OMAR KHAYYAM AND LIVING MINDFULLY

The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyám (for copies, click here) is said to be one of the ten best known poems in the world. At any rate it is doubtful whether any other piece of Oriental literature has been as widely read, and as much loved, in the Western world as The Rubaiyat.

When I was growing up as a kind we had two copies of The Rubaiyat in our home – one which had been my late mother’s (bought, I think, before her marriage to my father), and one which was my late father’s (similarly bought before their marriage). Nothing was ever thrown out in our household. My wife would say, “Nothing has changed there, unfortunately.”

I still have my mother’s copy of The Rubaiyat (see copy of its cover below) but my Dad gave his copy away to a very dear friend of his - a devout Catholic - not long before his (Dad’s) death, with the remark, “This book makes more sense to me than what your Church teaches.”

My father was not a formally religious man, but he was the most honest person, and one of the wisest, I’ve ever known. He often said that there was more wisdom in The Rubaiyat than in The Bible. I won’t go into that. All I’ll say is this ... there is, in my view, much less that is culture-bound, and thus irrelevant to our times, in The Rubaiyat than in The Bible.

The question of whether or not the Persian poet and astronomer Omar Khayyam (pictured below) was a Sufi mystic is a hotly contested issue. My view is that of Edward J FitzGerald, The Rubaiyat’s most famous English translator and interpreter, who wrote: “No doubt many of these Quatrains seem unaccountable unless mystically interpreted; but many more as unaccountable unless literally. Were the Wine spiritual, for instance, how wash the Body with it when dead? Why make cups of the dead clay to be filled with—‘La Divinité’ by some succeeding Mystic?”

I don’t think that Khayyám was either a Sufi mystic or a promoter of Epicurean hedonism. To me, he was an early exponent of, and apologist for, Mindfulness and, in particular, the practice of mindful living, that is, living mindfully and consciously in the present moment - in other words, simply being aware of the fact that each moment spent wisely, and with awareness, is to live in the now, and to be truly present in and fully engaged in the moment. Take, for example, this well-known quatrain:

The caravan of life shall always pass
Beware that is fresh as sweet young grass
Let’s not worry about what tomorrow will amass
Fill my cup again, this night will pass, alas.

Note those words ... “fresh as sweet young grass”. You can almost smell the grass, yet how ephemeral it is. Then we have this:

Come, fill the Cup, and in the Fire of Spring

The Winter Garment of Repentance fling:

The Bird of Time has but a little way

To fly—and Lo! the Bird is on the Wing.

The bird is “on the Wing”. Watch it fly away ... it will, of course! Further, as is written in another quatrain, “The Flower that once has blown for ever dies.” Observe them both, without judgment, condemnation or fear, for is it not the case that ...

The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,

Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit

Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,

Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it.

So, what are we to do? How are we to live? Here, in my view, is some good advice:

Look to the Rose that blows about us—"Lo,

Laughing," she says, "into the World I blow:

At once the silken Tassel of my Purse

Tear, and its Treasure on the Garden throw."

Living mindfully means that we accept the fact that everything is in the process of becoming a dissolution ... yes, everything is in a state of flux. All is transitory and will eventually vanish from view. So, as the American Unitarian Universalist minister and former head of Amnesty International, Dr William Schulz, points out, “the paradox of life is to love it all the more even though we ultimately lose it.”

That is what makes this present moment so very special. So let us engage with it ... with a whole-body-and-mind awareness. When we do that, and interfere with nothing, strangely our minds become free from all limitations, fetters and bonds.

So, in the words of Omar Khayyám, "Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life."

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MINDFULNESS MEDITATION INCREASES WELLBEING IN ADOLESCENT BOYS

Mindfulness, the process of learning to become more aware of our ongoing experiences, increases wellbeing in adolescent boys, a new study reports.

Researchers from the University of Cambridge analysed 155 boys from two independent UK schools, Tonbridge and Hampton, before and after a 4-week crash course in mindfulness.

After the trial period, the 14 and 15 year-old boys were found to have increased wellbeing, defined as the combination of feeling good (including positive emotions such as happiness, contentment, interest and affection) and functioning well.

Professor Felicia Huppert (pictured below) of the Well-being Institute at the University of Cambridge said:

"More and more we are realising the importance of supporting the overall mental health of children. Our study demonstrates that this type of training improves wellbeing in adolescents and that the more they practise, the greater the benefits. Importantly, many of the students genuinely enjoyed the exercises and said they intended to continue them – a good sign that many children would be receptive to this type of intervention.

"Another significant aspect of this study is that adolescents who suffered from higher levels of anxiety were the ones who benefitted most from the training."

For the experiment, students in 6 classes were trained in mindful awareness – mindfulness.

Mindfulness is a "way of paying attention. It means consciously bringing awareness to our experience, in the present moment, without making judgments about it" [as described in the Mental Health Foundation report Be Mindful issued in 2010].

That report makes the case for making meditation-based therapy available to everyone who experiences recurrent depression.

The report highlights the proven effectiveness of treatments such as mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) and shows how developing services could reduce the cost - human and economic - of depression to society.

Students in the 5 control classes attended their normal religious studies lessons.

The classes covered the concepts of awareness and acceptance, and taught the schoolboys such things as how to practice bodily awareness by noticing where they were in contact with their chairs or the floor, paying attention to their breathing, and noticing all the sensations involved in walking.The training consisted of four 40 minute classes, one per week, which presented the principles and practice of mindfulness.

The students were also asked to practice outside the classroom and were encouraged to listen to a CD or mp3 file for 8 minutes a day. These exercises are intended to improve concentration and reduce stress.

All participants completed a short series of online questionnaires before and after the mindfulness project. The questionnaires measured the effect of the training on changes in mindful awareness, resilience (the ability to modify responses to changing situations) and psychological wellbeing.

The researchers found that although it was a short program, the students who participated in the mindfulness training had increased levels of wellbeing which were proportional to the amount of time the students spent practising their new skills.

Professor Huppert continued: "We believe that the effects of mindfulness training can enhance wellbeing in a number of ways. If you practice being in the present, you can increase positive feelings by savouring pleasurable on-going experiences. Additionally, calming the mind and observing experiences with curiosity and acceptance not only reduces stress but helps with attention control and emotion regulation – skills which are valuable both inside and outside the classroom."

NOTE. This blog sets out a simple form of mindfulness sitting meditation.

Source: University of Cambridge. Article Date: 19/9/10.


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IMPORTANT NOTICE: See the Terms of Use and Disclaimer. The information provided on this blogspot is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Never delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice from your medical practitioner or other qualified health provider because of something you have read on this blogspot. For immediate advice or support call Lifeline on 13 1 1 14 or Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800. For information, advice and referral on mental illness contact the SANE Helpline on 1800 18 SANE (7263) go online via sane.org

LISTENING TO MUSIC MINDFULLY

In recent years a form of complementary medicine known as music therapy has emerged, which can be useful for the treatment and management of a number of conditions including stress, depression, chronic pain and coping with cancer. (You may wish to watch this YouTube video on music therapy.)

Of course, music has been used for years in connection with various meditative and contemplative practices, but usually solely or primarily with the object of stilling or even numbing the mind.

However, readers of these blogs will already know that Mindfulness is not about stilling or numbing the mind. It’s about the presence of the choiceless awareness of, and bare attention to, the action of, among other things, one’s body and mind ... for never forget that Mindfulness is a whole-body-and-mind awareness of the present moment. More than that, it is the cultivation of awareness, bringing one's attention to the moment over and over. So, music therapy and Mindfulness involve no passive listening to music but a state of awareness.

One can listen to any type of music mindfully but I prefer something “sweet”, melodic and slow tempo. For me, Beethoven is definitely out, but you can still listen mindfully to his music if you wish ... or even punk rock. (Indeed, I do listen to Beethoven ... even mindfully ... for true Mindfulness is awareness without comment, judgment or discrimination ... so it really doesn't matter what kind of music you listen to ... as long as you listen to it mindfully.)

Having said that, I do have my favourites, so being quite unsophisticated in my musical tastes I ordinarily go for something as "ordinary" as Clause Debussy’s Clair de lune (to listen, click on this link) or a sultry rendition of “My Funny Valentine” (from the Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart musical Babes in Arms) (to listen, click on this link).

The important thing is to focus mindfully on the sound and the vibration of each note ... even if you are so familiar with the tune - like I am with the two items mentioned above - that you know which note is next. It doesn't matter. You simply feel the presence of the sound and the vibration in your head and elsewhere in your body ... as if you were hearing and experiencing it for the very first time!

As you listen to the music notice any changes in instrumentation, tempo and volume. If there is singing notice any changes in pitch, volume and feeling. Is the music loud or soft? Notice any changes in bodily or mental sensations as the music is played. (You may, for example, experience some not unpleasant "buzz" or tingling sensation when a certain note really resonates with you.) Notice, too, at what points the music influences what you are thinking and how you are feeling. 

Note the sensations which arise both in your body and in your mind ... as well as the feelings and any "emotional baggage" the music brings up for, and within, you ... as they arise ... from moment to moment. If you start engaging in mental movies or mental chatter, don't castigate yourself, but simply note what is happening, and gently bring your mind back to the current moment and the particular piece of music to which you are listening.

While you are listening to your chosen piece of music, breathe "normally". In other words, don't intentionally make your breath long or short nor strong or weak. Let it flow normally and naturally ... for you.

As I’ve said before, you cannot fail with Mindfulness ... unless you become involved in your thoughts and feelings as opposed to merely observing them. Be fully present with whatever arises in the moment.

Mindfulness involves observing and releasing habits of mind to which you would otherwise be enslaved, and being fully attentive to everything as-it-is as opposed to filtering everything through one’s subjective opinions and feelings.

Like all forms and applications of Mindfulness, listening to music mindfully starts with non-judgmental self-observation, leading to self-awakening, self-insight and, ultimately, self-liberty ... that is, freedom from mindless, unthinking existence.

Happy listening!

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IMPORTANT NOTICE: See the Terms of Use and Disclaimer. The information provided on this blogspot is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Never delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice from your medical practitioner or other qualified health provider because of something you have read on this blogspot. For immediate advice or support call Lifeline on 13 1 1 14 or Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800. For information, advice and referral on mental illness contact the SANE Helpline on 1800 18 SANE (7263) go online via sane.org

MINDFULNESS, PSYCHOANALYSIS, COGNITIVE BEHAVIOUR THERAPY AND BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER

In November 2010 some 230 psychodynamic psychotherapists (formerly known, and sometimes still referred to, as psychoanalysts or psychoanalytic psychotherapists) met in Sydney, Australia to hear from Dr Jonathan Shedler (pictured opposite), Associate Professor at the University of Colorado Medical School, who has gathered the first impressive evidence in 80 years that talking therapies of the psychoanalytic kind may work.

''The public has been told only new symptom-focused treatments like cognitive behaviour therapy have scientific support,'' he said. ''The actual evidence shows that psychodynamic therapy is highly effective.''

Dr Shedler published in the American Psychologist in 2010 a review of 160 studies of psychodynamic therapy (click on this link to find the paper), which is a less intensive form of classical Freudian psychoanalysis. The review not only countered the universal criticism of a lack of scientific evidence for psychoanalysis but also demonstrated it had substantial and lasting treatment benefits.

''Therapy is a way of coming to know the part of ourselves we don't fully know,'' Shedler said, who is scathing in his criticism of cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT). In the words of Shedler, ''The notion you can get rid of distressing feelings through working with reason and rationality alone is neurologically unsupportable.''

Now, I am not suitably qualified to pass judgment on either psycho-dynamic therapy (psychoanalysis) or CBT except to say that it appears to be the general consensus of opinion that when CBT works, it works fairly quickly and cost-effectively, whereas other forms of psychotherapy (including but not limited to classical psychoanalysis, insight-oriented psychotherapy and other forms of “talk therapies”) tend to take much longer.

However, what Shedler says above regarding the use of reason and rationality alone to treat what are inherently irrational states of mind seems intuitively, and self-evidently, plausible to me.

Now, there is considerable evidence, referred to in previous blogs, that Mindfulness can be a useful mechanism, whether in the form of an adjunct therapy or otherwise, for treating depression, anxiety and certain mood disorders. Mindfulness does not rely upon reason or rationality per se. Having said that, Mindfulness is not irrational or contrary to reason but simply transrational or supramundane ... that is, it grows out of, but also transcends, ordinary reason or rationality.

Mindfulness involves the use of the following three ordinary, everyday “skills” (but with a heightened state of self-awareness):

• observing … that is, giving bare and curious attention to what is what is happening in one’s body, mind and consciousness … with choiceless awareness;
• describing … that is, [in some Mindfulness "traditions" and practices] using techniques such as “noting” (eg “thinking … thinking”) and “labelling” (eg “sad”, “angry”) - without judgment, condemnation or criticism of any kind - what is happening in one’s body, mind and consciousness ... OR simply acknowledging - without anticipating or reflecting upon it - whatever be the sensation of the moment in the immediacy of its arising or vanishing;
• participating … that is, practising, whilst paying full and undivided attention to, certain activities (including but not limited to ordinary, everyday activities such as eating, reading and watching TV) in a manner that enables one to step back and otherwise disengage from what is what is happening in one’s body, mind and consciousness, thus enabling oneself to de-stress, detach and disengage from mental clutter and to have a clear mind.

For some time now I have been interested in the work and writings of Marsha M Linehan (pictured below), who is an American psychologist and author of such books as Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder (New York: Guildford Press, 1993). Linehan is a Professor of Psychology, Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington and Director of the Behavioral Research and Therapy Clinics.

Lineham has developed a system of psychotherapy known as Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), which is a type of psychotherapy that combines behavioural science with concepts of acceptance and Mindfulness derived from both Eastern and Western contemplative practices.

As regards the practice of Mindfulness, Linehan sees it as being a core skill in her type of CBT for Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), which is a mental disorder that affects some 2 to 5 per cent of the population at some stage in their lives.

For more on BPD watch this quite helpful YouTube video:

People affected by BPD frequently experience distressing emotional states (often involving confused and contradictory feelings and emotions as well as deep feelings of insecurity), difficulty in relating to other people, self-harming behaviour and problems with impulse control. Mindfulness can be of assistance here by reason of the fact that Mindfulness leads to enhanced and more objective self-awareness.

By means of the regular practice of Mindfulness, aided and assisted by one or other of the various forms of psychotherapy and possibly medication (in the form of mood stabilizers) as well, people with BPD can gradually become more aware of what is happening in their body, mind and consciousness … in the present … on a moment to moment basis ... and more centred and grounded in the "here and now".

In time, the mind slows down, and one learns not to automatically engage in self-introspection of an obsessional kind, self-criticism and self-condemnation, and not to act impulsively and unthinkingly based on what are often ill-founded mental judgments as to whether one likes or doesn’t like what one is experiencing or encountering in daily life.

Equally importantly, one learns that, when painful or otherwise unpleasant feelings or memories arise, one need not become caught up by them but can let them drift or float away. In other words, there is a shift in focus and one's persepective of thinking from being in the past and future to being fully engaged in the present. Further, one learns to be an objective observer and witness of oneself in the "time at hand" … with emotional equanimity and tranquillity.

NOTE. This blog sets out a simple form of mindfulness sitting meditation.


IMPORTANT NOTICE: See the Terms of Use and Disclaimer. The information provided on this blogspot is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Never delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice from your medical practitioner or other qualified health provider because of something you have read on this blogspot. For immediate advice or support call Lifeline on 13 1 1 14 or Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800. For information, advice and referral on mental illness contact the SANE Helpline on 1800 18 SANE (7263) go online via sane.org

MINDFULNESS IMPROVES SELF-MEMORY

How good is your "self-memory" (also known as "autobiographical memory")? How well can you recall specific events from your past?

It is fairly well-documented that the autobiographical memory of persons suffering from depressive states, not to mention suicidal patients, is overgeneral and lacks specificity … that is, the persons concerned find it difficult to retrieve memories of specific events. Instead, they tend to retrieve and relate to others only generic summaries of past events, that is, they seem to be able to only access over-general memories. (Memories of more specific events from the past are theoretically accessible, but are almost impossible for many people to retrieve.)

A Belgian study, published in the journal Behaviour Research and Therapy in 2009, explored the role of executive processes as a mediator of Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) effects in an unselected sample.

Various tests, namely an autobiographical memory task, a cognitive inhibition task, a motor inhibition task, a cognitive flexibility task and a motor flexibility task, were administered to the participants before and after intervention.

Compared to matched controls, the MBCT participants showed increased autobiographical memory specificity, decreased over-generality, and improved cognitive flexibility capacity and capacity to inhibit cognitive prepotent responses (the latter being behavioural responses with the greatest (“most potent”) tendencies of being evoked by given sensory stimuli).

The researchers noted that Mindfulness training was not associated with changes on motor inhibition and motor flexibility. That tends to suggest that the practice of Mindfulness specifically affects cognitive executive components such as memory, thinking and so forth.

The results support the notion that Mindfulness training inhibits secondary elaborative processing of thoughts, feelings and sensations that arise in one’s stream of consciousness … ruminations, obsessional thinking and the like.

Another study, reported in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology in 2000, investigated whether autobiographical memory could be affected by psychological treatment. Recovered depressed patients were randomly allocated to receive either treatment as usual or treatment designed to reduce risk of relapse. It was found that whereas control patients showed no change in specificity of memories recalled in response to cue words, the treatment group showed a significantly reduced number of generic memories.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: See the Terms of Use and Disclaimer. The information provided on this blogspot is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Never delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice from your medical practitioner or other qualified health provider because of something you have read on this blogspot. For immediate advice or support call Lifeline on 13 1 1 14 or Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800. For information, advice and referral on mental illness contact the SANE Helpline on 1800 18 SANE (7263) go online via sane.org



MINDFUL STRETCHING FOR NECK AND SHOULDER PAIN AND ASSOCIATED HEADACHES

Many people, myself included, suffer from chronic neck and shoulder pain, often with accompanying headache. Some experience what is known as cervicogenic headache, the latter being a syndrome characterized by chronic hemicranial (that is, restricted to one side of the head) pain - often of a throbbing, pulsating kind - that is referred to the head from either bony structures or soft tissues of the neck. Others experience head pain, and headache, as if someone had hit them on the back of the head with a baseball bat. Either way, it’s debilitating.

I now realize that much of this pain is due to bad habits of poor posture that have been built up over many years. In response to bad posture, and stress, muscles tend to contract involuntarily and tighten. The tightened muscles squeeze blood vessels and reduce circulation. The result? Headaches, muscle spasms, cortisol-induced hypertension ... and even nausea and vomiting.

Further, once severe pain manifests itself more often than not the result is more pain as a result of the workings and dynamics of what is known as the pain cycle.

Those who suffer from chronic joint and muscular pain are all too aware of how pain tends to be followed by further muscle tension, unbalanced forces, altered joint movements and positions, leading to abnormal movement patterns, compensation ... and more pain!

In almost all such cases, there is laziness in the form of a lack of self-awareness. We can get so involved, even fixated, in what we are doing (eg writing or typing a letter or surfing the net) that we cease to be aware of the position of our body. Over time, bad muscular habits develop, many of which tighten and stiffen the muscles of the neck, shoulders and back while at the same time leading to muscle weakness. The result? Pain ... with a capital “P”.

All too many of us lead sedentary lives and have sedentary jobs. Prolonged sitting, and inactivity, makes muscles and joints feel tight, stiff and tense. Further, unexercised muscles grow lax and lazy and lose strength. However, the real laziness relates, not to our muscles and bodies generally, but to our lack of self-awareness and alertness. That is the real problem.

In at least one previous blog I have made mention of the fact that Mindfulness and Mindfulness Meditation have been proven to assist in the management of both acute and chronic pain conditions.

Mindfulness takes meditation and applies it to one’s entire life. Mindful stretching takes Mindfulness and applies it to one’s body and the consciousness of one's body parts and bodily sensations.

Mindful stretching consists of various gentle stretching procedures - not exercises - done very slowly and mindfully, that is, with a moment to moment level of awareness of breathing, posture, and the various sensations that arise in your body, mind and consciousness ... from one moment to the next. The procedures consist of various actions and motions that are mindfully slow and relaxed.

In the past I derived some benefit from regular sessions of chiropractic, osteopathy and massage, as well as from exercises recommended by those practitioners, but, over time, my chronic neck and shoulder pain condition got so bad that the above mentioned therapeutic modalities were of little or no assistance to me. (Physiotherapy was of no help to me at all, but that doesn't necessarily mean it can't help others.)

In more recent years I underwent surgical procedures to my cervical spine including facet joint injections and percutaneous facet joint denervation. Again, no relief from pain. 

Eventually I came to understand that, despite having quite severe cervical spondylosis, my particular problem was largely biomechanical and anatomical in nature, and that the "answer" lay elsewhere ... but where?!

Today, Mindfulness is the only natural modality that gives me any real assistance in managing my condition. Why? Because when I practise Mindfulness I become more self-aware of what is happening in my body, mind and consciousness. Over time, I have learned to overcome poor habits of breathing and posture ... simply by being aware of my bad habits in that regard and by making appropriate changes before things turn ugly.

Mindful stretching is a specific application of Mindfulness in order to gain insight and understanding into how our bodies are working. With a better understanding of how are bodies are functioning - appropriately or inappropriately - we are then able to allow our muscles and other parts of our anatomy to make their own adjustments pursuant to certain inbuilt postural reflexes that are still latent within our bodies ... no matter how lax or tense our muscles may be.

The important thing to bear in mind is this ... let, don’t try. In particular, don’t try to deliberately override your existing posture. Also, don’t do any of these procedures forcefully or vigorously. They are NOT physical fitness exercises ... at least not when done in the spirit of Mindfulness. Rather let the outworking of these procedures happen by themselves as much as possible.

Sure, at first you will have to think of certain actions during the procedures, but even at that early stage try to let the actions unfold as naturally and as effortlessly as possible, being aware at each stage of the procedure of what is unfolding in your body, mind and consciousness. Enquire, with curiosity, as to the nature of your experience ... for example, are you experiencing tightness, rigidity, spasm? If so, say, interiorly, to yourself, “Tightness”, “Rigidity” or “Spasm” as the case may be.

When performing the procedures be aware of any holding of your breath or tightening of the jaw, neck, shoulders or back. Breathe easily and naturally throughout the procedures and, at the risk of repeating myself, pay attention ... moment to moment ... to the areas of your body that are or remain tense.

Now, here are the two mindful stretching procedures which I have found to be the most helpful ones for me with respect to the management of my condition. However, please read both the "SPECIAL NOTE" and the "IMPORTANT NOTICE" at the end of this blog before doing either of the procedures.

Head circles

This procedure, which involves gently but purposefully moving only your head, can assist in relieving neck tension.

Sit upright and relaxed in an office-type chair with your feet placed squarely and evenly on the floor. Rest your hands on your upper legs or directly over your knees. Gently let your head drop forward until your chin gently touches your chest. Let your shoulders be relaxed and still, but not rigid. Notice any tightness, rigidity or spasm in your neck or shoulders. Don't fight against it or try to get rid of it. Let it be.

Keep your mouth closed (unless you have to breathe through your mouth) but allow a small gap between your teeth as any undue tesnion in the muscles of the jaw will pull the head off balance or otherwise affect its smooth, easy movement throughout this procedure.

Now, with your eyes open and looking without strain in the direction of your movement (as your head will tend to move with and in the direction of where your eyes are pointing), slowly and as effortlessly as possible move your head around to the right in a large, easy circle. You may well hear some crepitus (that is, a crackling or grating feeling or sound). That is not uncommon, but easy does it at all times. Let your head move at a comfortable pace without any strain.

Once you have completed your circle to the right, reverse the movement and now slowly and as effortlessly as possible move your head around to the left in a large, easy circle.

Again, easy does it, and let your head move at a comfortable pace without any strain.

Continue your mindful stretching, alternating directions, until you have done, say, 6 movements to each side.

Go slow with, and throughout, this procedure, and be careful with your range of motion (which can be affected by factors such as age, osteoarthritis, degenerative disc disease, etc). Stop if you experience any pain or unusual discomfort. If the procedure hurts, don't do it.

Shoulder shrugs

This procedure, which involves gently but purposefully straightening your arms and shrugging your shoulders, can assist in relieving both neck and shoulder tension.

As in the first procedure, sit upright in an office-type chair with your feet placed squarely and evenly on the floor. Rest your hands on your upper legs or directly over your knees. Let your head tilt ever so slightly backward. Notice any tightness, rigidity or spasm in your neck or shoulders. Again, don't fight against it or try to get rid of it. Just let it be.

Now inhale, while at the same time and straightening your arms and shrugging your shoulders high toward your ears. Maintain this position for some 3-5 seconds, being aware of and alert to what should be no more than moderate tension in the cervical region. Now exhale in one long, easy sigh, letting your shoulders sag, your head drop forward, and your arms go relaxed and loose. Feel the tension dissipating.

Remain in what you notice to be a relaxed slump for some 3-5 seconds. Then repeat the procedure some 5 more times.

Remember, gently does it, at all times, even when shrugging the shoulders and maintaining them in a somewhat tensed position. Be aware of both the tension and the progressive release of tension as you carry out the procedure.

Once again, stop if you experience any pain or unusual discomfort. If the procedure hurts, don't do it.

With each procedure, be mindful of whatever arises from moment to moment. You cannot fail at Mindfulness if you remain mindfully aware of whatever happens. Oh, yes, when doing each procedure there should be no holding or stopping of the breath (except, if you really must, with the shoulder shrugs, when holding the shrugs for the 3-5 second period). Breathe normally (for you) in rhythm with your movements, and if you want to go deeper into a stretch don't force it but breathe and relax gently into it.

Perhaps the most importat thing of all is this ... apply Mindfulness each moment of the day, from moment to moment. Do not allow yourself to, for example, sit in a "bad" position in front of the computer for hours, or even minutes, on end without becoming aware of what you are doing to yourself. Mindfulness means being self-aware and alert to what is happening to your body. Observe, notice, and take corrective action before pain sets in.

I hope one day to be able to rely entirely upon Mindfulness for the management of my chronic pain condition. At present, I still need the help of anti-inflammatory and pain medications, but the practice of Mindfulness now plays an increasingly more important role in the management of my condition.

(This blog sets out a simple form of mindfulness sitting meditation.)

SPECIAL NOTE. The information in this blog is not designed to replace a health care professional’s independent judgment about the appropriateness or risks of either of the above procedures for you. Always consult your health care professional about your medical conditions including neck and back problems.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: See the Terms of Use and Disclaimer. The information provided on this blogspot is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Never delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice from your medical practitioner or other qualified health provider because of something you have read on this blogspot. For immediate advice or support call Lifeline on 13 1 1 14 or Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800. For information, advice and referral on mental illness contact the SANE Helpline on 1800 18 SANE (7263) go online via sane.org

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