It appears as if being busy hasn't just cut us from things, but has also made us seem a little more important. And the worst part is, we thrive on it like a drug that keeps us high on the thrill of keeping ourselves occupied, seemingly working hard, hustling, beating the buzzer, and earning what we deserve. It's almost as if worth and recognition are synonymous with the word busy / occupied / unavailable. Because when we are occupied, demand is high for our attention, so we can then project a false sense of increased value. And the false sense of importance is what tends to get us hooked.
Loving Kindness was one of the very first meditations I ever learned. While I was actively doing the work to heal, I came across a loving kindness meditation through a course in positive psychology with one of my favorite authors, Barb Fredrickson. Today I share with you my favorite script. A script that we used to share regularly with call center employees who just needed to take a break and come back to themselves.
The following exercise draws on techniques learned in coaching, counseling, and energy healing. While it is not meant to make your blocks magically disappear, it is meant to help you identify and acknowledge them before moving forward.
Find a spot where you will be undisturbed for the next 9 minutes as you dive in to Honoring Your Personal Blocks.
This short meditation is meant to help you take a look at whatever emotions you might have and assess it for what it is. Give yourself a few minutes to sit with your emotions, take a step back, and look at it from another perspective.
In Asia alone 450 million people suffer from a mental illness or neurological disorder, with the Philippines having the highest incidence rate of depression in Southeast Asia (WHO, 2011). There are about 4.5 million Filipinos today who are reported to have depression with only 1 in 3 who seek help.
I am crazy about all of these things so it makes me so glad when people ask me to recommend something that will help them. In as much as I would love to talk about everything in my bag, I decided that I would keep this entry quite simple and give you three (3) of my faves that have been tried and tested to help relieve anxiety and bring me to an ultimate state of CALM.
Doc Pao is one of the founders of the Self-Health Empowerment Movement - a non-profit, non-stock NGO that seeks to empower people to take control of their own health.
“We have been invited to speak all over the country about our advocacy”, he says, “and [we have] even [been] invited to speak in Thailand and Indonesia.” At the moment, the movement is also partnering with the Global Ecovillage Network of Oceania and Asiawith Transformation Medicinewith the intent to make health care more simple, understandable, and accessible to all.
It has been proven that sonic vibrations can help rehabilitate soft-tissue injuries through sonograms. Studies have also shown that the vibrational sound of music can also have similar healing effects. Depending on the frequency of the sound, research shows that certain brain regions are activated, helping stimulate cell regeneration, growth hormones, endorphins, and the like. In fact, animal research has also shown that vibrations between 20 and 140 Hz have helped speed up bone growth, muscles and ligament recovery, as well as the reduction of pain and swelling (Acosta, 2013).
Coach Phil Jackson was known to use mindfulness with his teams. I love the whole idea of silent practice - not only does it increase their sensitivity to each other’s body language, it also develops the somatosensory cortex of the brain. Mindfulness is such a great tool to have really. You’ll be surprised how many great athletes use mindfulness in their day to day activities.
