Ciao my friends! It's been awhile since we talked mindfulness, but I think it's appropriate that I get back into it this week since I'll be attending a Mindfulness, Compassion and Regeneration Retreat this weekend.

Like many of us, I work a full time, Monday - Friday job. There are days when I feel completely on top of things; productive, energetic, positive and creative. But some days it's a struggle to stay focused. Between phone calls, texts, lists, drop-in meetings, incoming emails and competing priorities, a whole day of work can pass by without my actually accomplishing what I meant to. Sometimes I start the day with the very best intentions, but just cant muster up the creativity that I need to do my best work.

Well surprise, surprise. When practicing mindfulness regularly (which I admit, I currently am not), I feel much better about my work - more energetic, creative and purposeful. The compassion exercises help me communicate more effectively with colleagues. The focus on my mind and attention allows me to stay on task and therefore complete tasks. Mindfulness practice teaches you to observe and allow unpleasant emotions and find effective ways of managing them, which ends up being helpful in every aspect of life, not least of which being work. My mind "shuts off" at night, allowing me beautiful 8+ hour sleeps that propel me through the next day. 

I'm hoping this weekend will kick me back into my good habits! But in addition to (or instead of) a regular mindfulness practice, there are a few ways you can generally increase your mindfulness at work.

How to Work Mindfully

1. Hourly breathing. If you're not in the habit of doing a daily meditation, try doing 30-60 seconds of mindfulness every hour. It's a nice way to continually "start fresh" throughout the day. I installed the "bell of mindfulness" Chrome add-on which rings a bell every hour reminding me to be mindful of my body and take some deep breaths. Click here for a Chrome add-on, or here for the Firefox version.

2. One thing at a time. You probably have heard by now that multitasking doesn't work. Okay sure we can all sing while we wash the dishes, and many of us (especially women) are skilled at writing an e-mail while talking on the phone, but that doesn't mean we should.  Priorities your activities to ensure you are 100% focused on each task you commit to. Keep the number of windows and tabs that you have open to a minimum. Keep emails in your drafts and websites in your favorites folder rather than out there in front of your face. Try to do one thing at a time.

3. Change it up. Sometimes we go back and forth between tasks because we don't have the right solution to the problem or the right words to start the email you're trying to write. Try changing your environment from time to time throughout the day. Step outside for a moment to take a few deep breaths - it's surprising how often this will readjust your creative juices. 

4. Stand. Breaking news - sitting on our bums for hours on end isn't doing us any favors. I don't have a standing desk (yet) but I try to intersperse my day with conversations with colleagues and phone calls I can have while standing. There has been a lot of research behind the benefits of standing while working. Standing desks can be insanely expensive but I love the looks of the new StorkStand, a mobile standing desk (it attaches to your desk chair!) for under $200 that just got funded on Kickstarter. I can't wait to try one out. 

5. Plan ahead. Do you live by your Outlook/iCal/Google calendar like I do? Well then use it! Schedule a recurring 10-minute "meeting" with yourself to take a break and be mindful. Assess your current state of mind, meditate on your body or your breath, and enjoy some "me" time. 

Can't get enough? Check out six ways mindfulness will make you a more successful entrepreneur and

Arianna Huffington on the connection between mindfulness and the bottom line.

Do you use any tricks at work (or in life) to keep focused and energized??

Mindful 04 :: Eat Mindfully

I love to eat. Don't you? I think we all do. It's so fun...and yummy.

Ever since I've been practicing mindfulness, it's amazing how much more I've enjoyed my meals. I thought I enjoyed them before, but now they are more calm, filling, and delicious than ever before.

Here are some tips for developing your mindful eating practice. Not only will you enjoy your meals better, but you might just improve your health a lil' bit! 

Eating Mindfully

1. Check in

How hungry are you, from 1-10? It's smart to get in a habit of noticing your hunger level before you dive in to a meal.  The goal of the meal is to make you feel satisfied and to give your taste buds a treat. You'll be better able to do this if you think for a moment before you begin.

2. Notice everything

What does your food look like? Are you excited to eat it? Does it smell good? Notice as much as you can about your food, and this moment to be grateful for the yumminess you're about to behold. 

3. Chew too many times

I think the number of times we're supposed to chew is what, 25? I'm not sure about that, I haven't counted lately. But it's definitely a mindful process to slow it down, and chew. Your brain will register the food more, and appreciate it more. Plus you'll be less likely to choke and cough all over your friends when you start laughing mid-bite.

4. Use chopsticks

Not only will this make you eat more mindfully, but you'll also really impress people the next time you go out for garlic noodles. But really, trying this will slow you down a bit. I know, we don't have time. I'm a naturally fast eater, so I'm with you. But as they say, it takes the brain 20 minutes to register that it's full, so by eating nice and slow we give it time to catch up with your stomach.

5. Or try being a lefty

Just another way to make your eating more difficult and slow, and therefore more conscious! By having to purposefully work through each bite, you'll be even more ready and aware of what you're doing.

6. Put your fork/sandwich/burrito down

In between bites, take a break. This is essentially the same tip as #3 and #4 - to slow it down. I have trouble with burritos and messy/delicious sandwiches that are falling apart. It seems like holding them the whole time is the right way to go. But I promise, the amazingness will last longer and taste better if you slow it down a bit. 

7. Close your eyes

If you're in a position where this isn't overly awkward, try to shut your eyes for part of the meal. Without the distraction of vision, you can focus solely on the experience of eating.  Focus on the flavors, smells and textures in your mouth. This will help you both appreciate your food and eat more slowly.

8. Taste the rainbow

What's inside your dish? Can you try to taste each of the ingredients? I think I used to just mow a salad, hoping to breeze over the flavors I didn't think I liked (cucumbers and raw mushrooms, for example). But once I stopped to check out each of those individual flavors I realized...I kind of like cucumbers and mushrooms after all. It's also fun and a good skill to develop if you're interested in becoming a better cook - at a restaurant, if you can taste the ingredients, you can mimic the recipe at home :). 

9. Serve yourself a plate, sit at the table

Try to formalize your eating experience a bit so that you can fully appreciate and acknowledge what, and how much you're about to eat. It makes it feel more special, and you're definitely more likely to remember the "meal" (even if it's just a snack).

10. Eat in Silence

Any sensation that you experience outside of taste and smell while you’re eating can distract you and make mindful eating more difficult. It's nice to be quiet sometimes isn't it?

Want to hear more? I like this article about the "BASICS" of mindful eating. 

And click here for a great mindful eating exercise - a raisin has never tasted so delicious!

Mindful 03 :: Emotions

Ready to step it up? This is the part of mindfulness learning that I found most vague and strange, and also the most helpful. If you ever mind yourself at the whim of your emotions, this is definitely an area worth spending some time on.

Mindfulness of Emotion

I'm not abnormally emotional, but I do think I show my emotions more than most people. I wear my heart on my sleeve and am not afraid at all to let someone know if I'm upset. In general I'd say this has worked well for me, but from time to time it gets me (and usually Jim, if he's nearby...) into trouble. Practicing mindfulness of emotions has helped me quiet down, become more self aware, saved me and Jim from about a thousand arguments (so far), and has helped me take things less personally.

Why is it so important?  

Research shows that our brains have a built-in negativity bias. We are hard-wired to remember, notice and react to negative experiences and emotional states much more than positive ones. Think about it - when was your last "bad day"? The chances are, the positive/neutral moments of that day actually outweighed the bad moments by far, but that you held onto those negative moments much most strongly than the rest.   Bummer.

When we earn to be mindful of emotions, we start to be more open and available to positive feelings. Negative feelings will still occur, but we begin to see them more clearly, without self blame or over exaggeration.  The mind has to be trained through mindfulness to observe and understand the full spectrum of our emotions.

Ready to practice?

Start off by doing establishing mindfulness through a breath or body mindfulness exercise.

Now try “listening” to your thoughts as an observer or listener. Be as objective as you can be, and try not to become lost in it. But as always, if you do become lost it it, just non-judgmentally pull yourself out and bring your attention back to a state of mindfulness.

As you become more quiet and mindful you will see that our thoughts often arise from underlying feelings or emotion. Can you observe these underlying feelings without identifying with them? Perhaps some anxiety, contentment, fear, joy or sadness? Give it a try. Simply become aware of the movements your consciousness takes.

Keep your mind focused completely in the present. Let go of the past, the future, and the feeling of trying to change things, the "I wish I felt different" or "if only I hadn't done that". Just observe, be here and now.

This one takes a LOT of practice, you probably won't be "mindful of your emotions" overnight (and if you are, I wanna know the secret). But if you add a 10-20 minute meditation to your daily routine, and play around with identifying your emotions, you will generally becoming more mindful of your thoughts and feelings. I'd love to hear about how it goes for you. 

Here are some great extra readings on Mindfulness of Emotion:

• Rewiring your emotions, from Mindful.org. 
• Great article I found from Coastside Vipassana.
• Mindfulness and negative emotions.
• Emotional Mindfulness article from Psychology Today.
  

p.s. on a totally unrelated note - my mom, dad and brother are visiting from Massachusetts today. I can't wait for the whole fam to be together in California!

Mindful 02 :: Deep Breaths

"Pause for a few seconds to observe the flow of your breath. 

Become aware of a silent but powerful sense of presence."

Happy Spring everyone! I'm so happy to get back in to the Mindful thang. I am ready. My workaholic stress-case has subsided. Spring is shining over here, and us East Coasters are bred to be happy and relaxed on sunshiney days.

Today I wanted to keep it simple by talking about Mindfulness of Breath. As you're starting your mindfulness practice, this is one of the easiest things to focus on. The more you practice, the more you'll do it. I find myself focusing on my breath now occasionally throughout the day, and each time it brings an enormous sense of calm over me. In a boring or irritating meeting? At the dentist? Having trouble shutting off before bed? These are all wonderful moments to try a discreet mindfulness of breath meditation.

Preparation

Like last time, you will sit or lie in a comfortable position. Usually I recommend sitting up with good posture to keep you alert (especially if you're tired!). You may choose to close your eyes or keep them open (if I feel distractable, which is almost always, I keep them closed).

Practice

Begin by gently moving your attention onto the process of breathing. Simply observe each breath as it happens. Without feeling the need to alter your breath, just notice everything that's happening. Is your chest moving up and down from the breath? Can you feel the air going in and then out of your nostrils? Notice how the breath is always changing. One moment it might be deep and slow, the next it might be shallow, the temperature of the air might change. See if you can notice the changes while you practice.

If your mind wanders, know that this is okay. Simply notice the distraction (this is a moment of mindfulness!) and gently bring your attention back to the breath. One thing that helps is to use noting phrases to keep your attention on the breathe. I often say in my head "in...out....in....out". 

Zoom in and out during the exercise. Increase your curiosity - how detailed can I feel this breath? Then zoom out and feel the expansive nature of your breathing.

Ending and Reflection 

Take a few moments to yourself, just to feel connected with the present moment. Expand your awareness from the breath into the room around you, and as you feel comfortable to do so, take a deep breath, stretch, open your eyes and bring the exercise to a close.

You can practice on your own, but if you would like a guide, here is a 5-minute Mindful Breathing Meditation.

Enjoy your mindful breathing! I hope you all give it a try this weekend. 

Mindful 01 :: Introduction

I'm excited to be introducing a topic that has meant a lot to me this year. Something that has turned me into a more calm and purposeful person, helped ease my way through challenges, improved my sleep and eating habits, and kept me out of many a fight with my love. I'm talking about the practice of mindfulness.

There is a lot I could say about it, so in the interest of time and organization I'll be doing a little series on the hot topic- stay tuned!

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So, What is Mindfulness?

"Mindfulness is paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally." -Dr. Jon Kabat Zinn

In other words, it's about being fully in the moment. It's a practice, but also a way of being. It's about intentionally being attentive, being open to the present, and knowing what is being observed.

Why Practice Mindfulness?

The more that you practice mindfulness, the more mindful you will be. Increased mindfulness can help you become more focused, happier, healthier, more creative, more relaxed, and simply more in control. It can improve your sleep, help foster healthy relationships, cultivate self understanding and inner wisdom, and allow you to more deeply appreciate each precious moment.

Does this sound too much like one of those lists in a health magazine encouraging you to try the newest fad? Like, "If you do head stands and eat tons of chia seeds, you'll be happy and perfect and skinny and a genius and Channing Tatum will come sweep you off your feet!".

Well, perhaps this is a hot topic lately, but similar to yoga (which I also support deeply!), it's something that has been around since, oh, I'll just say forever.  And I'm not much into health fads, so you can trust me. And if you're still not sure, just try it out for yourself :).

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Establishing Mindfulness

So, care to give mindfulness practice a try? Download the "10-minute mindfulness of breathing" mp3 from freemindfulness.org, or try this 20-minute guided meditation on YouTube. Then keep the following guidelines in mind:

1. You'll start by getting comfortable and noticing your posture. You can practice mindfulness in any way that supports awareness - usually for me this means sitting up straight in a chair or on the floor.

2. Have an intention in mind when you start off your "sit". As a first timer perhaps you'll tell yourself "I intend to stay open to the experience and nonjudgmental of myself during this sit" or, "I intend to pay attention to my body", or "I intend to come out a bit more clearheaded and calm than I'm going in."

3. Find awareness in your body. Bring attention to the sensation of sitting. Feel the heaviness of your body and the way your skin and clothes feel grounded on the chair or the floor, and notice the feeling of groundedness that this brings.

4. Next, try paying attention to the breath. Don't feel the need to alter your breathing in any way, just pay attention to it. If it helps, use noting phrases in your mind such as "breathing in....breathing out....".

5. At a few points during the sit, take note of your mental tone. Are you being judgmental of your experience, thinking "this isn't working" or "this is boring", or is the mind curious and open to the experience?

6. As your mind inevitably wanders during the sit, gently bring it back to noticing the feeling of your body or the sensation of your breath. That moment of noticing your wandering mind is a moment of mindfulness.

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Think you'll give it a whirl? Let me know if you've tried Mindfulness practice, or if you think you might try it, or if you have any specific questions about it. I'm no pro, but as you can it's something I've really loved learning about. I look forward to hearing how it goes for you guys!