{"id":1128,"date":"2021-10-24T21:00:08","date_gmt":"2021-10-25T04:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/ucan\/?p=1128"},"modified":"2024-02-14T14:40:21","modified_gmt":"2024-02-14T21:40:21","slug":"meditation-on-the-go","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/ucan\/meditation-on-the-go\/","title":{"rendered":"Meditation on the Go"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-1132 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/174\/0357_Comparative_Cultural_Studies_20191106-464x348.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"420\" height=\"316\" srcset=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/174\/0357_Comparative_Cultural_Studies_20191106-464x348.jpg 464w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/174\/0357_Comparative_Cultural_Studies_20191106-800x600.jpg 800w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/174\/0357_Comparative_Cultural_Studies_20191106-232x174.jpg 232w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 420px) 100vw, 420px\" \/>Do you sometimes feel like you just need to take a quick time-out from your day or situation? EXCEPT\u2026 you\u2019re in the middle of class, or you\u2019re in the middle of an intense study group, or you\u2019re staring at a test! <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Maybe you need to get a handle on your emotions, like right now. A quick meditation or mindfulness exercise to focus your attention on the here and now might be just what you need.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But first, in case you need some convincing, let me tell you about some of the benefits that have been found with regular meditation or mindfulness exercises (meditation brings you to the present moment = mindfulness).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One study suggests that 8 weeks of mindfulness training may reduce <\/span><b>stress-induced inflammation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> better than a health program that includes physical activity, education about diet, and music therapy.(<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1)<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0That&#8217;s some powerful stuff!<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Meditation\u00a0reduces inflammation and may help to regulate the <\/span><b>immune system.<\/b>(<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1)<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It can help in the management of <\/span><b>depression<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><b>insomnia<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and it arms practitioners to break the cycle of <\/span><b>self-rumination<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.(<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1,2)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Meditation can affect activity in a part of the brain involved in processing <\/span><b>emotions<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> even when the person is <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">not<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> meditating.(<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1)<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the classroom, teachers have found that mindfulness helps improve students\u2019 <\/span><b>attention<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> skills and reduce <\/span><b>test anxiety<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, it has helped children with <\/span><b>ADHD<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> improve their attention span, and it increased <\/span><b>optimism<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><b>attention<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and <\/span><b>behavior<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in 4th through 7th graders.(<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3)<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In one study, mindful awareness exercises helped 1st through 3rd graders reduce their <\/span><b>anxiety<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and do better in school.(3)<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0Hey, if they can do it\u2026seriously!<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So how do we bring our mind to the present moment to start realizing some of these benefits? <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let me give you the quick answer. Focus on each breath. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Specifically, breath through your nose and focus on the feeling of air moving in and out of your nose. Feel the sensations of your breath as it moves in and then moves out, past your nostrils and across the area above your upper lip.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Try it for one breath\u2026two breaths\u2026three breaths.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">See how when you do this your attention is focused on the present moment? Congratulations, you have made it to the here and now! You may not have even closed your eyes. No one else could tell that you were getting all mindful. You could totally do that during a test.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sometimes you may want to keep going. You might decide to gradually add more breaths, or to just jump in to a 10-minute mindfulness session (set an alarm with a calming sound). That\u2019s great! Your mind will wander, and that\u2019s fine too, because that\u2019s what minds do. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You may find that your mind wanders less with more practice. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The most important thing is to not be down on yourself when you find your mind wandering. Simply bring your attention back to your breath as soon as you notice this. No judgment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sometimes uncomfortable thoughts and feelings surface when one\u2019s mind wanders. That\u2019s normal, and it\u2019s a part of the process. Each time a thought comes up you have an opportunity to release it more quickly than the last time. Simply bring your attention back to the sensations of your breath.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Like everything else in this world, you&#8217;ll get better with practice and over time these mindful moments throughout your week can help de-stress your life.<\/p>\n<p><b>References<\/b><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Meditation: In Depth | NCCIH. Accessed September 29, 2021. https:\/\/www.nccih.nih.gov\/health\/meditation-in-depth<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Harvard researchers study how mindfulness may change the brain in depressed patients \u2013 Harvard Gazette. Accessed September 29, 2021. https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2018\/04\/harvard-researchers-study-how-mindfulness-may-change-the-brain-in-depressed-patients\/<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How Meditation Benefits Students in the Classroom \u2013 EOC Institute. Accessed September 29, 2021. https:\/\/eocinstitute.org\/meditation\/meditation-and-teachers-benefits-for-educators-and-students\/<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/ucan\/meet-our-coaches\/\">Denise White, UCAN Health Coach<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Do you sometimes feel like you just need to take a quick time-out from your day or situation? EXCEPT\u2026 you\u2019re in the middle of class, or you\u2019re in the middle of an intense study group, or you\u2019re staring at a test! Maybe you need to get a handle on your emotions, like right now. A [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":359,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1128","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/ucan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1128","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/ucan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/ucan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/ucan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/359"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/ucan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1128"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/ucan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1128\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1518,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/ucan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1128\/revisions\/1518"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/ucan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/ucan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1128"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/ucan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}