One Trick to Enhance Your Overall #Health

What do flu prevention, stress reduction, and type 2 diabetes management have in common?  They are all therapeutic benefits of mindfulness.

Ok, first things first…do you even know what mindfulness is?  What might come to mind is “being mindful” that is, “be mindful of others” or “mindful of your attitude.”  That’s not exactly what practicing mindfulness means.  The website get.gg explains mindfulness as “paying attention in a particular way:  on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.”  

Have you ever driven down the road, arrived at your destination without remembering how you got there?  Well, that’s the opposite of mindfulness.  Mindfulness is when you notice the feeling of the steering wheel in your hand, notice the leaves on the trees are turning color and the smell of the fall air.  You are in the moment. Your mind is not drifting somewhere else, you are not worrying about the “what ifs” and you are taking everything in (without scrutiny). Experts have found that when we spend more time “in the moment” so to speak, we have improved health.  Here is what Jeffrey Greeson (2009) of Duke University found out when he reviewed the research on mindfulness:

There is increasing scientific evidence to support the therapeutic effect of mindfulness meditation training on stress-related medical conditions, including psoriasis, type 2 diabetes, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic low back, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. In addition, research has consistently shown that mindfulness training reduces symptoms of stress and negative mood states, and increases emotional well-being and quality of life, among persons with chronic illness. The use of mindfulness training in treating specific pain conditions, hypertension, myocardial ischemia, weight control, irritable bowel syndrome, insomnia, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and substance abuse is presently under investigation in research supported by the National Institutes of Health.

It appears when we practice mindfulness our brain actually changes.  In one 8-week study, in the participants who had the biggest shifts in frontal brain activity had stronger resistance to getting the flu!  The take away from that study was that mindfulness can help build up your immune system to resist disease.  Study after study shows that practicing mindfulness significantly reduces the stress hormone cortisol. What does that mean to you? Well, your body has an easier time of staying healthy. 

So what do you think, do you want to try mindfulness?

Here is a quick and simple place to start called “mindful breathing.”  Again, this is from the website get.gg:

The primary focus in Mindfulness Meditation is the breathing. However, the primary goal is a calm, non-judging awareness, allowing thoughts and feelings to come and go without getting caught up in them. This creates calmness and acceptance.

1. Sit comfortably, with your eyes closed and your spine reasonably straight.
2. Direct your attention to your breathing.
3. When thoughts, emotions, physical feelings or external sounds occur, simply accept them, giving them the space to come and go without judging or getting involved with them.
4. When you notice that your attention has drifted off and becoming caught up in thoughts or feelings, simply note that the attention has drifted, and then gently bring the attention back to your breathing.

It's ok and natural for thoughts to arise, and for your attention to follow them. No matter how many times this happens, just keep bringing your attention back to your breathing.

Want to read more about mindfulness?

Go here: http://get.gg/mindfulness.htm

Or here: http://www.psychologytools.org/mindfulness.html

Also try the “pray-as-you-go” website. It has MP3 that are developed to help you pray. There is a section called “Preparing to Pray”, which walks you through breathing and body exercises designed to “quiet your mind” and prepare you to enter into prayer. http://www.pray-as-you-go.org/

Want to read the full article by Jeffrey Greeson? Here it is…

Greeson, J. M. (2009). Mindfulness research update: 2008. Complement Health Practitioner, 14(1), 10-18. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2679512/

Freedom of Simplicity

For a while now, I've been thinking about the discipline of simplicity. Haven't heard of it? Well, in the United States, it's not the most popular teaching. Lately, we've been hearing more about "Prosperity Doctrine." Richard Foster (1981) says, "Contemporary culture is plagued by the passion to possess" (p. 3).

Isn't that still so true?

I've been thinking about slowing down and appreciating what God has already blessed me with and be content. In the process, I want to become completely dependent and obedient to God. Foster (1981) explains that the Old Testament reveals two "radical" truths about simplicity. The first is "Radical Dependence" and "Radical Obedience." Becoming dependent on God causes us to put aside our independence. Instead of saying, "I can provide for myself". We have to say, "God, I will follow you and trust you". "Radical Obedience" is completely paying allegiance to God and Him alone. By radically obeying God, we are free to lay down our heavy burdens and stresses of life. We no longer strain and strive to get ahead or obtain wealth. Our goal becomes one of submission. The result is peace and...

...blessing.

Yes, blessing. Foster (1981) shows how over and over again God gives generously to His children. God gives His obedient children material blessing, too.

Doesn't that bring us right back to "Prosperity Doctrine?"

Well, no. The reason is simple: genuine obedience changes our hearts. Material blessing is no longer our focus. Foster (1981) explains, "Once this inner disposition has taken over our personality, material blessings cannot hurt us, for they will be used for the right purposes" (p. 20). We realize that the material blessing we receive is for the good of the community, not just us.

This is my desire- for God to transform my personality. May I be as faithful as the man with the 5 talents who invested his gifts wisely and gained 5 more talents (Matt. 25:14-30). Yet, may I be so radically obedient to God that my focus is on Him and not how he blesses me.

How about you? Are you willing to be radically obedient and dependent?

Foster, R. (1981). Freedom of Simplicity. San Francisco, CA: Harper Collins Publishers.

Being Mindful

Have you noticed how people complain about being busy, but in reality, it sounds like they are bragging? Being busy and stressed out is worn like a badge of honor. You aren't somebody unless you are going non-stop. Is it any wonder this attitude is so prevalent when Corporate America jokes, "If you aren’t stressed, you must not be working hard enough.” Personally, I am tired of being stressed. A few years back, I developed a workshop called "Taking Care of Yourself.” ( Click here to go to my upcoming training page )The training was just as much for me as it was the participants. While putting the materials together, I began reading more about mindfulness. Being mindful is counter-intuitive to our culture. I discovered a good definition by Jon Kabat-Zinn (1994). He explains, “Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgmentally.” I began realizing that I was driving along in automatic missing the wonderful opportunities I could be experiencing. As I see it, being mindful is taking life out of automatic and start driving in manual. When you do this, you have to listen to every hum and acceleration of the RPMs. You begin to be more in tune with your own personal "engine.” Well, enough of my car analogy...you get the idea.

This morning I was reading my devotions and being mindful was the topic- except they called it, "Practice the Presence.” I saw it as taking the concept of mindfulness and moving it up a notch. Practicing the Presence is not only about being mindful of ourselves but also becoming mindful of God's presence in our life. The author of the devotion said, "We need to give God a time slot in our lives every day, but even more than that, God needs to be a presence in our lives all day long, every day" (Ortlund, 1994). The author and her husband began to be "mindful" (my words, not hers) in being present with God. Her husband set his watch to go off every 15 minutes so he'd stop and think of God. She wrote the words "Jesus" on a piece of paper and placed it on the floor by her bed. Every morning when she got up her attention was on Him. Through the process, she began to become more aware of God in her life.

This New Year 2010, I want to be mindful of the moment and most importantly of God's presence in my life. My next step is to consider what I can do to remind myself to rejoice in God's presence all day long. What about you? What will you do?

Consider Psalm 89:15, "Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O LORD" (NIV).

Kabat-Zinn, J. (1994). Wherever you go, there you are: Mindfulness meditation in everyday life (p.4), New York: Hyperion.

Ortlund, A. (1994). Practice the Presence. In Couple's Devotional Bible. (30) Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.