Many people in my life have given me feedback that I put out a very positive and happy vibe.  I would say that I am typically a glass half full kind of person and I always try and make lemonade out of lemons, but this is a choice.  I choose to see the good and take in the good as much as I can and this tends to make my life and my experiences happier.

Rick Hanson, author of the “Buddha’s Brain” states that the brain is like Velcro for negative experiences, but Teflon for positive ones.  Therefore, until we train the mind, it might actually be more natural to NOT see the good.  Keep reading to find out what 3 tools he recommends and a personal experience of my own with seeing the good.

In your own mind, what do you usually think about at the end of the day? The fifty things that went right, or the one that went wrong? Like the guy who cut you off in traffic, what you wish you had said differently to a co-worker, or the one thing on your To Do list that didn’t get done . . .

How would you like to start seeing and taking more of the good in NOW?

1.  Look for good facts, and turn them into good experiences.

Good facts include positive events – like the taste of good coffee or getting an unexpected compliment – and positive aspects of the world and yourself. When you notice something good, let yourself feel good about it.

Try to do this at least a half dozen times a day. There are lots of opportunities to notice good events, and you can always recognize good things about the world and yourself. Each time takes just 30 seconds or so. It’s private; no one needs to know you are taking in the good. You can do it on the fly in daily life, or at special times of reflection, like just before falling asleep (when the brain is especially receptive to new learning).

2.  Really enjoy the experience.

Most of the time, a good experience is pretty mild, and that’s fine. But try to stay with it for 20 or 30 seconds in a row – instead of getting distracted by something else.

3. Intend and sense that the good experience is sinking into you.

People do this in different ways. Some feel it in their body like a warm glow spreading through their chest like the warmth of a cup of hot cocoa on a cold wintry day. Others visualize things like a golden syrup sinking down inside, bringing good feelings and soothing old places of hurt, filling in old holes of loss or yearning.  And some might simply know conceptually, that while this good experience is held in awareness, its neurons are firing busily away, and gradually wiring together.

My own story of seeing the good….

In the last few years, I have made a commitment to spend a few weeks a year in silence.  I find this a wonderful practice to gain more insight into my mind and heart.  As I teach mindfulness to many people, I also find it helps me to become a better teacher and deepens my own practice more and more.
This July I spent a week of retreat at Spirit Rock, which is located in Woodacre, CA.  Spirit Rock is unique as a meditation center because you can’t be there and not be surrounded by nature, mountains, and the many creatures that inhabit the grounds.  At the base of Spirit Rock there is a horse stable, with 4 enlightened horses .

It is always a highlight during a walking meditation period or after a meal to visit the horses. If I am lucky, the horses will usually come over and let me pet them and we have a mindful moment together of connection.

I decided this particular morning of the retreat to come to visit the horses bringing an apple with me from my recent breakfast.  Both horses came over to me not having seen my apple yet, and it was a treat to be able to get to vist with each of them.  It was a definite boost to my day.  Unfortunately, I only had one apple.
On my way back up to the meditation center from the horses, I saw the turkey vultures, which are infamous visitors at Spirit Rock.  I stopped and watched a small gathering of 3 vultures away from me.  I decided to mimmick the pace of the vultures and walk with them.  I slowed my pace to theirs and all 4 of us were walking along very mindful and very slowly.  I teach walking meditation, but had never done it this way (the turkey way).

It was such a delightful morning and it made me think that I had the intention of bringing an apple to the horses and just by having the intention to give or be friendly, a whole world of gifts came back to me.
It is just another reminder that if we incline our minds toward the good and kind we may even have more awareness of what is good and kind.
Oh what a morning!

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As technology continually advances, we find ourselves more and more plugged into our screens.  The term “Screen Invasion” is a term that has been used by Matt Ritchel who writes a series for the NY Times called “Your Brain on Computers”.

Screen Invasion is the phenomenon of us always being plugged into something whether its a phone, TV, or computer.  Research indicates that we take in 3x the amount of information that we did in the 60’s and we check about 40 websites a day, switch programs about 36 times in an hour, and are bombarded with information all day long.  It’s nice to be in the know, but what are the repercussions for us being too plugged in, are we also then tuned out?

I have become increasingly curious about this subject as a practicing meditator and nature lover.  In my business, Intuitive Wellness I work as a wellness consultant with individuals, groups, and organizations.  In this role, I facilitate workshops and programs in teaching people how to tune back into themselves.  I am great believer in using our body in movement and mindfulness as tools to create balance in our lives.

In the rest of this blog, I will share with you what I have learned about the ramifications of information overload and some steps that can bring some peace and balance back into your life.

So is all this multi-tasking helpful?

Scientists say juggling e-mail, phone calls and other incoming information can change how people think and behave. They say our ability to focus is being undermined by bursts of information.

While many people say multitasking makes them more productive, research shows otherwise. Heavy multi-taskers actually have more trouble focusing and shutting out irrelevant information, scientists say, and they experience more stress.

Additionally, scientists are discovering that even after the multitasking ends, fractured thinking and lack of focus often persists. In other words, this is also your brain off computers.

Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute of Drug Abuse and one of the world’s leading brain scientists says, “The technology is rewiring our brains.”

Do you ever wonder why you might be so drawn to checking your email or Iphone while you are in the pleasant company of someone?

The constant messages we receive via email or our phones play to a primitive impulse to respond to immediate opportunities and threats. The stimulation provokes excitement — a dopamine squirt — that researchers say can be addictive. In its absence, people feel bored.  In other words, we check our phones and emails all the time because we never know when something really great is going to happen.  Its a term, psychologists call- intermittent reinforcement.  We may get lots of unsatisfactory emails, but every once in awhile you get one thats really great and so you keep checking in hopes you will get another great one soon.  Interesting, huh?

However, all technology is not bad.  The use of technology is being found to allow us to be more efficient at finding information. And players of some video games develop better visual acuity.

The important question is what can we do to unplug?

Basically, we need to take more breaks.

Scientists have found that we can only take in one stream of information at a time.  If we are experiencing stress while we are plugged in, this releases cortisol into the brain and this can overtime lessen your ability to remember.  In summary, the more data we take in, the less creative, productive, and the more stressed we become.

Three Simple Steps to Unplug

1.  Take 5 Mindful Breaths

We know we need to take more breaks during the day right?  Breathing is incredibly powerful and allows us to reconnect to our bodies and the present moment.  When we slow down into our breathing, we move out of our sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight or better known as our stressful state) and into our more relaxed state activating the parasympathetic nervous system.  To take 5 mindful breaths, notice that you need to take a break, and slow down your breathing by taking a deep inhale through your belly and a deep exhale through your nose our mouth.  As I am writing this blog, I am in fact practicing this exact technique.  Ahhh, I feel so much better already

2.  Incorporate non-doing activities

Our culture was founded on the work hard ethic and we are often rewarded for being productive.  However, as stated before, without breaks we are actually less creative and less productive.  Taking some time to “be” in nature, or be in your body or be with yourself is wonderful self care.  Some ways to cultivate this “being mode”

• Take a walk in nature and do a scan of everything you see, feel, and hear while you are walking.  Really be in the moment.
• Experiment with yoga, where you can slow down and be in your body.  Even if you are new to yoga, there are many gentle and restorative classes that can you get started in an easy manner.
• Practice meditation- Refer to this past blog I have written on how to get started- http://www.intuitivelywell.com/blog/wp-admin/post.php?action=edit&post=87
• Find something artistic to try.  Being creative is another “being” activity.

3) Take a vacation from your device

Taking time where you are not plugged in is a great tool.  These may be some supportive ideas for how to start.

• Choose not to check your phone in the presence of your family.
• Take a vacation where you don’t have access to your screens.  That is what a group of 5 researchers did who were trying to understand how the heavy use of digital devices and other technology changes how we think and behave.  They took a retreat into the nature of UT.

What they found?

Mr. Strayer, the trip leader, argues that nature can refresh the brain. “Our senses change. They kind of recalibrate — you notice sounds, like these crickets chirping; you hear the river, the sounds, the smells, you become more connected to the physical environment, the earth, rather than the artificial environment.”

The 3rd day syndrome was a term used by the scientists to express that it took them about 3 days to settle into their environment of peace and calm.

This is a similar term used on silent meditation retreats.  It is often stated that it takes 3 days to really settle into your mind and new environment.  Having done many silent retreats, I can attest personally to this statement.  In silent meditation, we are trying to let go of all the past stimulation and taks and simply be where we are.

The solution to finding the balance we are always striving to create in our lives is to pay attention to what is most important.  The lure of emails and various stimulation from screens may actually be taking us away from what really matters.  If we can focus on what is most important and what has most priority to us, we can all find the path to balance.

Thank you for your kind attention.

www.intuitivelywell.com

Metta practice is the cultivation of our capacity for lovingkindness.  Metta is a wonderful meditation for soothing our minds and opening our hearts.  Metta practice doesn’t mean that you have to think positively or even feel loving during the practice.  However, when we continually practice metta, the tendency of our mind changes to more positive, wholesome, and loving states.  When we continually practice metta, we may find that lovingkindness becomes the operating motivation in a situation that previously triggered anger or fear.

A way in which I have seen the benefits of metta in my life is this.  After a longer practice period of metta, I noticed that when I encountered someone who was either having a bad day or showing some attitude or unpleasantness towards me or another person, I found myself wishing them well.  In the past, I might have taken their unpleasantness personally and in turn may not have wished them well.  Now, I can see that this person is clearly in some sort of emotional or physical pain and I wish them well hoping that their suffering is eased and that they can become happy and well.  Every creature on earth wants to be happy and well and sometimes we get in our own way of that happiness, but if we can wish it for others and even ourselves in times of hardship, what a loving way to be in the world.  I very much believe in the practice of metta and hope you will see the benefits of it in your life as well.

To practice lovingkindness meditation, sit in a comfortable and relaxed manner. Take two or three deep breaths with slow, long, and complete exhalations. Let go of any concerns or preoccupations. For a few minutes, feel or imagine the breath moving through the center of your chest in the area of your heart.

Metta is first practiced toward oneself, since we often have difficulty loving others without first loving ourselves. Sitting quietly, mentally repeat, slowly and steadily, the following or similar phrases: May I be happy. May I be safe. May my body support me with strength.  May I be peaceful and at ease.

While you say these phrases, allow yourself to sink into the intentions they express. Lovingkindness meditation consists primarily of connecting to the intention of wishing ourselves or others happiness. However, if feelings of warmth, friendliness, or love arise in the body or mind, connect to them, allowing them to grow as you repeat the phrases. As an aid to the meditation, you might hold an image of yourself in your mind’s eye. This helps reinforce the intentions expressed in the phrases.

After a period of directing lovingkindness toward yourself, bring to mind a friend or someone in your life who has deeply cared for you. Then slowly repeat phrases of lovingkindness toward them: May you be happy. May you be safe. May your body support you with strength. May you be peaceful and at ease.

As you say these phrases, again sink into their intention or heartfelt meaning. And again, if any feelings of lovingkindness arise, connect the feelings with the phrases so that the feelings may become stronger as you repeat the words.

As you become familiar with lovingkindness practice during meditation, you can also begin to use it in your daily life. While in your car, or at work, or in public, privately practice metta toward those around you. There can be a great delight in establishing a heartfelt connection to everyone we encounter, friends and strangers alike.

To all my readers,

May you be happy.

May you be safe and protected.

May your body support you with strength.

May you go through life with more ease.

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What seems to be the culprit of conflict in our relationships is the tendency to disconnect from one another.  These disconnections can happen relatively easily if for say a conversation is interrupted or a miscommunication occurs and never becomes resolved.

The Buddha prescribed equanimity in the face of suffering. In relationships, this means accepting the inevitability of painful disconnections and using them as an opportunity to work through difficult emotions. We instinctively avoid unpleasantness, often without our awareness. When we touch something unlovely in ourselves–fear, anger, jealousy, shame, disgust–we tend to withdraw emotionally and direct our attention elsewhere. But denying how we feel, or projecting our fears and faults onto others, only drives a wedge between us and the people we yearn to be close to.

We all have personal sensitivities–“hot buttons”–that are evoked in close relationships. Mindfulness practice helps us to identify these triggers and disengage from our habitual reactions, so that we can reconnect with our partners. We can mindfully address recurring problems with a simple four-step technique: (1) Feel the emotional pain of disconnection, (2) Accept that the pain is a natural and healthy sign of disconnection, and the need to make a change, (3) Compassionately explore the personal issues or beliefs being evoked within yourself, (4) Trust that a skillful response will arise at the right moment.

Mindfulness can transform all our personal relationships–but only if we are willing to feel the inevitable pain that relationships entail. When we turn away from our distress, we inevitably abandon our loved ones as well as ourselves. But when we mindfully and compassionately incline toward whatever is arising within us, we can be truly present and alive for ourselves and others.

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Emotional eating can often be the culprit for maintaining healthy lifestyle change. Many people will stick with their plan for days, weeks or even months until things become stressful and then they give in to their emotions by turning to cake or some other tempting food. America loves to highlight the new diet, but is there a cure for emotional eating?

One study published in the journal American Psychologist reviewed all previous research that tracked dieters for two to five years and found that at least one- to two-thirds of dieters gained all the weight they lost (plus some) within five years. Other studies show that strict dieting triggers people to eat more than those who aren’t on a diet at all, creating a vicious cycle of undereating and overindulging. In other words, if you skip cereal in the morning, come noon you may inhale a cupcake or two without thinking twice.

However, in my experience losing weight isn’t just about physical activity or counting calories.  It’s a combination of being mindful of making time for exercise, planning and preparation around food, but more importantly it is being mindful of how you feel when you are and are not eating.  In fact, there’s been a surge of programs that promise weight-loss success based on a mindful approach to eating. These programs encourage people to weigh their hunger levels against emotions, such as anxiety, loneliness or anger, to make sure they are eating for the right reasons. So rather than chomping on chips to tame tension or reduce stress, you can learn to calm your body and mind with meditation and deep breathing.  Mindfulness gives people a better sense of control over food and makes eating a more comfortable experience.

Yoga or meditation practice can be a wonderful start to becoming more present in your day and more present in your body.  The same techniques you use to stay focused and breathe through a challenging pose during yoga class can come in handy when you’re in the kitchen or a restaurant. Since yoga practitioners feel more in tune with their bodies, they are responsive to their body’s sensations – including hunger and satiety. When you’re more aware of why you’re eating or not eating, you could lose weight almost by accident.

I work with many clients on the topic of emotional eating and one practice I recommend is to do a mini-meditation before meals and even throughout the day to get in touch with how you are feeling.  This tool is effective because  the next time you are having a craving, you can sit with what is really there.  I suggested this exercise to a client and the time she had a craving, she drove into a restaurant’s parking lot and sat in her car for 40 minutes. She realized that she had never given her unhappiness a name. That day she realized she was lonely and that a large order of fries wouldn’t make that feeling go away.”

For help in starting this practice, please check out this free download on my website at….http://www.intuitivelywell.com/podcasts.html- scroll down to 5 minute meditation.

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Ten benefits of meditation
1.  Encourages you to be more calm, relaxed, and less stressed out.
2.  Develops your concentration and sharpness of mind.
3.  Gives you insight into your body and mind.
4.  Helps you to understand truths about the world.
5.  Teaches you how to better handle difficulties in your life.
6.  Gives you an inner refuge, intuition, and guidance for making choices in your life.
7. Increases your ability to be present, alive, and to have equanimity in this changing world.
8. Develops wisdom, kindness, and compassion
9. Increases your sense of humor
10. Helps you to wake up

The Basics for Starting a Practice
Location
Choose a place in your house where you won’t be disturbed.
Equipment
Meditation is pretty low-maintenance. All one needs to be comfortable is a soft meditation cushion (called a zafu), but it is not necessary.  Your bed or couch pillow work fine too.
Time
Frequently, people meditate in the morning after they wake up or in the evening when they come home, or before they go to sleep.  Choose the time of day when you are most likely to be alert and not too busy or distracted.  Starting off you might want to see if you can’t sit for 10 minutes and then eventually see if you can’t sustain 30 minutes.
Posture
If you are sitting cross legged on a cushion, for stability you want your hips to be higher than your knees.  You want to feel stable at three spots: your two knees and butt.  If your knees don’t reach the floor, try sitting higher, or put other cushions under your knees.

Feeling the breath
This is a simple concentration and awareness practice that is the foundation of meditation.

Close your eyes and take a few minutes to simply notice what is happening in your body.  What are the first few things you are aware of?  How does your body feel?  Is it heavy, light, uncomfortable, relaxed?  Notice that you are breathing.  Bring your awareness to the place in the body where you notice breathing.
As you become more aware of the breath, you can take your awareness away from the breath and begin to notice sound, and then bodily sensations.  When the mind wanders as it likes to do, just bring it back to the breath.

Meditation is just like practicing anything, the more you practice the better you will get.

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Intention can be a powerful step in acquiring what it is that you most desire and living the life that is most beneficial to you.

4 Steps:

1. Set Intention: First, a focused intention must be determined, without knowing what you want, it is difficult to get it. While this may see obvious, many people have a general idea of what they want but are unable to get a clear and concrete image in their minds. At this stage, it can be helpful to write out or list your intention. For some it is easier to create a story, draw a picture, make a song, or dance. The method does not matter as long as the intention becomes clearly defined and focused.

2. Optimal State:  Second step in the process is to get into the optimal state – a relaxed body, clear and focused mind are necessary to have best results.

3. Make it Real: The third step is to make the intention real, vivid, and personal. If you intention is to get a good grade on a test, having achieved the optimal physical and psychological state, begin to feel, see, and hear yourself finishing the test with confidence. Imagine what it would feel like to get the grade you want. What are other people around you saying? What are you saying to yourself? Where are you located and what are you doing, is it bright, dark, loud, quiet? To make it personal, try adding people that can help you or that you greatly admire into the scene. Work and play with the image until it is fine tuned to maximize the “realness” of the intention.

4. Let it Go: Finally, as you hold this perfect/ideal scene of the desired outcome in your mind, imagine letting it go out into the world. By letting it go, you are practicing non-attachment and releasing expectation.

It is important to experiment and be playful with this process to find out what works best for you. My optimal process is to form an image, give it motion, add people, make it larger then life and put myself into the scene as I look down onto it. As I do this, I assess the “realness” of the constructed image by the quality and strength of feelings and sense of movement within my body. This process gives me a sense of power and control over my destiny adding to my self worth, confidence, and ability to succeed in the world.

*The 4 Steps of Intention were formulated by Vlad Moskovski in his book the Road to Involution.

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Below is an imagery exercise you can utilize to help you visualize your intention.

Focused: A clear mind is able to focus much more then a distracted and scattered one. Therefore, you want to relax and get into touch with your breath and concentration before setting your intention.  You want your intention to be that focused, and clear so that there can be no doubt or confusion as to what you want to manifest.

See yourself in it: What is your intention?  Invite your eyes to close and see yourself inside the scene that you wish to happen.   You can imagine seeing yourself in the exact surrounding and situation that you would like to happen.  If other people or things are there, you can bring these into your image.  Really allow yourself to be there and then your manifestation can become real.

Action: Once you imagine the scene happening, try to create action in your mind. If there are people, they can be moving, talking, cheering, smiling. If there are no people, see yourself in motion, get some feeling into this mental movie and make sure you can actually feel the motion in your body, that is one sign that your body is going along with the imagery you are creating.

Multi-sensory: Because life is perceived through all of the senses, your image should mimic real life as much as possible. Therefore, if your intention is to have more confidence before your big meeting on Friday, Friday morning you should wake-up feeling competent, confident, and knowing that you can do it, you might see yourself with your imagined result, and lastly get in touch with the success of your most desired outcome.  What does that feel like in your body?  What emotion is behind it?  How does this make your life better?  The more senses are involved, the stronger the intention will be.

Time: The frequency with which you repeat this meditation will also determine the speed with which it manifests itself.  Imagery is more powerful the more you practice.  Running through this exercise for the first time may take a while, but once it is well formed it becomes easy, quick, and much more clear. The power and effect increase dramatically with every repetition similar to practicing any other skill, the more you do it, the better you get.

Mindfulness is the act of paying full, non-judgmental attention to our moment-to-moment experience.  We can use mindfulness to free ourselves from unhealthy eating habits and improve our overall quality of life.

Mindful eating is a practice that engages all parts of us_our body, our heart, and our mind-in choosing, preparing, and eating food.  It allows us to pay attention to colors, textures, scents, tastes, and even sounds of drinking and eating.

An example of mindful eating may look like this….Ben came home from a busy day of work, he was feeling depleted and tired.  He went into the kitchen and grabbed some chips and cookies from the cupboard and started eating them while trying to figure out what to prepare for dinner.  He ends up eating too much of the chips and cookies and therefore he isn’t very hungry for dinner.  He scolds himself that he has eaten too much and didn’t really enjoy what he was eating.  He decides he ate too much and will not be having dinner.

The next time, Ben gets home and is hungry and is feeling tired and depleted.  He checks in with himself around how he is feeling before automatically going to the kitchen for food.  He realizes that he needs some down time and finds a quiet spot to be quiet before deciding what to make for dinner.  Ten minutes later Ben feels refreshed and is able to attend to his feelings of tiredness and even sadness.  He meets both physical and mental feelings with attention and compassion.  Now he can choose something to eat with a clear mind and pay attention to what would best nourish him.  He can eat his meal slowly and really taste what he is eating and enjoy his evening.

Steps to Mindful Eating

1)  Slow it Down- It was found that in America, we often grab and go. Research shows that we spend only eleven minutes eating lunch at a fast-food restaurant and thirteen minutes at a cafeteria in their workplace.

Tips to Slowing Down

One can make a point of pausing before we eat to see the colors, roll food around in our mouths to really detect the flavors and ingredients.
If you notice that you are eating without tasting stop and pause to look at the food again.
Putting down your fork and spoon between bites is a wonderful tool to slow down.  After you have tasted and swallowed your food, you can then pick up your food again.

2)  Right Amount- This statement of right amount stems from the buddhist teaching of the eightfold path to enlightenment.   In the Buddhist teachings “right” means appropriate, beneficial, leading to happiness and freedom.  What, then is the “right amount” ?

One way to understand fullness is to check in with the body and see if you feel satisfied.
A helpful tool to use would be to ask yourself if you think you can take a 10 minute brisk walk.  If you can, you have had the right amount.  If you can’t you know you probably ate too much.
Mindful Eating is a practice, so the more you practice, the easier it will come.

3)  Energy Balance- There is an energy balance between what we take into our body for energy (food) and what energy we put out through exercise or activity.  Several studies highlight the importance of staying at a healthy weight and to prevent chronic disease such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, etc.  Therefore, we can think of the energy balance in terms of weight management.  When we bring too much energy into the body, we gain weight.

When we bring in the same amount of energy into the body as we utilize in our activity we maintain our weight.  Lastly, when we bring in less energy and put out more activity through activity we lose weight.  In order to lose weight, we have to decrease the amount of energy we bring into our bodies through food or increase the energy flowing out.  Usually, a combination of eating less and being more active allows us to eat a moderate amount of foods we like while staying healthy with our activity.

4)  Eating Alternatives- We all have different cravings for foods.  We might have a sweet tooth or crave more salty high fat foods such as chips.  Whatever our craving is can get in the way of choosing foods that might be more supportive and nourishing to our bodies.

The Healthy Food Pyramid supports the following nutrition guidelines:
whole grains at most meals
foods that are lower on the glycemic index (lower sugars)
lots of fruits and veggies
low saturated and trans fats
incorporate lean meats, such as fish, beans, soy, and nuts for protein sources
If you stick with these tips in mind, you can consciously choose healthier substitutes for your sugar and salt cravings.

For example, if you consciously choose a slice of whole grain bread with almond butter, and agave nectar drizzled on it instead of a bowl of ice cream, you are making use of mindful eating.

5)  Wise Choice- Another helpful tip in our mindful eating is to recognize a craving for something and consciously decide if it’s something that you really, really want. Sometimes it is helpful to put foods on a scale of 0-10.  If foods rate over a 7, then it’s probably a food that you really, really want, but if it’s less than a 7, then you can pass and not feel like you are denying yourself something you really want.

For example, if you walk into an office and food is just lying around, but it’s not something you really, really want you can easily pass it up and say to yourself, “No Thanks.”

Summary of Mindful Eating

Slow down
Take a pause and conscious choice before eating
Take breaks while eating to really enjoy and assess your fullness and satiety
Mindfully choose healthier alternatives
Choose what you really, really want and enjoy it.

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You can use the focus of your mind to increase your emotional and physical well-being and your relationships.

Daniel Siegel, MD- writes about in his book ‘The Mindful Brain’ the many benefits of practicing mindfulness in our everyday lives.

In particular, Dr. Siegel highlights an 8-week study that measured participants EEG patterns.  After 8-weeks of practicing mindfulness, there was a significant shift in energy patterns to the left side of the brain.  This energy shift was found in the pre-frontal middle cortex. The pre-frontal middle cortex is in charge of the following areas in the brain.

1) Body Regulation- regulating body temp, heart rate, stress reactors

2) Attuned Communication- Within relationships, there is increased internal attunement, where an observing self can tune into a warm, open, and accepting self to the other person.

3) Emotional Balance- regulation of mood

4) Response Flexibility- ability to not act impulsively, but evaluate all your options and then make a decision

5) Insight- Parents with more insight were found to be able to provide more loving and secure attachment to their children.

6) Empathy- being able to show compassion towards another and put oneself in another persons situation or experience.

7) Fear Modulation- regulating and attending to fear and/or anxiety.

Intuition- Being in touch with your body and the messages it sends.  The body brings messages from the body to the mind if one listens.  They come in the form of sensations, images, feelings, and thoughts (SIFT).

9) Morality- Thinking about the larger social good, not just thinking, but enacting these moral ideas, even when we are alone.

If you are interested in learning more about starting a practice of mindfulness.

There are many resources available to you:

• Find a weekly sitting meditation group

Spirit Rock- www.spiritrock.org
Insight Meditation Center- http://www.insightmeditationcenter.org/
SF Insight- http://www.sfinsight.org/

• Read Books

Jon Kabat Zinn- Mindfulness for Beginners
Thich Nhat Han- The Miracle of Mindfulness
Mark Coleman- Awake in the Wild- Mindfulness in Nature as a path to self- discovery (walking meditation)
Ram Dass- The Journey of Awakening

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