Mindfulness helps health in any season

July 15, 2020 – Mindfulness is the mental process of purposely focusing on and not judging experiences that are occurring right now. It is common in the Buddhist tradition.

When we are busy, we tend to ignore our breathing, the temperature, noises in the background, when we are tired, whether or not we are in physical pain and how we are feeling emotionally. The short-term plus is that we progress in our projects; the long-term minus is that not taking breaks eventually damages our bodies.

Since the 1970s Western mental health workers have found that incorporating mindfulness into the lives of their patients reduces stress, depression, anxiety, and the intensity of pain; it also helps addicts to focus on recovery. Mindfulness models have been adopted in programs at schools, prisons, hospitals, veterans’ centers, and other environments. Mindfulness programs have assisted healthy aging, weight management and athletic performance; they have also helped children with special needs and have intervened in the development of babies while the mother is pregnant.

In the late ’90s, I injured my arm by overreaching. Although I had medical insurance from my job, I didn’t take the time to have a doctor look at it: I thought the use of my left arm would eventually return. After I left that job, I had time to focus on the problem. I visited the doctor, who prescribed physical therapy. Visiting the therapist weekly plus doing the homework consistently provided me with partial use of my arm. However, years later adopting yoga with its mindfulness has increased the use of my arm almost completely, and I feel more independent.

Thanks to mindfulness and my vegetarian lifestyle, I am more aware of my bodily functions. I stop to eat; I drink more water; I take out time to go to the toilet. I enjoy the flavors instead of wolfing down my meal, and I am more willing to experiment with recipes. I stop to enjoy the beauty of my environment, I seek out entertainment when I am feeling down, and I use breath control to help me relax or sleep. I listen better and respond more honestly. My life isn’t perfect, but I enjoy it more than before.

I try to eat at least one meal a day mindfully. Here are directions for eating my breakfast of uncooked old fashioned oats with fruit or nuts and plant milk added: Turn off the TV, radio, music and other distractions. Sit down with the breakfast. Breathe in slowly, listening to your inhalation. Breathe out slowly, listening to your exhalation. Repeat four more times.

Look at the breakfast slowly, taking in the colors, shapes, jagged edges. Slowly take a spoonful and again observe how it looks up close. Smell it.(This may be a problem if you have sinus.) Open your mouth and insert the spoonful. Close your eyes as you close your mouth. Observe how the spoonful tastes, distinguish the oat taste from the fruit or nut taste from the milk taste. Observe how the spoonful feels in your mouth against your teeth, tongue, walls of your mouth and down your throat. Repeat until you have finished your meal.

At first eating mindfully may seem silly, but if you continue doing it, you may notice, as I did, that eating becomes a more pleasurable experience because it awakens your senses, not only at the meal, but also in other parts of your life.

Nutritionist Deepa and I suggest practicing the following mindfulness steps each day:

• Be aware when you are thirsty and stop to drink water.
• Pay attention to the sights, sounds, smells, tastes and feel of your surroundings. Get out of the house to breathe some fresh air.
• Be kind to nature. Do you really have to step on ants? Can you water the plants? Is today a good day to befriend animals?
• Develop healthy habits. Drawing a periodic pie chart of your life helps you to do that:

A Draw a large circle. Divide it into seven pieces. On the outer round edge of six, write How I cared for myself in the last six months. On the inner round edge of the first, write physically; second, emotionally; third, spiritually; fourth, socially; fifth, intellectually; sixth, financially. Fill in each of the six pieces with activities you’ve done.

B Look over your six pieces. This is the mindfulness part of the process. See where you need activities to balance your life.

C On the outer round edge of the seventh piece, write What I want for my future. Fill in with activities you want for yourself.

D Make a new pie periodically to evaluate your progress. Pat yourself on the back for your baby steps toward the life you want. Maybe what you want has changed too.

How can you become a more mindful vegetarian? If you already are, what mindful activity do you find most helpful?