This Moment Is Your Life (and So Is This One)

by Mariam Gates

  Hold for three breaths.

  Bend your left elbow and pull it to your chest. Rest your left hand on the right shoulder.

  Hold for three breaths.

  Repeat on both sides.

  Extended Arm Twist

  Bend your right elbow behind your head and place your left hand on the right elbow.

  Hold for three breaths.

  Bend your left elbow behind your head and place your right hand on the left elbow.

  Hold for three breaths.

  Repeat on both sides.

  Seated Pose

  Bring your right foot into your hands.

  Press the sole of your foot with your thumbs.

  Hold your toes and rotate them back and forth.

  Interlace your fingers in between your toes and toggle and twist gently back and forth. (If that is too uncomfortable, just continue to hold and rotate the toes.)

  Circle your ankle in one direction and then the other.

  Switch sides.

  Lying on your back

  Hug your right knee into your chest.

  Position your right ankle across your left thigh (this is called Figure Four). Bring your arms around the left leg and gently pull toward your chest.

  Hold for five breaths.

  Switch legs.

  Extending with strap

  You’ll need a strap for this pose.

  Place the strap across the ball mound of your right foot.

  Extend the right leg (while keeping the left leg on the floor).

  Hold the strap in your right hand and open the right leg to the right.

  Hold and breathe. (See what is comfortable here.)

  Switch legs.

  Counting Breath Meditation

  Find a comfortable seat where you can feel the balance of effort and ease in your body.

  Set your timer for five minutes.

  Close your eyes and bring your attention to your breath.

  Take a breath in and out and count 1.

  Take a breath in and out and count 2.

  Take a breath in and out and count 3.

  Keep going until you reach 10. Most likely, you will lose track. That is fine; gently bring your attention back to the breath and start over. (The variation is to inhale 1 and exhale 2. Just do whichever feels more comfortable.)

  Action Step: Affirmation

  Create your own affirmation—a short statement that declares something positive about yourself:

  I am happy.

  I am smart.

  I am great at singing.

  I am a strong __________ (fill in the blank).

  You don’t have to find the perfect statement; just choose something that makes you feel good about yourself when you say it.

  Say it out loud and take one deep breath in and out. Notice if you have any reaction to the statement. Whatever it is, just acknowledge it, but continue with the exercise.

  Now see if you can remember to say it to yourself a minimum of five times over the next twenty-four hours. Maybe you will just remember it randomly or maybe it will be in response to some negative chatter that starts in your mind. Try to take that relaxing breath each time you remember it. At the end of the day, ask yourself, How did it go? How did it make me feel?

  DAY 5

  Seated Pose (with goal post arms)

  Sit with your legs crossed comfortably in front of you, your feet under your knees, and your back straight and tall.

  Keep your arms in “goal posts.” Inhale and pull your arms back.

  Exhale and round your shoulders, bringing your arms forward. Elbows toward each other (touching if you can).

  Repeat five times.

  Arm Twist

  Bend your right elbow and pull it to your chest. Rest your right hand on the left shoulder.

  Hold for three breaths.

  Bend your left elbow and pull it to your chest. Rest your left hand on the right shoulder.

  Hold for three breaths.

  Repeat on both sides.

  Extended Arm Twist

  Bend your right elbow behind your head and place your left hand on the right elbow.

  Hold for three breaths.

  Bend your left elbow behind your head and place your right hand on the left elbow.

  Hold for three breaths.

  Repeat on both sides.

  Seated Pose

  Bring your right foot into your hands.

  Press the sole of your foot with your thumbs.

  Hold your toes and rotate them back and forth.

  Interlace your fingers in between your toes and toggle and twist gently back and forth. (If that is too uncomfortable, just continue to hold and rotate the toes.)

  Circle your ankle in one direction and then the other.

  Switch sides.

  Lying on your back

  Hug your right knee into your chest.

  Position your right ankle across your left thigh (this is called Figure Four). Bring your arms around the left leg and gently pull toward your chest.

  Hold for five breaths.

  Switch legs.

  Extending with strap

  You’ll need a strap for this pose.

  Place the strap across the ball mound of your right foot.

  Extend the right leg (while keeping the left leg on the floor).

  Hold the strap in your right hand and open the right leg to the right.

  Hold and breathe. (See what is comfortable here.)

  Switch legs.

  Extending with strap (across the body)

  Switch the strap into your left hand.

  Extend the right leg across your body to the left.

  Hold and breathe. (See what is comfortable here.)

  Straighten the right leg.

  Let go of the strap and bring the right leg to the floor slowly. (Allow twenty counts to get all the way down.)

  Notice the differences between the right and the left side.

  Switch sides and do the last three poses again.

  Savasana

  End with five minutes of lying on your back in Savasana pose for total relaxation.

  Counting Breath Meditation

  Find a comfortable seat where you can feel the balance of effort and ease in your body.

  Set your timer for five minutes to begin.

  Close your eyes and bring your attention to your breath.

  Take a breath in and out and count 1.

  Take a breath in and out and count 2,

  Take a breath in and out and count 3.

  Keep going until you reach 10. Most likely, you will lose track. That is fine; gently bring your attention back to the breath and start over.

  (The variation is to inhale 1 and exhale 2. Just do whichever feels more comfortable.).

  Action Step: Affirmations

  Choose the same affirmation from yesterday, or create a new one.

  Say it out loud and take one deep breath in and out.

  Now, see if you can remember to say it to yourself a minimum of five times over the next twenty-four hours. Maybe you will just remember it randomly or maybe it will be in response to some negative chatter that starts in your mind.
Try to take that relaxing breath each time you remember it.

  At the end of the day, ask yourself, How did it go? How did it make me feel?

  Congratulations! You have completed the Be You Five-Day Mindfulness Challenge!

  NOTES

  INTRODUCTION

  1. Referencing: Monkey mind, here

  Alice G. Walton, “8 Science-Based Tricks for Quieting The Monkey Mind,” Forbes, February 28, 2017, https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2017/02/28/8-science-based-tricks-for-quieting-the-monkey-mind/#1707ea4b1af6.

  BJ Gallagher, “Buddha: How to Tame Your Monkey Mind,” The Huffington Post, last updated November 3, 2011, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bj-gallagher/buddha-how-to-tame-your-m_b_945793.html.

  Sarah Rudell Beach, “Teaching Mindfulness to Teens: 5 Ways to Get ‘Buy In,’” Left Brain Buddha: The Modern Life, accessed October 1, 2017, http://leftbrainbuddha.com/teaching-mindfulness-to-teens-5-ways-get-buy/.

  “Monkey Mind, The,” Guide to Buddhism A to Z, accessed January 15, 2017, http://www.buddhisma2z.com/content.php?id=274.

  “Understanding the Monkey Mind & How to Live in Harmony with Your Mental Companion,” Pocket Mindfulness, accessed October 15, 2017, https://www.pocketmindfulness.com/understanding-monkey-mind-live-harmony-mental-companion/.

  CHAPTER ONE. MINDFULNESS

  2. Referencing: Two Monks story, here

  Ahihalau. “Two Monks and a Woman—a Zen Lesson,” Stories of Kindness from Around the World, Kind Spring, last updated June 20, 2014, http://www.kindspring.org/story/view.php?sid=63753.

  Harriet Lerner, PhD, “An Unforgettable Zen Story About ‘Letting Go,’” Psychology Today, updated March 8, 2015, https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-dance-connection/201503/unforgettable-zen-story-about-letting-go.

  3. Referencing: Pac-Man reference to cells/immune system functioning, here

  Rick Harrington, Stress, Health and Well-Being: Thriving in the 21st Century (California: Wadsworth Publishing, 2013), 110–113.

  Ken Kingery, “Regenerating Damaged Nerves with ‘Pac-Man’ Cells,” Duke University Biomedical Engineering, June 12, 2017, https://bme.duke.edu/about/news/regenerating-damaged-nerves-pac-man-cells.

  4. Referencing: Mindfulness resulting in less social and academic stress, here

  Srividya Ramasubramanian, “Mindfulness, Stress Coping and Everyday Resilience Among Emerging Youth in a University Setting: A Mixed Method Approach,” http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02673843.2016.1175361?scroll=top&needAccess=true.

  “Just Breathe: Mindfulness May Help Freshman Stress Less and Smile More,” Science Daily, April 20, 2017, https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/04/170420090204.htm

  5. Referencing: Farmer story, here

  Richard Smith, PhD, “It Takes Patience to Know Bad Luck From Good Luck,” Psychology Today, March 19, 2015, https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/joy-and-pain/201503/it-takes-patience-know-bad-luck-good-luck.

  Judy Simon, “We’ll See—A Zen Story,” BuddhistInspiration, December 20, 2011,

  http://buddhistinspiration.blogspot.com/2011/12/well-see-zen-story.html.

  CHAPTER THREE. MINDFUL BREATHING

  6. Referencing: Dr. Benson’s work, here.

  Herbert Benson, MD, with Miriam Klipper, The Relaxation Response (New York: William Morrow, 1975), xviii–xxiv, 126–132.

  Marilyn Mitchell, MD, “Dr. Herbert Benson’s Relaxation Response,” Psychology Today, March 29, 2013, https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/heart-and-soul-healing/201303/dr-herbert-benson-s-relaxation-response.

  CHAPTER FOUR. MINDFUL MEDITATION

  7. Referencing: Harvard studies, here

  Sue McGreevey, “Meditations’ Positive Residual Effects,” Harvard Gazette, November 13, 2012, https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2012/11/meditations-positive-residual-effects/.

  Sue McGreevey, “Turn Down the Volume,” Harvard Gazette, April 22, 2011, https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2011/04/turn-down-the-volume/.

  8. Referencing: Thought Trains, here

  Dzung X. Vo, MD, The Mindful Teen: Powerful Skills to Help You Handle Stress One Moment at a Time (Oakland, California: Instant Help: 2015), 114–116.

  Note: He is also referencing this workbook: Gina M. Biegel, The Stress Reduction Workbook for Teens: Mindfulness Skills to Help You Deal with Stress (Oakland, California: New Harbinger Publications, 2010).

  “Meditation Mondays: Train Station,” Living Dharma Now: Thoughts on Living a Buddhist Lifestyle, April, 2011, https://livingdharmanow.wordpress.com/2011/04/26/meditation-mondays-train-station/.

  9. Reference: Meditation supports the brain’s functioning, here

  Peter Kelley, “Mindful Multitasking: Meditation First Can Calm Stress, Aid Concentration,” University of Washington News, June 13, 2012, http://www.washington.edu/news/2012/06/13/mindful-multitasking-meditation-first-can-calm-stress-aid-concentration/.

  RJ Davidson, J Kabat-Zinn, J Schumacher, M Rosenkranz, D Muller, SF Santorelli, F Urbanowski, A Harrington, K Bonus, JF Sheridan, “Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation,” Psychosomatic Medicine, July 2003, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12883106.

  10. Reference: Effects of kindness meditation, here

  BE Kok, KA Coffey, MA Cohn, LI Catalino, T Vacharkulksemsuk, SB Algoe, M Brantley, BL Fredrickson, “How Positive Emotions Build Physical Health: Perceived Positive Social Connections Account for the Upward Spiral Between Positive Emotions and Vagal Tone,” Psychology Science, July 1, 2013, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23649562.

  David Desteno, “The Kindness Cure,” The Atlantic, July 21, 2015, https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/07/mindfulness-meditation-empathy-compassion/398867/.

  11. Reference: Peace begins with me, here

  Gabrielle Bernstein, “Mantra Meditation (Based on the Teaching of Yogi Bhajan),” Lululemon, November 13, 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiLWO9jOTao.

  BIBLIOGRAPHY

  Bhanoo, Sindya N. “How Meditation May Change the Brain.” The New York Times, January 28, 2011. https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/28/how-meditation-may-change-the-brain/.

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  Gates, Rolf, and Katrina Kenison. Meditations from the Mat: Daily Reflections on the Path of Yoga. New York: Anchor Books, 2002.

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  Hölzel, BK, J Carmody, KC Evans, EA Hoge, JA Dusek, L Morgan, RK Pitman, and SW Lazar. “Stress Reduction Correlates with Structural Changes in the Amygdala.” Social Cognition Affect Neuroscience, March, 2010. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19776221.

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  Kabat-Zinn, Jon. Mindfulness for Beginners: Reclaiming the Present Moment and Your Life. Colorado: Sounds True, 2012.

  Kaufman, Keith. “New Mindfulness Methods Helps Coaches, Athletes Score,” American Psychological Association, August 4, 2017. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/08/170804091350.htm.

  Kerr, Catherine , Matthew D. Sacchet, Sara W. Lazar, Christopher I. Moore, and Stephanie R. Jones. “Mindfulness starts with the body: somatosensory attention and top-down modulation of cortical alpha rhythms in mindfulness meditation.
” Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, February 13, 2013. http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnhum.2013.00012/full.

  McGreevey, Sue. “Eight Weeks to a Better Brain.” Harvard Gazette, January 21, 2011. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110121144007.htm.

  Pocket Mindfulness. “Understanding the Monkey Mind & How to Live in Harmony with Your Mental Companion.” Accessed October 15, 2017. https://www.pocketmindfulness.com/understanding-monkey-mind-live-harmony-mental-companion/.

  Rios, Mauricio Murga. “Brief Mindfulness Training May Boost Test Scores, Working Memory.” Association for Psychology Science, March 26, 2013. http://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/releases/brief-mindfulness-training-may-boost-test-scores-working-memory.html.

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