Mindfulness to Mitigate Misery

by Manjula N. Hosadurga, PMP®, SCPM®, posted in Attitude, Emotion, Family, health, Life, Personality, Philosophy, Priority, Relationship, Uncategorized, Yoga

Happy Weekend, Everybody!

As I observe myself and people around me getting on with our lives, some things especially how we handle people / situations impact our well-being continue to baffle me.

This blog post particularly focuses on one’s own pain threshold and tolerance levels. If we can develop some habits / adopt some techniques to increase these levels, it will definitely help us live our lives better. This is the need of the hour especially for those living with some chronic medical conditions like migraine, fibromyalgia, thrombocytopenia, lupus, asthama, etc.

Below are a few techniques (Courtesy: Harvard Medical School Web Site):

1. Deep breathing. It’s central to all the techniques, so deep breathing is the one to learn first. Inhale deeply, hold for a few seconds, and exhale. To help you focus, you can use a word or phrase to guide you. For example, you may want to breathe in “peace” and breathe out “tension.” There are also several apps for smartphones and tablets that use sound and images to help you maintain breathing rhythms.

2. Eliciting the relaxation response. An antidote to the stress response, which pumps up heart rate and puts the body’s systems on high alert, the relaxation response turns down your body’s reactions. After closing your eyes and relaxing all your muscles, concentrate on deep breathing. When thoughts break through, say “refresh,” and return to the breathing repetition. Continue doing this for 10 to 20 minutes. Afterward, sit quietly for a minute or two while your thoughts return. Then open your eyes and sit quietly for another minute.

3. Meditation with guided imagery. Begin deep breathing, paying attention to each breath. Then listen to calming music or imagine being in a restful environment. If you find your mind wandering, say “refresh,” and call the image back into focus.

4. Mindfulness. Pick any activity you enjoy—reading poetry, walking in nature, gardening, or cooking—and become fully immersed in it. Notice every detail of what you are doing and how your senses and emotions are responding. Practice bringing mindfulness to all aspects of your life.

5. Yoga and Tai Chi. These mind-body exercises incorporate breath control, meditation, and movements to stretch and strengthen muscles. Videos and apps can help you get started.

6. Positive thinking. “When we’re ill, we often tend to become fixated on what we aren’t able to do. Retraining your focus on what you can do instead of what you can’t will give you a more accurate view of yourself and the world at large,” says Dr. Slawsby. She advises keeping a journal in which you list all the things you are thankful for each day. “We may have limitations, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t still whole human beings.”

Another thing we could try is to detach ourselves from our body-mind consciousness! When we can coax and trick our mind to do some things we like, why can’t do the same by repeatedly telling ourselves “We aren’t the body, we aren’t the mind”. It is like self-hypnosis! Believe me, I have tried it and it works!! If I can do it, you can do it too. 🙂

Sharing a few self-care tips I liked (images found online). These images are taken from the internet; even though the pictures say ‘tips for Moms / women’, these can be practised by everyone (except for painting nails and other girly stuff; nothing wrong if a guy paints his nails though!! ☺️).

I will conclude this blog with my favorite Song of Will that I learned at S-VYASA Yoga University; this is from Swami Shivananda’s Bihar School of Yoga. It is simple yet so profound. Respect!! Pranaam, Om Shanti.

Lyrics of this Song:

Song Of Will - Soham
Bhajo Radhe Krishna,
Bhajo Radhe Shyam(a) (4x) // 1 //

Om Om Om Om Om,
Om Om Om Om Om (4x) // 2 //

Soham Soham,
Soham Shivoham (4x) // 3 //

I Am That I Am, I Am That I Am (4x) // 4 //

I Am Neither Body Nor Mind,
Immortal Self Am I,
I Am Neither Body Nor Mind,
Immortal Self Am I // 5 //

Nothing Can Harm Me,
Nothing Can Touch Me.
I Am Neither Body Nor Mind,
Immortal Self Am I // 6 //

I Am Not This Body,
This Body Is Not Mine,
I Am Not This Mind,
This Mind Is Not Mine // 7 //

I Am Not This Prana,
This Prana Is Not Mine,
I Am Not These Senses,
These Senses Are Not Mine // 8 //

I Am Not This Intellect,
This Intellect Is Not Mine,
I Am Not These Emotions,
These Emotions Are Not Mine // 9 //

I Am That I Am,
I Am That I Am (4x) // 10 //

I Am Sacchidananda,
I Am Sacchidananda,
Existence, Knowledge,
Bliss Absolute // 13 //

I Am Mind Of All Minds,
Prana Of All Pranas ...

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