Mastermind Meditate

Have you been behind a screen all day? Time for a brain break! 🧠

If you don't have time in your schedule to leave your desk for a more formal meditation, try this quick break to recenter at your desk:

➡️ Focus your gaze and start by taking a few deep breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth.

➡️ Take a body scan. Start at your toes noticing any tightness, lightness, pressure, openness, tension. lack of sensation, etc.

➡️ Work your way up slowly to the crown of your head.

Tag a friend you think might enjoy this brain break! ❤️

Join us tonight for Mindfulness in the Park! This is a free event from 5:30-7:00pm. If you have any questions, send us a message or comment below. 👇 See you there!

Did you know mindfulness can reduce subconscious bias? We are just as excited as you about this! This practice is able to dig deep into people's mind and tap into their subconcious. A study was conducted that showed participants that listened to a lovingkindness meditation had less implicit race and age bias.

If you are unfamiliar, a lovingkindness meditation is focusing benevolent and loving enery towards yourself an others. Through using a series of phrases or mantras, you're able to soften the heart and mind and go deeper and deeper into the feeling of kindness and pure love.

If you are feeling eager to try a mindfulness meditation like lovingkindness but need a place to start, we have a free resource library to help you get started! www.mastermindmeditate.com/freelibrary

Read more on the study: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1948550614559651 https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_mindfulness_can_defeat_racial_bias
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We are so excited to partner with on their annual Mindfulness in the Park event to commemorate Mental Illness Awareness Week.

This week is marked by community education efforts across all 50 states in the US, to raise awareness that mental illnesses are treatable medical conditions and that there is help and hope for children and adults who struggle with mental illness.

At Mastermind Meditate we know that just a few moments of mindfulness daily can literally change the makeup of your brain, which is why we are so happy to lead this mindfulness session!

Join us Oct 4th from 5:30-7pm at Klyde Warren Park! DM is for more details.

Have you ever been on a walk but were so consumed by thoughts and your mental to-do list that by the time its over, you can barely recall what happened? You are definitely not alone!

Studies have been done to see the effects of taking a mindful walk versus letting your mind run. It suggests that mindful movement can help boost your well being. Even keeping your same activities (walking, stretching, working out, etc) and shifting your mindset to be more mindful can benefit you greatly!

Next time you get some movement in, try and notice everything going on in the presence moment! If you need some ideas for mindful movement, we have plenty in our resource library!

Did you know your brain is always changing in its structure and connections?

Neuroplasticity or brain plasticity refers to the brain’s ability to change through experiences. The human brain has the ability to reorganize itself by forming new connections between brain cells. The brain can expand and contract throughout its life.

Studies indicate that mindfulness practice can lead to increases in regional brain gray matter density. Here is a quick mindfulness excercise to start changing your brain for the better by strengthening the insula's abiity to sense your body (interoception!):

Feel your feet on the floor and notice any sensations in them. Then invite a deep breath in, drawing the breath through the feet and up through the legs, torso, arms, neck and head. Exhale as if you could release the breath from the crown of the head. Repeat as needed.

Shoutout to one of our amazing facilitators at Mastermind, . Here is a little more about Miranda:

Miranda Lee, MS, is a former advertising executive who teaches practical, secular meditation techniques to busy people so that they can find that much-needed pause in their lives. Miranda is a 500-hour certified yoga teacher, a certified Mindful Schools meditation educator, and the author of The 5-Minute Meditation Journal. While Miranda has over 20 years of mindfulness experience and has studied with some of the world's great teachers, she considers her two young sons to be her greatest “Zen Masters.” Miranda currently runs her own wellness coaching business, “Find That Pause,” in New Jersey, and enjoys collaborating with Mastermind to bring science-based mindfulness to global audiences.

See her page for all the incredible work she does in the mindfulness field!
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Mindfulness can help us to better regulate our thoughts, emotions, and moods. This means it can also shift our relationship with pain.

Mindfulness is a great tool to use for everyone and this effect on us can be extremely useful for people experiencing chronic pain. Try one of the mindfulness mediations in our research library to get started!

For more about this info, check out this great study linking mindfulness with pain reduction: https://www.jneurosci.org/content/31/14/5540

One simple way to keep your brain healthy (and prevent cognitive decline) is to pick up a book and read! Plus, reading can also help reduce stress levels. Reading consistently strengthens connections in the brain, improves memory and concentration, and may even help you live longer. Here are a few Mindfulness books we recommend if you need a place to start:

-10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without
Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works—A True Story
By
-Altered Traits: Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain,
and Body
By Daniel Goldman & Richard J. Davidson .minds
-Get Some Headspace: How Mindfulness Can Change Your Life in Ten Minutes a Day
By , creator of app

Did you know journaling increases your self-awareness and attention to the world inside you and around you? This is a huge benefit for taking your thoughts to paper! Try these any of these mindful journaling prompts next time you journal:

-What are you letting go of today?
-What feeling are you inviting in?
-What are you celebrating today/this week? How do you celebrate?
-Today, I am grateful for...
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Did you know even laughter can be mindful? Laughter gets our hearts to beat stronger and for us to take bigger inhales and exhales!

Finding time to allow yourself to laugh while in a casual safe environment will bring you a better mental and physical connection.

Tag someone who makes you laugh! ❤️

Want to know the secret to an easy mindfulness technique? It's simple, all you do is curl the corner of your lips into a smile!

A smile can durastically boost your mood and lift you out of whatever thoughts your mind has wandered off to. Next time you are in need of a quick boost of energy, take a few deep breaths and give yourself a smile!

Tag someone who deserves a smile.

Check out this article if you'd like to know more: https://everydaypower.com/mindful-smile/
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Have you ever meditated in a group? It can be extremely powerful. It can also help you have a more consistent meditation practice.

Next time you are with a group, give it a try! We encourage you to meditate in a group monthly or even weekly to keep your practice inspired.

Tag a friend you want to meditate with or already do! ❤️
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Looking for better planning, decision-making, problem-solving, or self-control skills? These executive functions are performed by our prefrontal cortex.

Studies show we can increase the gray matter in our prefrontal cortex by meditating. This means mindfulness meditation can help you improve all of those skills listed.
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