Month: January 2021

does this look like your average free offer?

~ kimberly mascaro ~ Leave a comment

I know we are all struggling right now: After all we are amidst a global pandemic. On top of that six out of ten people in the United States are living with a chronic illness, according to the CDC. Knowing this, it is reasonable to believe that everyone of us here has been impacted in some way by chronic disease. Perhaps you are living with an auto-immune condition or maybe your parent suffered from cancer. Then there’s COVID – the icing on the mud pie. Unfortunately, chronic disease diagnoses are on the rise. The coronavirus numbers are paralyzing. Ugh! Our friends and family are vulnerable, as we are. It’s tempting to want to run away, hide and scream.

Do not despair. We are not powerless and we can heal. One way to support our bodies through this pandemic and beyond is by regular practice of some form of deep relaxation, gifting ourselves with silent stillness. I talk about this a lot. Why? Because I have seen for myself, in my own life and the lives of others, the lasting positive impact of self-care practices, such as meditation.

For the past year, I have been offering free guided meditation sessions online, via Zoom, to anyone impacted in any way by chronic illness. I want to extend this free offer to you, followers of Conscious Chimera. Every Wednesday at 6pm (Pacific Time) at group of us gather online and I lead a profoundly relaxing guided experience, in the yoga nidra fashion. A series of body, breath, and awareness techniques bring about the deepest level of relaxation in this ‘sleep-based’ meditation. All you have to do is lie down, get cozy, and close your eyes. This is an ancient practice of non-doing, delivering profound benefits for mind, body, and spirit in a short as 40 minutes. You’ll leave the experience feeling peaceful and renewed. The world really needs this right now.

Here’s what the Mayo Clinic has to say about the emotional benefits of meditation:

  • Gain a new perspective on stressful situations
  • Build skills to manage your stress
  • Increase self-awareness
  • Focus on the present
  • Reduce negative emotions
  • Increase imagination and creativity
  • Increase patience and tolerance

The world really needs this right now! In addition, meditation may also help people manage the following symptoms and conditions, as suggested by some research, according to the Mayo Clinic:

  • Anxiety
  • Asthma
  • Cancer
  • Chronic pain
  • Depression
  • Heart disease
  • High blood pressure
  • Irritable bowel syndrome
  • Sleep problems
  • Tension headaches

That’s an impressive list. Ask your doctors if they are aware of additional benefits and how often they believe you should meditate in order to gain such benefits. You  may even choose to bring this article with you: https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/meditation/in-depth/meditation/art-20045858

Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

If you’d like to receive my weekly email invitation with Zoom link, sent me your email address and I will add you to the list. There is no obligation to attend and every session is 100% free-of-charge. Pop in on any session that fits your schedule – attend as many or as few as you like. All I ask is that you arrive on time because once we begin, I do not admit anyone into the session. Understandably, latecomers disturb everyone.

If you chose to get on my list and attend, let me know how you liked it. Furthermore, you may share this with a friend. Who is the one person in your life that needs this the most?

Last but not least, I understand that before signing up, you may want to prepare yourself, or start off slowly…and perhaps you may want to get to know me a little. That’s just fine. If that’s the case, consider checking out my YouTube channel. There you can find my 3 part video series titled ‘Let’s Breathe.’ That series offers a solid kick-start! Here it is: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5uiyWhrG8N8gNsYbZbGK8w

Meditation…it’s what the world needs more of.

~Dr. Kim

P.S. After years of studying and practicing various forms of meditation, such as mindfulness, Tai Chi, concentrative/focused meditation, and even mantra meditation, I turned my attention to the ancient sleep-based meditation of yoga nidra. I spend all of 2019 learning this form of guided meditation under Kamini Desai, PhD, and John Vosler, allowing me to earn my certification in the Integrative Amrit Method of Yoga Nidra (I AM Yoga Nidra). Since 2019, I have led group yoga nidra sessions for free throughout all of 2020, and now into 2021. If you’d like to know more about this method, please reach out.

5 ways to start the day off right!

~ kimberly mascaro ~ Leave a comment

Each morning after we wake up in bed, we have the power to impact our experience of the day ahead. Sometimes I forget that. To remind myself and anyone else out there who’s listening, I’ve put together a list. Here are 5 things you can to before jumping into a busy day that have positive impact. And for the record, these simple practices can be done throughout the day as a way to recalibrate.

1) Instead of jumping out of bed as the alarm goes off or the mind clicks on, lie still and experience the inner silence. Can you catch a dream? Maybe yes, maybe no, but either way, soak up the sense of warmth, peace, stillness, comfort, and silence. Notice how soft the breath is and how quiet the heartbeat is. Take this moment to just be. If dream material is flooding in, move on to your dream journal or voice memo next.

2) Take three slow, conscious breaths. Become aware of the moment. By practicing conscious breathing each morning, we are more likely to return to it throughout the day. By engaging in abdominal breathing with awareness we practice self-regulation. Self-regulated individuals find it easier to make intentional decisions and actions.

3) Smile. Just smile. No reason needed. Years ago, when I was in the middle of completing my PhD program, one of my instructors told us how he would remember to smile as be began or concluded his daily Tai Chi routine. That’s because the facial micro-muscles activated when smiling ignite positive feelings. So go ahead, smile for no reason at all – you just might find yourself feeling happier.

4) Express gratitude in any way that feels right for you. This can be done either verbally, or in writing (in a fancy journal or on an old napkin makes no difference). State aloud or write down a half-dozen things you are grateful for in this life. It’s ok to exclaim what you are grateful for to your pet, a vase of flowers, or even the sun. No one needs to hear you but the universe. If you chose to write out a gratitude list, you can read it to all of the above if you wish. Grateful expression can be considered an act of prayer.

5) Recognize that today is a new day – a chance to bring about a fresh intention. With each new day, we get to start over. What do you want to do differently today? Is there a specific self-care practice that you’ve been wanting to try? Is there someone you need to forgive? If the ego-mind is already rattling off distorted views and engaging in maladaptive thinking, tell it to STOP, then insert an affirmative, adaptive thought in its place. If any of the above steps could use repeating, give yourself permission to do so.

These 5 practices, when done with consistency, can bring about positive change, elevating kindness and compassion for ourselves and others. If you would like to dedicate more time to learning and practicing self-care, from a holistic stance, contact me. Or you may join my course, Self-care 360, today. It is an ongoing subscription course. Read more about it by clicking here.

Happy 2021 everyone,

Dr. Kim