Great Easy Holiday De-Stress and Energizing Ideas

Hi All,

Seasons Greetings...I hope your holiday season is shaping up to be a good one.  Things are pretty good here in Phoenix.  It's an amazing and beautiful time of the hear here.  Whether you celebrate Christmas (as I do), or whatever holidays...I hope they're happy and blessed.

Earlier this evening, a friend of mine shared these images with my wife and myself.  She thought I might find them helpful...and I agree.  These are nice little ideas for relaxing, energizing and letting go of stress and tension.  These are from Dr. Oz's "The Good Life," magazine, and also on line at www.DrOzTheGoodLife.com.  Check it out.

Below are some very easy to to beginner yoga moves that can help you de-stress during this hectic Holiday Season, or anytime.  Enjoy...

Peace,

Tom

Mindfulness - Meditation Wherever You Are

Hi All,

I hope your week is off to a great start.  Mine is starting well.  I'm meeting with a Scottsdale business owner who may be a source of some extra therapy work for me.  We did have a pretty nice relaxing weekend, too.  Life is good and today is going to be a great day.

I had an interesting experience recently.  As I've written about, I have a regular meditation practice and I also teach/facilitate a weekly meditation group that I started at work.  I got a FB message from a friend of mine in Southern Cal about a week ago, telling me how she just read an article in Time magazine about Mindfulness.  She was nice enough to send it to me.

Let go of the stress....be mindful.

The article talks about how in our society today, we're under constant attack from distractions.  Most people are stressed, have a phone or pad on them all the time and many are answering calls and emails for work, just about 24 hours a day...even when they're on vacation.  We attempt to multitask (really just having several projects going and getting a little of them done at a time)...TV, Radio, and and the list goes on.  We live in a fast paced world with a lot coming at us all the time which keeps us from mindful serenity.

The article also discusses what mindfulness is and talks about some studies being done and some people that are teaching mindfulness at retreats, corporations, and even to the military.  Studies have shown that being mindful can have an impact on a persons health -- helping them to stay healthy.  No big surprise there, right?

So what is mindfulness or being mindful?  First of all, it's being in the present moment - mentally.  Not thinking about what's going on later or what happened 10 minutes ago or anytime in the past.  It's being completely engaged in whatever you're doing, without judgement.  Drinking in the experience of whatever you're doing without any TV or music - just being present and observing.  For example, people in the article talked about commuting on the train and just observing the other passengers and surroundings fully.  You could take a walk or do the dishes, and just completely be - quietly - while doing this activity.  Of course you can meditate by relaxing and being mindful as well - just relaxing, observing, being present, and the part I like to add - doing this while having love and gratitude in my heart.

This may seem very basic or even goofy or hokey to some people.  I get that.  But, how many people out there can't relax for 10 or 15 minutes, without getting overrun in their mind by obsessive thoughts about some situation in their life, work to do, etc, etc etc...

So what can we do?  Start practicing every day.  Take time to put the phone down and turn everything off.  Train the mind to just be present, quiet, and observe life without judgement.  Quieting the mind like this is like working a muscle; the more you work it, the more positive results you'll see.  Do this while relaxing with eyes closed and also try it (eyes open), while at work or walking or doing another activity.  You can make just about anything a meditation.  If you feel it would be helpful, take a meditation class or meet up with a meditation group like mine.

As I mentioned, there have been quite a few studies on this by universities and also some funded by the NIH.   Results have shown that practicing mindfulness is a great aid in preventing and helping to release
. depression and anxiety.  It reduces stress dramatically - and we all know stress can cause lots of harm to our bodies, minds, and health.  Basically it can be a great way of keeping things in balance.

So here's my challenge to you.  If you are like most people, and have some stress in your life, for the next 30 days, try to take a little time every day and practice mindfulness.  Even if you can't find time to close your eyes and meditate, put this into practice at work or commuting; where ever you are.  See if it doesn't help.  If it doesn't help - you've really lost nothing.  My guess is you may find yourself a little more up-beat, perhaps even having a little more energy or a little more relaxed.  See for yourself.

I hope you all have a great week.  Enjoy the challenge.

Peace,

Tom

I'm owner of Holistic Therapy Solutions in Phoenix, Arizona.
www.HolisticTherapySolutions.weebly.com

More thoughts on Meditation

Hi Everyone,

I hope your week is off to a great start.  Mine is moving right along...always interesting, that's for sure.  One new development for me is the start of my "Tom K's Wednesday Meditation Group."  We start tomorrow in Phoenix, AZ at 1:30 pm.  It's for everyone from beginners to expert and everyone in between (fee is a $10 love offering).

So I wanted to go back to the blog and discuss meditation a little more.  What is meditation?  At it's core - its relaxing very very deeply.  It's going inside, quieting the mind, relaxing body and mind - slowing everything down.  It's a power nap - can be 10 minutes to an hour (or whatever you like).  It's not necessarily a religious practice, however, just about every religious tradition has some form of meditation associated with their religious practice.

Some benefits of regular meditation practice:  For me, it's the ultimate reboot.  It's the reset button for my body and mind and kind of puts me back out there, everything reset and feeling good.  It brings more balance in my life.  It helps to lower stress levels, blood pressure and brings about better overall health.  Peacefulness - feeling more mellow and relaxed on a regular basis.  Better sleep at night.  Quiets the mind chatter and junk going around in your head.  Basically - all of these things are related...better health; physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

What kinds of meditations are there?  That's a question that can be as varied as each individual out there.  You can relax...deep relaxation with some soft music and steady relaxed rhythmic breathing; kind of the more commonly known form of meditation.  After 30+ years of meditating, that's what I like best.  However there's many other methods; Transcendental, yoga, yoga nidra, walking meditation (sometimes walking a labyrinth).  There's chanting, toning, meditating on a scriptural or spiritual reading.  There's also guided meditation or very similar; hypnosis.  Of course, self-hypnosis is a form of meditation.  You can make a meditation out of doing the dishes or doing any task, (by doing them in a very mindful way, staying in present moment). There's many, many more - these are just some off the top of my head.

So one of the things we'll go over in the group/class are the basics.  What are some basics to get going?  Number one - get comfortable.  Sit in a nice comfy chair, lie down, however you want.  Protect yourself - say a prayer of protection or whatever works for you.  Now - breathe.  Take a few slow deep breaths, letting them out slowly and then get into a very conscious rhythmic breathing pattern.  Relax your body - mentally, piece by piece.  Relax your mind - let go of the mind chatter and thoughts of the day.  Bring yourself into the present moment - in gratitude - letting go of the past and staying out of the future.  Stay right in the now - focusing on your nice rhythmic breathing.  When your mind wanders, just gently bring yourself back to right now - and focus on your breathing again....letting go....
That's it.  It's a basic meditation.

Week by week we'll explore other forms of meditation.  The key is to be consistent and to do what works for you.  Be kind to yourself though.  If you find it difficult at first, be gentle with yourself but don't give up.  It's almost like a muscle - it takes time to develop.  Most of us go thru life in a fast paced rat race these days, with cell phones, traffic, and media and information coming at us from every direction.  We didn't get all stressed out overnight and you won't be a master of meditation overnight.  It's going to take practice.  But let me tell you...it's worth it.  You'll feel better in ways you've never thought you could.  You may find yourself requiring less trips to the doctor or pharmacy...who knows.  The bottom line is, it's good to slow down and relax.  Its a part of basic self care.

However you like to slow down and meditate - do it.  Be good to yourself - everyone around you will be better off, and thank you for it.  Take care and be nice to each other out there too.  and have a great week.

Blessings,

Tom

Here's the Facebook invitation.  It's at Beyond Today Co., 11223 N. 28th Drive, Suite F101, Phoenix, AZ.  Phone: 602-633-8051.  The group is on Wednesdays from 1:30-3ish.    https://www.facebook.com/events/631361706914457/
Hope to see you there - it'll be fun.