Did you know that mindfulness and meditation can help you
- Manage your inner critic
- Improve your attention span
- Lower your reactivity to stress
- --and more?
On November 17th, 2023, 48 students joined Abbe Rosenthal virtually for a session with trained yoga and mindfulness specialist Katelyn Wallace. Wallace began the session by sharing three stress-reducing stretches for students, including the cat-cow stretch.
Mindfulness, said Wallace, is the practice of noticing what’s happening in the moment without judgment. Practicing mindfulness has allowed her to strive for more purpose in work, strengthened her relationships, and increased her sense of self-awareness.
In our daily environments, which are more distracting and chaotic than ever, practicing mindfulness is especially important. This session came just in time for students, with both holidays and the end of the semester right around the corner.
After reading a poem from Canadian poet Rupi Kaur, Wallace shared simple practices to cultivate mindfulness.
Audible sigh
Inhale through your nose and exhale audibly through your nose or mouth. Use this when you’re navigating a challenging situation, said Wallace. This is a quick way to settle your mind and to pivot out of a negative space.
Intentional diaphragmatic breathing
Wallace encouraged students to feel their lower belly expand when breathing, engaging in diaphragmatic breathing. This type of breathing can help lower your blood pressure and heart rate as well as improve relaxation. The more that you practice intentional diaphragmatic breathing, said Wallace, the easier it will become.
Box breath
Inhale and count to four, hold your breath for four, exhale and count to four, repeat. This beathing technique can calm your nervous system and decrease stress levels.
Although mindfulness and meditation are similar, said Wallace, there is a key difference between the two: mindfulness focuses on the external, while meditation focuses inward.
The session finished as Wallace encouraged students to think of a regenerative feeling. Good luck to all MBS students as the semester draws to a close!
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