YOUR 2025 BRAIN BRAWN MINI RESOLUTION MINDFULNESS • WEEK 2

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Happy Monday! We hope you are breathing better after last week. This week we will take our mindful activities up a notch with centering and walking meditation.


Track Your Progress!
 
We urge you to stick with all our past mini resolutions, too. Use our new log to to track all your progress!
 
Questions? Email your Motivated Mondays Coach Michele at [email protected].
 
If you are new to Motivated Mondays, you can review the 2025 content here.

Centering/Counting Breaths

Centering is a very basic, yet powerful technique that helps quiet the mind and body inducing focus either during or prior to a stress-inducing moment. It has been used by professional athletes, public speakers and actors, to name a few.
 
One simple technique is counting breaths. It can be accomplished anywhere, anytime. It is terrific for sitting in traffic and upon retiring to bed at night to extract thoughts from the day:
 
Sit, stand or lay down, whichever position the moment allows or feels right.
 
Take a moment to initiate your diaphragmatic breath (consider using your Theta brain wave music as an adjunct).
 
Count each inhale and exhale up to 30 counts

• Inhale one
• Exhale one
• Inhale two
• Exhale two
• And so on…

 
If your mind wanders or if you are interrupted, start over from the top. It may be challenging at first to get to 30, but don’t be discouraged! The results are in the process!
 
If your mind wanders or if you are interrupted, start over from the top. It may be challenging at first to get to 30, but don’t be discouraged! The results are in the process! Listening to Theta music may be beneficial during this activity.

Walking Meditation
 
Sitting meditations are a struggle for people who don’t sit in one place easily, and for others it just may seem too “new-agey.” Walking meditation is an alternative for those folks. As with the other exercises, there are a number of variations available. We have selected what we believe is the most accessible option.
The walk is much slower than even a stroll in the park and attention to the breath is again a large part of what makes it beneficial. You can do it indoors or outdoors as the weather permits. Select a straight path that you can maintain for about 30 paces. If outdoors, try to avoid overly loud or congested areas – and, of course, make sure to remain safe. Barefoot provides a better experience if that is available to you.

1. Start by anchoring your mind, body and breath
   • Close your eyes, if possible, for a moment
   • Scan the body for tension
   • Take a few diaphragmatic breaths
   • Open your eyes and take your gaze to a point a few feet in front of you, avoid exploring your surroundings with your vision

       

1. Inhale, lifting one foot

      

1. Exhale, as you place the foot down on the ground, in doing so, become aware of each point of the foot as it contacts the ground

      

1. Inhale, lifting the other foot

 

1. Exhale as you place the foot down on the ground, in doing so, become aware of each point of the foot as it contacts the ground.

      

1. Continue this way until you reach the end of your designated path, then turn around, reset/re-anchor and begin again

If your mind wanders, bring it back to the sensations in the sole of your foot and your breath. Of course, you can try counting breaths with this exercise to enhance this experience if you find it helpful.

We’ll see you next week!