MBSR Israel - Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction

27/03/2022

I’m thrilled to announce: My BRAND-NEW SELF-GUIDED AUDIO COURSE, EVERYDAY MINDFULNESS, is now available!

EVERYDAY MINDFULNESS is a quick easy way for you -- or anyone you know -- to make your life easier, healthier, happier, and stress-free.

Yes, mindfulness can do all that - but it's often hard and expensive to learn. This course makes it fast, fun, and EASY. (Also, inexpensive!) Whether you're new to this or an experienced practitioner who wants a refresher.

I've condensed decades of teaching mindfulness into a SELF-GUIDED AUDIO COURSE that YOU CONTROL:
YOU schedule it: when, where, and how often you’ll tune in.
YOU fit it into your daily activities: walking your dog, commuting to work, fixing lunch for the kids, cooking dinner, out jogging. Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing.
And YOU use it, in real time, to make a real difference in your life.

Here’s just some of what you’ll master:
How to stop stress – instantly.
How to handle hassles effectively and bounce back from them – FAST.
How to train your brain to concentrate and think better, so you’re more creative and productive.
How to be less self-critical and go easier on yourself.
How to feel better and perform better, at home, at work, and everywhere.
It’s EASY TO LEARN. EASY TO USE. EASY TO AFFORD.

Here’s the link: http://empromo.alpeaudio.com

Here’s what you get in EVERYDAY MINDFULNESS:
You get 17 lessons, each one short, sweet and to the point.
Each lesson trains you in powerful techniques that put you in control. Practice them on the spot, and right when you need them. See for yourself what a difference this can make.
Each lesson also explains – clearly, concisely, and comprehensively – how each technique works, and how you can make it work for you.
You get 17 additional short(!) mindfulness practices you can turn into your own regular “emotional & mental fitness” routine, if you choose to.
You get MASTERY! Lots of practice, repetition, reminders and summaries will make sure what you’re hearing doesn’t just float in one ear and out the other. You’ll make it YOURS.
MAXIMUM BENEFIT. MAXIMUM MASTERY. MINIMUM FUSS.

Here’s what one user has to say about EVERYDAY MINDFULNESS:

“Everyday Mindfulness includes theory and practice, but makes sure to provide practical tools right off the bat, rather than bore the user with hours of theory first.
It is said that people need to hear critical messages over and over again. Dr. Dina does this wonderfully by consistently going over the main points of the lesson so that the user has practically memorized them by the end of the section…. And the ALPE platform … provides a summary, chapter headings and a place to recall information that the user wants to retain.”

Here’s the link again: http://empromo.alpeaudio.com

How much does EVERYDAY MINDFULNESS cost?
I’m making the course super easy-to-afford as a special gesture to you for being part of my mindfulness community. That means a lot to me. So the cost, right now, is US $29.99 (that's 95.46 NIS.)
I hope that makes it super easy for you to sign up and start feeling better. This choice should be a stress-free “no-brainer” 😊!

Give yourself this gift of calm, relief, and resilience.
And when you take the course, let me know how it’s going.
Send me feedback. I’m always happy to hear from you.

Once again, here’s the link to EVERYDAY MINDFULNESS, your link to a happier, healthier and stress-free life. http://empromo.alpeaudio.com
All the best, Dina

FYI: This course is one of a whole variety of excellent courses being offered on ALPE. You can subscribe to the app (monthly or annually) and get access to all their courses, including EVERYDAY MINDFULNESS, here: https://ph.alpeaudio.com/MyEVERYDAYYOU

16/01/2022

https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/trends/lifestyle-trends/you-can-get-focused-put-down-that-phone-5889091.html

The good news, however, is that focus is a skill you can cultivate and improve and your brain can learn to ignore distractions.

28/10/2021

When you wake up in the morning, are you really awake?
Did you ever have mornings where you’re already rushing, already moving, before you’re fully awake? Or where you’re still under the covers – and it doesn’t matter how early this is – and your mind is already haranguing you: ‘you’re late!’ ‘you’re behind’?
So, here’s a suggestion: before you actually get out of bed, dedicate a few moments to making a gentle and grateful transition to being awake and alive… Feel your entire body, top to bottom, all the points of contact between you and the mattress, the blankets, the air…
And bring in some gratitude for being alive. Whether you use a formal blessing or your own words. Appreciate that you’re alive and breathing. And make that deliberate: take a few conscious breath, feel the sensations of breathing in, and out, as you do so, wherever at the nostrils, or the belly or the chest and ribs… And when your mind wanders off, as I expect it will, accept that as part of the normal rhythm of life, and just gently and firmly redirect your attention back to experiencing the breath flowing in and out, moment by moment and for a few conscious breaths… …
Shift your attention to your hands, that are about to do so much for you today, and then to your feet, that will carry you through the day. What sensations do you notice in each of those? And check in with your body again: Is there some part that could use some extra TLC (tender loving care)?
And now, with care and appreciation, gently roll out of bed and mpve into the next moments of your day.
And then, be curious: does waking up to your day serve you? And if so, how?
And of course, you can do something similar at night too, before going to sleep. Check in with your hands, your feet, and your whole body,.. noticing sensations, being grateful for everything your hands, your feet, and your whole body did for you all day long, being grateful for the chance for everything to rest now…
So whether you’re just beginning your day, or your night, have a good one!
Let me know what you discover. PM me or (better still) write to me at dr.dina@breathedeep.net Let me know if you want me to add you to my list for free mindfjulness practices every Tu and Thursday,

26/10/2021

What can chirping birds teach you about being mindful?
A lot, as it turns out.

Take the amazing compositions of the French musician and composer Christophe Chassol, famous for “turning the whole world into a musical instrument.” He takes everyday sounds – ordinary noises, snatches of people chatting, sounds of nature, especially birds – and deconstructs them. He isolates sounds, identifies their notes, and then combines them with musical instruments, harmony and rhythm.

This is different from the way we usually automatically react to experience: where we glom together the bare essence with perceptions, interpretations and opinions, and treat them as though they are indistinguishable from one another. The more mindful you become of this automatic tendency, the more you can separate out the disparate elements, giving you freedom to react in new ways. This is what Chassol does this in his music: he strips experiences down to their bare essence, and then is free to combine those elements together and create new realities.

Marcel Proust said that the true voyage of discovery is to see with “new eyes”; Chassol challenges us to hear with “new ears”. Watch and listen to how he does this in this 4-minute excerpt, called BIRDS. https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Chassol+Birds&&view=detail&mid=953D8FE8D6465434E072953D8FE8D6465434E072&&FORM=VRDGAR&ru=%2Fvideos%2Fsearch%3Fq%3DChassol%2BBirds%26FORM%3DVDMHRS
Does this affect the way you experience your everyday life now?

PM me(or write to me at dr.dina@breathedeep.net) and share what you discover. Let me know if you want me to add you to my WhatsApp group to receive the free mindfulness practices I lead every Tuesday and Thursday.
Be well.

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21/10/2021

There’s lots of noise where I live: Traffic. Car horns blaring. Babies crying. Ravens cawing. Garbage trucks clunking heavily down the street.
What sounds are you aware of, wherever you are, right now?
The next time you sit down to meditate, or even just take a moment out to pause in the midst of your day, pay attention to the sounds around you. Which are from nature? Which are man-made? And notice how you feel about them, what you think about them.

Here’s one take on this, by the poet Aharon Shabtai

My neighbor’s musical instrument of choice
is the door
At first I thought it a major nuisance
And then I saw it was really part
of a kind of percussion sonata
and the aggravation dissolved:
Now I observe
how skillful this soloist is in his
entrance and exit.

(Translated by Peter Cole, Love and Selected Poems)

Do you notice how often we combine the objective stimulus of hearing, of sound with our subjective reactions to it, such as calling something a “nuisance”?
Can you separate the bare stimulus from all the reactions, interpretations, labels, perceptions? Note: there’s no guarantee that you’ll go from “nuisance” to “sonata” – and that’s not the point, either. The point is just to become more aware of this very human way of reacting to things, so you can begin to create more space between the stimulus (the sound itself) and all your reactions to it. This might just give yourself more choice, more power, more freedom.

What do you think of this?
What do you discover for yourself?
Let me know. PM or email: dr.dina@breathedeep.net let me know if you want me to add you to the list to get free recordings of mindfulness practices, twice a week.
Be well.

12/10/2021

As has been my practice since COVID began, I've been leading mindfulness sessions every Tu and Th morning via Zoom and sharing those with anyone interested via my WhatsApp group. PM me if you're interested in more info about this. Today’s practice was inspired by and dedicated to the 95th birthday of Thich Nhat Hanh, (October 11, 2021), the Vietnamese Zen master known affectionately as Thây, meaning Teacher. I consider Thây one of my most important teachers and was lucky enough to attend two retreats that he taught when he visited Israel in the 1990s.

BTW, Thây doesn’t speak of ‘birthdays’; he calls them ‘continuation days’, as he believes that we don’t have a firm ‘start’ and ‘end’ date, but that our lives reflect on ongoing continuation of life from all our ancestors who came before us, and arcing forward to all those yet to come.

Thây has been a tireless advocate of caring for the Earth, a mission that is increasingly urgent. To be able to act wisely, we first need to calm all our inner noise, which we can do with mindful breathing. That’s the first thing we practice, and what we practiced together today. Then, we can extend that out to listening deeply to others, and to listening deeply to the Earth. This is how we will ultimately be able to reduce suffering and bring about healing—our own, those around us, and the entire planet.
Thây writes about this in his book “Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet”

All of which made me think of these famous lines by the poet William Blake:
“…To see a world in a grain of sand
And a Heaven in a wild flower
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
An eternity in an hour.”

May you be well, safe, healthy and happy.

10/05/2021

Hi everyone. In Light of What’s been happening Today, Here are some reminders:
1. Feel your feet on the ground. Stay grounded in the present.
2. Breathe — consciously. Be aware of breathing in.... and out....
3. The mind /and the news will stir up agitation. YOU are in charge of the on/off button. Don’t overdose on news reports that keep churning out loops and try to fill the airspace with lots of assumptions snd stories and predictions, not to mention the rapid high pitched voices of the reporters. Be judicious in terms of how much of this you dose yourself with. Same thing for the broadcast coming from inside your mind.
4. So Keep coming back to THIS moment.
5. And loving kindness and compassion practices are always good.
Stay safe, everyone.

18/02/2021

all of you who wanted to join us for Mindful Tours, here's a chance to get a taste of India with one of our greatest guides. get set with a cup of your favorite chai and come along🙏

It's been a while since I posted, as we're not travelling for the foreseeable future. However, I wanted to let you know about a wonderful 'travel' opportunity - from the comfort of your own home. Our amazing Indian tour operator, Sanjay, together with our 5-star guide in Jaipur, Vijay, have put together a one-time virtual tour of Amber Fort & Palace that will take place on Sunday, 21st February at 6.00 pm Israel time. The virtual tour will last for 1 hour and there will be an opportunity for Q & A afterwards. You don't want to miss this as Vijay is very knowledgeable and highly entertaining. Cost is $10 per household. If you're not able to make it 'live', you can get a recording of the tour. While Mindful Tours is not sponsoring this event (though I will be hosting it), we hope to enable Sanjay and Vijay to continue to work during these challenging times. Please feel free to spread the word.
The link to register is in the first comment.

05/06/2020

please watch this and take it to heart - take it into your soul - and make it your practice.

A message from Dr. Larry Ward in response to what's happening in America right now. More at https://www.thelotusinstitute.org/

21/05/2020

IS IT SAFE TO COME OUT YET? Coping with uncertainty:
Are you finding this period of time confusing and scary?
If so, you’re not alone. Many people are reporting that the transition out of “confinement” and “isolation” is harder than being cooped up. They’re tenser now than before. And no wonder. The information we get from the so-called experts is contradictory, confusing, and unclear.
“Don’t wear masks,” they say, “it’s too hot.” But did the virus get the memo?
“Keep your distance” But: do go back to school, to work, to shop. Sort of.
What's true? What’s not? How will all this play out?
Who knows.
In the meantime: here’s a suggestion: take responsibility for yourself:
KEEP GROUNDING YOURSELF.
YOU’RE SAFEST RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW, IN THE PRESENT.
1. notice and honor how you feel about all this. If you’re feeling uncertain, confused, scared — accept your feelings.
2. And then bring yourself out of the fearful thoughts about the future back into the present, right here, right now.
Feel your feet on the floor.
Feel your breath as it enters and leaves your body.
Simple but profound techniques like these will help you reconnect over and over with the present moment, where, for the most part, YOU ARE OK.
3. When you are calmer, you will be better able to hear the voices of your OWN inner wisdom, your own inner expert, as to how you might want to navigate these uncertain times. And you will be better able to radiate that increased calm and confidence to those around you as well.
Here’s to your – and everyone’s – health and wellbeing.

18/05/2020

DO YOU REALLY WANT TO GO BACK TO NORMAL?
Everyone’s talking these days about how much they want life to go back to normal.
Is that really what you want?
In his excellent book WHY NORMAL ISN’T HEALTHY, Dr. Bowen White challenges us to think—and think hard—about this.
Here, in a nutshell, are some of the challenges he poses in his excellent book:
• What if the definitions for “normal” and “healthy“ have more to do with the “absence of disease” than living a well-balanced life?
• White defines health differently: it’s a life of wholeness and balance, where you do meaningful work, have time for family and friends, have time to play, to take in the beauty of nature, to be quiet and still, to think clearly and soundly.
• Are you living a healthy life?
Are you in touch with your fundamental core values, the things you believe in most deeply, and are you living them in your daily lives?
Are you staying in touch with the curiosity and the playfulness that were such a part of you when you were little? That still are – or should be – a part of you now?
If being normal means being addicted – to work, to long commutes, to the addiction to the rat-race, to being super- busy to the exclusion of all else, to Looking Out for No. 1 rather than realizing that we are all one – maybe being "Normal" isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Before you go back to being “normal”, take a few moments and contemplate:
What did you learn from this period of lockdown?
What was positive about this period?
What do you want to remember about it, to keep with you as part of your life now?
How do you want the New Normal to be?
How do YOU want to be, in this New Normal?

15/05/2020

“Just as the hand, held before the eye, can hide the tallest mountain,
so the routine of everyday life can keep us from seeing the vast radiance
and the secret wonders that fill the world.”
Rebbe Nachman of Breslov

Sometimes we need the experience of having our senses blocked,
In order to fully appreciate it when they are re-opened, re-awakened.

That happened for me this morning. I was out walking early, so early, in fact, that nobody else was out. So I pulled my mask down below my nostrils to take in the cool outside air.
Had that been the only experience – breathing in the cool fresh air rather than in-the-mask-recycled-air—dayenu – it would have been enough.
But I got another gift: the smells of flowers, wafting from all directions as I passed blossoming plants and trees. One was this honeysuckle, in fact.

So I thought of you, out there, and want to send you the wish that you too experience the possibility of such experiences. That, from time to time, you pause whatever you are doing, and open your senses, open to the preciousness of this moment in all its forms, including scents.
Granted, not all of them may be as delectable, but each is a doorway into This Moment, and that is the ultimate gift: the Present.

Shabbat shalom,
Dina

(If you’d like some support and guidance on ways to become more present in your life, and how that can improve your sleep, make you calmer and happier, contact me for more info and consider joining the free mindfulness classes I’m guiding, live on Zoom, Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday mornings 0700-0745. Sessions are recorded and can be shared with you if you add yourself to my WhatsApp group. Get in touch with me at dr.dina@breathedeep.net)