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Mindfulness with Rachel

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25.01.2022 To be mindful requires that we interrupt the autopilot functioning of our mind, over and over again. We all know how "addictive" phones can be, particularly with their ability to hook us up to large social networks instantly. It's estimated that the average adult is spending 2- 4 hours per day, tapping, swiping and scrolling. Approximating about 2400 phone touches per day! ... I wonder how much of this tapping and scrolling is mere habit done on autopilot? As a daily mindfulness practice, you could try checking in with yourself when you pick up your phone by asking yourself; "Do I really need to check my phone right now? " "Am I expecting something important at this time?" "Am I bored?" "Am I avoiding and looking for a distraction?" "What is my intention as I pick up my phone?" Mindful Living requires that we be aware, and that we know what we're doing and why we're doing it and that requires interrupting our auto pilot mode of mind over and over again.

25.01.2022 When walking, walk. When eating, eat. Red hot mindfulness tip right there. Sounds simple enough. However have you noticed how when we get busy or when stress begins to build, its tempting to try doing 2 things at once? Like texting and walking? Eating and reading? Which doesnt work because multi tasking is a myth. ... Yes the brain can hold a few things in working memory at once, but it only ever gives full attention to one thing at a time. So when we try to do 2 things at once, all the brain is actually doing, is switching fast between each task and neither task are done very effectively. If you feel like you need more time in the present moment, try doing just one thing at a time.

24.01.2022 Some schools are replacing detention with meditation and have had less student suspensions and higher class attendence as a result. https://www.upworthy.com/this-school-replaced-detention-wit

24.01.2022 I finished teaching another Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course last week. It was incredibly satisfying to hear what students learned and discovered along the way. Some reported how practising mindfulness:... improved their communication with colleagues, partners and children reduced reactivity in stressful moments, and created a valuable space to pause and choose their response boosted feelings of patience, kindness and compassion for themselves and others. And I have to mention how remarkable it was to witness everyone sitting for a 40 minute meditation session with ease and dare I say, joy, at the end of the course! If you've been thinking about training in mindfulness in a way that is practical, smart, thorough, and evidence based, your last opportunity to train in MBSR with me in 2019 is fast approaching. I'm teaching MBSR in two locations in October. QI YOGA, MANLY Sunday afternoons 2.00pm 4.30pm 20th October 8th December 2019 One day retreat Sunday 1st December 9.30am 4.00pm NB Week 7 class will occur on Saturday 30th Nov due to retreat day on Sunday 1st Dec. ZEN COLLECTIVE, BROOKVALE (for Openground) Monday evenings 6.30pm 9.00pm 21st October 9th December 2019 One day retreat Sunday 1st December 9.30am 4.00pm If you'd like to know more about the content of MBSR, message me and I'll send you a DETAILED COURSE OUTLINE. Or we can arrange to have a chat to work out if the course is right for you.

24.01.2022 Feel your body, take a breath, notice your senses, thoughts and feelings. Then with awareness you might try that irksome task again. #mindfulness #meditation #stress #anxiety #selfcare #positivepsychology #selfdevelopment #meditate #calm #mindfulliving #mind

22.01.2022 When we have thoughts like the way you handled that was terrible, or worse, you sounded like an idiot when.. , our ancient reptilian brain perceives these self-critical, judgemental thoughts as a threat to its existence, and responds by activating the threat defence system, aka the stress response. Once were down the path of self-criticism and the stress response has been activated, we may flee the situation by isolating our self, or we may freeze by ruminating over the... situation, or we may fight. If we fight, its a fight with our self. When we self criticise, we are both the attacker and the attacked. No wonder perpetual self-criticising can lead to a state of chronic stress and anxiety. The antidote to self-criticising and self-judgement is self-compassion. Self-compassion down regulates the stress response of the reptilian brain and activates the care response of the mammalian brain. When we practise self-compassion oxytocin and endorphins are released which help to mitigate the effects of the stress response and to encourage feelings of safety and security. Research shows that practising self-compassion helps us to widen our lens and see another perspective, rather than over identifying with our own distress. link in bio to read 3 steps to self-compassion #mindfulliving #mindful #mindfulness #meditate #selfknowledge #selfcare #selfkindness #selfcompassion #stress #anxiety #breathawareness #meditation #yogamanly

22.01.2022 Mindfulness for Better Sleep course starts soon Wed 29th May 7- 9pm Manly Yoga If you regularly get less than 7 hours of sleep per night and you're interested in learning mindfulness, think about doing this course. Because we all know even a single night of poor sleep can rob you of joy and inspiration.... Whats worse, ongoing poor sleep has serious consequences on your health, mood, brain function and performance. Theres plenty of evidence showing people who experience ongoing poor sleep are more prone to the common cold, diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. Science is close to finding causal links between poor sleep over the lifespan and the development of Alzheimers disease. Additionally, research has found the quality of your sleep has a direct impact upon learning, memory and emotional processing. Theres no denying it, sleep is the foundation of your health and wellbeing. This six week course is ideal if: You have trouble sleeping You want to improve the quality of your sleep You feel like your mind never stops You want a simple way to manage your stress You want to be more focused More info and booking details here https://www.manlyyoga.com//mindfulness-for-better-sleep-6/

22.01.2022 Sleep is so important for health and wellbeing. Incredibly science is super close to finding causal links between a lack of a sleep over the lifespan and the development of dementia and Alzheimers disease. Not getting enough sleep is serious business! ... Here's neuroscientist and author Matthew Walker with the low down. https://www.ted.com//matt_walker_sleep_is_your/transcript

21.01.2022 Hello!! I'm teaching a short and sweet 4 wk mindfulness for beginners course in Manly starting on Tuesday 30th April 7.30- 9. This course is ideal for anyone who: ... is new to mindfulness or meditation wants to learn how to be less reactive (with kids, partner or work colleagues) wants an effective, time efficient way of creating more space in their day wants a simple way to manage your stress regularly finds themselves distracted and would like to be more focused wants to manage your emotions better feels like their mind never stops has been thinking about doing my longer, more intensive 8 wk course - this course is the perfect way to try me & mindfulness out, before diving in deep in the 8 wk course. Give me a shout if you're interested, or click link in bio #meditation #meditate #mindfulness #selfcare #positivepsychology #selfdevelopment #northernbeacheslocal #manlylocal

21.01.2022 NOT SLEEPING IS NO FUN Even a single night of poor sleep can rob you of joy and inspiration. Whats worse, ongoing poor sleep has serious consequences on your health, mood, brain function and performance.... Theres plenty of evidence showing people who experience ongoing poor sleep are more prone to the common cold, diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. Science is close to finding causal links between poor sleep over the lifespan and the development of Alzheimers disease. Additionally, research has found the quality of your sleep has a direct impact upon learning, memory and emotional processing. THERES NO DENYING IT, SLEEP IS THE FOUNDATION OF YOUR HEALTH AND WELLBEING. For optimal health and performance, science recommends we sleep between 7 & 9 hours per night. Alarmingly, 12% of Australians are sleeping less than 5.5 hours night. If you dont get enough sleep or you have trouble switching off, mindfulness and meditation can help you. By training in mindfulness and meditation youll learn how to recognise nervous system arousal that prevents sound sleep and what you can do about it. Youll also learn how to work with a busy mind and how a particular sleep attitude can change everything. Read more here https://mindfulnesswithrachel.com.au//better-sleep-6-wk-co

19.01.2022 A new day, new possibilities! Just like each new breath offers the possibility of being in the present moment #meditate #meditation #mindfulness #presentmomentreminder #awareness #selfhealers #selfknowledge

17.01.2022 Please meet Louise, pictured here with her husband Colin when they were on holiday celebrating her 50th birthday. Louise is one of those remarkably resilient people who lives with an auto immune disease. A few years ago Louise began experiencing symptoms like lethargy, pain, and migraine headaches all too frequently. And so appointments with specialists and tests began.There were trials with various drugs, blood works, nerve conduction studies and MRI scans. With the possibi...lity of another neurological condition diagnosis on the horizon, Louise says she was "stressed out to the max!" This stressful period culminated in an emergency hospital visit where her blood pressure measured 149/95. One of Louise's specialists, a cardiologist, recommended lifestyle changes before new medication, he told Louise Eliminate caffeine, alcohol and chocolate, and Ill see you in a month. The cardiologist was excited Louise had also enrolled in one of my mindfulness courses. Louise says "In the MBSR course I learnt and practised recognising the present moment, and when I did this, I found that my body started feeling like a whole unit again." By practising meditation, yoga and body scans Louise began to reconnect with her body and mind and re-engaged with self- care, something that had been lacking in her life. Since doing the MBSR course, Louise has noticed how less emotionally reactive she is to situations and people she cant control. Louise also says "Taking life breath by breath, moment by moment, I I find that both my body and mind are moving more easily. I think Im onto something amazing!!have seen my blood pressure improve; a check during the MBSR course measured 125/82. The headaches have reduced their intensity and frequency. I find that both my body and mind are moving more easily. I think Im onto something amazing!!" Thanks Louise for sharing your story, may you continue to meditate and look after yourself. #autoimmunedisease #mindfulness #meditation #meditate #selfhealers #awareness #selfcare

16.01.2022 Part of the 8 week mindfulness training I teach, includes a "one day retreat", where we immerse ourselves in a day of silence and practice. The one day retreat happened yesterday on a stunning Autumn day in Sydney. I was amazed by how much more vivid life and nature became when I was present and quiet enough to notice. #mindfulness #northernbeacheslocal #meditation #awareness #selfdevelopment #meditate #presence #manlylocal

16.01.2022 A simple guide to being more mindful throughout the day, that doesnt involve meditating more. https://www.mindful.org/how-do-i-bring-more-mindfulness-in/

15.01.2022 I'm very excited by the current 25 degree ocean temperature. I love this time of year, light winds, warm water and autumn sunlight. Heaven!! #manlylocal #northernbeaches #oceanswimming #mindfulness #meditate #meditation #selfcare #mindful

13.01.2022 When we take up a meditation practice we discover all sort of things about our mind. Some of which are pleasant and some unpleasant. One of the unpleasant or potentially intriguing experiences people report, is the discovery of rather unkind voices in their head....Continue reading

11.01.2022 In this age of distraction we need to make an effort to build our attention muscle. While it's tempting to do something else, like reading or scrolling while eating, the brain actually cannot process the words you're reading and be truly alive to the sensations of taste, smell, texture, the sight of your food, the sensations of your belly, at the same time as reading. Try it; it's one or the other, not both simultaneously. ... One small way you can help strengthen your attention muscle is when eating, just eat. #mindfulness #meditation #mindfuleating #awareness #selfdevelopment #selfcare #positivepsychology #mindfulliving

11.01.2022 In the throes of insomnia, I tried everything I could to get a good nights sleep. I went mad on the problem solving, keeping a spreadsheet of every lifestyle factor and sleep hygiene rule I could think of, tracking what was helping and what was hindering a good nights sleep. I soon learnt my striving and stellar efforts, were the very obstacles preventing sleep!... The penny dropped when I learnt about the bodys natural physiological drive for sleep. You see, theres a neurotransmitter called adenosine; its job is to promote sleep and suppress nervous system arousal. From the moment you wake up, adenosine is building in your brain. The longer youve been awake, the stronger the drive is to sleep. A helpful analogy for the sleep drive is appetite. The longer its been since youve eaten, the hungrier youll be. Besides not eating, there isnt anything you can do to make yourself hungry. When I understood adenosine and the sleep drive, and how similar it was to appetite, I realised I did absolutely nothing to control my hunger. I had no concerns about my appetite and whether I ate or not. Yet there I was being a mega control freak around sleeping! Id been in a pattern of poor sleep for so long, that Id forgotten my body and brain knew how to sleep. I didnt need to do anything for it to happen. So I ditched the spreadsheet and with some help from Mindfulness based Therapy for Insomnia, I began forming a new, healthy relationship with sleep supported by cultivating mindful attitudes. The first mindful attitude was non-striving. Sleep is a natural process that unfolds in its own way, I didnt have to try to sleep. The second attitude was trust. I was able trust again in body and brains natural ability to sleep. The third attitude was self-compassion. On occasions of night time wakefulness, I found it helpful and soothing to acknowledge to myself Yes being awake and unable to sleep is a moment of suffering, everyone has moments of suffering. May my body and mind rest gently. To train in mindfulness and learn how it can help with sleep, check out my next course; Mindfulness for Better Sleep starting on Wednesday 29th May at Manly Yoga. https://mindfulnesswithrachel.com.au//better-sleep-6-wk-co

10.01.2022 The main thing, is to not to prefer another life to the one you have Tenshin Roshi We all know that having goals keeps us motivated, inspired and on a path of continual learning. However Ive also noticed that this mindset can also keep me in a somewhat stressful loop of doing, busy-ness and problem solving. ... Every now and again I find it soothing to drop into a feeling of acceptance of how my life is right now. For even just a few moments it feels good to stop wishing that things were different, and to stop wrestling with the conditions of my life. How about you? Do you get caught on the endless cycle of achieving, ticking boxes, doing and planning? How does it feel to pause for a few moments and be with your life as it is right now?

09.01.2022 Sleep disturbance or insomnia is characterised by difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep or early morning awakenings. If you often find yourself waking up at 2am or 3am, try these sequential steps to mindfully work with wakefulness and to naturally and effortlessly fall back to sleep. 1. The so what factor If youve experienced ongoing sleep disturbance or insomnia, the mere act of waking up in the middle of the night can immediately trigger anxiety. Especiall...Continue reading

08.01.2022 BLOG - Mindfulness to hardwire more peace and happiness Your current state of mind is a result of your accumulated lived experiences. Life experiences shape your brain, which then molds your mind. Mostly this is an unconscious process known as implicit memory.... Implicit memories form the roots of our perception, our expectations, our emotional world, and influence how we are in relationship with others. The thing to be aware of, is that the brain has a default setting known as the negativity bias. Its an evolutionary design feature thats allowed our species to survive for so long. The brain is constantly scanning for threat and danger to either our physical body or our sense of self, and stores unpleasant experiences in memory very quickly. The brain is literally wired for negativity. For instance, have you noticed how when receiving feedback, your mind tends to hold onto the one criticism and the positive feedback seems to fall away? This is the negativity bias in action. The good news is that with mindful effort you can override the negativity bias of the brain. Im not talking about activating a mental state such as think positive. Avoiding or suppressing negative experiences is not the answer either. Instead, we need to encode and install positive experience into the brains memory system over and over again. Neuropsychologist and meditation teacher Dr Rick Hanson teaches a very specific way to do this, a technique he calls taking in the good. Click link to read how its done (230 more words) https://mindfulnesswithrachel.com.au//mindfulness-to-hardw Or read on in comment below!

07.01.2022 The team at ABC Catalyst documented the journey of 10 people participating in an intensive 8 week Mindfulness Program (MBSR) taught by Timothea Goddard of Openground and the Mindfulness Training Institute. It airs tonight, Tuesday 19th Feb at 8.30pm. I'll be watching it later on iview because I'll be teaching the first night of a new MBSR course at Manly Yoga tonight. (which I'm very excited about!)... https://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/4949516.htm

07.01.2022 Ive just returned from a rejuvenating stay at a place called Permanent Camping near Mudgee. It was a remote location where youre guaranteed not to see another human! All the eye can see is rolling hills, lots of trees, kangaroos, wallabies, birds, and the occasional wild pig. The sunsets were stunning and the night sky was jam packed with stars, with the milky way clearly visible, arching unbroken from one horizon to another. The accommodation was an architect designed towe...r that works with the elements of nature to let the outside in. I would climb down from the bedroom loft in the morning and behold near 360 degree views of nature shining in soft winter morning sunlight. It felt luxurious to be close to nature, yet sitting inside next to a warm, cosy fire. The tower was without electricity and modern conveniences, however we wanted for nothing. I was surprised by how satisfying it was to be engaged in simple tasks like heating water on the fire place so that I could wash the dishes after lunch. My partner Eric delighted in grinding his own coffee beans with a hand held mini coffee grinder each morning. The simplicity and lack of convenience brought an unexpected intentionality to all that we did. While Im grateful for modern conveniences like my washing machine and hot water from a tap and would not want to change that for more simplicity in my life. (There are other ways to cultivate simplicity!) I was intrigued by how such simple living effortlessly escorted my mind out of its habitual autopilot and encouraged a more awake and aware state of mind. I hope youre well and finding your own ways to restore, rejuvenate and live with an awake, aware mind. Warmest wishes Rachel

05.01.2022 The more I practice mindfulness and meditation, the more I think of it as a way of caring for myself and of soothing my own distress. I think I'm noticing distress arising sooner and can intervene earlier. The intervention usually involves finding a space that is long enough to enable some choice as to how I'll respond, rather than acting on autopilot or getting stuck in habitual reactivity.

04.01.2022 Look at this, New York Times recommends people meditate everyday https://www.nytimes.com//09/opin/meditation-internet.html

04.01.2022 Do you know about Insight Timer? It's a free meditation app containing 1000's of guided meditations. I use the timer everyday for my meditation practice, sometimes I'll use one of their guided practices. The snap is a screenshot of my favourite bookmarked practices available on https://insighttimer.com/

03.01.2022 When it comes to our sense of well being, we have something called a set point for happiness. The set point for happiness is a psychological term that describes our general level of happiness and is based on our genetics and conditioning. And while our mood be altered by a major life event such as the death of a loved one or winning the lottery, it's largely assumed that we always return to our usual set point for happiness.... However, research has shown that mindfulness meditation practice can permanently alter ones underlying level of happiness for the better, after just 8 weeks of practice. How good is that? (The actual research for anyone keen; Davidson, R. J., & Kabat-Zinn, J. (2004). Alterations in brain any immune function produced by mindfulness meditation: Three caveats Psychosomatic Medicine, 66(1), 149152.)

03.01.2022 What a liberating idea! Instead of rigidly holding attention on one object what if we could simply watch how indeed attention moves from one thing to another? It's all about the watching, the observing, and the development of a spacious awareness.

03.01.2022 BLOG: 3 WAYS MINDFULNESS HELPS YOU SLEEP BETTER (2 minute read) 1. Mindfulness helps alleviate stress and hyper arousal... Poor sleep is often due to stress and nervous system arousal. When your nervous system is in a hyper aroused state, you can feel irritable, have trouble concentrating, your muscles get tight, you can be jumpy and easily startled, and there is often a sense of being vigilant. Mindfulness teaches you how to be less reactive in stressful situations, which reduces the physiological and psychological symptoms of stress. By training in mindfulness you also become more attuned to the sensations of the body, so that you can recognise the physical symptoms of nervous system arousal early on and intervene well before bedtime. 2. Mindfulness teaches you how to get out of the trance of over-thinking You may have noticed when there is something difficult happening in your life, there is a tendency to think about it over and over? As if thinking about the difficulty just one more time is going to provide a magical solution? What actually happens though, is the excessive thinking keeps you in a loop of stressful reactivity. Where stressful thoughts perpetuate unpleasant emotions and physical tension in the body. Mindfulness teaches ways of interrupting excessive thinking and teaches ways of changing the relationship we have with thinking. Changing thoughts is challenging, but changing the way we relate to thinking and thoughts is very workable with mindfulness training. 3. Mindfulness offers skilful ways of managing sleeplessness Its quite natural to have a night of little sleep every now and again. It happens to everyone for one reason or another. Mindfulness offers a number of adaptive ways we can manage night time wakefulness that doesnt create more anxiety and more stress. For example if awake during the night, rather than thinking unhelpful thoughts such as If I dont get so many hours of sleep, Im going to feel terrible tomorrow. How will I ever function? you can do a mindfulness practice. By doing a mindfulness practice, it allows you to redirect attention away from the unhelpful, anxiety producing thoughts and to turn toward the sensations of the body and the breath which are much more soothing and restful for the mind. The other way mindfulness can help you manage sleeplessness is with your attitude and relationship to sleep. While we may not be able to quickly change our night-time alertness, we can cultivate attitudes that bring some peace to the situation. Attitudes such as letting go, acceptance, patience and self-compassion. Strangely enough, the more we can accept our dead of the night wakefulness, the more likely it is for sleep to unfold. To train in mindfulness and to improve your sleep, check out my 6 wk Mindfulness for Better Sleep course. Starts Wednesday 29th May 2019 7 - 9pm. https://mindfulnesswithrachel.com.au//better-sleep-6-wk-co

02.01.2022 Hi there! My next 8 wk Mindfulness course (MBSR) starts soon Tuesday 19th Feb 6.30 - 9.00pm Retreat Day Sun 31st Mar... Let me know if you're interested, I'm happy to have a chat or answer any questions you may have. More Course Details here https://mailchi.mp/84bf1f6eea57/course-outline

02.01.2022 Psychology lecturer Nicholas T. Van Dam from the University of Melbourne, says mindfulness is not any of these 4 common misconceptions https://theconversation.com/we-dont-yet-fully-understand-wh