Introduction to Mindfulness and Meditation
In this episode 006, Peggy and Jenny discuss the benefits of Mindfulness and Meditation and they introduce the next month’s challenge. They also also ask the question: What are areas of your life where you feel in control of or out of control? Both of us are diggin something beverage related this week.
Tune in and Listen Below
What You’ll Hear (and don’t want to miss!)
1:11: In introduction to mindfulness and meditation as defined by Headspace
3:15: Benefits of meditation
4:24: Parameters of our August Challenge: 10 minutes per day of meditation for 30 days straight using a meditation app or some sort of guided meditation.
10:00: We announce the book that we will be reading for this month! It is 10% Happier by Dan Harris. We are also going to be taking excerpts from How to Train a Wild Elephant by Jan Chozen Bays
14:35: Who are You Anyway? This week’s question is: Is there an area of your life you feel out of control or especially in control?
20:31: What Are You Diggin Lately?: Peggy is loving a glass teapot and Jenny is big into the Sodastream. It’s all about the beverages this week!
26:26: You Win or You Learn: Peggy’s win this week is related to her 18 for 18 goals and Jenny shares a learn that has to do with staying on track with her habits despite a busy life.
30:36: We discuss what we will be talking about next week as we head into our next challenge. I encourage you to check out Headspace, Calm or Insight Timer and get started with the meditation challenge!
Resources + Links Mentioned in This Episode:
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Book: 10 % Happier by Dan Harris
Book: How to Train a Wild Elephant by Jan Chozen Bays
MinsGame a decluttering game
Glass Teapot with removable infuser to brew loose leaf tea
Sodastream to make sparkling water at home
Peggy’s 18 for 18 goals for 2018
Peggy’s bedchamber with the new prints above the bed
Meditation App: Headspace This one has a free 10 day beginners pack
Meditation App: Calm This one is great for meditation and sleep and has a 7 day free trial.
Meditation App: Insight Timer. This one is a great free app
You Tube 10 minute guided meditation
Key Quotes:
‘Meditation isn’t about becoming a different person, a new person or even a better person. It’s about training an awareness and getting a healthy sense of perspective. You’re not trying to turn off your thoughts or feelings. You’re learning to observe them without judgement. Eventually you may start to understand them as well.’ -Jenny quoting Headspace‘s definition of meditation.
“Mindfulness: The ability to be present. To rest in the hear and now, fully engaged with whatever we are doing in that moment” -Jenny quoting Headspace’s definition of Mindfulness
“It’s meditation practice, not meditation perfect. There’s no such thing as perfect meditation. Sometimes your focus will wander or you’ll forget to follow your breath. That’s OK. It’s part of the experience. What’s most important is to meditate consistently. It’s one of those things where the journey is more important than the destination.” -Jenny quoting Headspace
‘Tim Ferriss said that after interviewing 140 people at the top of their fields. He found that regardless of industry, the vast majority of respondents had a mindfulness or meditation practice. Bottom line….successful people share this habit so it’s worth trying it for 30 days to see what it can do for you.’ -Jenny
“I definitely notice the difference when I meditate regularly. It helps me to feel calmer in general, but I think even more important than that, I feel more clear and less reactive. I feel like there is a greater distance between stimulus and response. So instead of reacting to events or people or circumstances in a way that potentially might not be productive or kind, I have a better ability to respond to events in a more productive way and I find that that is true the more I meditate regularly” -Peggy describing how she feels when she meditates on the reg.
Share your thoughts… We’d love to hear from you!
What was your biggest takeaway or insight from this episode? Are you as interested in mindfulness and meditation as we are? Are you going to meditate every day for this month’s challenge? We want to know which app you are going to try and how it’s going. ! Leave us a comment or just come and say ‘Hi’ on the socials. I’m on Instagram and Twitter and Jenny is on Twitter. You can always get our attention by using the hashtag #TheImprovementProject
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The Improvement Project podcast is hosted by Dr. Peggy Malone and Jenny Couse. Peggy is a health care provider who encourages her patients every day to create better habits associated with their health and wellness. She is wife to John and mom to fur baby Calvin the fat orange cat. Dr. Peggy is also a human being on a mission to create better habits for herself and by doing so, she hopes to inspire others to take up the challenge with her! Jenny is a marketing professional in the international trade sector. She and her husband Jeff are parents to hilarious 5 year old Ethan. Her year of monthly habit resolutions in 2015 piqued her interests in how habits are created and best kept.
Join them weekly to explore how to create healthy habits that stick on the journey to becoming better humans!
#TheImprovementProject
Until next time,
Let’s get to work on improving your most important project. That’s YOU! Stay focused and get after it!
Thank you so much for listening.
Big Love,
Peggy and Jenny
