Welcome to the Mind and Body experience of Myeloma Action Month
On this page, you will find breathing, relaxation, mindfulness meditation, and yoga exercises. We encourage you to explore the page and pick and choose which exercises work for you. We also ask that you use caution and only engage in an activity if it feels comfortable and safe for you. And most importantly, enjoy yourself and nurture your resilience!
A Moment of Meditation
Getting Started – Taking time to breathe
Sit in Dynamic Stillness
You can also meditate lying down, standing or walking, but a comfortable, upright seat is an ideal physical position to develop a wakeful, relaxed mental state.
Choose a Focal Point
Your focal point can be your breathing, a visualization, a mantra, or a guided journey. While taking time to breathe you may have already noticed how easily distracted the mind is, jumping from one thought to the next is like a monkey jumping from branch to branch. In meditation we begin to tame our monkey mind, first by choosing a point to focus.
Awareness of Your Natural Breath
You can choose to close your eyes or with a soft and steady gaze keep them focused on a point on the floor about three feet in front of you.
Be Kind to Yourself
No matter the state in which you find your mind, be kind to yourself. This is a practice of self-acceptance. When we feel troubled by a difficult emotional state, we can begin to activate our healing process by tapping into our capacity to create positive emotions guided by positive thoughts.
AUDIO MEDITATIONS
Explore these audio recordings on meditation and mindfulness:
Body Scan Mindfulness Exercise
Finding Your Bliss
Guided Meditation: Manifest Your Goals
Happiness Factory
Loving Your Body Meditation
Loving Kindness
VIDEO MEDITATIONS AND YOGA EXERCISES
You can also follow along these videos and engage in an in-home meditation and/or yoga practice:
Energizing Chair Yoga
Feeling a little depleted and unfocused? Try this fifteen-minute practice with a handful of poses that will stimulate your circulation, lengthen your muscles, deepen your breathing, and boost your life force energy. Explore each pose mindfully without forcing your body into any position that doesn’t feel appropriate. Adapt the poses to your body rather than pushing yourself into the “perfect pose.” Remember that yoga is about deepening the conversation between your mind and body
Prep for Sleep
Next time you need some support surrendering to sleep, grab some pillows and try this sequence of pre-slumber asanas (yoga postures). If rest is not coming easy to you and support is needed, get in bed and try this restorative sequence. You’ll need two or three pillows and lots of slow, deep breaths. May your dreams be sweet and your sleep refreshingly deep!