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Cultivating Gratitude: A One Month Mindfulness Challenge

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For this month’s mindfulness challenge, gratitude seemed like an especially appropriate intention. Focusing on gratitude can be beneficial in SO many ways and I am really looking forward to spending on it during the one month challenge. There are too many benefits of gratitude to put in a short list, so I will highlight a few.

Benefits of a Gratitude Practice

  • Practicing gratitude can help us feel happier. Focusing on the positive is simple but can create a more optimistic mindset and increase overall long-term happiness.  As an added bonus, this can also help boost our self-esteem and reduce stress.
  • Gratitude can also help our relationships.  When we are grateful for others, it helps us to connect to them in a positive way, cultivate friendships and increase social support.  

How to Begin a Gratitude Practice

I find it best to focus on an intention using easy, effective and enjoyable action items. For this month, I have three simple action items, including a movement of the month.

Movement of the Month: 

  • Take a gratitude walk. A gratitude walk is a great way to clear the mind and shift to a mindset of gratitude. This can be done anywhere for any amount of time. While walking, be aware of your surroundings – notice what you see, hear, smell and feel as you walk.  Next, be aware of what you have NOT been noticing – maybe some beautiful flowers, the color of the sky, the smell of fresh air,  the warmth of the sun or a cooling breeze.  Allow the walk to help foster feelings of both gratitude and joy for the world around us, even the tiny details that we may not notice otherwise.

Other Action Items:

  • Keep a gratitude journal. Once a day, take a moment to write down some things that you are thankful for in a journal.  This does not need to be very detailed; a simple sentence or a few bullet points are plenty to bring awareness to what we are grateful for. A gratitude journal is also a great resource to have on hand to lift your spirits when needed; sometimes it is really nice to flip through a read past entries when you need a quick pick-me-up. (You can also use your journal to jot down anything that you notice during your gratitude walk!)
  • Send a thank you note.  Think of someone who you appreciate or has recently done something kind for you and mail them a thank you note!  Taking a moment to write a note of gratitude is quick and simple but can be really meaningful. It is easy to have the intention of saying thank you and never getting to it, but it feels so good to be mindful and focus on gratitude while writing the note.  If you don’t have any notecards, you can certainly send a nice text or email, but it is nice to have a set of thank you notes on hand so they are at the ready when you need one!

Quotes on Gratitude

I love having some inspiration on hand when needed, so I usually prep for a new month with some relevant quotes. These are a great pick-me-up when I need to shift my mindset. I keep them handy in my phone or sometimes on some post it notes in places where they will be viewed frequently. Here are a few of my favorites regarding gratitude:

  • “Walking is man’s best medicine.” – Hippocrates
  • “Appreciation is a wonderful thing.  It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.” – Voltaire
  • “When eating fruit, remember the one who planted the tree.” – Vietnamese proverb
  • “I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” – G.K. Chesterton

Lastly, here is a quick video regarding this month’s intention:

Thank you so much for joining on this challenge – I hope you have a wonderful month full of gratitude!

One Month Mindfulness Challenge: Connecting with Nature

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A new month means a new mindfulness challenge and this month we are focusing on connecting with nature. Spending time in nature always recharges me, so I am really looking forward to focusing more on this intention for four weeks!

Benefits of Connecting with Nature

To kick off all of the challenges, I like to highlight a few benefits of our intention for the month. The list of the benefits of connecting to nature could be pages and pages long (there are tons of articles and books on the topic, which shows how important it is to us!), but I will just highlight a few:

  • Appreciating nature can help us to relax (even our eye muscles have more opportunity to relax when we are outdoors!)
  • Spending time in nature gives us a mental break from the rest of our day to help clear our minds (literally stopping to smell the roses!)
  • Moving outdoors provides lots of opportunities to move in varied ways such as squatting, climbing and walking over textured terrain.

Action Items

Every challenge needs some action items and this is no exception. However, I always choose tasks that are both easy and effective, so this challenge will be simple to accomplish! For this month’s challenge, we have three action items:

  • Grow something – It can be something as simple as a potted plant or herb.  For example, I love having fresh herbs growing in my kitchen year round and on my deck in the warmer months. Every spring, I am thrilled to see my daffodils emerge towards the end of the winter and I still really can’t believe that the bulbs I planted in the ground actually grew to be something so beautiful. I really don’t know what I am doing, but thanks to the miracle of nature, it works! 
  • Take a regular walk outside – Walking outdoors is SO. GOOD. FOR. US. It is such a natural form of movement and requires no special equipment or planning.  Set a goal that works for you, even if it is just a few minutes a few times a week. I also have a Walking Well video series to keep us moving.
  • Look & Listen – Take a few minutes to just listen and observe nature.  For one minute, only focus on what you can hear – birds, wind, rain, or whatever is around you.  For the next minute, focus on what you can see, including the farthest thing you can see.  This helps not only to relax our mind but even the muscles in our eyes – unlike when we are indoors, our eyes have the opportunity to look far away when we are outside.  Try to do this practice daily, even if it is just for two minutes – you can also do this during your walk if you want to be really efficient with your time!  I also have a nature meditation video that I made for some inspiration.
Walking Well Video Series
Nature Meditation

Quotes and Reading Inspiration

Lastly, we have some quotes and a book list to keep us inspired all month long! I find it helpful to write the quotes on post-it notes or add to my phone to remind me of my intention for the month. Here are a few of my favorites on this topic:

  • Rembrandt – “Choose only one master – nature.”
  • Thoreau – “There are moments when all anxiety and stated toil are becalmed in the infinite leisure and repose of nature.”
  • Aristotle – “In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.”
  • Laura Ingalls Wilder – “If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere.”
  • Emerson – “Nature always wears the colors of the spirit.”
  • Monty Don – “I always see gardening as an escape, as peace really. If you are angry or troubled, nothing provides the same solace as nurturing the soil.”

I am an avid reader, so I am constantly on the search for books that relate to our monthly intention. Here are three favorites to help us with our action items this month.

  • The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs by Tristan Gooley
  • Movement Matters by Katy Bowman (one of my absolute favorite books!)
  • The Container Gardener’s Bible by Joanne K. Harrison and Miranda Smith

To conclude, here is a short video “chat” regarding this monthly challenge to get us started. I look forward to a month of connecting nature!

Monthly Mindfulness Video Chat

Staying Active while Staying Home

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While it may seem like a paradox to use the phrases “staying active” and “staying home” together, I assure you that they can co-exist and you can stay active at home! Yes, life can be so busy and stressful that making time to be active or exercise may feel impossible. However, I have one easy and essential tip to follow that will make it simple to achieve: take short but frequent movement breaks.

What is a movement break?

A movement break is any active movement that we perform while taking a break from our work or other daily tasks. It can consist of formal exercises, but it can also be as simple as taking a short walk or walking up and down the stairs a few times. A favorite movement break at my house is to just put on some fun music and dance!

Here is another movement break that I like to do for balance (it only takes a few minutes and does not require any exercise equipment!)

How long is a movement break?

A movement break can last for any amount of time that we can be active. It can be as short as one minute – we can all find sixty seconds to move! Any amount of time is beneficial, so we do not have to wait until we have a large block of free time. If that large block of free time never appears in our schedule, we can still feel good knowing that we took a few shorter breaks.

In fact, even if we have already found a longer time slot to exercise every day, it is still so important to take movement breaks throughout the day. For example, a 3 mile walk or run every morning is a long stretch of activity; however, it does not mean that we should spend the rest of our day sitting at a computer. Whether or not we already have a longer workout in our schedule, we still need periodic movement breaks.

This is another short sequence that I often do to focus on the muscles of the core and hips:

What are the benefits of a movement break?

Depending on the type of movement we are doing, a movement break can help us with strength, flexibility, balance and/or cardiovascular fitness. In addition, any break in our day can help us to reduce stress, improve circulation and increase our ability to focus. These benefits not only help us with our health and wellness, but they also help us to perform the other tasks on our to-do list more efficiently (I love a task that helps us accomplish more than one goal!)

Here is another of my favorite movement breaks to be more active at home:

We can gain so much benefit from moving more often in a way that is simple and easy. There is no need to wait until we have a lot of time or are ready for an intense workout. Whenever we have time for a small break, we can sneak in some extra movement in a way that works for us – it is something we can feel better about immediately.

I am so thankful for this online community where we can inspire each other to move more and live mindfully. And now, after typing this post, I am ready for a movement break! 🙂

Loving Kindness Meditation

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One of the first meditations that I ever learned was the Loving Kindness Meditation. That was about twenty years ago and it still remains one of my favorites for so many reasons.

Reasons to Practice The Loving Kindness Meditation

There are many variations of the loving kindness meditation, but they all involve sending kind intentions to both yourself and others.  Through meditations such as this one, we can begin to train our mind while focusing on love and kindness for ourselves and others.

It is so important to include both ourselves and others in this meditation. When we have love and compassion for ourselves, we can better offer it to others as well.  Conversely, when we show love and compassion to others, we benefit as well because it results in us having more positive feelings. So we are really all connected in this circle of loving kindness! When we give lovingkindness to others, we feel better and when we feel better, we give others more lovingkindness, so it comes full circle. This reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from Rumi, “When we practice loving kindness and compassion we are the first ones to profit.”

A Guided Loving Kindness Meditation

Guided meditation can be a simple way to stay mindful and focused since someone is walking you through the practice. If you are new to mediation, this is also a great way to get started. Here is a video to guide you through the loving kindness meditation:

How to Practice the Loving Kindness Meditation

Begin this meditation by finding any comfortable position.  Close your eyes, notice your breath and focus on taking deep, healthy breaths.  As you calm your mind and body, take a moment to thank yourself for taking time for this meditation. Allow yourself to begin to feel more and more relaxed.

  • For the first part of our meditation, you will send loving kindness to yourself.  Begin by saying the words, “May I be well.  May I be happy.  May I be peaceful.”  Keep repeating these words, either out loud or in your mind, for the next minute.  If your mind starts to wander, just bring your attention back to the words of this meditation.
  • Next, think of someone that you love. Picture that person clearly in your mind and repeat the words, “May you be well.  May you be happy. May you be peaceful.”  Continue to picture this person and repeat the words of this meditation for the next minute.  If you find you are beginning to repeat these words mindlessly, just re-focus on the person that you love as you repeat these words and take your time to say or think each word.
  • Now, think of someone you don’t know very well, such as a neighbor or co-worker.  Picture this person as you either think or say, “May you be well.  May you be happy. May you be peaceful.” Continue to repeat these words for the next minute as you picture this person in your mind.
  • For the next part of the meditation, think of someone that you don’t like.  Picture this person as you again repeat the words of the mediation, “May you be well.  May you be happy.  May you be peaceful.” For the next minute, continue to repeat these words, either aloud or in your thoughts, while picturing this person.  Again, take your time to say or think each word as you picture this person in your mind.
  • Lastly, think of everyone in the entire world – people you love, strangers, neighbors, people you see every day and people you will never meet.  With the whole world in mind, repeat “May we all be well.  May we all be happy.  May we all be peaceful.”  Once again, continue to repeat the words of this meditation slowly and mindfully for one minute.
  •  As you come to the end of your meditation, remain in a comfortable position and continue to take deep, relaxing breaths.  Picture yourself surrounded by the energy of all of the loving kindness from this meditation.  When you are ready, slowly open your eyes. 

When to Practice This Meditation

Meditation can be practiced daily or whenever it works for your schedule. In the guided meditation above, I kept each section to one minute, though you could certainly make it longer if time allows. As I mentioned above, this has been one of my favorite meditations for the past twenty years – it is withstood the test of time for me! No matter how busy or stressed I feel before this practice, I feel better afterwards 100% of the time.

If you are following along with our Monthly Mindfulness Challenge, this mediation is included in the February challenge in the spirit of St. Valentine’s Day; however, it is appropriate for any time of year. If you are interested in the Monthly Mindfulness Challenge (I hope you join in!), you can find more information here: https://mindfulmovementmindfulliving.com/a-monthly-mindfulness-challenge/

As Mother Teresa once said, “Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.”  Likewise, the Loving Kindness Meditation is short and and easy, but its benefits can have a ripple effect for both yourself and others.

Valentine’s Music Playlist

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A Valentine’s music playlist is such a fun way to celebrate this week. I love music and am almost always listening to music, whether I am exercising, teaching movement classes, at home, or in the car.

Music for Movement and Mindfulness

Music is not only fun, but an effective tool to help us move more. When I am sluggish, an energizing and uplifting song can convince me to get moving or head out for a walk. If I only have a few minutes for a movement break, I can easily set a time limit of one or two songs before getting back to my task. My children love a dance break, and so do I!

On the other hand, music can help us to wind down when we need to relax and restore. Some calm and peaceful music is a useful tool to help me slow down and clear my mind when I would otherwise burn myself out. When music is part of our environment, we have an easy way to set the tone for our day and switch gears if needed.

Music for Valentine’s Day

Here is a quick chat about my thoughts on music and Valentine’s Day:

Valentine’s Day Playlist

If you are following along in our Monthly Mindfulness Challenge for February, our focus for this month is loving kindness, which is perfect for Valentine’s Day. This playlist is full of songs about love so it can help us focus on our intention in an enjoyable way. You can also send it to a friend for a quick (and fun!) act of kindness.

For more on the February Mindfulness Challenge, here is the video announcement for this month:

February Mindfulness Challenge

My Valentine’s music playlist is so much fun to put together every year. I appreciate variety and acknowledge that everyone has different preferences, so I included music from several decades a genres. If you have some favorite songs, I would love to hear from you, too!

Happy Valentine’s Day – I am wishing you lots of fun and loving kindness this week!