Tag: meditation

Friday, April 21

Today is Friday, April 21, 2023. The bulbs are bursting, the trees are flowering, the grass is greener, it is a great time to pause and notice the nature around us.

Think about this: Sometimes, there is so much going on around us, it can lead to an overload. There can be so many thoughts, feelings, things to do. It can amplify negative thoughts and feelings and make it harder to see the path forward. The good news is that there’s a remedy.

DGoV (Daily Gift of Vitality) Activity: When the mind is full and the feelings are bouncing around, 1. take a minute to observe your breathing. Then, 2. start to slow the breathing down, make each breath last longer, and breathe from your belly so that your belly rises when you breathe in, and it releases when you breathe out. This activates the vagus nerve and allows your body to calm and settle down. Finally, 3. write down what is on your mind so you can see it. Bonus: maybe even share it with someone you trust.

A quote by Navaz Habib, “The vagus nerve is the conductor of the human body symphony orchestra.”

Thank you to Drew Beamer for sharing this lovely photo.

With gratitude and appreciation for all beings,

Naomi Parrella, MD & Fran Lee, FNP 

Friday, April 7

Today is Friday, April 7, 2023. The beauty as the seasons change, the delight of the new flowers, new colors, new beginnings highlight progress, new life and moving forward.

Think about this: Humans around the world, of all ages and cultures, naturally desire progress. We are curious animals. We are social beings. People are really pretty cool. When we see our efforts are making a difference, that we can understand something better, that we belong and are connected to other social beings, we can feel more grounded and secure, even in the midst of hardships.

DGoV (Daily Gift of Vitality) Activity: Consider ways you can connect deeply: let someone see that they make a difference – that there is progress; help someone engage their curiosity and teach you something new; reach out and share time being present with each other.

A quote we often do not hear enough of, “I love you!”

Thank you to Jean-Claude Dumont for this beautiful picture.

With gratitude and appreciation for all beings,

Naomi Parrella, MD & Fran Lee, FNP 

Friday, March 10

Today is Friday, March 10, 2023. This week’s practice to expand your vitality is to reclaim some personal thinking time. If this option is a tool that appeals to you, please join us.

Think about this: Your brain needs regular time to think. This is time to be curious, to integrate ideas, to think about things in new ways, to process experiences, to allow your brain to be creative and play.

DGoV (Daily Gift of Vitality) Activity: Identify a regularly occurring time that doesn’t require much effort and use that time to let your mind run free and think about whatever is on your mind. The mindless activity times, like doing dishes, vacuuming or folding laundry, or during regular fixed routines like commuting, exercising, or bathing. Consider journaling or keeping a log of what you thought about.

A quote by Charles Kettering, “Our imagination is the only limit to what we can hope to have in the future.”

Thank you to Sandesh Deshmukh for this photo.

With gratitude and appreciation for all beings,

Naomi Parrella, MD & Fran Lee, FNP 

Friday, February 24

Today is Friday, February 24. This week’s practice to expand your vitality is by freeing the mind to be creative. If this option is a tool that appeals to you, please join us.

Think about this: From the minute we wake up until we fall asleep, there are outside influences that are designed to grab people’s attention and redirect- email, social media, news, ads, billboard signs, radio & talk shows, etc. etc. These aim to hoard anybody’s and everybody’s attention. There are also those that are meaningful and personal, specific to you and your relationships –pets, children, partners, family, classmates, coworkers, colleagues, etc. who also desire your attention. When is it your turn to attend to you?

When the brain is constantly being directed by outside influences- without sufficient time to rest and recharge – the circuits can get overloaded and feelings of anxiety or overwhelm may occur. In turn, this can interfere with mental peace and creativity, which is when the brain can play with ideas and invent something novel. Nature immersion, meditation, exercising, bathing, listening to instrumental music, drawing, journaling, or sipping unsweet tea and reading a book, all help you control your brain’s inputs and lets your brain rest and recharge, to think freely and play.

DGoV (Daily Gift of Vitality) Activity: Try deliberately postponing “brain inputs” on waking. Notice what happens if you protect some quiet time immediately after waking, before allowing digital, media, and other uncontrolled inputs. What do you think about? Where does your mind go? What do you notice? What if you direct your attention to nature, like sunshine, the sound of birds chirping, the feel of the blowing wind? Consider this activity on waking most days this week. Jot down a note each time and review it after a week.

A quote by Albert Einstein, “Creativity is seeing what others see and thinking what no one else ever thought.”

Thank you to Alex Marrero for this photo.

With gratitude and appreciation for all beings,

Naomi Parrella, MD & Fran Lee, FNP 

Friday, February 3

Today is Friday, February 3. This week’s practice to expand your vitality is to allow a deep connection with someone. If this option is a tool that is appealing to you, please join us.

Think about this: When something happens that leads to undesirable feelings or vulnerability, it feels so much better to share it with a safe person and know someone else can understand. Deep connections are made when we can share safely and be understood.

DGoV (Daily Gift of Vitality) Activity: This week, think about how to be that open and safe person someone can confide in when they feel vulnerable. Allow yourself to be that person that can deeply connect with another.

A quote by Gina Greenlee, “When we establish human connections within the context of shared experience we create community wherever we go.”

Thank you to Mauro Lima for this photo.

With gratitude and appreciation for all beings,

Naomi Parrella, MD & Fran Lee, FNP 

Friday, January 27

Today is Friday, January 27. This week’s practice to expand your vitality is to have time daydreaming. If this option is a tool that is appealing to you, please join us.

Think about this: When we zone out, there is quiet time, without any other human inputs, the mind wanders and has novel ideas and thoughts. When was the last time you got to do that and cherish your thoughts?

DGoV (Daily Gift of Vitality) Activity: This week, choose some quiet time in a location that you will not be interrupted by other people or media or drama or news or words. This may be outside in nature, in a room or while walking, riding, or swimming. Let your mind wander. Give yourself permission to daydream and see where it takes you. Be curious.

A quote by Rachel Naomi Remen, “Sometimes all that is needed is a sense of possibility.”

Thank you to Khaled Ali for this photo.

With gratitude and appreciation for all beings,

Naomi Parrella, MD & Fran Lee, FNP 

Saturday, December 31

Today is Saturday, December 31, 2022. In March of 2020, we began this part of the journey together. We’ve made mistakes, laughed and learned. We keep appreciating, adapting and moving forward.

A quote by Dalai Lama, “Compassion is the wish to see others free from suffering.” 

Photo by Fiona Smallwood

Today, with the closing of another year, marks an opportunity for change, for fresh starts and to launch new beginnings. Reflecting back, being present, and thinking forward.

The Daily Gift of Vitality is also changing. We started together on a journey to create a safe space in March of 2020. Today, marks the final Daily Gift of Vitality in this format.  For now, we will shift to once weekly posts to this website. Over the next several weeks we will be looking forward to how we can adapt the Daily Gift of Vitality for the current times. In the meantime, you may access previous content on the website, DailyGiftOfVitality.com

Reflecting back, here is a snippet from March of 2020…

“While there is uncertainty and fear around us right now, there is also love and kindness around us, always.

During times of uncertainty, it helps to have some structured routines. We offer a daily anchoring message for those of you who may find it helpful for you, your coworkers, your loved ones, and/or your community.”

We anchored messages to our purpose:

  1. To provide a single simple message to everyone everywhere allowing individuals to learn and practice simple self-regulating actions daily for optimal health, function & recovery.
  2. To provide a reliable daily anchor- keeping it simple, easy to learn and remember – and quick to apply.
  3. To provide a routine. Each message will maintain a standardized, dependable structure to allow it to be used as a “routine” to start a day, transition from work to home mindset or after reading/watching news/social media, or to end the day.
  4. To create safe space to rest and recharge. The messaging is meant to be a “safe” space and deliberately avoids using terms that may be triggering and common in current communications.
  5. To establish an easy-to-implement way to keep people connected & cared for despite being physically in different spaces.

As we move forward, we will consider what next. Meanwhile…

Practice this Mindfulness Activity to Re-energize your Body and Mind whenever you need a moment to reset – while waiting, before, after, or to transition between activities.

Throughout, we begin this activity the same, with the same first 2 steps to signal to the body and mind that we are pausing to get centered and recharge. Over time, we have explored and practiced various ways to use this signal to further maximize the benefits. Today, we bring back a simple way settle your mind, like early on, “Here’s what you can do today, right now.”

Establishing a regular practice of pausing makes it easier to reset when you need it the most. You can start your practice at any time, even now.

  • Straighten your spine. Roll your shoulders back and down, smile to yourself, & relax your jaw.  
  • Take slow deep belly breaths, allowing your stomach to rise with each breath in and relax with each breath out. You may find that each breath gets better and better. Allow your shoulders to relax on each exhale. 

Settle your mind.

  • Imagine a box with a lid. It can be colorful or plain. It can be large or small or any size you want. Put that box on the side.  
  • Take those feelings that don’t serve you right now and place them in the box.   
  • Now, place all the thoughts about things you don’t have control over, and place them in the box also.   
  • You can come back to the box any time to add or examine what you have in there, but you don’t need to carry it with you. You can leave it for a bit. It will be safe there. 

Recharge yourself, tap into your strength and share positive energy when you repeat:  

“I am [*Name*]. I can do this. I am always learning. I have successfully handled difficult challenges in the past. As I connect to my inner self, I am open to the Happiness and positive energy around me. I send loving kindness and compassion to all people including me. Together, we can do great things.”

Thank you for allowing us to be a part of your day. Wishing All a Happy & Healthy New Year full of Love, Joy and Laughter.

With gratitude and appreciation for all beings,

Naomi Parrella, MD & Fran Lee, FNP 

Friday, December 30

Today is Friday, December 30, 2022. Snuggled up ready for a brisk walk outside.

A quote by Ryunosuke Satoro, “Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.”

Photo by: Birger Strahl

This last week of the year, another year to set up for continued progress. This is a time for reflection, appreciation, and grace. As you reflect back on your accomplishments for the past year, were there times that you allowed yourself grace in dealing with challenging situations.  How did that feel?

Practice this Mindfulness Activity to Re-energize your Body and Mind whenever you need a moment to reset – while waiting, before, after, or to transition between activities.

Establishing a regular practice of pausing makes it easier to reset when you need it the most. You can start your practice at any time, even now.

  • Straighten your spine. Roll your shoulders back and down, smile to yourself, & relax your jaw.  
  • Take slow deep belly breaths, allowing your stomach to rise with each breath in and relax with each breath out. You may find that each breath gets better and better. Allow your shoulders to relax on each exhale. 
    • Visualize your healing breath.
      • As you breathe in and feel your lungs inflate, visualize that flow of oxygen reach all parts of your body & revitalize all of your cells.
      • As you breathe out, feel your body settle.
      • With each breath, feel how you are recharging your body.
      • Remember, you were designed to heal.

Recharge yourself, tap into your strength and share positive energy when you repeat:  

“I am [*Name*]. I can do this. This is temporary. I have successfully handled difficult challenges in the past. As I connect to my inner self, I am open to the Happiness and positive energy around me. I send loving kindness and compassion to all people including me. Together, we can do great things.”

With gratitude and appreciation for all beings,

Naomi Parrella, MD & Fran Lee, FNP 

Wednesday, December 28

Today is Wednesday, December 28, 2022. Reading a good book, with a warm cup of tea, feeling relaxed.

A quote Anne Lamott, “I do not at all understand the mystery of grace – only that is meets us where we are but does not leave us where it found us.”

Photo by: Oleg Elkov

This last week of the year, another year to set up for continued progress. This is a time for reflection, appreciation, and grace. We often make lists of things we want, consider reflecting on the things you have.

Practice this Mindfulness Activity to Re-energize your Body and Mind whenever you need a moment to reset – while waiting, before, after, or to transition between activities.

Establishing a regular practice of pausing makes it easier to reset when you need it the most. You can start your practice at any time, even now.

  • Straighten your spine. Roll your shoulders back and down, smile to yourself, & relax your jaw.  
  • Take slow deep belly breaths, allowing your stomach to rise with each breath in and relax with each breath out. You may find that each breath gets better and better. Allow your shoulders to relax on each exhale. 
  • Visualize your healing breath.
    • As you breathe in and feel your lungs inflate, visualize that flow of oxygen reach all parts of your body & revitalize all of your cells.
    • As you breathe out, feel your body settle.
    • With each breath, feel how you are recharging your body.
    • Remember, you were designed to heal.

Recharge yourself, tap into your strength and share positive energy when you repeat:  

“I am [*Name*]. I can do this. This is temporary. I have successfully handled difficult challenges in the past. As I connect to my inner self, I am open to the Happiness and positive energy around me. I send loving kindness and compassion to all people including me. Together, we can do great things.”

With gratitude and appreciation for all beings,

Naomi Parrella, MD & Fran Lee, FNP 

Monday, December 26

Today is Monday, December 26, 2022. Cool brisk air to energize the soul.

A quote Tom Clancy, “The good old days are now.”

Photo by: Tammi Mild

This last week of the year, another year to set up for continued progress. This is a time for reflection, appreciation, and grace. Things change. Reflect on what’s different from this time last year? What have you learned?

Practice this Mindfulness Activity to Re-energize your Body and Mind whenever you need a moment to reset – while waiting, before, after, or to transition between activities.

Establishing a regular practice of pausing makes it easier to reset when you need it the most. You can start your practice at any time, even now.

  • Straighten your spine. Roll your shoulders back and down, smile to yourself, & relax your jaw.  
  • Take slow deep belly breaths, allowing your stomach to rise with each breath in and relax with each breath out. You may find that each breath gets better and better. Allow your shoulders to relax on each exhale. 
    • Visualize your healing breath.
      • As you breathe in and feel your lungs inflate, visualize that flow of oxygen reach all parts of your body & revitalize all of your cells.
      • As you breathe out, feel your body settle.
      • With each breath, feel how you are recharging your body.
      • Remember, you were designed to heal.

Recharge yourself, tap into your strength and share positive energy when you repeat:  

“I am [*Name*]. I can do this. This is temporary. I have successfully handled difficult challenges in the past. As I connect to my inner self, I am open to the Happiness and positive energy around me. I send loving kindness and compassion to all people including me. Together, we can do great things.”

With gratitude and appreciation for all beings,

Naomi Parrella, MD & Fran Lee, FNP