Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine UC Irvine Day and Evening Classes starting mid-January visit here for details!
Happy New Year from Mindful-Way Stress Reduction. Every time I write or say this, I find myself wanting to say, and I will right now, “May you be present for as many moments of your life as possible. May you have many joyful moments and when the difficult ones arise, may you have all the inner and outer support you need”. that rather than simply wishing for a particular experience over a particular period of time (like the whole year of 2012,) So this I what I truly wish for you, dear reader, right now.
There is a trail near my house where I have walked with my dogs (and many other friends) thousands of times over the twenty years that I have lived in the mountains. I recently walked it after a fresh snow had just fallen. What was delightfully striking were the hundreds of footprints all over the trail. The foot prints were all shapes and sizes. We saw large bob cat prints, tiny squirrel prints, the funny hand prints of raccoons, all sizes of bird prints, deer hooves and coyote paws. Hugh and I marveled at how much traffic was on the trail! There were even spots where it looked like a small rodeo had taken place or a busy convention. What I realized was that this activity is going on all the time, not just when it snows. This vibrant life going on all the time was revealed to us by the fresh snow!
This is very much how the practice of Mindfulness works in our lives. When we feel our breath, feel our bodies in the present moment, and see, feel, hear, and taste what is going on all around us, things that are always going on are revealed as if for the first time. As we embark upon 2012, and this very moment, I encourage you in your mediation practice so that, in the words of T.S. Elliot ;
We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started,
and know the place for the first time.
Explore and appreciate and let me know what you find! There are many places and opportunities to learn about mindfulness meditation, you will find some of them listed in this newsletter. (other So Cal Mindfulness Centers listed below as well an national and international) I hope to see you at one of our classes or retreats this year.
Mindful Eating For Healthy Living – Eight week experiential program , Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine
UC Irvine 2012
Many studies show that applying the practices and principles of mindfulness to eating- as it has been taught for stress reduction, (MBSR) allows people to heal their very complex relationship with food, their bodies and their weight. To learn more about this, please join me in this revolutionary approach to creating a healthy , peaceful and friendly relationship with food, your body and your weight. You can register here: Begins January 17th 2012 6:30 PM
Practice a Mindful Eating exercise with my dear friend and senior MBSR teacher Bob Stahl PhD right now with this great video
We’ll be teaching MBSR at UC Irvine beginning Tuesday, Jan 17th, 10:30 AM-12:30 PM
There is an evening class on Wednesdays also. Call 949-824-5763 to enroll,or click here
We’ll be teaching MBSR at UC Riverside beginning Thursday, January 12th, 2012 6:00 PM enroll here.
A 6 week Mindfulness for Stress Reduction will begin Thursday Feb 2nd at Eisenhower Medical Center
6:00 PM Call 760-799-7847 to enroll or email beth@mindful-way.com, on-line enrollment will open soon.
Retreats;.
New to retreat practice? Always wanted to try one? Check out this retreat “Beginners Mind Sesshin” At Yokoji Zen Mountain Center – Jan 27th-29th learn about it here (this retreat is conducted by teachers and staff from YZMC and is not a Mindful-Way event though we highly recommend it!)
Book Pic this month : Sharon Salzberg again! Real Happiness
This wonderful book explains in down to earth yet elegant language the “how to’s” of meditation along with a reason why one might want to: experiencing “real happiness” that is a happiness not dependent upon the ever changing circumstances of our lives. You can read a brief interview with Sharon in the Huffington Post
Talk of the month : Steve Jobs:
“When you live each day as if it were your last, someday you’ll be right.” In this Stanford Commencement Speech, Steve Jobs encourages us to live not only with an awareness of the delicate impermanence of life, but to live from our hearts, and to do this by doing what we love. This message is a beautiful legacy, if you have never heard it or haven’t for a while, I invite you take 15 minutes to listen to it, and connect with your heart which is his heart, my heart and the world heart. Listen here
Conferences :
Save The Date! Bridging the Hearts and Minds of Youth: Mindfulness in Clinical Practice, Education and Research San Diego, CAFebruary 4-5, 2012
This first-of-its-kind conference will feature keynote speakers Rick Hanson, Ph.D., neuropsychologist and author of The Buddha’s Brain; Susan Kaiser-Greenland, author of The Mindful Child and co-founder of the Inner Kids Foundation; cognitive neuroscientist and noted mindfulness researcher Amishi Jha, Ph.D.; and Pamela Siegle, M.S. and Chip Wood, M.S.W., noted authorities on childhood development and contemplative education.
The keynote speakers will be complemented by a varied lineup of workshop presenters and teachers gathered together to not only share their work thus far but to advance the field of mindfulness with children and teens in educational, community and clinical settings.
Investigating and Integrating Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care and Society 10th Annual International Scientific Conference March 28-April 1, 2012 Norwood, Massachusetts Enroll here
I attend this conference every year and am inspired by the work being done around the globe as well as the amazing research which always validates what we see in the classroom. Last year we were fortunate to hear the latest research on the effects of mindfulness on cellular aging for example. This year I will be leading a workshop at the conference.
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Also available from Mindful-Way two short free meditations you can download to your ipod or phone. A great way to de-stress quickly whenever you need to. You can find them on our website on the free audio page.
Thanks for all your support and participation. One breath at a time, one moment at a time,
Beth Mulligan, PA-C
Mindfulness is a way of paying attention in a non-judgmental way to what is inside us and around us, moment to moment.
When we live mindfully, we are actually remembering a natural way of being in the world,a way in which we are more present and not missing our lives lost in thought.
I encourage you to learn about Mindfulness in a class or book to enhance your joy in living and improve your health.
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