9 Ways to Mindfully Exercise

9 Ways to Exercise the Living Stress Free® Way   1. Exercise Needs to Fit your Lifestyle   Exercise cannot be a burden or a chore. If you avoid it or dread it, you will not continue with it. If you have a very hectic lifestyle, the type of exercise you choose should fit your lifestyle. If you are highly motivated and driven, you may want to engage in high impact aerobics, spinning or running. If you are a casual, more sedentary person, yoga or palates would be a better choice. Don't go against the grain.   2. Success Through Synchronizing Mind and Body   As you participate in the exercise of your choice, stay fully present. Feel your body move instead of thinking about other things. Stay focused on the now. The connection between your mind and your body will bring about a greater experience with tangible results.   3. Perceive your Current Body Shape as Temporary, not Permanent   This is extremely important. Everything in life changes, nothing is permanent. If you see your body shape as transient you will remain open to the possibility of change, which will lead to achieving your desired weight and body shape.   4. Think Movement, not Exercise   Think of exercise as "movement". If you set a goal to "exercise", it is easy to fall into certain stereotypes and expectations that come from the connotation of exercise. If you set a goal for daily "movement", you open the door to possibilities beyond the rigid definitions of the mind.   5. Establish a Ritual   Rituals are routines that are mindful, deliberate and sacred. The care and love that goes into performing a ritual makes the result much stronger and sustainable. If you think of exercise/movement as a ritual, you will find improved results.   6. Do Not Compare Yourself to Others   Never, never, never compare yourself with others. Your body is unique and needs to be perceived as such. How you move your body for exercise is unique as well. The results are specific to you and your particular body structure and metabolism. Comparing yourself to others is a detriment to success.   7. If you Resent it, Forget it   Sustainable success is not possible when there is resentment, negativity or pessimism. It is better to skip exercising on a particular day to enjoy another activity and return to it the next day than to trudge through it with resentment. Sometimes we need to alter our plans to keep ourselves balanced.   8. Change it Up   If you jog, try bike riding; if you use the treadmill, switch to the step-master; if you do yoga, try swimming. The body thrives when it is used with balance in mind. Changing up your exercise routine will keep it fresh, use different muscle groups and prevent boredom. It needs to be fun! 9. Movement Everyday  If you set a goal to "move" for exercise every single day, you will be more likely to keep up with the routine consistently. If you miss a day here or there, it won't matter. If you set a goal to exercise 3 days per week, it is inevitable you will miss a few days which results in sporadic exercise patterns.

MA photo project continues ...

January 12, 2014 - In Between the Light

Before the Christmas tree came down, the space in between each glowing light created a canvas to shine. The eye is drawn to the light and the various objects on the tree because of the space surrounding it.

January 13, 2014 - Night Vision

MA is with us all the time. The light is only effective if there is the contrast of darkness. Night driving is successful when we look between the lights, driving in the designated space. If we only focused on the light we could not drive.

January 14, 2014 - Sand Dune Fence

I could not take a photo today so I found this image I took 8 years ago on Assateague Island. It is a perfect example of formlessness and form.

January 15, 2014 - January Snow Melt

When the two feet of snow that visited our area melted, the landscape demonstrates a sublime example of space amidst substance. You can really get lost in the sky.

January 16, 2014 - Untitled

This is a perfect MA challenge. It is so easy to view the branches with their various sizes and shapes. Allow your awareness to rest on the space surrounding all the branches. The sky invites you there.

The Daily MA Challenge - 4 More Days of MA

Photography as an Art and a Spiritual Practice

The Daily MA Challenge

As a creative and spiritual practice for 2014, I am taking a photograph each day representing MA.

This ritual reinforces my awareness of perceiving MA throughout the day. By noticing the visual spaces it is easier to hear the silence between sound and the space between the breath. This quiets the mind and cultivates living stress free.

See all photos here

January 8, 2014 - Morning Drive

On the way to work, driving through Genesee Valley Park, the space of the road is the guiding path to the destination.

January 9, 2014 - Sashimi Art

Unable to photograph today, I chose a photo I took in the past at a local Japanese restaurant Kobe. Not only do I love sushi/sashimi as a food, the presentation is an art. It is easy to focus on the fish and vegetables in this image, but look at the empty space surrounding it, framing the items perfectly.

January 10, 2014 - Light Play

This simple image is a perfect example of MA. Look at the space surrounding the lamp, especially with the lighting effects and shadows. The mind stops as you gaze at the space.

January 11, 2014 - The Beauty of Winter Trees

A friend of mine recently stated " I've never thought of the space between, and now instead of feeling a loss over the lack of leaves and color, I will look for the peace between the branches of the trees". That says it all. Winter trees help us accept things as they are.

January 6th and 7th - MA Photography

MA Photography:

January 6, 2014 - Below-Zero Parking Garage

We have been experiencing sub-zero temperatures in Western NY. Walked the dogs this morning with -3 degrees, without the wind chill. On my way home from work I noticed the spaces within the framework of this parking garage. Noticing MA with potentially stressful driving conditions is a great way to remain centered.

January 7, 2014 - Between the Trees

A wintry night, blowing snow, sturdy hardwoods standing guard; notice both the trees and the space between.

January 5th MA Photo

January 5, 2014 - Winter Tree

When practicing the art of perceiving the spaces between things, winter trees provide the most perfect subjects. This is one of the trees I stroll by almost every day when walking my dogs. Looking at the emptiness between the branches has an opening effect, expanding the inner vision.

MA photography Jan 3 & 4

I wanted to pay more attention to MA in my life on an everyday basis.

As a creative and spiritual practice for 2014, I am taking a photograph each day representing MA.

This ritual reinforces my awareness of perceiving MA throughout the day. By noticing the visual spaces it is easier to hear the silence between sound and the space between the breath. This quiets the mind and cultivates living stress free.

January 3, 2014 - By the River

Along the Genesee River in Genesee Valley Park near the University of Rochester is a magnificent tree that split in half a few years ago. The space between the massive limbs remains as a pathway to the park. 

January 4, 2014 - Abandoned Gazebo

Along the Lake Ontario shoreline in Greece, NY was a popular restaurant called the Crescent Beach Hotel. It closed down over a year ago. The beautiful parcel of land awaits a new business. Here is the isolated gazebo in the back, surrounded by empty space. 

Living Stress Free through MA

'MA' (pronounced "maah") — is the pure and essential void between all "things." It is the interval which gives shape to the whole. 

It is the space between objects, the emptiness of possibility.

MA is a holder within which things can exist. It is the complete lack of clutter.

MA is in the purposeful pauses in speech which make words stand out. It is in the quiet time that makes our busy lives meaningful, and in the silence between the notes which make music.

MA is the space between each breath; the gap between each thought.

Isaac Stern described music as ‘that little bit between each note – silences which give the form’. 

When the Japanese are taught to bow in early age, they are told to make a deliberate pause at the end of the bow before they come back up — as to make sure there is enough MA in their bow for it to have meaning and look respectful.

A tea break in a busy day has to be in a quiet place, away from the routines of work — so that one can soak in the serenity of MA before getting back to busy life.

As a Living Stress Free® technique, no matter how little time we devote to any task, it must have a deliberate beginning and a deliberate end. Otherwise, our time goes by filled with one thing after another, an endless energy output that can leave us drained, tired and stressed.

Photography as an Art and a Spiritual Practice

I wanted to pay more attention to MA in my life on an everyday basis.

As a creative and spiritual practice for 2014, I am taking a photograph each day representing MA.

This ritual reinforces my awareness of perceiving MA throughout the day. By noticing the visual spaces it is easier to hear the silence between sound and the space between the breath. This quiets the mind and cultivates living stress free.

I invite you to join me in these simple, informal practices.

• Notice the space between form. 
• Listen to the silence in between sound.
• Feel the stillness at the end of each breath.

2014 MA Photography

 

January 1, 2014 - The Magical Fireplace

Sitting by the fire on New Year's Day was a sublime way of experiencing the birth of a new year. The space between the logs, the emptiness between the flames, a perfect reminder of the balance needed to embrace the new circumstances about to unfold.

January 2, 2014 - Driving Home

We had a significant snowstorm today bringing at least a foot of sparkling snow blanketing the earth. The spaces in this photo are not only between the trees but also within the distance between the water droplets on the car window.

Losing balance, Update on Diet and Loving the Now

Sunday, August 18, 2013 - 9:30 PM

Wishing everyone love and light.

I started this blog as a way to share how I use "living stress free" techniques to navigate my busy, complicated life. My life has become so busy this month I haven't even been able to blog:(

Red Flag! My balance is off.
Solution? Look at the Eight Areas of Life and start paying more attention to the ones I'm ignoring.
Balance is the key to inner peace.
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Update on my diet:

The protein/vegetables/legumes are working.
I feel great with no bloating. I'm slowly losing a couple pounds.
Here are some of the foods I've been eating:

• Grilled turkey, chicken, eggs, salmon, haddock, sardines, nitrate free cold-cuts
• Great northern beans, red kidney beans, edamame beans, garbanzo beans
• Spinach, stir fry with bokchoy/summer squash/celery/scallion, peppers, mushrooms
• Oatmeal, Quinoa
• Hemp protein powder with soy milk and blueberries for breakfast
• Almond butter and raw honey when I need dessert

Pretty good!
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My Living Stress Free Tip for tonight is to Love the Now.

See my latest video Mindfulness and Love

One way to help bring the state of pure being into

all aspects of life is to love the now.

Whatever you are doing, open your awareness to love and gratitude for that moment. There is always something to love about every moment if you can open your awareness

to perceive it.

Love is a state of being.

Experiencing mindfulness is a state of being.

The more we can live from our core state of being

instead of from our thinking mind, the easier it is to flow through each day stress-free.

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There is still time to sign up for our Weekend Mindfulness Meditation Retreat.
Early registration prices were extended until midnight 8/23
I would love to meet you! Consider a weekend away from regular routine to reconnect with your inner self.

That's all for now.

warm regards and best wishes for a wonderful week - Marilyn

Mindfulness Meditation for Emotional Wellness

Saturday, August 3, 2013 - 10:00 P.M.

Mindfulness Meditation for Emotional Wellness


Warm regards,
Marilyn

A new diet to try, a mini trampoline and WATER

Monday, July 22, 2013 - 9:00 P.M.

Greetings friends who want to Live Stress Free!

I want to talk about stress free physical health today.

I'm still working on my goal to lose 10 pounds. I gave up the alternate day fasting. It is just too difficult to work my full time job and work on my business with such little food intake. I needed more substance.

So, my latest attempt is the Tim Ferriss slow-carb diet - SCD

Basically its lean protein, vegetables and legumes with lots of water.
AND, you can take one day off a week!

Here's his rules:


Rule #1: Avoid “white” starchy carbohydrates (or those that can be white). This means all bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, and grains. If you have to ask, don’t eat it.
Rule #2: Eat the same few meals over and over again, especially for breakfast and lunch. You already do this; you’re just picking new default meals.
Rule #3: Don’t drink calories. Exception: 1-2 glasses of dry red wine per night is allowed.
Rule #4: Don’t eat fruit. (Fructose –> glycerol phosphate –> more bodyfat, more or less.) Avocado and tomatoes are excepted.
Rule #5: Take one day off per week and go nuts. I choose and recommend Saturday.

I am increasing my water intake to a gallon a day.
Now, I know that sounds like a lot, but ... one glass of water each hour = one gallon during waking hours. That's not that difficult!

AND, I bought a mini-trampoline:)))
I put on a Stones concert on DVD and jumped/jogged on my trampoline for exercise today.

These are some of my strategies. I'll keep you posted!

Warm regards,
Marilyn

What is Nada Yoga?

Wednesday, July 17, 2013 9:00 PM


Nada Yoga means "union through sound." It is the ancient spiritual art and science of inner transformation through sound and tone. Meditation on sound is one universal path to Self Realization, accessible to anyone, and appropriate for people of any religion or spiritual aspiration.

Everything in this universe has it's opposite. Light could not exist if there wasn't darkness. Heat cannot exist without cold. There is no attraction without aversion, no pleasure without pain, no affluence without poverty. In the same way, there is no sound without silence.

How can you use music to meditate?

READ MY LATEST ARTICLE

peace, love and light,
Marilyn

Two Suggestions to have a more Satisfaction, Peace and Joy

Sunday, July 14, 2013 - 7:30 PM

Greetings friends!

I've had a strange week with interesting challenges, but I've been practicing being in the moment as often as possible. One of my challenges was an ocular migraine. Anyone ever had one? Weird.

I noticed that it's much easier to be fully present when you can sit for 10-20 minutes in mindfulness meditation practice daily. I have not been consistent with my sitting practice and I really noticed the difference! I'm back to my routine tomorrow.

Suggestion #1: Sit everyday and practice mindfulness. Come to our website for instructions:

I also noticed if you listen to music while performing tasks it is much easier to be fully present. I was cleaning my aviary Saturday and had my iPod shuffle playing - it was a truly enjoyable experience. I wasn't thinking about anything; just enjoying my task and singing.

Suggestion #2: Don't forget to put music on to help you stay fully present.

If you'd like to saturate yourself in mindfulness practice for a weekend, consider coming to our Mindfulness Meditation Retreat in the gorgeous Finger Lakes of Upstate NY.

See details.

Enjoy, be well, be fully present,
Marilyn

Reconnecting with Yourself

Tuesday, July 9, 2013 - 9:00 PM

Are you feeling like you need a weekend to yourself for just relaxation, cultivating contentment and "me-time"?

See my video

Why not join me in the Finger Lakes region of upstate NY September 7-8?

It's all about reconnecting with yourself.

Warm regards,
Marilyn

Successful People Meditate

July 5, 2013 - 11:30 PM

I came across this great article from Huff Post:

The Daily Habit Of These Outrageously Successful People

Successful people meditate!

Want to learn?

It's easy and practical. 

My husband and I are offering a Mindfulness Meditation Retreat Sept 7-8, 2013.

We teach mindfulness - a secular, simple practice you can do both as a sitting ritual and in your daily activities.

Come visit our website for more info:

LivingStressFree

Warm regards,

Marilyn

Mindfulness Meditation Retreat

Wednesday, June 26, 2013 - 10:15 PM - Life Coaching Blog

Greetings!

I'm on vacation so I'm taking a break from daily blogging.

I did want to share great news for those of you who are interested in MIndfulness Meditation!

Living Stress Free is offering a Mindfulness Meditation Retreat September 7-8, 2013, in Canandaigua NY.

Here's the link for more information.

Enjoy your week/weekend,

Marilyn

Benefits of Drinking Water

Sunday, June 23, 2013 - 2:00 PM - Life Coaching Blog

My computer is running again, so I'm back to blogging:)))

It's very hot here in Rochester and the air conditioning doesn't work anymore in our house. So ... I'd like to talk about water today! Here are some random suggestions regarding water and how it can help you feel better and look better.

I drink 10-20 ounces of water as soon as I wake up. We all dehydrate during the night and need to replenish upon waking. If coffee is your first drink, it's dehydrating you more.

I drink 8-16 ounces of water before going to sleep, for the same reason - hydration.

Did you know if you drink 16-20 ounces of water before each meal it will help you lose weight?

Drinking lots of water in general will help you lose weight because it keeps everything flowing and moving on the inside.

I've heard experts say we should drink half our body weight in water everyday. I'm sure most of us don't, but that's how much would be good for us. Incredible!

Don't forget our bodies are 70% water so we need to change that water frequently! Imagine if you went swimming everyday in stagnant water? yuk:(((

I just read that drinking water after eating reduces the acid in your mouth by 61 percent, which will help prevent cavities!

If you want soft, supple skin and you moisturize it regularly you are only working on one side of your skin. Drinking lots of water will hydrate your skin on the inside. Better results.

And don't forget, if you enjoy alcoholic beverages, drink a glass of water in between each drink. There's a good chance you won't get drunk this way.

Make water your best friend.
Have a great Sunday!
Marilyn

Don't Take Thoughts Too Seriously

Sunday, June 17, 2013 - 9:30 PM - Life Coaching Blog

I've had a lot of challenges lately, but I learned something about my mind I want to share because we all have experienced this, I'm sure.

Just because I think something does not mean it will occur.
Just because I make a decision, after carefully weighing both sides of the decision, looking at the pros and cons, using my problem solving skills, what I decide means nothing in the end. There is a greater intelligence that makes decisions.

I made a firm decision about a difficult issue last week. I did a great job contemplating all sides.
However, the end result of the situation was not what I decided and I had no control over this course of events that decided it. Did I get mad? No. I found it fascinating.

My message? Don't take your thoughts too seriously.
They are helpful and necessary for many things, but attachment to anything we think can lead us astray.

My computer died today, so I'll send blogs as I'm able.

Cheers,
Marilyn

Mindful Sunbathing

Saturday, June 15, 2013 - 9:30 PM - Life Coaching Blog

Today I realized why I've always enjoyed sunbathing. It's a mindfulness practice. When I lay in the sun, I feel the warmth on my skin, I feel the breeze on my body, I listen to the birds singing. I can smell the fragrant air, I feel the chair beneath me, I surrender to nature's abundance. Most importantly, I do not think about anything. My mind rests. I experience my experience of surrendering to the sun.

The most fulfilling way to live life is to practice this in all activities.

Click Here for more on this subject

Warm regards,
Marilyn

Thoughts are the Music of the Mind

Thursday, June 13, 2013 - 10:45 PM - Life Coaching Blog


If you perceive the notes/melody/sound quality of music as the same matter and energy of thought, an interesting transformation happens.

The notes you hear in music are the same as the thoughts that arise in your mind.

When you listen to music, fully experience it.

The melody, lyrics, and rhythm are vibrations of energy.
Once you can experience music this way, transfer that knowledge to your mind.

Thoughts are just vibrations of energy that form rhythmic patterns, fascinating melodies and interesting lyrics.
However, they rise and fall just as music is listened to and released.

Thoughts are the music of the mind.

The critical awareness is that all music has rests ... pauses ... silence.

Our mind contains "thought music" with many rests. To live stress free. cultivate the rests.

Love and light to you,
Marilyn

One of the most helpful things you can do for others

Wednesday, June 12. 2013 - 10:30 PM - Life Coaching Blog

One of the most helpful things you can do for others is listen to them - listen to them completely, without judgment.
Do not divide your attention while listening.
Listen with your heart.

A natural response will arise without thinking or planning it.

Trust.

Warmly,
Marilyn