Day One
Day 1: Dr Elise Bialylew interviews David Creswell
The science of meditation, stress and resilience
In this video you’ll learn:
- How mindfulness can support our resilience
- What are the stress resilience pathways and how does mindfulness work to reduce the impact of stress
- The most important aspect of mindfulness that support maximum beneficial effects
- What is equanimity and how can we create more emotional balance
David Creswell is a neuroscientist whose research focuses broadly on understanding what makes people resilient under stress. Specifically, he conducts community intervention studies, laboratory studies of stress and coping, and neuro-imaging studies to understand how various stress management strategies alter coping and stress resilience. He is currently working on studies that test how mindfulness meditation training impacts the brain, peripheral stress physiological responses, and stress-related disease outcomes in at-risk community samples. David also explores how the use of simple strategies (self-affirmation, rewarding activities, cognitive reappraisal) can buffer stress and improve problem-solving under pressure.Prefer to listen, rather than watch? Click the play button below to hear the interview.
[accessally_missing_any_tag tag_id='895' comment='MLP22']Want to read the transcript from this interview? Mind Life Project members receive access to interview transcripts and 6 months of mindfulness support, live meditations, and more👇[/accessally_missing_any_tag][accessally_has_any_tag tag_id='895' comment='MLP22']Click here to download the transcript for Dr. Elise Bialylew's interview with David Creswell.[/accessally_has_any_tag]
YOUR MEDITATION FOR TODAY
SETTING YOUR INTENTION MEDITATION
(13min no bell)
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Welcome to day one
During this time of worldwide suffering, uncertainty and change, self-care is more important than ever.
Although we can’t control external stresses, with meditation, which is a form of mental training, we can build greater inner resilience to support us through difficult times. We need to cultivate a sense of wellbeing that is not only present for us in the good times, but can be accessible even in life’s more challenging moments.
Mindfulness as a powerful tool that can help us upgrade our inner technology to cope more effectively with our increasingly complex world.
It is a practice that strengthens our awareness and involves training ourselves to be fully attentive to what is occurring in the present moment with a curious, patient and non-judgemental attitude. This allows us to meet our experience with greater wisdom, clarity and calm.
To train our attention, we often start with practising body and breath meditations. By becoming tuned in to the physical sensations that arise in each moment inside our bodies, we not only relax but become more grounded as our attention is brought into the present moment - the “here and now".
Our body and breath are always with us, accessible anywhere and at any time, so they’re great anchors and starting points from which to deepen our relaxation, focus and stability of attention.
During this month, your mind will continuously pull your attention here and there (that’s why, in meditation circles, it's often called the “monkey mind”) but with regular practice, you’ll become more skilled at noticing this before the thoughts manage to hijack you.
The idea is to become the master of your mind rather than a slave to the many unnecessary activities of the mind that do not serve you well.
Most importantly, I invite you to leave all judgements at the door as you launch into this program. It’s normal to feel critical of your experience when it doesn’t meet your expectations, but just remember to bring a gentle and patient approach to your practice, as each day, you’ll have the opportunity to move forward and begin again.
Over this month together, we invite you to commit to a minimum of 10 mins a day of meditation.
Our research, in collaboration with Monash University, has shown that participants who committed to 10 mins a day over the month of May, had significant measurable benefits in their lives.
I look forward to sharing this transformative month with you!
If you are participating in our Facebook community, share your observations and your biggest takeaways from the daily resources and let us know if you've meditated today.
When sharing a post on Facebook or Instagram, use the hashtag #mindfulinmay so we can find you!
If you’re not on social media, perhaps you have a meditation buddy you can chat with about what you learned today, or write it down in your journal.
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stay on track
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