Rick @ FinestCoaching

If I may, Mindfulness is about having that curiosity & an attitude of Non-judgemental, yet if the judgement remains to accept what is & attempt to soften that feeling. It's all a process...

Gillian, I read your Blog & was touched by it...somehow we need more a Community of Spirit; sometimes, I have had temporary ones, then, they seem to go away; even the temporary ones do not sustain themselves...our earth speeds as if we have to catch up with it... I joined your Meditation of "Letting-Go"; it was what I needed today, so thank you:)...Kristin Neff & Christopher Germer, say: ”Mindfulness says, ‘Feel your Suffering with spacious awareness’. Self-Compassion says, ‘Be kind to yourself when you suffer’”.

I just spotted this post from August-so much to respond to here; this Video is every enlightening; as I am grieving the loss of my Brother this past week, I grieve for the loss of my whole, Family cause I am the Sole survivor of my immediate Family; I also grieve for the loss of my Youth, cause I can no longer Run, as I use to run 10K races in my Youth. Francis recovery so much, I seem to be a loss for words, except, when I called a Colleague RN I use to work with, hearing the News about my Brother, I called her immeditately hoping she would provide some comfort, & Nada...she never returned my call...so that too was a loss; just to be able to express my Grief and acknowledged would have been somewhat calming. The fact our Planet is so rapidly changing; it's like the Soul of our earth is being ripped out from underneath us very unexpectantly too....to hear about "the hygiene of the Soul" is great way to put it. Jon Kabatt-Zinn speaks about taking care of our "Brain Health". As a practicing Catholic, we have the Traditions, i.e. "Rituals" of Practice I get to experience; I participated in 2 Mens' Retreats where any Topic/Feelings were expressed; that became deeper for me...so I had those positive experience...this deserves to be viewed again, over & over to remind us of who we are on so many levels. Thank you, Gillian for sharing.

Hi...I dont know what name to address you, "Braveheart..." I have never heard of a Personal Trainer having LCSW after his or her name, though anything is possible. Anyone who has LCSW= Licensed "Certified" Social Worker...hope that helps...in respect of other disciplines, I have met some qualified, Ph.D. Therapists too (Doctor of Philosophy). Have a Great day, ~~~Rick~~~

I would also agree with Gillian regarding other "Modalities" for your Anxiety & Depression, particularly Counseling with a Licensed Certified Counselor or Psychotherapist; since I have been on both receiving & treating end, I would lean toward a LCSW, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, however, that is an individual choice. That was my preference since I was an LCSW and been in Therapy with an LCSW. Any Physical activity was always an adjunct along with Therapy for me; Running was my forte. Wish I could do now, since age is creeping in:(.

Now I would approach this a couple of ways: First, based on the definition of Mindfulness, the present focus is to be aware of the "frozen tension"; now it seems "moving frozen tension" sounds like an Oxymoron, so if tension is Frozen, how can it be moving, hypothetically. In any case, Awareness in the body is primary; now given, it may be, or experienced as "moving", I would be inviting a possible softening of that tension as it moves, and ask how that feels & sensing in the body, then inviting a focusing on the breath and an anchoring of the feet on the ground and sensing how that feels... So what do y'all think of my suggestions?

Some Key Topics are Compassion & Self-Compassion via Loving Kindness; also a Great Topic is David Treleaven's Book, Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness; there is so much to learn in that book; in-fact, that's why I began the TSM Book Club; hope folks join & contribute... I have spent some time on www.Mindful.org and happened to win Tara Brach's book, "Trusting the Gold"; it's Awesome to read about her history...lots of gems in her book! By nearly finishing David's Book, I have learnt so much about how to be aware of & be curious RE: Trauma and how to assist Clients who Meditate as a helpful resource...especially how to Screen Clients for Trauma (Pgs. 161 + 162). That's a hot topic in of itself! It's a definite Must Read in my humble opinion.

Care to share?

Hey Stephen, Welcome aboard! My name is Rick; see our Free Website: you can find hundreds if not thousands of Meditations! That should get you off to a Great start! Again, Welcome aboard:) Namaste:)

I'll start with my own made up quotes, though I just found a Looseleaf of 10 pages of valuable quotes; anyway, here's mine: "If you are emotionally stuck in the past with those stories, then your Amygdala has already been Hi-Jacked". ~~~Rick Barber~~~~ "My intention today is, I will Focus on the Present".

Hi Daniel, Welcome, Your can find many Resources here for any type of Meditation: https://mindfulnessexercises.com/free-mindfulness-exercises <<<Hope that helps:)