Mindfulness: the Cult

-Mindfulness Bites-

Mindfulness: the Cult

By Lise Villeneuve

What exactly is mindfulness anyway? I’ve attempted to explain it many times to family members who are very religious and somehow, they think mindfulness IS Buddhism, or (gasp!) some kind of satanic New Age cult. Therefore, in their eyes, I am headed straight to hell for practising such heresy. But don’t worry, we’re still one big, loving family. Our gatherings are always very lively and stimulating, there is never a dull moment!

But seriously, mindfulness has nothing to do with religion or even New Age fads. In fact, mindfulness is much closer to psychology than religion. By the way, in case you’re wondering, despite my upbringing, I’m not religious at all -in the sense that I don’t participate in any particular rituals from any specific faith. However, I consider myself very spiritual and I do strongly believe in a divine creator or Higher Power, to avoid the label “God.” So whether you’re religious or not, it’s all good, there is no conflict, no contradiction between mindfulness and religion.

What is it? I would say it’s the art of being aware, of paying attention. Paying attention not only to what’s happening in our external world, but, more importantly, to what’s going on in our inner world. Mindfulness develops our emotional intelligence. It’s kind of like the instruction manual we were never given at birth that helps us figure out the relationship between our thoughts, our emotions and our bodily sensations.

I’m not quite sure why this seems to threaten my religious family. Perhaps it’s the meditation aspect of mindfulness that makes them uncomfortable. Meditation makes me uncomfortable too, especially when I have to sit in the same pose for a long time and my legs start to cramp up, but I guess that’s a different kind of discomfort. Meditation is simply a way of quieting the mind and being still. Mindfulness encourages us to practice noticing our thoughts and our feelings so that we can become less reactive, less controlled by them. It empowers us to make wiser decisions with a clear mind.

Why has mindfulness become so incredibly popular over the last few years? Probably because of its many scientifically-proven benefits. Such as? Well I’m glad you asked. There are so many benefits that I decided to incorporate them into a little rap song. I’d like to dedicate it to certain members of my family (all in good humour):

When you feel like a mess, like a big ball of stress

You can always rely on mindfulness

Take a deep breath, fill up your chest

Mindfulness will help you feel your best

Notice your thoughts, notice how you feel

Mindfulness will help you keep it real

Mindfulness will help you keep it real

Mindfulness keeps your brain real sharp

It helps your memory and it’s good for your heart

It lowers your blood pressure, brings down your stress

It helps with depression, it helps with distress

Notice your thoughts, notice how you feel

Mindfulness will help you keep it real

Mindfulness will help you keep it real

It improves your focus and boosts resilience

It makes you feel good so you can show off your brilliance

Improve your health and your self-compassion

With mindfulness: It’s the latest fashion

Notice your thoughts, notice how you feel

Mindfulness will help you keep it real

Mindfulness will help you keep it real

Mindfulness helps in so many ways

It’s like “miracle whip”, you know, the mayonnaise?

It gives life some flavour, it gives it some punch

It helps you cope when you’re in a crunch

Mindfulness really fills your cup

So if it’s a cult, then where do I sign up?

Mindfulness really fills your cup

So if it’s a cult, then where do I sign up?

Thanks for reading, and for more detailed information about the benefits of mindfulness check out this link: https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/benefits-of-mindfulness/
(Mindfulness decreases stress and anxiety levels, improves emotion regulation, induces a state of relaxation, which in turn improves higher brain functioning, increases immune function, lowers blood pressure and heart rate, increases awareness, attention, clarity and focus, it accelerates recovery of the body, decreases depressive symptoms, increases self-compassion, improves general health, decreases reactivity, increases curiosity, tolerance, patience and self-acceptance, it improves academic performance, it’s a buffer against bullying and depression, it boosts resilience, reduces behavior and attention problems in children, improves job performance in the workplace, decreases burnout, and it primes our brain for  better learning and remembering.)

Sincerely,

Lise Villeneuve
www.lisevilleneuve.com

Breathe Baby, Breathe

-Mindfulness Bites-

Breathe Baby, Breathe

By Lise Villeneuve

On the day I was born, July 20th, nineteen-never-mind-the decade, I refused to breathe. Just ask my dad. The doctors tried smacking my tiny bottom to make me cry and breathe, but apparently I didn’t mind the spanking. After a little while longer, the medical team became nervous and one of the nurses tried this new technique she had apparently seen on t.v. She blew on me. I don’t know if it was the unpleasant aroma of her breath that startled me out of baby bliss, but it worked. I cried my little heart out and took my very first inhalation of air on this Earth. Don’t worry, the pace of this story will pick up and I won’t bore you with every little detail of my life. Luckily, I’ve forgotten most of it anyway.

All this to say that ever since I was born, it seems as though breathing never really came naturally to me - unless someone blew on me, but thankfully that hasn’t happened since my birth, or at least I don’t remember. I was always a shallow breather. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why I was drawn to singing later in my teens. It forced me to breathe deeply, at least when I was on stage. My singing teacher would tell me he thought I was asthmatic. That was no compliment in the singing world, but I got over it. I’m a survivor.

Luckily I learned how to breathe properly when I was singing, but nobody ever told me that it would be incredibly beneficial to keep breathing deeply during the rest of the time - which was about 96 % of my life. That’s a crying shame because I missed out on the numerous benefits of deep breathing. Here are just a few: deep breathing is a natural painkiller, it reduces stress and anxiety and relaxes the body and mind, it improves blood flow, reduces inflammation in the body, improves digestion, detoxifies the body, stimulates the lymphatic system, increases energy, it improves lung and heart function, improves focus and even memory. Wow! That’s quite the list, and if you don’t believe me, here’s a great article by Ben Fishel that lists 21 benefits of deep breathing backed by scientific studies.

How much would we be willing to pay for a pill that would give us all these positive effects? Bottom line is deep breathing instantly improves our physical, emotional and mental well being, and it’s completely free! So why didn’t I know this earlier?

I must have known it intuitively. Come to think of it, maybe my great love of snorkeling has something to do with giving myself a chance to practice deep belly breathing. When my face is in the water and I look down at that mysterious world of colourful sea life, all I hear is the sound of my slow, controlled, deep breathing - in and out of the snorkel. Swoosh, Swish. Swoosh, Swish. Perhaps one of the reasons snorkeling feels so good is a result of that rush of oxygen I get. It’s an instant feel-good buzz. I suppose I could have saved a small fortune by simply learning how to breathe properly instead of having to fly to the Caribbean each year to oxygenate my brain while snorkeling. Oh well, it was fun.

Well they say you end up teaching what you most needed to learn yourself. It’s no surprise, then, that I now teach mindfulness, which includes deep belly breathing. Watch out, here comes the teacher in me. As you keep reading, take a deep breath through your nose and let your belly fill up and expand just like when you’ve eaten too much and have what my teen calls a “food baby.” Unfortunately, sexiness is not an immediate benefit of practising deep belly breathing, however, by becoming more relaxed, healthier, more focused and in a better mood, you certainly will become sexier by default.

OK. Back to deep breathing. Inhale through your nose, expand your belly, then exhale slowly out of your mouth. That’s it. You now know the secret to an improved life. Seriously, continue to breathe like this and notice how it instantly changes the way you feel. Imagine if we all breathed like this 24/7! There would likely be no need for drugs or alcohol. Mind you, the occasional glass of red wine with a side of deep belly breathing is a pretty healthy combo. So cheers to that!

Lise Villeneuve

www.lisevilleneuve.com

Answer To The Anonymous Question I Received...

The Universe has amazed me once again with synchronicity. Just last night, I was somehow drawn to watch interviews with Byron Katie -an American woman who struggled through 10 years of depression, rage and self-loathing and who spontaneously woke up one morning in a state of constant joy that has not left her for 22 years. What transformed her life? Byron Katie suddenly understood that when she believed her own thoughts, she suffered, and when she simply questioned these, life became effortless.

After her major awakening, Byron Katie created a simple 4-question process called "The Work" that helps people break free from their limiting thoughts. She has helped millions with The Work and Byron Katie is now known all over the world. She has written many best-selling books, was featured on countless shows such as Oprah and is in high demand for workshops and public speaking everywhere. You can imagine how thrilled I was when she agreed to be featured on my website in a interview for Conscious Living Solutions in August 2015.

Like I said, last night, for some reason, I wanted to know more about Byron Katie even though I had already interviewed her in the past. Her process really resonated with me and reminded me that we are not our thoughts. Some authors, such as Eckhart Tolle, are brilliant at explaining this concept, but when it comes to applying it in our daily lives, it can be a little overwhelming and discouraging. Byron Katie figured out an easy, practical way for people to start freeing themselves from their minds -which is the most direct path to end suffering. It's free, available on her website and accessible to all.

So what's the synchronicity I was referring to? Well this morning I received this anonymous message via my website:

"I really wanted to start my spiritual journey, but what troubles me the most are my thoughts. I get afraid of things that I have never done and these thoughts continue to wander in my mind until I become frustrated. I have learnt that thoughts create our reality according to the law of attraction and these thoughts which are actually my fear are generated again and again against my wish. These thoughts can actually become my reality. Tell me what I can do to stop these thoughts."

As soon as I read this message, I knew that the best resource I could offer would be "The Work" of Byron  Katie! We can't stop our thoughts, but we can become more aware of them. We can remind ourselves that who we truly are is much more than our thoughts. We can invite more stillness into our lives in order to allow ourselves to experience the deep peace of being without the compulsive need to do, or think all the time.

Whoever you are, dear anonymous friend, I hope this helps! Thanks for your question. You are mirroring what millions of others are also asking at this time. I believe that we were somehow connected through your question, the web, Byron Katie and my sudden impulse to watch her videos last night! The Universe works in miraculous ways!

Thanks for reading,

Lise

www.lisevilleneuve.com