Try Mindfulness to Boost Your Mental and Physical Health

Living through a worldwide pandemic over the past several years has been incredibly challenging. The impact of fear, stress, and uncertainty that we experienced has taken a toll on our mental and physical health, as seen by the record-high rates of depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, and stress-related illnesses in our country.

Now, we find ourselves living in a “new” normal. We feel less in control, more uncertainty, and a greater sense of imbalance in our lives as we adjust to thisnew way of being. To add to those challenges, we live in a time of constant distraction, where technology has become an essential part of our daily lives and is designed to pull our attention away from being where we are. As a result, people are finding it more and more difficult to quiet their minds, focus their attention, be present, and relax. 

As the new year begins, this is the perfect time to take action and create new habits to improve your health and well-being. Emerging research shows that exercising your mind is the newest frontier in health and wellness. Large-scale studies have shown that one powerful and effective way to improve your mental and physical health is by practicing mindfulness. There are many benefits of mindfulness practice which include:

• Decreased stress and anxiety
• Improved sleep
• Boosted immune system response
• Lowered blood pressure
• Lessened feelings of depression
• Lowering emotional reactivity
• Boosted resilience 
• Increased happiness

Mindfulness and meditation also provide a wonderful refuge from the busyness of life. The deeper gift of mindfulness and meditation is helping you live your life fully, authentically, and with greater ease.

What is Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a powerful way to journey through life. It is an unlearning of the unhealthy mental habits of reactivity, busyness, and constant distraction that result in stress, fatigue, and anxiety. Mindfulness is learning to purposefully pay attention to the present moment and to what is happening right now by embracing thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations with openness and acceptance. In learning to be more present, you no longer miss all the good stuff that is actually happening because you are too busy focusing on or worrying about what is not actually happening right now. You are training your brain to find more joy in everyday moments and learning to navigate difficult moments with greater ease and resilience.

 How To Get Started

The best part about mindfulness is that it can be done anytime, anywhere, by anyone. There are easy and accessible ways to get started in your life right now. Experts agree that the best way to start and maintain a mindfulness practice is to find a skilled and experienced teacher, learn with a supportive community, create strategies to keep you motivated and set your intention to stick with it. The great news is that the new meditation studio, Pause to be Present, in Scarsdale offers you all of these things and more! 

One tool that we teach at Pause to be Present is to start small and build the habit of mindfulness over time. Task stacking is another strategy that helps you maintain a new habit by adding the new habit onto another task you are already doing. For example, when brushing your teeth each morning, you can choose to make this your mindfulness practice by fully experiencing brushing your teeth, instead of thinking of everything other than how it feels to brush your teeth. In doing so, you are purposefully placing your attention in the present moment, and training your brain to focus. Simply picking one activity that you do each day, and doing it with your full attention, is one of many easy ways to begin your mindfulness practice right now. 

Feel the Benefits Right Away

The good news is you can start to feel the benefits right away. Although the simple exercise of being fully present for more moments of your day may seem inconsequential, the effects can be profound. For example, drinking your morning coffee with your full attention and without distractions can boost your focus, add a few moments of quiet and calm to your day, and bring you pleasure, joy, and gratitude - all from that one little cup of coffee. The most important part is actually pausing to be present long enough to feel those benefits. 

Pause to be Present - Your Mindfulness Community

Pause to be Present offers virtual and in person classes and workshops, to help you experience the incredible benefits of living a more mindful life! We have daily online guided meditations with expert teachers and an on-demand meditation library so you can practice on your own, anytime, anywhere. 

Interested in getting started? Join us for our popular introductory 6-week course, Foundations of Mindfulness, starting Tuesday, January 17th, in our Scarsdale studio or live online. This course will teach you everything you need to know to get started, as well as walk you through practices week by week. We are also kicking off a February Mindfulness Challenge. By signing up for this 28-day mindfulness challenge, you will receive one email in your inbox each day with a guided meditation or mindfulness practice to help you establish your practice. Our Mindful Parenting series will help you bring more calm into your home and more joy into your parenting. And, our Bringing Nature In will help you enjoy the healing power of nature even during these long winter months. Or, you can simply join us for our in-person Press Pause class in our Scarsdale studio to experience all the benefits of mindfulness with the guidance of our expert teachers. 

We hope you will join us virtually or in person. We know that this practice can transform your life in so many positive ways! For more information about all of our offerings, go to www.pausetobepresent.com or contact us at i[email protected].