October 7, 2015

Mindful eating

The Elusive Strawberry Banana from Flickr via Wylio

© 2010 Pink Sherbet Photography, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio

It is common to eat without thinking. To not take notice of what we are eating or when we are satisfied. You may have encountered times where you have grazed on food or shovelled food into your mouth without even taking the time to taste it.

Have you ever had a time when you were eating something while watching television and next thing it was all gone?

This is called mindless eating. However when we eat mindlessly we are not focused on our food. We are not mindful of what our body may be telling us. Thus we tend to eat more than we otherwise would.

When we eat, we tend to go into an unconscious mode. Which can be a problem.

People who practice mindful eating, purposely make eating a conscious practice. They will listen to their bodies. They take their time when eating. They pay attention and focus completely on the enjoyment of food and eating. They will also take notice of any temptation to maybe eat quickly.

Being mindful when eating means, paying attention to the senses. The colours and shapes of the food. Taking notice of the smell of the food. Enjoying the sensations of the taste, the flavours and the temperature of the food. Even taking notice of the crunch and textures of the food whilst chewing.

One of the great things about mindful eating is that it is not a diet. It is about experiencing the pleasure of food more intensely.

Most of us know what foods are good food for our body. But we may not be eating those things.

The best outcome that naturally results from mindful eating is it creates a barrier to overeating.

Yoga teacher and psychologist Dr Lisa Ciechomski says that mindful eating is effective for helping deal with such issues.

“It helps them get in touch with food. And get in touch with that urge to keep eating a lot.”

“When people eat more mindfully they may realise they do not need as much, they can be satisfied with less.”

Overall, mindful eating promotes better eating behaviours and encourages healthier relationships with food.

‘Expecting is the greatest impediment to living. In anticipation of tomorrow, it loses today’ (Seneca)

– Michael

October 3, 2015

Reducing stress through mindfulness

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© 2008 bottled_void, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio

One of the greatest benefits of mindfulness is stress reduction. People tend to react to stress without thinking, this is where mindfulness can be of great benefit.

Practicing mindfulness helps us to focus attention on our breathing, thoughts and movements.  By practicing mindfulness we can become aware of these reactions and as a result are better able to deal with stress.

Dr Lisa Ciechomski says that practicing mindfulness has a cumulative effect on stress over time.

“It increases our awareness of when we are getting stressed, so we can put strategies in place before we get too stressed. Before the body really starts to feel under pressure.”

“We also get more enjoyment out of life and are able to relate to people in a much calmer way … we become more able to ride the ups and downs. You don’t get so blown around by the challenges of life.”

“Our breath is one of the best ways to practice mindfulness. It’s always with us and when we are stressed we do breathe differently. We often breathe more from the chest. This is where learning to breathe down a little can help greatly.”

Mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR) has shown to have dramatic effects on the brain and stress levels. Even years after participating in an MBSR course, people maintain lower levels of stress and anxiety.

On top of this, the physiological benefits resulting from lowered stress such as lowered blood pressure and strengthened immune system are extremely important for overall health and wellbeing.

“Research suggests we are going to live longer if we manage our stress with strategies like mindfulness.”

‘Little stones that are pelted into the lake of consciousness should not throw the whole lake into commotion’ (Paramahansa Yogananda)

**Excerpts included were taken from an interview I conducted with yoga teacher and psychologist Dr Lisa Ciechomski.

– Michael

September 30, 2015

The myth of multitasking

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© 2011 Charles Nadeau, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio

Dividing our attention between multiple tasks is something a lot of us do, a lot of the time. There are constantly tasks and distractions that demand our attention.

However, unlike what most people think, when we ‘multitask’ it actually takes us longer to complete a task. And by splitting our attention we make more errors.

We are far more effective at completing tasks if we take regular breaks in between giving sustained attention to one task at a time. However, we live with the idea that doing one task at a time seems to be wasteful. A luxury that no one has.

One of the many reasons for our inability to focus on one task at a time is the constant distractions of modern technology. Whilst many benefits come from having a mobile phone, tablet or laptop, they have drastically changed the way we function. It has now become a normal part of life to be constantly distracted.

At work we may be answering an email, eating our lunch and talking on the phone at the same time. At home we may be preparing a meal, checking our emails or texting and watching television at the same time. We may check our phone in work meetings, whilst walking or whilst eating dinner with the family.

Interestingly, studies on the brain have shown that we don’t actually complete tasks simultaneously. What we are actually doing is very quickly switching between tasks. Task switching is a constant stop/start process that can happen within a matter of microseconds.

If this is true, then the question worth asking is whether what we have long thought of as multitasking is actually a myth?

Dr Lisa Ciechomski says that what we think is multitasking is just an illusion.

“Multitasking is what they call a misnomer, an illusion. We’re really just switching from one task to the next.”

“If there’s that sense of not having completed something that’s playing on our mind we can’t give the next task our full attention. And if at the same time our phone is ringing and our boss wants us, it’s pulling our attention in different directions.”

However, there are things we can do as part of our work routine that can help alleviate some of the pressure associated with task switching.

“We can ensure we take time out where possible, like taking our lunch break. Use this as a time to recharge our batteries.”

“Are we eating lunch at our desk and checking emails at the same time? Can we get away from the desk, even for 20 minutes to go down the street or go to the park?”

“We need to make the conscious effort to do that, so when we come back to the desk we’re feeling refreshed and able to really focus on our work.”

It is also worthwhile taking mini-mindfulness breaks.

“Even while you’re at your desk. Stopping what you’re doing. Taking a pause, where you just ‘stop, observe, breath’.”

“Stop what you’re doing, observe the breath and then take one or two conscious breaths. It’s about making the time, and making a conscious effort to do it.”

What we think, we become’ (Buddha)

**Excerpts included were taken from an interview I conducted with yoga teacher and psychologist Dr Lisa Ciechomski.

– Michael

September 26, 2015

Mindfulness as part of everyday life

smell of freedom from Flickr via Wylio

© 2009 Petras Gagilas, Flickr | CC-BY-SA | via Wylio

The most common way to cultivate mindfulness is by practicing meditation. However, mindfulness can also easily be incorporated into any part of our everyday life. We can do this by learning to pay a bit more attention while undertaking our daily activities.

Whether this be at work, whilst studying or doing the household chores. Whilst out shopping, brushing our teeth, eating food or having a shower. Mindfulness can become a part of anything we do.

The idea is to bring awareness to our routine activities we usually may undertake on auto pilot. To fully engage all our senses on what we are doing in the present moment.

Even waiting gives us a great opportunity to be more mindful. Instead of becoming frustrated whilst waiting in line or when stuck in traffic, we can take that as an opportunity to practice being more mindful.

If you wish to be more mindful and struggle with meditation then engaging in your favourite activities is an easy way to practice becoming more mindful. You may love baking, gardening, taking photos, playing sport, colouring in or drawing.

It is always easier to be more mindful when doing things we love. Because when we are doing what we love, paying attention  comes much more naturally. Whether that be the photographer who closely scans the environment looking for that prefect shot. Or the golfer who pays close attention to their thoughts, their head and body position, and all elements important to producing their shot.

What all these things have in common is the ability to engage our attention and quieten our thoughts while we immerse ourselves in what we love.

There is no limit to the opportunities available to practice mindfulness as part of everyday life.

Formal v informal mindfulness

Practicing mindfulness meditation can help us become even more mindful in our everyday life. Mindfulness expert and clinical psychologist Dr Richard Chambers likes to distinguish between the formal mindfulness practices like meditation and informal practices which bring mindfulness to everyday activities.

“Formal meditation is really important, it rewires the brain and makes it more likely that we will be present and engaged in the day today.”

“We can also intentionally practice informal mindfulness … when we are having a conversation really tuning in to what the other person is saying … noticing our breath throughout the day. Tasting the food we’re eating rather than watching television while we’re having lunch. Also by unitasking, focusing on one thing at a time.”

“Just tuning into the five senses, what’s happening in this moment.”

‘The more awareness you bring to the present moment, the more pleasure you get out of the present moment’ (Mark Waldman)

– Michael

September 23, 2015

Mindful learning

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© 2015 Moyan Brenn, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio

As was highlighted in the last post there are many positive changes to brain functioning that result from mindfulness meditation. So it should come as no surprise then to find that mindfulness is becoming increasingly popular in education.

Effects that result from practicing mindfulness such as increased attention and concentration, improved self-regulation and awareness are of great benefit for students and learning at all levels.

Mindfulness expert Dr Richard Chambers, who has extensively researched and wrote about the many benefits of mindful learning, says there are clear links between practicing mindfulness and improved learning abilities.

“By noticing our thoughts, noticing our emotions, without getting caught up in them and without reacting to them, we get a metacognition or meta-awareness … that intersects beautifully with the social and emotional learning that most students are doing now. It’s a really good underpinning of any type of education we do.”

Mindfulness brings our attention to the present moment which makes us more aware of what we are doing. Dr Chambers says this has the twin benefits of improved mental health and greater ability to focus. This leads to improved academic performance.

“We spend less time caught up in worries and concerns, and stressing ourselves out, and more time focused. And that of course improves our performance. Because we spend less time distracted and not listening, away with the fairies, and more time focused on what is in front of us.”

“From an educational perspective, students who have better mental health and wellbeing are better performing and better able to learn … that’s why there is so much broad support for it now in education.”

It is the benefits of mindfulness for learning such as increased focus and attention, better health and wellbeing, and decreased anxiety and self-doubt that are behind the explosion in the popularity of mindful learning.

“There’s a growing popularity of mindfulness generally, started in medicine and healthcare, then spread into business and sport, and now it’s in education in a very big way. Just that recognition that students are less stressed and better performing for very little investment.”

“Research shows that meditating for just 5 minutes before class improves test performance. That is a significant finding. It doesn’t take a lot.”

“It’s becoming a more acceptable thing they (teachers) can do with their students at the start of the day, or period 5, or before a test, or whenever they need it.”

“Students need it more than past generations of students, because things move faster and there’s more pressures. From standardised testing, online, social media and some of the issues that come with that.”

‘Learning is the only thing the mind never exhausts, never fears and never regrets’

(Leonardo Da Vinci)

**Excerpts included were taken from an interview I conducted with mindfulness expert and clinical psychologist Dr Richard Chambers.

– Michael

September 19, 2015

How mindfulness can change our brain

Burt_OrganicNeuron from Flickr via Wylio

© 2012 Brian Burt, Flickr | CC-BY-SA | via Wylio

A big reason the popularity of mindfulness has rapidly increased in recent times is the growing evidence surrounding its benefits. In particular, the benefits associated with changes in various parts of the brain as a result of meditation.

Mindfulness meditation strengthens and increases connectivity between many important areas of the brain.

Dr Richard Chambers says that it’s the brain science that makes mindfulness much more accessible for everyone. Because people can now understand it and can see what the changes are.

“Meditation training rewires the prefrontal cortex … strengthens it, makes it thicker and stronger so we are more able to focus our attention outside of meditation periods.”

“It also strengthens the hippocampus, so our long-term memory is better. And the insula, so our self-awareness is better.”

And you don’t need to practice for a lifetime to see positive changes in brain functioning. Dr Chambers says that changes can happen quite quickly after first practicing mindfulness meditation.

“You can take people who have never meditated before and get them to do some intensive meditation for half a day and you will start to see very real change in attention regulation.”

“It takes a little more to start seeing the neurological changes … you might need to meditate for 10 minutes a day over 3 or 4 weeks to start seeing that. It’s a dose effect. The more we do it, the better we get. And the real benefits are when people make it into a regular practice.”

“If you’re meditating 10 minutes a day over a number of weeks you start to see real sustained changes that are happening outside the meditation periods. It’s not just about tuning out and relaxing, it’s literally about learning to be more present and engaged, which rewires your brain. Then in the other 23 hours and 50 minutes of the day you are just more there.”

Particularly exciting is recent research that demonstrates the plasticity of the brain. The ability for the brain to rewire itself as a result of practicing mindfulness meditation.

“Anything we practice we get better at, it gets hardwired in. This includes certain qualities of the mind. If we practice being curious, we just hardwire that in and become naturally more curious from day to day. If we practice being kind and gentle to ourselves, self-compassionate … it gets hardwired in. This is neuroplasticity at its best.”

“Anything we practice gets hardwired in, so we need to just choose what qualities I want and practice them.”

‘We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like the a shadow that never leaves’
(Buddha)

**Excerpts included were taken from an interview I conducted with mindfulness expert and clinical psychologist Dr Richard Chambers.

– Michael

September 16, 2015

Our wandering minds

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© 2005 mindfulness, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio

Modern life can lead us to become consumed with what we need to get done and what we need to be. We can become absorbed with planning and worrying about the future or dwelling on the past.

The modern world also offers us a multitude of shortcuts to assist through our rapid transit of living and working. And with all the modern conveniences and constant distractions, we may not even realise we are running on ‘autopilot’.

Our mind does tend to spend a lot of time away (with the fairies!). More so than in the present because autopilot is very pervasive. And when in autopilot our mind is wandering.

Mind wandering itself does serve a function, in particular for a person’s creativity and imagination. However, it is important to have balance and awareness that the auto pilot switch is on. This is where mindfulness steps in.

This is why one of the first steps we learn when cultivating mindfulness is recognition that your mind has wandered off. The sooner you notice your mind wander the more effective mindfulness practice will be.

Dr Richard Chambers refers to this automatic pilot mode that is characterised by mind wandering as ‘default mode.’

“Default mode is when we are not actually engaged and present. We just click off into that mind wandering and mental chatter that we all know really intimately.”

An interesting study conducted by Harvard University investigated people’s attention levels and happiness. It showed that attention tended to be away from the task at hand about half the time.

“The people who were daydreaming or not present the most tended to be the unhappiest. And the people who tended to be paying attention when the alert went off were much happier.”

“The default mode is this mind wandering and mental chatter that happens about half the time.”

“Anytime we’re daydreaming we’re in default mode. If we then start to think about thinking, ‘why am I thinking about that’, that’s more default mode.”

“Also judgments and reactions are more default mode … ‘why do I keep doing this’, ‘this is really annoying me’, ‘I suck at this’.”

Our brain is a survival tool. And part of its purpose is to look for threats and problems.

“We are constantly looking for problems and we keep finding them. Deadlines, job interviews, conflict, judgment, worry and dwelling.”

“When we are in that default mode we just get hooked into things that are unpleasant. This causes problems for us. And while we’re in it (default mode), we’re not listening … or we’re not focused on what we’re doing, so our performance decreases.”

“Once you can start to notice what’s default mode… and anytime we’re not present and engaged, its default mode.”

“It’s not bad, it’s not a problem, it’s something to notice and bring your attention back to what is going on. That’s the application of mindfulness.”

‘Mindfulness isn’t difficult, the hard part is remembering to do it.’

**Excerpts included were taken from an interview I conducted with mindfulness expert and clinical psychologist Dr Richard Chambers.

– Michael

September 12, 2015

What are the benefits to being more mindful?

walking trackWe live in a world where everyone seems to be time poor. There is a constant need to juggle task after task. And there are many distractions from all the new gadgets that are supposed to us save time. Yet they seem to take up more time.

Thus, there is no better time to bring mindfulness  into our lives. It can help us deal with the effects and distractions of the fast paced modern world.

Mounting evidence associates practicing mindfulness with benefits in all aspects of life. From increased life satisfaction, improved work and academic performance to improved health and wellbeing.

We gain greater life satisfaction!

Practicing mindfulness makes it easier to enjoy all of life’s pleasures as they occur. We become more engaged in what we are doing. It helps us deeply enjoy and experience such things as eating our meal, listening to music or engaging with nature when we are walking.

Being more mindful leads to increased self-awareness and developing a greater capacity to deal with problems and issues as they arise. We become more connected to ourselves, those around us and to the world at large. And we become less reactive to unpleasant experiences.

Mindfulness has also been linked to increased displays of compassion and altruistic tendencies. Those practicing mindfulness are more likely to assist someone in need.

And interestingly, mindfulness is linked to enhanced relationship satisfaction. Couples who practice mindfulness tend to feel closer, are more optimistic and relaxed, and generally more satisfied with their relationships.

Our work and academic performance improves!

Mindfulness meditation has shown to improve cognitive functioning. This results in improvements in work and academic performance.

More precisely, mindfulness has been associated with increased attention span and improved focus. And improved functioning in vital brain areas associated with memory, learning, emotional regulation and empathy.

Practicing mindfulness also reduces the impact and influence of stress. A major issue in both the work and academic environment. Reduced stress combined with improved attention and focus greatly improve problem solving and other work-related abilities.

It is beneficial for our overall health and wellbeing!

There are many positive health benefits associated with practicing mindfulness. These include improved breathing, relief from stress, lowered blood pressure and reduction in chronic pain.

Mindfulness can also assist with sleep problems and boosts our immune system, which enhances our ability to fight illness.

blossomMindfulness is also beneficial for our minds. It has shown to increase positive emotions whilst reducing negative emotions. It also displays great promise in treating many mental health disorders such as, depression, substance abuse and anxiety disorders.

Interestingly, recent research even shows that meditation may be a protective factor against aging. People who meditate appear to show less age related brain shrinkage.

And mindfulness is also showing great promise in the fight against obesity. Practicing mindful eating encourages people to eat healthier and to enjoy the food they eat.

‘Everything is created twice, first in the mind and then in reality’ (Robin Sharma)

– Michael

September 9, 2015

Mindfulness or Mindlessness?

Mind Full v. Mindful from Flickr via Wylio

© 2014 Heidi Forbes Öste, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio

The last few decades have seen an explosion in the interest of mindfulness. This is on the back of promising research that demonstrates practicing mindfulness has great benefits to health and wellbeing.

It is for this reason and many others I have decided to write on the topic of mindfulness. I thought a good starting point would be to focus on two important questions. What is mindfulness? And how do people cultivate mindfulness?

What is mindfulness (or mindlessness)?
I think to better understand mindfulness, it is worth looking at the complete opposite, mindlessness. I think most of us can relate to examples of mindless moments in our daily lives at one time or another.

Maybe you have experienced a time when you forgot someone’s name after just hearing it or a time when you had difficulty remembering the details of something that just happened. Maybe you have experienced times when you got lost in your thoughts and feelings or found yourself doing multiple tasks at once instead of focusing on just one task at a time. You may even have experienced times that you were thinking about something else which distracted you from what you were doing.

Periods of time when we are distracted or not paying full attention to what we are doing in the present moment tend to be a normal characteristic of being human. This is mindlessness.

On the other hand, when we are talking of being more mindful or mindfulness, we are referring to the opposite. Professor Jon Kabat-Zinn describes mindfulness as a ‘way of being’. And defines it as ‘paying attention in a particular way – on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgementally.’

Mindfulness is about ‘being in the moment’. Focusing on the experience of your thoughts, emotions and physical sensations that are happening here and now. Paying full attention to the present moment helps you to disengage from previous patterns of reacting, or in other words break free from habits.

An important aspect of mindfulness is the quality of ‘without judgment’. Permitting the observation of your experiences without judgment, which enhances curiosity and acceptance, and allows for enhanced tolerance to distress.

How do people cultivate mindfulness?

FernThe breath is the foundation of all mindfulness practices. Though mindfulness can be cultivated in many different ways, the most common technique is mindfulness meditation.

Dr Lisa Ciechomski says there are numerous ways people can choose to practice mindfulness.

“… through yoga, meditation, tai chi or through sport, a hobby … it’s good to talk about mindfulness in its broadest sense, really paying attention to the here and now.”

A key aspect to cultivating mindfulness is becoming aware of our thoughts and observing them. When practising mindfulness for the first time a person can be shocked by just how active their mind is. Even the most experienced meditation teachers will still have busy minds when sitting for meditation.

“They don’t try and push those thoughts away. The key is not to do anything but observe and this is the part that I think can only be understood through practice.”

“It’s not an intellectual concept … this is about being, observing our thoughts, perhaps making note of the content, recognising the story, ‘oh yeah, there’s that thought about work …’, observing it then watching what happens.”

With practice people begin to notice there may be some space between their thoughts.

“That’s quite a nice discovery for people, to realise there can be spaces between our thoughts.”

However, it is with this discovery that there can be a state of not thinking, that some people may become agitated or worried. This is where an experienced teacher is necessary.

“People need reassurance that this is normal, that the mind can be in this state.”

When first learning to meditate people also begin to notice how judgmental and hard they are on themselves.

“They become aware of that critical inner voice and that can also be upsetting for people. They are realising just how judgmental and just how hard they are on themselves. They need reassurance to know this is normal as well and it won’t always be that way.”

‘Life does not consist mainly – or even largely – of facts and happenings. It consists mainly of the storm of thoughts that are forever blowing through one’s mind’ (Mark Twain)

**Excerpts included were taken from an interview I conducted with yoga teacher and psychologist Dr Lisa Ciechomski.

– Michael