Listen To This First: Recent Episodes
Laura Rice-Oeschger
*UPDATE - Soon after the pandemic began I created this space to share some peace of mind. In May of 2020 I shifted my focus and began a weekly "sit" through my work at The University of Michigan called, Have a Seat. It continues 2 years later and you're welcome to join me/us there! https://michigan-alzheimers.simplecast.com/
Listen To This First is my offering for anyone who may enjoy simple, uncomplicated and brief guided meditations & discussions for stress resilience. Professionally, I am a clinical social worker, a mindfulness meditation teacher and someone who cares deeply about people having access to what they need for their sense of wellbeing. I started this podcast in response to requests from friends, colleagues, caregivers and my own children (both teenagers) during the rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic. No one has been untouched by the impact and, if we are among the fortunate, we are simply being asked to remain home and maintain (physical) social distance. I am presently well and humbled to have something to offer which may be helpful for those (including myself) who are experiencing waves of anxiety and other challenging feelings. I have a long time personal mediation practice and I suspect this keeps me sane. While I'll never be certain how I would function without this practice, I do know mindfulness & mindfulness meditation help me stay healthier, kinder and more responsive to life and the people around me. I like to assume we are all doing the best we can. So, maybe listen to this first and see what you notice. If my voice and any of my experiences, or the experiences of others I talk with & interview, help guide you to a closer, calmer and more compassionate experience of yourself and life in the moment, well... that would be terrific. Together, we will get better at this. Life. Being human. And for me, how to podcast. Thank you for your trust. ~Laura
- Discussion - anxiety and coping (00:00-10:38)
- 3-Minute Breathing Space Described (10:38-13:30)
- 3-Minute Breathing Space Meditation - Guided ( 13:30-16:50) *scroll down for guided script
- Debrief (16:50-22:00)
Claire Weiner, LMSW, RYT-200 - BIO
Psychotherapist, Mindfulness Teacher; AACFM Leadership Team and Founding MemberClaire teaches: Mindfulness Meditation to cancer patients and their supporters.Claire has a mindfulness-based psychotherapy practice in downtown Ann Arbor. She has advanced training in Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy and taught MBCT groups at UM Department of Psychiatry. Claire provides individual, couples and group psychotherapy and has taught and supervised social work trainees and post-graduate fellows.
She was a founding member of the PsychOncology Clinic at the UM Cancer Center, seeing individuals and groups. She volunteers at the Cancer Support Community in Ann Arbor, where she teaches meditation. In 2013 Claire completed her Registered Yoga Teacher Training (RYT 200), furthering her understanding and appreciation of mind-body connections.
In her spare time, Claire enjoys choir, writing poetry, and traveling.
claire.weiner@gmail.com
Ann Arbor Center for Mindfulness
Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy
The Three-Minute Breathing Space Practice
Step1. Pay attention to whatever is present- physical sensations, emotions, thoughts, without any need to change it.
Step 2. Pay attention to the breath in a very focused way.
Step 3. Pay attention to the whole body and any sensations that are present along with the breath.
You might visualize an hourglass with a wide opening for attention as the first step, a narrow opening or focus for the second step and a wide base for the third step.
Like any new skill, simply practice.
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: A New Approach to Preventing Relapse
by Segal, Williams & Teasdale
Poem in this episode:
Stillness Shows the Way
Sitting still is hard to do.
We want to do something,
somehow change things
and help someone.
But the journey may be long,
and we cannot see
where the path is leading.
Great patience is required.
Stillness shows the way.
In the stillness we plant the seed
from which the tree may grow.
We stop and notice the only essential
step in the journey of a thousand miles..
the next one.
~Wiliam & Nancy Martin
Caregivers Tao Te Ching: Compassionate Caring for Your Loved Ones and Yourself.
Discussion with Michelle (0:00-5:38)
Introduction to a brief gratitude practice (5:38-9:42)
Gratitude Meditation (9:42-21:10)
Michelle Barclay
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mbarclay
East Coast Center for Mindfulness (at Brown)
https://www.brown.edu/public-health/mindfulness/home
Mindfulness of the breath (MOB) or mindful breathing is a classic practice and there are so many simple, straight forward, while also nuanced ways to practice. This is an introduction to mindful breathing as an anchor. Metaphorically, an anchor of attention is where you place your attention, intentionally, during meditation (or drop your attention, like the anchor of a boat.) It is something we can locate easily at anytime so we never feel adrift or lost. An anchor is always in the present moment and something we can reliably return to over and over again to re-inhabit the present moment. All of the senses can be also an anchor (more on this later). The breath happens to be one of the easiest because it's often the most accessible and contains so much tailored information about our wellbeing in any given moment. The breath is also transportable and thankfully, happening without our conscious awareness or control most of the time.
In my own practice, I like to think of the breath as the key to the doorway of my awareness, or the key to the quality of my attention. Each breath is an opportunity and an invitation back to myself. Beginning again, by noticing the sensations of breathing, is like standing on my own doormat in the doorway of the present moment. From here, I can enter the next moment with great awareness and responsiveness to whatever happens next.
(spoiler alert: we are rarely where our body is physically located. We are time travelers and we have sneaky, clever and -and sometimes important -reasons for leaving, fleeing and ignoring the moment we are in...more on this in another episode).
Have a listen...
About Laura
Laura Rice-Oeschger, LMSW, leads the Wellness Initiative at the University of Michigan Alzheimer’s Disease Center where she designs, implements and evaluates wellbeing and mindfulness-based programming. She is a founding member of the Ann Arbor Center for Mindfulness and serves as CEO for the Presence Care Project where she trains new facilitators in Mindfulness-based Dementia Care (MBDC).
Laura holds advanced professional certifications in aging, dementia and contemplative clinical care. As a long-time meditator she began teaching mindfulness meditation in 2010 and has extensive professional training in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Dementia Care (MBDC). She is a national and state presenter on memory loss and caregiver wellbeing. She is committed to co-creating and sharing contemplative programs assisting care partners, adults living with memory loss and community members in their desire to live meaningful, connected and healthy lives.
Masters of Social Work Degree: University of Michigan School of Social Work (1997)
Specialist in Aging; Advanced Cert in Dementia Care: University of Michigan School of Social Work
Advanced Certification in Contemplative Clinical Care: Smith College of Social Work
B.A. – Sociology & Music: Alma College
Presence Care Project https://www.presencecareproject.com/
Michigan Alzheimer's Disease Center https://alzheimers.med.umich.edu/
Ann Arbor Center for Mindfulness https://www.aacfm.org/
Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD https://www.mindfulnesscds.com/pages/about-the-author
Mindfulness Center at Brown https://www.brown.edu/public-health/mindfulness/home
artwork Chair* - a painting in my home by Candace Compton Pappas (2008) - acrylic, ink, clay on board https://www.comptonpappas.com/
This is an entirely homespun podcast. Any sound issues or gaffes are completely my doing. Recording, editing and music are mixed in-house using a Tascam DR-40X recorder, various microphones, speakers and Logic Pro X for editing and production. All efforts will be made to edit out lip smacking, chewing, heavy breathing, swearing and the dog barking in the background. All complaints can be directed into a pillow at any volume of your choosing.