Mindful Moments with Thai Mama Dr. Lena Adams Kim

If you do the math, for you to be here today, there had to have been more than 4000 ancestors to stand before you. Enjoy this unique standing meditation designed to bring awareness to your connection to the past, where your ancestors have given you both gifts and burdens to carry.

Are you burdened by the memory of someone who has wronged you in the past, and continue to harbor negative feelings about them and perhaps their impact on your life? Thich Nhat Hanh said if in our heart, we still cling to anything- anger, anxiety, hurt, blame- we cannot be free. Forgiveness, like many other practices, develops its power in us through repetition. By repeating this powerful meditation, we can practice forgiveness many times, with often the same situation, unlocking a different dimension of understanding and acceptance. The understanding that comes with forgiveness is the true meaning of freedom- free to be fully present, without holding onto the past.

When I was first trying to understand what mindfulness was, I thought of it as being “behind my eyes.” When I got pulled into thinking, and not being in the present moment, imagining that I was behind my eyes helped me get back to the raw data and sensations of the moment.

Waiting is an unavoidable fact of life. When we are waiting, in traffic, at the DMV, or for our food to arrive, we often feel impatient and frustrated. Rather than training our bodies and minds to feel dissatisfaction in periods of waiting, try using these moments of waiting as mini-opportunities to practice mindfulness.

This practice comes from my training with trauma therapists and chaplains in hospice and bereavement work. In moments of high, anxiety or panic, the client is often encouraged to bring awareness to their feet. This simple, grounding practice help Cengage, the parasympathetic nervous system, responsible for coming to mind and body.

Moments of clarity and calm are as close as your next breath. Mindfulness of breathing is one of the oldest meditation practices, and because of it simplicity, this type of meditation is referred to as a serenity practice. Help keep your mind on your breath by taking away the worry of how long your practice might be going! The only requirement for this practice is your breath and access to a phone or kitchen timer!