger. The main reason for holding back from strengthening themselves is fear. That common fear is this: “ The people I care for will be hurt somehow if I am not there to constantly hold them up.”
That is just a fear. It is important to acknowledge that a fear is not reality.

If you fear that the people you love can’t live without your constant support—
If you fear that the world would stop turning if you chose to take a break—
That *fear* itself is an indication that your ego has gotten so big that it is hurting you. Take a step back and re-assess.

The reality is that if you do not strengthen yourself first —before expending every last drop of your energy onto others— you will be hurt.
Take care of yourself. Give yourself some slack.
Take care of yourself. Take a break.
Take care of yourself. Do what strengthens you.
Take care of yourself. Keep breathing.

FYI, my classes in Boston that address all this stuff
are listed at genabean.com

Mindfulness on Twitter - yeah, right?

2010-09-03T13:22:00.002-04:00

I was resistant to getting a Twitter account. Mindfulness is about paying attention and being present. From everything I'd heard, Twitter seemed like total distraction, maybe even an on-line catalyst for Attention Deficit Disorder. But I own a business. One of my yoga students in particular was insistent that I needed to tweet for business reasons. And then even my brother got on board. He offered to set up an automated account for me.

After a few false starts, and a few heated phone calls with Bro, I faced my resistance and learned a new language and a new form of acceptance of the moment. I tweet now. And I am coming to appreciate the format of Twitter for reaching people.

A primary approach to teaching students how to be very present is to "meet them where they are at." When the students are lethargic, the teacher starts the lesson slowly from a lying down position. When the students are manic, the teacher starts class with calisthenics. And yes, now that the students are online, the teacher starts the class on Twitter.

As my Twitter followers grew, I became amazed at how many times I saw variations of "@mindfulboston Thanks for reminding me to breath." The lessons of Mindfulness, and the tools of Mindfulness make life better at all times. They are especially appropriate for these times of distraction.

What to do about stress- Right Now.

2010-09-02T22:45:00.001-04:00

This is an article about Stress Reduction "on the spot"
written by Gena Bean, Boston-area Stress Reduction Consultant

Lift your shoulders up to your ears. Yes, right now - not later - squeeze your shoulders up towards your ears. You can hold in your breath during the squeeze if you want. And then let the shoulders drop suddenly - releasing the breath as well. This motion will release some physical tension. Now do it again. Squeeze the shoulders, building tension. And then let it all go at once, dropping the shoulders to either a normal position or perhaps a more relaxed position than normal. If you happen to be in a place where no one will look at you funny, you can let out a sigh sound when you let the shoulders drop.
The next step is to take in a full deep breath.
And then let it out slowly.
Notice how you feel.

Just Breathe

If stress is a constant in your life, then you need to make some adjustments in order to include stress reduction in your life as well. The alternative is to experience burnout. The above squeeze and release exercise is just one of many techniques available for stress reduction. It takes less than a minute. And taking that one minute on a regular basis is worth your while. Now put your hands on your belly. The lungs are similar to balloons: when air goes in they should expand. And when air goes out, they should deflate. Notice your own belly. When you breathe in, does your abdomen rise? When you breathe out, does your abdomen fall? If not, see if you can make it happen. Breathing deeply into the abdomen is the basic stress reduction technique. Practice this as often as you can.

Take Control of Your Stress

No one else can breathe for you. You have to do it yourself. In this way, breathing is a good metaphor for all other stress reduction techniques. All stress reduction techniques have this is common: you have to take control of doing them for yourself. There are relaxation techniques that someone else can do for you, such as massage. Relaxation is a different thing than stress reduction. Relaxation is short term assistance, like a Band-Aid. Stress reduction is something you do that changes the amount of stress you experience. These techniques require an on-going commitment to maintain them, like taking vitamin pills that build your immunity.

Build Your Stress Hardiness

Stress reduction techniques can be considered the things that build stress hardiness. Stress hardiness is defined as:
a mindset exhibited by an individual that makes her or him resistant to the negative impacts of stressful circumstances and events Building stress hardiness could easily be compared to building immunity to a disease. And in fact, at the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, researchers have been documenting the effectiveness of stress reduction as a form of complementary medicine. They have established an eight-week program called Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction. You can learn more about the course in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction that Gena Bean leads on the stress page. Breathing and squeezing your shoulders are very simple things. It is simple to perform stress reduction techniques. But it is not necessarily easy. As stress builds, the easy thing can be to fall into negative coping and avoidance patterns that exacerbate the very problems we want to escape. If you want to avoid burnout, you must make the decision to take care of yourself every day.

Take Care of Yourself

What did you do today to take care of yourself?
* Did you eat a healthy meal?
* Did you squeeze and release your shoulders during a tense phone call?
* Did you practice deep breathing during your commute to work?
* Did you set proper boundaries with your co-workers about your schedule?
* Did you do a super-human amount of work, or did you limit yourself to a human amount of work? The above are a few of the simple (although not necessarily easy) things that you can do on your own to increase your stress hardiness.
It is important to set proper boundaries around activities.
Practice saying the following words: "No, I actually can't add that to my schedule."

Take Advantage of Community Resources

Joining a support network is another very effective stress reduction technique. If you work in or near the NonProfit Center in Boston, you are very welcome to join our yoga classes and/or lectures. There are also many neighborhood resources at community centers and yoga studios. Find one near your home. Even though it may not be easy to carve out the time, make a commitment to your own health and happiness. It is not selfishness to take care of your health. Your stress hardiness will be a support for everyone in your life.