GLSL Stress Management For Parkinson's

A mindfulness-based stress reduction meditation for people with a diagnosis of Parkinson's. Recorded for the Get LOUD! Stay LOUD! platform. Includes a brief presentation on why managing stress is important.

Transcript

Welcome to this mindfulness and stress management for people with a diagnosis of Parkinson's.

So to begin with I'm just going to explain what mindfulness is.

It's exercise for the brain,

It helps the mind shed unhealthy thought patterns and builds mental muscle that can make it easier to cope with the unpredictability of life with a diagnosis of Parkinson's.

The brain is taught to make new neural pathways acting as alternative pathways to regions of the brain that may not be working as effectively.

It rewires the brain teaching you to think differently.

It involves bringing our attention to the present moment using the breath or other techniques we bring deliberate non-judgmental attention to the present moment through thoughts,

Emotions and bodily sensations.

So before we begin the stress management meditation I'm just going to explore why it's crucial for individuals with diagnosis of Parkinson's to manage stress and to have some tools and techniques at your fingertips.

Stress can exacerbate the symptoms of Parkinson's such as tremors,

Stiffness and mobility issues.

Having a toolkit for managing stress can help improve mood,

Reduce anxiety,

Enhance overall well-being,

Make it easier to cope with the challenges of the disease and it can enhance coping mechanisms,

Improve social interactions and strengthen emotional resilience.

Stress can interfere with the effectiveness of medications used.

By reducing stress levels individuals can experience better response to treatment and more consistent symptom control.

In terms of physical health chronic stress can have a negative effect on physical health potentially leading to increased inflammation,

Cardiovascular issues and compromised immune function.

This applies to everybody.

Cognitive function.

Stress can impair cognitive function and reduce mental clarity.

So a mindfulness meditation for stress management is just one of the tools for your toolkit.

So by meditating regularly you will be able to see the side effects of these practices.

Being more aware more often with kindness towards what life throws at you.

So the idea would be that you practice for 10 minutes daily and this is one of the meditations that you are welcome to use.

So to begin with an invitation to settle,

Set yourself up for the practice.

You may wish to be lying down,

You may wish to be sitting.

Finding a posture that's comfortable for you with the intention of falling awake.

Begin by noticing the points of contact that you're making with the earth.

So that might be your feet on the floor,

Your bottom on the chair,

Your back against the seat.

You might be lying down so a bit more contact with the earth here.

Having a sense of heaviness,

Being held,

Supported,

Solid,

Grounded and just making any adjustments that you need to,

To be comfortable.

Elongating your spine,

Checking that your shoulders aren't up by your ears and that there are no points of tension that you're holding on to.

Take a deep breath in through the nose and a deep breath out through the nose and if you can extending that out breath.

I'm just doing this a few more times so perhaps breathing into the count of five and breathing out to the count of seven.

This activates the parasympathetic nervous system that soothes,

Nourishes,

Allows the body to rest and restore and repair.

And then when you're ready returning your breath to its natural rhythm,

As best you can breathing through the nose.

And now an invitation to bring your awareness to the body,

Your toes,

Noticing any sensations.

Your mind's going to wander,

That's completely normal and each time you notice an invitation to bring yourself back,

Back to the body and in this instance the toes.

And then moving to the base of the feet,

So moving your attention away from the toes to the base of the foot,

So the heel,

The arch,

The ball of the foot.

We're just noticing,

There's no right or wrong way of doing this practice and if we reach parts of the body that you don't want to explore,

Knowing that you can bring your attention to your breath,

Somewhere neutral within the body and return when you're ready.

From the base of the foot an invitation to bring your awareness to the top of the foot,

What sensations if any can you notice here?

And then expanding your awareness away from the feet all together and to the shins and the calves.

Tightness,

Heaviness,

Tingling,

Warmth,

Coolness,

Any movements,

Simply noticing.

As we widen and narrow the lens of our attention,

So let's move up to the knees.

What if anything can you notice here?

Warm,

Cold?

If you notice any aches or niggles along the way,

Dropping out of the story,

Perhaps noticing if you label sensations pleasant or unpleasant and bringing yourself to the direct experience.

Is it little movements?

Is it constant sensation?

Is it hot,

Cold,

Tingly,

Heavy,

Light,

Moist,

Dry?

Any sounds?

We're learning to pay attention to the body,

Learn its language,

To listen.

And now an invitation to move your awareness to your thighs,

Exploring your body in this moment.

And then away from the legs to the hips,

The pelvis,

The bottom.

Muscle,

Bone,

Skin,

Organs,

All sorts of things going on here but what can you notice right now?

And then moving your awareness a little further up to the middle part of the trunk,

So the belly,

The waist,

The lower back,

The middle back.

What,

If anything,

Can you notice here?

And then expanding your awareness away from the middle part of the trunk to the upper part of the trunk,

The shoulders,

The upper chest,

The ribs,

Perhaps noticing if you've slumped and an invitation to adjust your posture,

Weaving movements into the meditation.

Taking care of yourself.

Listening,

Noticing.

And then moving your awareness away from the trunk to the arms,

The hands,

The wrists,

The forearms,

The elbow,

The shoulder,

The armpit,

Warmth,

Heaviness,

Lightness,

Sensations,

Textures.

And then moving to the neck,

The back of the neck,

The front of the neck,

The throat.

What,

If anything,

Can you notice here?

And then moving your awareness to your scalp,

The face,

Your ears.

And now an invitation to narrow your awareness to your breath.

Breathing in and breathing out.

In a rhythm that's comfortable for you.

Breathing in and breathing out.

And now let's bring our attention to the in-breath.

What sensations,

If any,

Can you notice here?

Is the air warm or cool?

Can you smell anything?

Where's most vivid in the breath?

Is it the nostrils,

Is it the chest,

Is it the belly?

Where's it quiet?

Is it the throat?

And now an invitation to move your awareness to the out-breath.

What can you notice?

It's not as easy to observe the out-breath as it is the in-breath.

Can you notice how the body squeezes and pushes?

Can you notice the warmth of the air as it leaves the body?

And each time the mind wanders as it does,

Gently but firmly bringing yourself back to the breath.

More a neutral part of the body,

Just to anchor yourself in the present moment.

And now an invitation to observe the pauses,

Those nanoseconds between the in-breath and the out-breath.

The exhalation or the exhalation and the inhalation.

Those slight pauses.

Being interested and curious in what it is to be you.

And all these situations that are happening behind the scenes that go fairly unnoticed.

Those tiny pauses between the in-breath and the out-breath It feels like nothing's going on,

But there's a lot going on.

Information's being exchanged,

Chemical processes.

Now something as ordinary as the breath can suddenly appear quite extraordinary.

Now an invitation to follow the full flow of your breath.

Breathing in,

Pausing,

Breathing out,

Pausing.

And now an invitation to expand your awareness to the environment around you.

Any sounds,

Distant or nearby.

Perhaps noticing how the mind labels and creates stories around the sounds and as best you can being with your direct experience of it.

When we sit in quiet with ourselves,

We notice our habits and tendencies to judge.

Pleasant,

Unpleasant,

Neutral.

And as best you can stepping out of the stories and into what you're noticing within your body,

Just for the space of this session.

Now an invitation to feel the air on your skin.

The temperature of the room.

And any points of contact that you're making with the ground.

Your seat,

The floor.

The earth.

Engaging your senses fully in the present moment.

Observing everything as it is,

Moment by moment.

Now I want you to bring to mind someone you care deeply about.

A friend,

A family member,

A mentor.

Perhaps a pet if people feel a bit difficult.

Or a plant in your garden.

Or a bird that you see regularly.

A living being that you care deeply about.

And then an invitation to silently repeat these phrases or say them out loud.

Holding this living being in your mind's eye.

May they be well.

May they live with ease.

May they live with ease.

May they be safe.

And may they be kind to themselves and others.

May they be well.

May they live with ease.

May they be safe.

And may they be kind to themselves and others.

May they be well.

May they live with ease.

May they be safe.

And may they be kind to themselves and others.

And just resting for a few moments in the felt sensation of having said those words.

And now an invitation to turn your attention towards yourself.

And silently repeating these phrases to yourself or you're welcome to say them out loud.

May I be well.

May I live with ease.

May I be safe.

And may I be kind to myself and to others.

May I be well.

May I live with ease.

May I be safe.

And may I be kind to myself and to others.

May I be well.

May I live with ease.

May I be safe.

And may I be kind to myself and to others.

And resting just for a few more moments in the felt sensation of having said those words.

And taking in a few deep breaths as we bring this practice to a close.

And just taking a few moments to think about what you need to do next.

Do you need to stretch?

Do you need to go for a walk?

Do you need to eat something?

What can you do for your body to take care of yourself?

Maybe some things that you've not listened to.

And as best you can taking this sense of connection and awareness into whatever you have left to do with your day.

Thank you for joining me.