http://www.cbc.ca/doczone/episode/age-of-anxiety.html#socialcomments

 The documentary outlines how anxiety is being defined and redefined by the pharmaceutical industry and how “pills” are commonly prescribed as an effective solution.

 One valuable insight you might gain is just how prevalent the experience of anxiety is in our society.  It suggests that it may be one of the biggest health challenge commonly reported around the world.  You are not alone!  This fact on its own can help reduce the already heightened unease and agitation that you may be experiencing.

 In the program I offer, called Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, there is always a lot interest and questions with respect to the application of mindfulness and the experience of anxiety.  These are some of the comments that I make that are drawn from the work of Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, a pioneer in exploring the mindfulness as a resource for stress.  Interestingly enough, at the end of the documentary, mindfulness is mentioned briefly as an alternative to the medication route.

 I refer to anxiety as a state of insecurity experienced both physically and psychologically that can be triggered by almost anything.  Sometimes there can be a specific cause while, at other times, there may be no obvious apparent source.

 Regardless, the experience of anxiety is often experienced as very uncomfortable and it will often cause one to look for ways to cope.  Sometimes the choices made are maladaptive.  In the short run, they will bring temporary relief of the symptoms, however, in the long run, greater problems may surface related to these choices.

 One way of understanding the experience of anxiety is that is consists of a variety of body sensations, thoughts, and emotions in varying combinations.  The practice of mindfulness suggests that one can learn how to work with these symptoms by changing the way one perceives them and changing our reaction to them.  Through the practice of mindfulness one develops and gets to know a stable inner core. With persistence and effort, the capacity for mindfulness becomes more powerful than any anxiety state.  

 Mindfulness takes the view that the symptoms of anxiety will come and go.  When they arise, the suggestion is to observe them from a place of calmness and stability and then to decide what action needs to be taken, if anything.  Sometimes, the wisest action is to bring tolerance, patience, and equanimity to the experience and to accept the discomfort, for the time being.  In time, one can explore the source of the discomfort.  Kabat-Zinn suggest suggests that the source of discomfort may be related to a sense of dissatisfaction with the present and a sense of wanting something more to happen in order to feel more complete and/or happy.  He points out that there is often an underlying assumption present…..you are not getting what you want and you need to be able to get what you want in order to be content.

 Try it out for yourself.  Start to develop a capacity for mindfulness and investigate whether these ideas shed any light on the experience of anxiety.

Each session will be 2 hours long and is designed to accomplish the following.  You will learn:

• 3 mindfulness practices
• receive free guided mindfulness meditaitons in mp3 format
• review that content and major learning outcomes of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction
• how mindfulness works
• some suggestions on how to apply mindfulness in your life

Registration is limited to 15 people per session.

Please let anyone you know who would be interested in Getting Control of Their Stress:

 For the Uptown Crowd: Yoga Mandala 3522A 19th Street SW in Marda Loop.

Saturday April 7, 2012, 10:15 am to 12:15 pm

Sunday, April 15, 2012, 1 pm to 3 pm 

For the Downtown Crowd: Livebreatheyoga, 703 6th Avenue SW (Lower level)

Wednesday, April 4, 2012, Time: 6:15 pm to 8:15 pm

Wednesday, April 11, 2012, Time: 6:15 pm to 8:15 pm

Free parking available on the street after 6 pm

Please register by emailing doug@practicalwellbeing.ca or call 403-998-7213

Each session will be 2 hours long and is designed to accomplish the following.  You will learn:

• 3 mindfulness practices
• receive free guided mindfulness meditaitons in mp3 format
• review that content and major learning outcomes of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction
• how mindfulness works
• some suggestions on how to apply mindfulness in your life

Registration is limited to 15 people per session.

Please let anyone you know who would be interested in Getting Control of Their Stress:

 When: Wednesday, March 14, 2012 or March 21, 2012

Time: 6:15 pm to 8:15 pm

Location: Livebreatheyoga, 703 6th Avenue SW (Lower level)

Free parking available on the street after 6 pm

Please register by emailing doug@practicalwellbeing.ca or call 403-998-7213

This is a 3 hour workshop.

You will learn and receive:

• 3 mindful meditation practices
• Free guided meditations on mp3
• How to apply mindful meditation at home, work, and with friends
• Detailed handout with suggested references for learning more

Date: Saturday, November 26

Time: 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm

Investment: $55 plus GST

Location: Yoga Passage, 524 11th Avenue SW

How to register: With Yoga Passage at www.yogapassage.ca or call the studio at 403-277-3058

I tried one of the exercises in his new book and I found it very powerful.  He introduces the exercise by saying that it is very easy to get caught up by habiual interior reactions when something stresses us.  These can be unpleasant like the experience of fear, worry, sadness, or pain among others.  When this type of experience surfaces it is quite common for the mind to demand that something be different.  For me, I often will have the feeling of starting to struggle inwardly as I would prefer to not have these emotions.   In my experience, the struggle only makes the experience more difficult and it can lead to the experience of ill will and aversion both internally and externally.  He argues that you need to “shine the light of mindfulness” on these dynamics if you want to find some freedom from them, rather than being caught up in the stress.

The exercise goes like this…..During a practice of meditation and when you notice either aspects of your external world or internal world, you don’t have to do anything other than to notice them and acknowledge their presence with acceptance.  You can use phrases like “it’s like this” and “yes” to help you accept that this is your experience in the moment.  For example, let’s say frustration surfaces in the meditation.  You can acknowledge it by saying to yourself “it is like this…..yes, it is here”. 

This stopping and noticing will reduce the chance you having the feeling of being caught up in the stress reaction.   Through acceptance of the reaction helps one to move through the emotion and to restore a sense of inner balance.  If any action is to be taken, you can take it later.  Try it for yourself!

The process of developing a capacity for mindfulness is one of coming to your senses.  You start by observing and concentrating on your breath, becoming aware of the sensations of breathing, and gradually widening your awareness of the experience of your activity through seeing, hearing, smelling and feeling (our senses) and our minds.  As you become aware of the present moment and the accompanying sensations, you will see that your mind will not stay on the present moment and it may repeatedly jump back to the past and/or to the future.  To come to your senses involves intentionally bringing the mind back to the present moment again and again.  This process leads you to fully experience your seeing, hearing, thoughts and feelings and opening to relaxation and well-being that is available to you now- not tomorrow or ten minutes from now-right now.

Mindfulness is a capacity and skill that can be developed through training your mind.  Meditation and gentle stretching are two effective ways to accomplish this.  Over time, as you develop the capacity to experience your senses in the present moment, you will transform your relationship to the natural world and to really see it with a sense of calmness, wisdom, and clarity.  Come to your senses through mindfulness – a way to find some balance and to enjoy the majesty and magnificence of the great outdoors.

Each session will be 2 hours long and is designed to accomplish the following.  You will learn:

• 3 mindfulness practices
• receive free guided mindfulness meditaitons in mp3 format
• review that content and major learning outcomes of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction
• how mindfulness works
• some suggestions on how to apply mindfulness in your life

Registration is limited to 15 people per session.

Please let anyone you know who would be interested in Getting Control of Their Stress:

 For the Uptown Crowd:

When: Saturday October 1, 2011

Time:10:30 am to 12:30 pm

Location: Yoga Mandala 3522A 19th Street SW in Marda Loop.

For the Downtown Crowd:

When: Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Time: 6:15 pm to 8:15 pm

Location: Livebreatheyoga, 703 6th Avenue SW (Lower level)

Free parking available on the street after 6 pm

Please register by emailing doug@practicalwellbeing.ca or call 403-998-7213

I see compassion as a development of and feeling of empathy for oneself characterized by kindness and generosity.  It is all too easy to bring strong  judgments to the class based on past conditioning and out of an expectation to be able to perform to one’s expectations.

Some of the ways in which I promote the compassion of practice include queing the yoga students to be mindful of their attitude as they practice and to pay attention if judgments surface about themselves or the class.  When judgments surface, let go or let be and notice that the judgments often promote stress and discomfort.  This may not be easy as often judgment arise spontaneously and often they can occur with our full awareness.

At the same time, encourage practicing the asanas out of sense of inner balance.  By practicing with mindfulness, the yoga student can learn when they are working “too hard” and it might not be necessary.

Another assist is to have a brief talk at the beginning of the class about letting go of expectations over the class time.  This serves the purpose of bringing these kinds of inner dynamics to the surface before the class starts.

As I am writing, I am thinking about the poem, Wild Geese, by Mary Oliver.  This poem captures the spirit of self compassion for me.

Wild Geese

You do not have to be good.

You do not have to walk on your knees

for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.

You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.

Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.

Meanwhile the world goes on.

Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain

are moving across the landscapes,

over the prairies and the deep trees,

the mountains and the rivers.

Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,

are heading home again.

Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,

the world offers itself to your imagination,

calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting-

over and over announcing your place

in the family of things.

Mary Oliver, from New and Selected Poems

Beacon Press, 1992

Come out and enjoy a 9 session program where you get control of stress by developing a capacity for mindfulness.  The main techniques you learn include sitting meditation, mindful yoga, and body scanning.

The class runs from 10:30 am to 12:30 on September 17, 24, October 1, 15, 22, Novemeber 5, 19, and December 10th.  There is also a 6 hour retreat class on Sunday, October 23.

The group setting is small and Doug is known for setting and maintaing a comfortable climate for learning.

Learn more by going to the MBSR program page. http://practicalwellbeing.ca/calgary-meditation-yoga-classes/mindful-journey/