The Think FLEXibly Blog
Some ideas anyone can benefit from. Our blog is intended to provide current and future clients some ideas and resources that we think are great.
Historically entrenched in various cultures and spiritual traditions, the practice of mindful walking is not new, yet its relevance in today's busy world has never been more poignant.
Mindful walking traces its roots back to ancient practices, notably Buddhist traditions, where it served as a key component of mindfulness meditation. Monks and practitioners have walked mindfully in their temples and monasteries, using this practice to ground themselves in the present moment and develop a deep sense of awareness and clarity. It was a sacred way to cultivate mindfulness, paying careful attention to each step, each breath, and each moment as it unfolded. As we fast-forward to the modern age, mindful walking has transcended religious boundaries and has found its place in the arena of mindfulness-based therapies and interventions. It is often used in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) programs and other therapeutic modalities to help individuals alleviate stress, anxiety, and enhance overall wellbeing. So, how does one practice mindful walking? The process is surprisingly simple yet profoundly transformative. Start by standing tall, feeling the connection between your feet and the ground beneath you. Focus on your breath for a few moments, then gradually shift your attention to the act of walking. Mindfully move forward, paying careful attention to the sensation in your feet as you lift your foot, move it forward, and place it back on the ground. Be aware of your surroundings: the feeling of the air against your skin, the sounds around you, the colors and shapes that meet your eyes. If your mind begins to wander—which it inevitably will—gently bring it back to the act of walking and the sensations associated with it. The beauty of mindful walking is that it doesn't require a special location or time. You can practice it anywhere, anytime—while walking to work, at the park, or even in your backyard. The goal is not to get somewhere, but to become deeply aware of the journey itself. The benefits of mindful walking are manifold. It helps us become more present, allowing us to escape from the constant whirlwind of thoughts and worries that often occupy our minds. This promotes a sense of peace and calmness, which can significantly reduce stress and anxiety. Physically, mindful walking encourages good posture and balance, while also providing the benefits of low-impact exercise. Moreover, research indicates that this practice can improve concentration, emotional stability, and even sleep quality. Perhaps most importantly, mindful walking can foster a deeper connection to the world around us. As we become more attuned to our surroundings, we develop an enhanced appreciation for the natural beauty that we often overlook in our hurried lives. Mindful walking is a simple yet powerful practice that encourages us to slow down, to become more aware, and to connect more deeply with the world around us. As we navigate the complexities and stresses of the modern world, the ancient practice of mindful walking offers a practical and accessible tool for enhancing mindfulness, wellbeing, and overall quality of life. People are starting to hear about FLEX's use of the Muse brain sensing headband with patients to develop mindfulness and accelerate gains in treatment. Muse is a portable and low-cost EEG device that uses neurofeedback when paired with your phone or tablet to teach you how to meditate and become more attuned to your moment to moment experience. That state of mindful awareness has been shown to lead to a variety of wellness gains, mental and physical health growth, and improved attention. Many of FLEX's clients have been using Muse for over a year and our director Michael Decaire has spoken to professional audiences on its use at conferences across the province and the world through online webinars. Last month, Dr. Cody Rall from YouTube's TechForPsych did a lengthy interview with Michael about his use of Muse and where he sees the future of psychotherapy going over the next decade. It's an exciting hour for clinicians, but also has some additional tidbits for Muse users. Members of the FLEX team are available now to introduce Muse as your primary course of treatment or as an add-on to traditional talk therapies.
Michael Decaire is available for in-person, online, or institutional trainings for implementing Muse in treatment. He is presenting on Muse at Leading Edge Seminars in Toronto this October and as part of his Future of Psychotherapy Series in November. It was an exciting week at FLEX, as we had a full film crew in doing a shoot with our Clinical Director Michael Decaire. Michael has been working closely with health start-up InteraXon, creators of the mind-sensing headband Muse. Following a successful professional training webinar a few weeks ago, the Muse team asked to visit FLEX's Thornhill office to film a Q&A with Michael and to see a demonstration of the Muse headband in action during a mock therapy session. Word has gotten out about FLEX's use of Muse to help our clients live life a little more FLEXibly. Michael will be presenting on Muse this fall for Leading Edge Seminars and has been approached for some exiting additional projects regarding this exciting tool. More news soon! Learn more about Muse: http://www.choosemuse.com Author: Michael Decaire In honour of Star Wars day (May the 4th be with you!), FLEX is featuring a look at mindfulness trainings in popular culture throughout the month of May. And the series continues ...
Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering. - Yoda (The Phantom Menace, 1999). Like a true teacher, Yoda provides us with a few different ways to interpret this statement. In essence, there is more than one lesson here. Lesson One The first is the idea of "autopilot" or as I like to refer to it the "chain of thoughts and emotions". As human beings we are surprisingly unattuned to how our behaviours, thoughts, or emotions arise. Most of the time we are swept up in a chain of events, where the previous moment dictates the next one and the current moment dictates the next. At very few points do we step out of this chain and simply observe what is truly going on in this moment and make an informed decision on how to proceed on the basis of that information alone. This is one of the anchors of mindfulness training and is also the primary component of many other successful psychotherapies (e.g. CBT & REBT are text book chain breaking exercises for you therapist folks). An example: A student who has exhibited poor behaviour at school tells me that he "hates" his teacher. We explore why he feels this way and he relays that he is "angry" that his teacher has given him several lower than expected marks of late. That anger is further explored and is connected to a "fear" that he will not make the honour roll this year. This is in turn linked to another "fear" regarding overall performance and then eventual success. In the end, we have a lot of actions, interpretations, emotions, and behaviours that are connected to each other with very little conscious examination of this "chain" having occurred prior to therapy. Mindfulness practice provides an opportunity to do a couple of things here: (1) Observe the chain - Simply observing one's thoughts as they arise during either a formal mindfulness practice (e.g. sitting and meditating) or an informal one (e.g. mindful moments throughout the day) can provide valuable insight into what preceded the current moment and what resulted from that thought, behaviour, or emotion. This insight can be quite valuable as it may allow us to recognize when these "triggers" happen in the real world and then we can ... (2) Break the chain - Being aware of the chain may allow us to step outside of this previously unconscious series of events. Simple awareness of the triggering events, thoughts, or behaviour can provide the opportunity to make a deliberate decision to act or respond in a different manner. It does not mean that we will always make that choice or that we will not experience a strong emotion, but the likelihood that we can act in a manner that reflects our own decisions (and not the chain's) is higher. Recognizing the chain is the first step. It is my hope that you will choose to return here in a few days to pick up the next lesson from this great Yoda training. Who ever said there was nothing redeeming about The Phantom Menace! - Michael Author: Michael Decaire In honour of Star Wars day (May the 4th be with you!), FLEX is featuring a look at mindfulness trainings in popular culture throughout the month of May. And the series continues ...
No. Try not. Do or do not. There is no try. - Yoda (The Empire Strikes Back, 1980). Pretty much everyone has heard this quote. At the same time, most have probably assumed it is synonymous with saying "don't accept defeat" or that persistence will pay off in the end. While I do not claim to have the inside scoop on Yoda's motivations, I suspect that the intention here was not to infer the concepts of effortlessness and non-judgement. Effortlessness is not synonymous with laziness, but instead relates to a lack of narrow intention during mindfulness practice. If you anchor yourself on "trying" to do something there is a possibility of failure. Either way, the result of trying is undoubtedly that it worked or it did not work. An opposing way to look at this would be to simply acknowledge or observe that this happened, it did not, or something in between occurred. There is no judgement here, this is simply an observation or reflection of what happened. An example: If my mind is busy and I am finding the thoughts overwhelming or distracting I may choose to do a sitting meditation where my attention is at least part of the time on my breath. If I "try" to keep my attention on my breath the entire time I will undoubtedly fail and may very well perceive the meditation practice as a failure as well. If I simply "do" a mindfulness of breath practice I will be sometimes have my attention on my breath and I will sometimes not. This exact example is one of the first barriers I observe when training my clients mindfulness (e.g., "I tried that, it did not work"). When conceptualized in a framework of "try", the fact that I was not always able to sustain my attention on my breathing inherently implies that I failed. When conceptualized within a framework of "do or do not", I am simply acknowledging what happened in the present moment. Now, some of you are likely saying this is simply an argument in semantics and that what I'm really doing is choosing to not judge myself (which is also an important mindfulness lesson), but the key here is effortlessness versus intention. If I simply "do" something and observe what happened there is no possibility of failure. If I "try" to do something and I do not succeed then I have undoubtedly failed. In the end, I'll admit there is a bit of a semantics argument going on here. Still, we examine and describe our world and experience in words. A shift in how we interpret these experiences is the anchor of many therapies and is undoubtedly part of a mindfulness practice. I have personally found that having a good "vocabulary of mindfulness" is one of the keys to my personal training and is often how I transmit these tools to my clients. This can come from a mindfulness teacher, therapist, or a self-help book, but as you will see over the rest of this month, it can also come from the world around us (and from a galaxy far far away). Do or do not return in a few days for another pop culture mindfulness training. - Michael |
DisclaimerThe information provided on the Think FLEXibly Blog is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered as therapeutic advice. |