webmo, Author at Stress Reduction & Mindfulness Classes Phoenix

Can Mindfulness Help Overcome OCD and Anxiety?

September 28, 2018 / webmo / mindfulness

OCD or obsessive compulsive disorder and anxiety can be addressed in multiple ways and mindfulness meditation is a very effective way that can enhance any other approach of your choosing. Both of these conditions respond well to positive lifestyle changes and certainly mindfulness meditation is a positive lifestyle change.

The research connecting mindfulness meditation and anxiety and OCD is plentiful. I wouldn’t know where to begin to reference different studies because there are so many that show positive outcomes with anxiety and OCD using mindfulness meditation. A lot of the research comes from Jon Kabat Zinn’s 8 week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program(MBSR)developed at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. It is being taught all over the world and is present in practically all healthcare settings. To date there are over 2500 studies published worldwide. For those of you interested in the research I would suggest doing a specific internet search.

For those of you not inclined towards research and for the sake of brevity I will summarize the factors connecting OCD/anxiety, stress and mindfulness. I will do that by connecting them to mindfulness meditation and it’s use as a stress reduction program.

To begin with, we have discovered in the world of stress that we are not processing stress like we should. The big news in research is that the stress reaction(fight,flight or freeze) doesn’t resolve itself in many situations. The result is acute stress hanging around sometimes for years and becoming chronic stress. During fight,flight or freeze there are many physical, mental and emotional changes that take place. Imagine if those changes hung around for years and were pushed below the surface to keep them out of the way. It would create a host of issues.

One of the characteristics of fight or fight is fear. Fear in the short run is a very positive response. Fight or flight is our survival mechanism and without fear we wouldn’t be as effective at surviving. The problem comes when the fight or flight doesn’t resolve itself and the fear becomes chronic producing many iterations/expressions of itself over time. Anxiety and OCD are simply iterations/expressions of fear that hasn’t been resolved. Anxiety is generalized fear and OCD is a behavior that is designed to create the feeling of control. The need for control is driven by fear.

So how does mindfulness reverse chronic stress and fear thereby addressing the root driver to OCD and anxiety? When we go into fight or flight our main coping mechanism is our ability to disconnect from the present moment. It is very common to feel disconnected from our bodies, thoughts and emotions in this situation. In a short term situation it works well. In a long term situation it perpetuates the phenomena of being stuck in the fear/fight or flight mode. It’ s as if the body senses that because we are disconnected there is still danger and so it keeps us in fight or flight.

Mindfulness meditation is the process of paying attention to our bodies, thoughts and emotions in the present moment. We actually reconnect to those same things that we disconnected from in fight or flight. At this point it is as if the body senses that because we are re connecting, the danger must no longer be present. The result is that the body shifts the nervous system to come out of fear/fight or flight. The system gradually normalizes and fear goes away. Fear, the potent driver of anxiety and OCD resolves itself and is no longer energizing the anxiety and OCD. It is at this point that many mindfulness meditation practitioners discover the connection between fear, anxiety and OCD. As the fear from being stuck in fight or flight subsides so does anxiety and OCD.

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First Principles Of Mindfulness

August 27, 2018 / webmo / mindfulness

Recently I watched a documentary about Albert Einstein and his thought process. What struck me most about his genius was his ability to ultimately express complexity in simple equations. Specifically he was able to boil down his theory of relativity into one short equation….the first principle.

Elon Musk is also a fan of first principles. Like Aristotle, Euclid, Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla; Elon has a method to his “thinking different” madness. It’s called First principles thinking and anyone can use it. Even the best pizza makers know to work from the center out…

What is first principles thinking?

First principles are the origins, main concepts or assumptions that cannot be deduced from anything else.

Thinking in terms of first principles is basically like starting your thinking or reasoning with the most essential facts.

Mindfulness is most elegant when described from the perspective of first principles. The beauty of mindfulness can be found in it’s ultimate simplicity. The recent explosion of popularity of mindfulness has been great for spreading the information but not so great in it’s dilution of understanding the first principles that make it work. I find it very important to keep these first principles close to me so that during stressful times I can remnd myself why I am practicing and how it works.

The first principle of mindfulness is embodiment. Research and experience tells us that many of us feel and are disconnected due to chronic stress. When we are chronically disconnected it results in a host of physical, mental and emotional problems and creates havoc throughout our nervous system. James Joyce in his classic book Dubliners says of one of the main characters, “Mr. Duffy lived a short distance from his body.” … Mr Duffy also suffered the results of chronic disconnection.

Mindfulness is designed to reverse that disconnection/disembodiment by focusing attention on the body, thoughts and emotions in every way possible. The first principle of embodiment ends up being expressed and practiced in the infinite possibilities of the bodily experience. Just like Einstein’s simple equation relating to the infinite, mindfulness’ simple process of embodiment relates to the infinite possibilities of human experience. When this embodiment/connection unfolds, it reveals to us our true nature of peace, love, kindness, compassion, universal connectedness and all the other qualities that we value.

When we get lost in the complexity of life and we begin to question our mindfulness practice it is always good to revisit the first principle of why we practice and how it works.

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Learn How To Meditate Mindfully While Running

July 24, 2018 / webmo / mindfulness

Mindfulness meditation or present moment attention to experience lends itself nicely to running. Sports has become a popular metaphor for life and running is the common denominator that links most sports together. Peak performance, the flow, the zone and other descriptions of the present moment have been the subject of study and research for a long time but the last fifteen years has seen an abundance of very positive outcomes based on these studies. Athletes are benefiting by breaking through barriers that were previously thought to be impossible. By using the methods developed by these studies we are re defining human potential and creating new road maps on how to experience these new possibilities.

At the center of all of this research is mindfulness meditation. It has pioneered the expression of “mindfulness in movement” and brings new insight into how mindfulness meditation can be extended into sports and for that matter all activity. Athletes have known about this experience for thousands of years but usually just stumbled upon it through repetition and excellence. It has been only recently that thanks to the research and new training methods athletes can consciously create the flow experience at will. Let’s take a look at how the sports common denominator of running can be enhanced by an extended mindfulness meditation practice.

1. One of the most important traits of a good runner is the ability to tune into the body. Mindfulness meditation teaches us how to fully experience our physical sensations, breath, thoughts and emotions. By monitoring these important signals from the body we can determine how effective out training methods are. We can determine the correct technique by paying close attention to how the body is responding. This is the first step to building an effective training regimen.

2. As you become more in tune with your body through mindfulness you can more accurately sense when you are running with ease. Many runners run too hard and end up stressing their bodies more than they should. The sweet spot for running is the feeling of running with ease. As your conditioning improves so will your definition of ease of effort. Thanks to mindfulness you will know when to accelerate and when to slow down. Staying in that sweet spot of pace is the hallmark of an accomplished runner.

3. Non striving and non-judging are qualities of the mindfulness practice and allow you to “compete” with yourself rather than others. Comparing your times to other runners will only result in more stress and the interruption of the smooth workings of the body. Turning your attention inward so that you are comparing performance only with yourself will lead to much better performance. Monitoring improvement by acceptance of the present moment is actually the best way to improve your times.

4. Some running regimens are way too structured and result in too many miles, laps, intervals and so forth which end up being too mechanical and not in sync with the best way to improve times and conditioning. Step outside the structure and discover how to improvise using the connection to your mind/body. Your mind/body will tell you how much needs to be done in order to get the most out of your run. “No pain no gain” is a thing of the past. Using your mindfulness skills will allow you to maximize your body without breaking it down.

5. Keeping your attention in the present moment will allow you to fully experience the runners “high” through the release of endorphins. If your attention is elsewhere you might miss this. Enjoyment of running will help you stay motivated and bring you deeper into the experience.

6. Fully experiencing your body will allow you to monitor your form. You will be able to influence your core to be engaged, your back to be straight and the rest of the body moving in a fluid way. Remember that the body knows what it needs in order to run effortlessly and to find the flow. Mindfulness will help you to monitor your breath, body, emotions and thought and to notice when they are in sync. This in turn will help you to fine tune your training methods.

7. Check out the book: Running Mindfully http://bit.ly

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I’m Struggling To Meditate And I Get Distracted Easily. Any Tips For Beginners?

June 26, 2018 / webmo / Uncategorized

There are many kinds of meditation and all of them provide multiple benefits to anyone who practices. Mindfulness meditation is the underlying meditation in that it specifically deals with building the skill of paying attention. That skill comes in handy when practicing other kinds of meditation such as mantra, visualization, sound, prayer and more. Some meditations are connected to a religious or spiritual tradition and others are secular in that they are not connected to any particular tradition. Many people simply use meditation to explore awareness/consciousness and use that exploration to more deeply understand and experience life.

Meditation has been around for thousands of years and over the past thirty years Western science has confirmed what millions of people over thousands of years already know. Science and experience teaches us that meditation reduces stress and opens us up to new and deeper ways of experiencing life. Meditation therefore is for everyone, young, old and in between. Lately more and more children are learning to meditate, particularly mindfulness meditation, and the results have been very positive not only in their school studies but in emotional intelligence as well. We are finding that in fact children come to meditation easier perhaps because they haven’t had time to take on the resistance to it that adults experience. I’ve taught and written curriculum for thousands of children and have learned from them that the focus that comes through meditation is a natural experience that is available to all.

Learning meditation is like learning anything new. There is usually some kind of resistance and distraction is a major one. If we have a good plan for dealing with resistance and distraction then we are more likely to continue to practice. Setting up good habits for practicing meditation is an excellent way to begin. Here are five that I have found to be helpful.

1. Set up a regular schedule. We are creatures of habit so it is important especially in the beginning to set up a schedule that is the same everyday. I recommend picking a time in the morning that allows you to practice before your daily activity. It’s a great way to start the day and the effects of the meditation will continue with you throughout the day. This will have a very positive influence on how each day unfolds for you. Studies show that habits take about eight weeks to establish so be patient with yourself as you begin.

2. Create a meditation space. Set up a space where you can be comfortable meditating that has few distractions. Creating comfort is important to motivation and sustaining practice. Start with setting up a comfortable place to sit. Whether it is a cushion or a chair pick out something that will enhance comfort. Also, if possible make this space an expression of your meditation practice in that it should express silence, stillness and focus. In so doing it would be good to remove anything that can cause distractions such as phones, televisions and computers. Also keep the room at a moderate temperature.

3. Tend to your stomach. Get into the habit of meditating while your stomach is at ease. This is important and needs to be emphasized. Our stomachs have way more influence over us that we care to admit. If we are full then the stomach uses our energy for digestion. If we are too hungry then our stomach tries to get our attention to eat. Either way is a distraction. We want to be in the middle. Not too hungry and not too full. This will make meditation easier and is an important habit to create.

4. Be gentle with yourself. Some days meditation will be easy and some days not so much. Although there is a lot to be said for the discipline of sticking to a certain number of minutes regardless of difficulty there is also a lot to be said for being gentle with yourself particularly in the beginning. If you set aside thirty minutes for meditation and find that you are struggling, then it is fine to shorten the meditation to accommodate the resistance. Meditation is a journey, not a destination so we have no need to rush for results. Your practice will flourish in time and there is a natural rhythm that you will find that will allow you to be gentle with yourself as well as able to develop and sustain the habit.

5. Make a list of why your are meditating. Once you make your list of why you are meditating get into the habit of reviewing the list a least once a week. During times of resistance and distraction this list will remind you why you are practicing. The list can be revised when necessary and can be used to bolster motivation. The list can be long or short and can contain such things as reducing stress, communicating more clearly with yourself and others, having less fear, experiencing life with more joy, having more compassion, deepening understanding and creating more peace. Write down what is most meaningful for you and revisit your list on a regular basis.

6. Pick something simple like the breath to focus on in the beginning. When you notice that the attention is distracted, recognize the distraction and return to the breath. Do this as often as needed and understand that recognizing distraction is an important part of the practice. Embrace distraction in this way and you will create a successful relationship with your meditation practice.

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I’m Highly Sensitive. How Do I Toughen Up?

May 25, 2018 / webmo / mindfulness

There is a certain percentage of the population that falls into the category of being highly sensitive. The good news is that being highly sensitive gives you added insight and experience into a lot of different situations. The bad news is that most highly sensitive people suffer from not being able to “handle” the experience and information that comes to them through their sensitivity. They become distressed in situations where less sensitive people have no reaction at all.

Overstimulation physically, mentally and emotionally are common among the highly sensitive. Because of this overstimulation there is a pressing need to rest and recharge on a regular basis where if that need is ignored often times it results in depression, saddness and anxiety to name just a few conditions. Some people are so sensitive that they over empathize with people and actually experience what the other people are experiencing. If they are with positive, healthy people then that is a good thing but all too often they fall prey to their over sensitivity/empathizing in negative situations and experience the negativity coming from other people , things and places. Healthcare providers are particularly suseptible to this and many of them actually take on the physical, mental and emotional distress their patients present with.

So how does the sensitive person toughen up? I’ve found that many highly sensitive people lack a core focus. What I mean by that is that they are not centered and connected to themselves and bodies. When our attention is not in our bodies it tends to drift and many times it drifts into negative situations. At that point the highly sensitive person will mistake someone or something else’s experience for their own. When that happens the highly sensitive person will absorb the “other” experience.

Until lately there has been no widely available training to help highly sensitive people “toughen up” and create a solid centered core in their own body. Mindfulness is the training that connects people to their own bodies and allows them to remain connected in the face of negativity. A mindful person will recognize and experience negativity as something other than who they really are and by focusing on the anchor of their own body will be able to “toughen up” and not be susceptible to the negativity coming from elsewhere. Mindfulness, or keeping ones’s attention in the present moment by being fully connected to the body has been around for a long time but has only relatively recently become known enough to be available to the broader population. Helping highly sensitive people “toughen up “ is only one of the many reasons to practice being present.

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Mindfulness: Is It Ever Too Late To Build My Low Self-Esteem?

April 26, 2018 / webmo / mindfulness

Let’s start with the definition of self esteem. According to the dictionary self esteem is ”confidence in one’s own worth or abilities”. Some synonyms are “self-respect, pride, dignity, self-regard, faith in oneself, morale, self-confidence, confidence and self-assurance”.

Some signs of low self esteem are: a string of thoughts and feelings including self doubt, negativity, incapability, discomfort, procrastination, frustration, fear, anger unhappiness and shyness. Can we actually reverse low self esteem and if so what is the most effective way?

My experience and research tells us that low self esteem is reversible and there have been hundreds of books that fill hundreds of pages that give the recipe for addressing this issue. Some of the “to do” things to reverse low self esteem are: become positive, stay away from negative things and people, become decisive, love and have compassion for self, be thankful, appreciative and forgive. These are all good qualities that can in fact turn the tide against low self esteem. We can go on for quite some time listing the traits that will build self esteem but I like to start with causes that create the problem in the first place.

To me the main cause of low self esteem is fear. Fear is the starting point for the downhill slide into low self esteem. All of the characteristics of low self esteem, some of which I listed above, are simply iterations of the primary fear. I think it is a good idea to address the “to do” list of behavior change that will be instumental in increasing self esteem but if the core fear isn’t addressed along with it, you will be wasting your time. In fact, addressing the fear as the main strategy is highly effective.

I have found that fear is most effectively addresed by incorporating the practice of mindfulness into your life. Mindfulness has a way of keeping the nervous system clear of the core fear that rears it’s head in the fight or flight response, particularly when it gets stuck for extended periods of time. It’s impossible to be in fear when you are “in the moment”. All things negative tend to fall away on their own when in the moment. This “falling away” is what allows for the gradual arising of all the qualities that we associate with a healthy self esteem.

So rest assured that low self esteem is reversible and that mindfulness combined with a natural healing process and common sense will put you on the right path.

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How Can Mindfulness/Meditation Help Us To Avoid Overindulging In Food And Drink?

March 26, 2018 / webmo / mindfulness

We all cut back on food and drink from time to time for different reasons. The common denominator is that it is a reaction to overindulging. By cutting back we can look better and feel better. There’s nothing wrong with using both of these reasons to create the motivation for a successful diet. From time to time I will diet, particularly after the holidays when I gather with friends and family and overindulge. Other than the occasional eating and drinking binge which can be remedied by returning to a sensible diet, why do some of us constantly seem to be trying to cut back on food and drink?

The unfortunate reality in our culture today is that there is a larger number of us who are more overweight than ever before in addition to a growing dependency on drink/alcohol. There are many reasons for this but the experts seem to agree that most people who overindulge don’t do it because they are hungry and thirsty for alcohol but because they are stressed. There is a general consensus that people overindulge in an effort to satisfy some emotional need. In the end, many of us use food and alcohol to provide the emotional comfort that we are craving from a perceived lack of satisfaction from our lives. Stress is the usual suspect in creating this kind of coping behavior to compensate for something we feel we lack emotionally.

Mindfulness is well known for reducing stress but specifically how does it address our ability to stop overindulging successfully? At the root of our emotional stress is the fight, freeze or flight response. It is the way we are hard wired to successfully survive. When we go into fight, freeze or flight we do so because we feel as though our survival is at stake. There are many physical, mental and emotional changes that take place during this experience, all designed to help us survive.This is a very positive genetic advantage that we have and it serves us well unless we end up prolonging the experience.

Science has confirmed that many of us prolong or get stuck in fight, freeze or flight sometimes for years. This creates many problems but the overriding problem is our belief that our survival is constantly being threatened on some level. In most cases, of course, it is not. It is simply the message the body is giving us when we are stuck in the survival mode. One of the many ways we cope with this perceived survival threat is by overindulging in food and drink. Unfortunately when we are stuck in survival mode no amount of food and drink will be enough to satisfy that fear….so we just keep eating and drinking. This of course is usually happening on an unconscious level and it is the driving force in what is making us overindulge.

The good news about mindfulness is that it is known to take us out of the survival mode which allows the body to get rid of the fear of surviving and return us to a balanced lifestyle which includes eating when we are actually hungry and drinking for the enjoyment and not to satisfy the perceived emotional need to survive. Once that fear goes away we can return to having a healthy relationship with our food and alcohol and can successfully break the roller coaster of overindulging.

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How Do I Learn To Appreciate Silence?

February 27, 2018 / webmo / mindfulness

Learning to appreciate silence in our busy culture can be a challenge. The overwhelming characteristics of a busy culture are noise and activity, both of which have become the norm for us. This is not the case in other cultures where activity and noise are much less and the natural silence that is all around us and in us prevails.

Throughout history silence has been recognized and valued as part of our inner development leading to inner and outer balance. Traditional meditation is done in silence and it is known that this silent meditation can lead to a sense of peace and well being. Periods of silence outside of meditation have also been valued for centuries leading to extended periods of valuable introspection leading to deep insights on the nature of life and the age old questions of existence. These insights through silence have the ability to transform our lives in every way, making life a joy to live.

Silence is also an integral part of communication. I know this doesn’t seem to make sense at first glance since many of us equate talking with communication. The reality is that most of our communicating is done through silent body language and the little verbal communication that takes place is enhanced by being silent and listening.

Coexistence of inner silence and outer noise:

It is important to know that there can be inner silence and outer noise at the same time. We are all familiar with the outer noise which fills the spaces around us and prevents us from bathing in the silence of the ears. What is also important to know is that once the inner silence is strong enough it can be sustained in any situation including the noise around us. This is a very beneficial quality to have and leads to deeper peace and well being. Practice being silent in meditation and bring this silence into daily activity. It will reward you in many ways.

Resistance to silence:

When we begin to practice silence we may notice some resistance. Since silence is something that most of us are not used to it is not unusual to encounter some push back. When I began to practice silence many years ago I noticed that from time to time that I became bored, restless and anxious. Over the years people have told me the same thing, although it can vary significantly from person to person. I persevered with practice and gradually the resistance went away and the many benefits of silence emerged. I have seen this practice of silence unfold in this way with thousands of people who were willing to commit to the practice. You too can begin to experience and appreciate the many benefits of silence. Practice periods of silent meditation and silence in everyday life and you will discover many of the age old benefits just waiting to emerge into your life.

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Five Benefits Of Meditating As Soon As You Wake Up

January 22, 2018 / webmo / mindfulness

I’ve been meditating for 48 years and because I’ve been teaching meditation for nearly that long I have had occasion to meditate during practically ever time of the day and night depending on when my class is. For my personal practice I meditate first thing in the morning right after I wake up. After about 10 minutes of personal preparation I am ready to begin my meditation. Right after meditation and as an extension of the meditation I do yoga, tai chi, weights and cardio such as hiking or biking. The benefits of doing meditation and/or meditation based movement first thing in the morning are striking. Generally, it sets the tone for the rest of the day because there is a spill over effect that lasts throughout the entire day. There are many documented benefits to meditation and the idea of those benefits continuing throughout the day is very compelling. Let’s look at some of those benefits that allow us to create the kind of day we want.

1. Energy. Meditation releases endorphins which are not only a good source of energy but a good source of “feel good” energy. The endorphins also put us in a good mood which helps us to be happy and effective in our relationships. Meditation also puts us into a relaxed state which allows for the flow of natural energy. Energy prepares us for the experiences of the day.

2. Focus. We know that meditation increases our ability the focus and pay attention. Regardless of what we do during the day it will be enhanced by our ability to pay attention, see the big picture and the details as well. This is a big part of becoming a clear thinker. This focus will carry us throughout the day.

3. Peak Performance/In The Zone. If we combine the first two benefits of energy and focus we will be entering the experience of “the flow”. Most of us are familiar with this experience in one way or another. To be able to sustain this to a good degree for the entire day is very beneficial. It is characterized by a sense of ease combined with a sense of efficiency and connectedness.

4. Productive. If you combine the first three benefits of energy, focus and the “flow” we will find that we are being more productive than ever with less stress. However we define production, we will have more of it and sustained throughout the day. We will feel good about it and those around you will too.

5. Excellent decision making ability. As a result of the previous 4 benefits we will be more connected to ourselves and the world around us allowing for us to see the big picture, gather information and consequently make decisions that benefit the health and wellness of ourselves and those around us. We will carry this empathy and compassion throughout the day and be seen as a true leader, one who leads by example.

These are the five big picture reasons for starting the day with meditation. There are many more secondary reasons but we can look at these as being “the well from which the water flows”.

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How Meditation Affects Neurotransmitters And How They Affect Our Overall Well Being.

December 19, 2017 / webmo / mindfulness

What are Neurotransmitters?

There is a very large network of specialized cells that make up your nervous system. The average human brain houses over 100 billion nerve cells (neurons) with each connected to 10,000 or so other cells. Everything we do – all of our movements, thoughts, and feelings – is the result of these nerve cells talking with one another via electrical and chemical signals.

Neurons are not in direct contact with each other; in order to communicate with each other, they rely on chemicals called neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that coordinate the transmission of signals from one nerve cell to the next. These neurotransmitters regulate a wide variety of processes including emotions, fear, pleasure, joy, anger, mood, memory, cognition, attention, concentration, alertness, energy, appetite, cravings, sleep, and the perception of pain.

There are a number of studies that have measured the effects of meditation on the “feel good” neurotransmitters and today we will talk about just five of the many neurotransmitters that meditation affects in a positive way.

1. Serotonin. Known by many scientists as the “happy” neurotransmitter, serotonin is key to helping relay signals from one part of the brain to another. This crucial chemical has a profound impact on our mood, contributing greatly to our overall state of well-being. When we don’t have enough we are depressed and when we have enough we have a sense of well being. A number of studies show that meditation such as mindfulness increases serotonin.

2. Endorphins. Endorphins are the “feel good” neurotransmitter. Perhaps the most widely known, endorphins are most associated with exercise. Runner’s “high” is a common effect and similar descriptions have been given to many other activities in the exercise category. Mindfulness meditation studies have shown increases in endorphins after meditation and at higher levels than exercise.

3. GABA. GABA (gamma aminobutyric acid) is one of the major inhibitory neurotransmitters in your central nervous system. GABA is the neurotransmitter that is associated with feelings of calm. Not having enough of this chemical can create problems including anxiety, nervousness, racing thoughts, and sleeplessness. In 2010, Psychiatrists at the Boston University School of Medicine found a 27% increase in GABA levels after only 60 minutes of mindful meditation

4. DHEA. Although DHEA is technically a hormone, it acts directly on neurotransmitter systems to regulate synaptic transmission. When in a balanced state, the presence of DHEA facilitates what we call the “longevity molecule”. Meditation stimulates the correct amount of DHEA which in turn puts us in a position to take advantage of the “DHEA effect”. In fact, by measuring DHEA in the body we can more accurately measure “true age”.

5. Cortisol. Cortisol is a crossover between a hormone and a neurotransmitter. It is considered to be related to stress and whether it is acting as a hormone or a neurotransmitter if you have too much then you will experience high levels of stress. Meditation lowers cortisol and mindfulness meditation has been seen to reduce cortisol levels over a period of a few weeks.

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