Click here to listen to a guided tutorial on abdominal breathing (6mins.)
The Mind Body Connection
Eastern medicine and philosophy have known for centuries what western medicine has only recently begun to understand and accept with scientific certainty; the mind and body cannot be separated. The status of the mind affects the body and the status of the body influences the mind. They are in a continual state of communication.
In Chinese medicine the words Jing-Shen refers to the mind/body connection. Jing refers to the physical structure and sensate life of a person and Shen refers to the spirit. The phrase Jing-Shen refers to the essence mind or body mind and reflects a person’s vitality and vigour. The mind and body are not seen as separate but rather are viewed as synonymous. What affects the mind will affect the body. When the mind is strong and clear the body enjoys good health. In Chinese medicine there is a saying that the first doctor is the patient himself.
The mind’s influence is such that psychology can become physiology. For example, when a person perceives danger, fearful thoughts are translated into biochemical responses. The brain releases stress hormones triggering the defensive fight or flight response. For example, under the distress of responding to a loved one’s death, this same biochemical response can be triggered sending the mind/body into a high state of alert. A similar reaction can occur when a person loses their job.
If this state of heightened alert continues, it can develop into chronic mental or emotional stress. This in turn can lead to anxiety, depression, fatigue or a host of other mental or physical symptoms. The converse, however, is also true. Positive thoughts produce healing body reactions. Maintaining a positive outlook, thinking of someone you love or engaging in a activity you enjoy stimulates the brain to produce endorphins, the body's natural painkillers.
As we understand the role the mind can play in healing, we are seeking avenues to strengthen the mind/body connection as a means of taking charge of our health. One powerful and natural means to foster communication between the mind and body to achieve health and wellness is through meditation. The body is inherently intelligent and continually seeking to achieve homeostasis (balance). Through meditation the body regains inner balance and instinctively taps into the wellness of its original ‘blueprint’ to heal itself.
Suggestions to assist you in the process of building a strong and
healthy mind-body connection:
Learn to listen to the inner messages your body gives you and respect when it is time to eat, slow down, rest or play.
Follow a nutritious diet.
Drink plenty of water up to 8-10 glasses of water daily.
Identify the stressors in your life and evaluate if some may be reduced or eliminated.
Evaluate current commitments. Are they worth the energy invested?
Be mindful of the expectations you place upon yourself. Create realistic expectations.
Schedule time just for yourself to use as you please
Be mindful of reducing external stimulation. For example, take time to read a book rather than switching on the television.
Create time to reflect and review your daily choices.
Pursue activities that are pleasurable and for which you have a passion.
Allow time for contemplation, prayer, visualization, or meditation.
Maintain an attitude of realistic optimism.
Meditation Instruction & Products
Martina has been a teacher and student of meditation and visualization since 1982. Her teachings draw from the rich traditions of Eastern and Western mysticism to convey an approach that is both practical and profound.
Formerly the head meditation teacher at a renowned mystery school in Berkeley, California, Martina went on to study at the internationally acclaimed Sancta Sophia mystery school. She has been teaching in Asheville for ten years. She is the author of Meditation for the Western Mind, numerous audio products on health and wellness based meditation.
Martina holds her master's degree in counseling psychology. She is a licensed professional counselor and interfaith minister(honoring all faiths and expressions of spirituality). Martina resides in Asheville, North Carolina where she has a private practice as a therapist and spiritual teacher.
The Meditation Doctor by Martina Glasscock-Barnes, Barron’s 2004
Available on www.amazon.com
Click here to listen to a guided tutorial on abdominal breathing (6mins.)
Meditation, Imagery & Visualization
What are Meditation, Imagery and Visualization?
Meditation in some form or another is an ancient practice found across cultures and religions. Most ancient cultures developed songs, chants, and rituals to manipulate consciousness to connect with a higher power. Often this was in the form of sound. Today this survives in eastern philosophies such as the Hindu tradition in the form of mantras, repeated words to achieve an altered state of mind. In the eastern yoga practices, mantras, hand mudras and assanas (physical poses) become moving meditation providing agents for change
In other western traditions, we see vocal meditation in the rich library of Gregorian chants. Roman Catholics have sacred music, use incantation, and make use of repetitive words, like a mantra, when reciting Hail Mary on rosary beads. Christians use prayer, devotional songs, and meditation on the scriptures. The Hebrew Kabbalah makes use of prayer, incantation, and the spoken word to create consciousness change. And Native American culture uses ceremonial chants like the Hindu mantra as a form of prayerful meditation. These oral customs offer a rich history of teachings. Overtime, these teachings have been passed down into different forms of meditation.
In general, meditation might simply be described as a mental process of moving the physical body into relaxation in order to achieve deep states of concentration that give rise to calmness, stability of attention, and insight.
Meditation can be concentrative, which Buddhist’s call Samadhi practices, or insightful, which are known as vipassana practices. Meditation can be passive or active. In general, Western meditation tends to be active, whereas Eastern tends to be passive or receptive. Visualization/guided imagery is a form of meditation in which one evokes a heightened awareness and sensitivity through directed concentration and intent. It can include all the senses in addition to visual. The practitioner can imagine something from the mind’s eye as well as from physical,
auditory, or tactile sensation. It is not necessary to adopt any particular religion or philosophy to take up
meditation practices. Meditation, imagery and visualization need not compete with or replace your current philosophies, but can greatly enhance the connection between your mind and body. If you have a religious or spiritual philosophy, meditation can enhance and deepen your connection to your spiritual ideals and higher power.
Conscious breathing is a tremendous resource for renewing and enhancing the vital energy. This vital energy is referred to by many names such as Life Force, Spirit, Chi and Prana. Breathing is the primary means for gathering and utilizing the vital force of chi within the body. An unimpeded flow of energy promotes relaxation, abundant oxygen flow and alert thinking. Learning basic breath control helps to still and focus the mind. The breath can be used as the practice itself (called mindfulness meditation) or within the meditation techniques.
Click here to listen to a guided tutorial on abdominal breathing (6mins.)
5 Minute Meditation: Abdominal Breathing taken from The Meditation Doctor
Abdominal or diaphragmatic breathing strongly enhances the mind body connection and reduces tension caused by stress. It is difficult to breathe with your abdomen and be tense at the same time. When you are relaxed you breathe more deeply and fully. If you watch an infant breathe you will see that they quite naturally breathe from their abdomen. A gentle rise and fall in the lower abdomen is our natural breathing pattern. As we mature, however, we tend to adopt poor breathing patterns that can add to stressful reactions. Teaching yourself to use abdominal breathing will promote a state of calm serenity.
Begin by lying down on your back with either your legs straight or bent
at the knee with the feet flat on the floor. Allow the weight of the back and buttocks to gently settle into the floor. Close your eyes…Place your tongue on the roof of your mouth…Take a few deep cleansing breathes.Place the palms of your hands on your abdomen, the region below the
sternum and above the pubic bone…Feel the weight of your hands resting on
your belly…Begin a gentle observation noticing if your are holding any tension in the belly…Notice how the abdomen moves with each inhalation and exhalation…Feel how it swells and settles like a balloon inflating and deflating…On the in-breathe notice that the abdomen swells out, up, to the sides and into the lower back…the abdomen settles back gently without constriction or tension on the out-breath.
Allow each breath to flow naturally and with a gentle fullness…allow the breath to drop deeply into the abdomen… Direct your attention to a bright white light above your head. This light is the energy of the heaven chi Draw this chi in through the top of your head and direct it to the lower abdomen the reservoir of energy known as the Dan Tian.
With each breath the belly becomes soft and expansive filling with heaven chi…Imagine that your abdomen becomes a beach ball that inflates slightly larger with each inhalation and exhalation…The ball enlarges yet remains soft and pliable…The abdomen softens to allow space for the large round ball…Imagine that your beach ball is floating gently on the swells of a great lake…The belly rises and falls with each swell of the breath.
Continue to follow the rhythm of the beach ball rising and falling until you
have achieved your desired level of expansion and relaxation of abdomen…
When you are ready open your eyes and return your attention to your external surroundings.Cultivating mindfulness in daily life c.2007 Martina Glasscock-Barnes
A major classification of meditation is called mindfulness or vipassana meditation. This meditation is also known as insight meditation. Mindfulness meditation begins with a point of focus such as following the breath in which the practitioner seeks to become absorbed in the depth of experience that each present moment offers. The elements of observation and inquiry are then added.
Through the influence of eastern philosophy the concept of "mindfulness" has become popular. Yet mindfulness in some form or another is universal to all major philosophies. Mindfulness extends the invitation to awaken, pay attention, and examine life with a sense of curiosity and adventure.
The purpose of mindfulness, whether in a formal meditation or implicitly in daily life, is increased awareness. Mindfulness requires that you notice with great care and attention, free from the mind's filters and prejudices, what is occurring at the time that it is happening; in other words, the present moment. Teach yourself to pay attention not only to what is going on around you but to how you are reacting to the events of the present moment. Mindfulness offers the opportunity to move beyond reacting to responding with intention.
Acceptance means that you allow yourself to stay open to your present encounter.
By accepting rather than resisting the realness of a physical sensation, emotion or thought you are able to more quickly release it and let it go. This requires dedicated practice but over time you build the skill of responding more effectively to situations rather than reacting on impulse. You gain a deeper perspective to your daily reactions to stress. It is this quality of observation brings a sense of detachment and paradoxically a deeper experience of life.Cultivating the quality of mindful observation requires the motivation and discipline to practice not only in meditation but also in your daily life. It is more than a technique; it is a mindset and a way of being. It requires that you teach yourself to slow down and pay attention to what you are experiencing as it is happening. What you experience is then essentially slowed down and magnified. In doing so you learn to value each moment of each task no matter how mundane.
Through practicing mindfulness you begin to discover the natural ebb and flow of your moment-to-moment experiences. Practice pausing throughout the day to notice what you are experiencing. Create space to take note and feel any physical sensations, emotions and thoughts that are present. Accept what arises without judgment. Allow whatever arises to and come and go.
Orienting yourself to mindfulness is an ongoing task. And in doing so you learn to celebrate the process over the product. Overtime you will notice that you have less resistance to life, you find your natural rhythm and flow with it.
The following are some simple suggestions for applying the practice of mindfulness in daily life:
Eat a meal without talking or having the television or radio on. Take time to look at your food and smell it. Take the time to chew each bite and be mindful of the texture and flavor of each morsel. Practice this throughout the meal.
Turn off the radio while driving in the car or on the train. Pay attention to the movement of the other cars or individuals around you. Try to observe your thoughts and emotions without reacting.
Watch a sunrise or sunset and count the times the colors subtly shift.
Practice truly listening to a friend in conversation without planning your response.
Each time you become aware of your thoughts racing redirect the mind's attention to the breath and notice how long you are able to stay present with the task at hand before the mind wanders again.
Stop throughout the day to inquire about your breath. Notice when you are taking shallow breaths or incomplete breaths. Pause and become aware of your emotions and thoughts. Take a nice long deep breath.
Audio Cds available:
Relaxation for Healing & Pain Relief by Martina G. Barnes, and Malissa Turney, Care Partners 2003
Audio CD to aid in relaxation and pain management. Easy to follow meditations lead the listener through a series of visualizations to support relaxation and aid in the process of healing and pain relief for chronic pain.
Available through www.carepartners.org
Recommended Reading
The Relaxation Response by Dr. Herbert Benson
How to Practice: The Way to a Meaningful Life by The Dalai Lama
Whereever You Go, There You Are: Mindfullness Meditation in Everyday Life by Jon Kabat-Zinn
The HeartMath Solution: The Institute of HeartMath’s Revolutionary Program for Engaging the Power of the Heart’s Intelligence by Doc Lew Childre and Howard Martin
The Places that Scare You: A Guide to Fearlessness in Difficult times by Pema Chodron
Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom by Christiane Northrup
The Miracle of Mindfullness by Thich Nhat Hanh
Adventure in Meditation: Spirituality for the 21st Century: Vol I by Carol Parrish-Harra
A Path with Heart: A Guide Through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life by Jack Kornfield
