Listen To This First Laura Rice-Oeschger

Listen To This First is my offering for anyone who may enjoy simple, uncomplicated and brief guided meditations & discussions for stress resilience. Professionally, I am a clinical social worker, a mindfulness meditation teacher and someone who cares deeply about people having access to what they need for their sense of wellbeing. I started this podcast in response to requests from friends, colleagues, caregivers and my own children (both teenagers) during the rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic. No one has been untouched by the impact and, if we are among the fortunate, we are simply being asked to remain home and maintain (physical) social distance. I am presently well and humbled to have something to offer which may be helpful for those (including myself) who are experiencing waves of anxiety and other challenging feelings. I have a long time personal mediation practice and I suspect this keeps me sane. While I'll never be certain how I would function without this practice, I do know mindfulness & mindfulness meditation help me stay healthier, kinder and more responsive to life and the people around me. I like to assume we are all doing the best we can. So, maybe listen to this first and see what you notice. If my voice and any of my experiences, or the experiences of others I talk with & interview, help guide you to a closer, calmer and more compassionate experience of yourself and life in the moment, well... that would be terrific.
Together, we will get better at this. Life. Being human.
And for me, how to podcast.
Thank you for your trust. ~Laura

This episode opens with a brief discussion of the reasons mindfulness mediation often begins with the breath & includes a 3-minute meditation.

Join me for a brief check-in with my friend, Michelle Barclay, who shares what is helping her stay calm and connected during the current quarantine. I add a few thoughts about gratitude practice, followed by a guided gratitude meditation.
Michelle is a mindfulness meditation teacher and a nationally recognized dementia care expert. She is also the Co-founder and President of the Barclay Consulting group (and a certified Yoga instructor). I met Michelle in September of 2000 when we were both working for the Alzheimer's Association in Los Angeles, CA. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband, Terry and their two cats JJ & Jitters.

Body Scan Prep: (0:00)
Meditation: (6:40)

This episode is an introduction to the body scan. This is a mindfulness practice which focuses on present moment body sensations as an anchor of attention. The body scan is another way to cultivate greater awareness and calm. We are so often living (mostly) in our heads and not paying much attention to our body throughout the day. This practice can be a helpful way to thoughtfully and intentionally practice formal meditation while checking-in with what is actually happening in our body in the moment, non-judgmentally. There are many wonderful ways to engage the body and release tension and this is just one. This is quite different from progressive relaxation or muscle-tightening/ releasing and other body focused practices. This practice of awareness explores what is actually happening rather than trying to force something else happen. It's a gentle, guided practice and one which helps to foster conditions for creating a calm, receptive or even relaxing experience, rather than trying to "make" oneself relax. Try it out a few times and see what you notice. Many people find it enormously helpful before falling asleep or when they need a break.

In this episode I "sit down with" my friend and colleague, Claire Weiner, LMSW. We discuss anxiety and she guides us through a simple, practical & transformative practice for being with difficult moments when they arise: The Three Minute Breathing Space. You can do this anywhere and as often as you like. Cut yourself some slack and take a few minutes to learn or revisit this practice that only takes... well...three minutes.

**there are some minor audio disturbances due to the phone connection and feedback in this episode. I am hopeful this will not disrupt your listening experience too much. Thank for your patience as I figure out the nuances of production. ~Laura