Podcast Summary
Mindfulness meditation for healthcare providers during challenging times: Practice mindfulness meditation with three breaths: recognizing body sensations, acknowledging care for others, and embracing care from others. This can build calm strength and emotional support for healthcare providers and others.
During challenging times, practicing mindfulness meditation can help healthcare providers and others build calm strength and openness to their experiences. Rick Hanson, a psychologist and meditation teacher, offers a guided meditation focusing on three breaths: the first recognizing the sensation of your body, the second acknowledging the feeling of caring for others, and the third embracing the feeling of being cared for by others. This practice can provide valuable emotional support for those working in healthcare environments and beyond. Rick expresses his gratitude to all those serving others during the coronavirus epidemic, including healthcare providers, first responders, and others.
Practicing mindfulness through focused breathing brings stability and inclusivity: Focused breathing helps establish presence, process emotions, and adapt to individual needs
Practicing mindfulness through focused breathing can help bring stability and inclusivity to our awareness. By focusing on the sensations of breathing and expanding our awareness to include our entire body, we can establish a sense of presence in the moment. This stability allows us to include and process emotions and reactions, rather than pushing them aside. The practice involves both remaining aware of the continuity of being and allowing experiences to flow through us, like being the sky through which storm clouds move. It's important to remember that this practice is adaptable to individual needs and that releasing tension and emotions can be done through exhaling.
Focusing on receiving during difficult times: During hardships, shifting focus to receiving compassion, kindness, and acceptance for ourselves and others, and focusing on gratitude, can deepen inner calm and resilience.
During difficult times, shifting our focus from releasing to receiving can bring comfort and help us cope better. This can include receiving feelings of compassion, kindness, and acceptance for ourselves and others, as well as focusing on things we're grateful for. These beneficial experiences don't negate the pain or harm, but they help us bear it and accept the reality of the situation while still taking action to improve it. The practice of acceptance and surrender allows us to live by our values and purposes even as we acknowledge the current circumstances. By focusing on feelings of kindness, compassion, and gratitude, we can deepen our inner calm and resilience.