A Nature Poem

Friday, January 29, 2016

Would You Rather
I’d rather trip over spindly tree roots
than a box on a concrete floor.
One more reverent and warm
than the parched other.
The birds and pinecones soften the fall
instead of the plastic wrapped around a
ceramic statue that signifies
the profitable violation of a holiday.
The same sky holds them in place,
but the difference is between
tender or tethered.
When crackling twigs break my fall,
when I’ve finally gained my footing on the
tangled outcropping in fertile soil,
I still leave unguarded.
I still leave with an unbroken spirit.


1 Minute Work Meditations

Thursday, January 28, 2016

Hey Guys, I am jumping into the world of YouTube videos right now, and I'd love to have you check it out and tell me what you think!


So, I came up with two one-minute exercises that you can practice at work. They seem really simple and shruggable.

But.

Let me give you the lowdown on the profound, far-reaching benefits of mindfulness meditation:

  1. Addresses muscle imbalances (that you might not even realize you have): I specifically designed these exercises to stretch the chest and work the back and combat that hunched upper crossed syndrome that desk workers usually have. Here's a really good article if you'd like to read more about this chest/back imbalance.
  2. Oxygenate: deep breathing exercises increase blood oxygen levels. If people with asthma can benefit from deep breathing, then that's really saying something.
  3. Energize: at the same time as your blood oxygen is rising, your energy is increasing, but it's a calm energy, not a frenzied one.
  4. Anti-anxiety: I have struggled with anxiety-related issues and one thing that kept coming up for potential treatment options was mindfulness meditation. I thought, huh, what's that gonna do? Then, I saw it over and over and over, and with my arms crossed, I thought "fine, I'll try it." Turns out, it's a pretty darn effective treatment, especially for OCD. It lowers your threshold for anxiety, provides an alternative to rumination, dampens fight-or-flight mode, and keeps your body in a much more relaxed state on a regular basis. The root of anxiety often is bad thoughts (something's wrong with me, I'm not good enough, etc) that have too much power, and mindfulness meditation reduces that power. But you don't have to have an anxiety disorder to benefit as it reduces stress and frenzied thoughts.
  5. Increased work productivity. Seriously, a regular meditation practice can restructure your brain! Don't believe me? Read this. Benefits listed in the article also include improved attention, reduced stress, more compassion, and on and on. These mind-clearing exercises should be boss-approved.
Do you get the idea? I could go on... Meditation might sound new-agey, but it's becoming more mainstream, and for good reason. If you're still not sold, here are 100 Benefits of Meditation. If that doesn't convince you, I don't know what will.

There's no reason you can't reap some of these benefits in one minute! However, you'll get a more profound effect if you practice longer, regular meditation.

Here are my brand-new videos. I would appreciate it if you'd ever so kindly check them out, subscribe to my channel and/or leave a comment and let me know what you think.