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Quiet Mind, Happy Heart

Quiet Mind, Happy Heart

by | Feb 21, 2017 | Health, Inspiration, Parenthood | 0 comments

Mindfulness is all over the news these days touting research-backed benefits like stress reduction, better grades, improved emotional regulation and even boosting you towards your weight loss goals. I’m lucky enough to work for a company that has offered yoga classes and meditation sessions for years including a recent 8 week internally developed mindfulness training program.

The approach was to present mindfulness techniques in a “profoundly lighthearted” way. As participants, we are encouraged to be our own test subjects and experiment. In the 30 minute Friday group sessions we learned about a new aspect of mindfulness through teachings, stories and practice and were then encouraged to practice throughout the week. The results were nothing less than life-changing for some people, including me. Here are a few techniques you can experiment with incorporating into your life.

Focused Awareness

This is a simple practice that, from my experience, can benefit almost anyone. To practice focused awareness, first find a comfortable place to sit. Close your eyes and start to focus on your breath. I tend to feel my breath most prominently in my chest but you may also feel it in your nose or in your belly. Feel each inhale and exhale and keep your attention on that. Know that it is natural for your mind to wander. Each time your mind wanders, bring your attention back to your breath gently and as non-judgmentally as possible. Think of it like an exercise routine- each time you bring your attention back to your breath, you are doing an exercise, like a bicep curl, and the more you do it, the easier it will get. Research has shown that doing this for just 10 minutes a day can change neural pathways in the brain.

I’ll be honest – being able to be “bad” at this, yet not judge myself was extremely challenging for me at first (and is still sometimes hard now). Before you give it a try, promise to be gentle with yourself.

Three Minute Pause

The three minute pause can be used anywhere and is great for allowing you to get some perspective in a stressful or tense situation.  To do this, you may want to excuse yourself from the room for a few minutes and find a place where you can sit alone. Here are the three components of the three minute pause.

  1. Noticing- Pause for a moment to notice how the situation you are in is affecting your body, thoughts and emotions. Do you have sweaty palms or an increased heart rate? Are your thoughts a negative story about yourself or the others in the room? Are you feeling stressed, angry or nervous? Just take inventory of how you are doing.
  2. Grounded Centeredness- Just take a few breaths focusing on the inhale and exhale. Do your best to just experience this moment. This is just like what we did above with focused awareness.
  3. Expanding- Expand those few centering breaths to a body scan. Start with your feet and breathe relaxation into them, then move on to your legs, torso, chest, arms, etc. until you reach the top of your head. Next count on your ten fingers, ten things that you are grateful for and that support your life. This could be as small as the chair you are sitting on or the banana you ate for breakfast. When you have finished that, set an intention for how you’d like to reenter the situation. You could have an intention to remain centered, to not let anger get the best of you or to listen better.

Think back to an emotionally charged situation where you acted in a way you later regretted. Do you think the three minute pause could have helped that situation? I have used this many times after stressful work meetings and it does help me calm down and regain perspective.

There are a few things that are helpful to keep in mind, especially when beginning mindfulness practices. First, you must be kind to yourself and try your best to be non-judgmental. Second, know that your mind will wander. That constantly thinking mind is the mind that got you to where you are today. The purpose of mindfulness is not to turn off the mind, but to notice how your mind likes to work and present yourself with opportunities to remain in the present moment.

Start experimenting with these techniques mindfulness techniques and let us know how it goes in the comments below!

-Becca

Fajitas and Feelings

Fajitas and Feelings

by | Jan 21, 2017 | Healthy Meals, Inspiration, Recipes | 0 comments

Fajitas and Feelings

by Becca.

I had a crappy week. It started like any other week and ended in tears. My thoughts have been racing all weekend. Am I enough? What do they think of me? Should I have said something different? Am I on the right path? How will this end? Is she on my side?

For me, thoughts like this are all consuming. I can briefly forget when I sleep, dance or get caught up in a really good Mad Men episode, but other than that my mind is racing.

My husband can see it. “You are still thinking?” he’ll say. “Haven’t you exhausted all of your thoughts?” he’ll ask helplessly. I think they call it ruminating.

When I feel like this, comfort is what I seek. I have been drinking hot tea, wearing a cozy robe and asking for copious, drawn out hugs.

I need food that will bring my spirit back, so we are making fajita salad tonight. I have been eating fajitas since I was little, and I need that right now. I want to taste the vibrancy of peppers, onions and fajita spices. I need some avocado in my life. I also want something that feels nourishing and life supporting. This recipe covers all those bases and will hopefully give my brain a brief reprieve from thinking and thinking and thinking.

If you are having a crappy day, hopefully this will make you feel better. If you are having a good day, I hope it makes you feel good about the way you are fueling your body.

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

3 Peppers, cut into strips

2 Small Onions, cut into strips

1 Bag Fresh Mixed Greens or Spinach

4oz Fajita-style Tofu OR 1 Can Refried Beans

3 Avocados

1/2 Cup Salsa

2 Tablespoons Fajita Seasoning 

Juice of 1/2 of a Lime

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon Cumin

1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Powder

1/4 Small Red Onion, diced

Instructions:

1 – Cut peppers and onions into strips.

2 – Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat in a pan.

3 – Add onions, peppers and fajita seasoning. Cook, stirring occasionally until the peppers are soft and onions are starting to brown.

4 – While the peppers and onions are cooking, mix the avocados, lime juice, salt, cumin, cayenne. I use a potato masher to mix and smash  the avocado.

5 – Cut the red onion and stir it into the avocado mixture.

6 – Add diced tofu (if using) to the peppers and onions to heat it up.

7 – To serve, fill a shallow bowl or plate with greens, top with peppers and onions then top with salsa and avocado mixture. If you are using re-fried beans, add warm beans first to the bottom of the bowl, then top with the remaining ingredients.

Garnish ideas: chopped cilantro, chopped green onions, crushed tortilla chips, hot sauce (I’m obsessed with Cholula)

If you are not vegan, you can choose to top with a little cheese or sour cream, but taste it without these ingredients first. You might find you don’t miss them.

Enjoy!

Becca