WEBVTT

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(gentle music)

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Welcome to "Hadley Presents."

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I'm your host, Ricky Enger,

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inviting you to sit back, relax,

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and enjoy a conversation with the experts.

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In this episode,

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we discuss the benefits of mindfulness

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for those with vision loss.

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And our guest, our mindfulness expert, Tiffany Guske,

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interviewed by Hadley learning expert Debbie Worman.

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Welcome to the show, both of you.

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Thanks, Ricky.
Good morning.

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Yay, I'm so happy to have you guys,

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and I am super excited

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about this particular topic.

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I'm really looking forward

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to focusing and learning about mindfulness.

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But before we focus on figuring out

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what mindfulness is, I wanna learn

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a little about you guys.

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Let's start with you, Debbie.

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Tell us a little about yourself.

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Well, believe it or not, I've been at Hadley

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for over 30 years now.

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I've taught many courses during that time

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and been able to interact with a lot of learners.

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I've taught effective listening,

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personality psychology, and many

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of the English skills courses.

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Currently, I'm involved with writing

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the new Hadley 2.0 workshops,

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I'm leading discussion groups,

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and I enjoy being part

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of these Hadley podcast.
Good deal.

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So, Tiffany, tell us a bit about you.

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My name is Tiffany Guske,

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and I have immense passion for mindfulness.

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That really has come out of my own experiences.

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So sometimes people will ask,

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"How did you get interested in this?"

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And for me, it really was my own personal journey

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that got me interested.

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And just managing my own, you know, personal challenges

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and anxiety, stressful schedule,

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different things going on in life

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really lead to reasons why you wanna manage

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that anxiety a little differently.

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So, for me, finding ways to insert that

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into my work, wherever I might be able to,

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is really what I look forward to each day.

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Excellent.

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So I'm going to sit back and relax

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and enjoy this conversation with the experts.

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And I may or may not interject throughout this,

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but I'd like to put this in Debbie's capable hands

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'cause I know she's got a lot of great questions.

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So off to you, Debbie.

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Thank you, Ricky.

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Like Tiffany, I sure do have

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a passion for mindfulness.

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I was first introduced to it in 2008,

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during an especially difficult time in my life.

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And I have kinda

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been a closeted mindfulness practitioner ever since.

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(laughs) So I'm not new

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to the practice of mindfulness.

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So, Tiffany, as I'm thinking about this,

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you know, I talk about mindfulness with my friends,

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and they're like, "Oh, Debbie,

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what actually is mindfulness?

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I hear so much about it.

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It's just like a fad.

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It's everywhere.

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It's on the internet, it's on Facebook.

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You know, is this something new

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that's here today and gone tomorrow?

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And how can I practice mindfulness?

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I don't have time for meditation."

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And, personally, I can't do those yoga poses.

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My body doesn't move like that anymore.

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(Tiffany laughs)
So can you tell us

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what actually is mindfulness?

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Yeah, that's great, Debbie.

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That is funny because I think

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that there are a lot

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of preconceived ideas

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of what mindfulness is or isn't,

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and that, you know, you definitely practice

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mindfulness in yoga.

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But like I was saying before,

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you can practice mindfulness anywhere.

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And so the simplest version that I have

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when I'm talking to somebody

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about what is mindfulness, is it's a definition

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by Jon Kabat-Zinn.

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And he is kind of the father

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of mindfulness and bringing it into everyday living

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and into the United States.

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And the way that he defines it

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is mindfulness is paying attention

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in a particular way.

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So you're deciding how

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you're going to pay attention.

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You're doing it on purpose, which means

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that you've decided to do it.

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So you've decided that you want

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to pay attention to this.

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And you're doing it in the present moment.

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That's really what it's all about.

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Now, a little more advanced way

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to look at that is he also says without judgment.

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So you're not judging the moment,

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how you're doing it, when you're doing it,

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why you're doing it.

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But for me, it really is the first three.

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So it's paying attention in a particular way,

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on purpose, and in the present moment.

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And I think the idea of this fad,

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it's really become more popular,

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partially because I think our world

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has gotten more and more stressful,

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more and more intense.

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And people have been looking for ways

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to bring themselves back, to get grounded,

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to manage their stress better,

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to be more relaxed,

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to be able to move through their day

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with more ease.

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And I believe that's why it's become more popular

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or faddish, but it's been around

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for a very long time.

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So you can treat it as a fad, I think,

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if you want to, but my approach

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is more how do I make it part of my lifestyle?

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And so, as I mentioned before,

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it really was about how do I go through my life

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with more peace, more ease,

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more joyfully, how do I make that happen?

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And the way that I found to do it

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was to be present, because my mind

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is always taking off and building stories

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and causing me worry, which, the fact

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of the matter is, that also creates all kinds

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of chemical reactions in my body

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that aren't helpful, kind of like

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a fight-or-flight syndrome that's happening.

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And so now I've not used up those chemicals

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and they've come into my body.

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So those are reasons why I think someone

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might wanna look into this, that doesn't really

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have anything to do with the fad.

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And, you know, it can certainly help your health,

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it can help you manage

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your day-to-day life and schedule better.

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It can bring you into the moment so that you

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can have more pleasure out of life.

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And you can do it at any time.

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You can certainly do meditation and you can do yoga.

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And if that works for people,

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I think that's fantastic.

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But for people who are just starting,

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and myself, even, and I wouldn't consider myself

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a beginner at all, but I really do try

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and find the moments of the day

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to be able to do it.

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So, for example, just before

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we were going to be doing our recording today,

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I was rushing about.

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I'd had some things happen that were unexpected,

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and the timing wasn't exactly great.

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But what I wanted to be able to do

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was just before I got on the phone with you guys,

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is to say, "Okay, let's come back into this moment.

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It doesn't matter what has just happened,

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what's going to happen.

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Let's just come into this moment,

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get grounded, get centered.

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Use this time, this very moment,

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to do that so that I can be focused

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and with you guys when we're doing our podcast."

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And so that's kind of the everyday piece of it.

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Well, great.

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I'm glad that you explained that

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because once, I think, people hear the benefits

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of mindfulness, they will begin

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to incorporate it into their everyday living.

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For me, it's simply just a way of being.

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It's a way of being where I am present

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and fully engaged in whatever I'm doing.

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And so whether it's doing the dishes.

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For me, there's a difference between

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doing the dishes to get them done

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and then really doing the dishes.

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So I am engaged with doing (laughs) the dishes.

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I mindfully do the dishes.

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I enjoy the warm water, the soapy suds.

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And so whenever there's a family gathering,

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I am the dishwasher.

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Even though they may have a dishwasher in the house,

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I'm like, "I'll do the dishes."

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What I wanna clarify for your definition

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is that it is really being present

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and fully engaged, aware of thoughts

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and emotions, with really not

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getting caught up in them.

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Is that correct?
Yep, definitely.

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I think a lot of it has to do

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with those stories that we tell ourselves.

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So you can stand and do the dishes

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and experience things with your five senses, right?

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So you're explaining the suds, the warmth of the water.

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There's your touch, there's your sight.

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There's probably a smell that goes with the dish soap,

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potentially, maybe, you know,

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with the kitchen that's happening.

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There's a sound that happens there.

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Any of your five senses is a great way

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to bring yourself into the moment.

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And when I heard you describing doing the dishes,

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that's what you were doing.

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You weren't thinking about what you had to do next

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or what the conversation was at the dinner table

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or what do I need to be focused on for the rest

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of, you know, the afternoon or the evening?

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You were really immersing yourself in that.

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And the five senses is really the easiest way

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to try and do that, so that you don't overthink it

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and you aren't focused on those emotions

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or those stories that your brain is telling you.

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So you mentioned senses, so I think

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that really ties into the next question

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I want to ask you, and is really specific to our listeners.

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How might a mindfulness approach benefit someone

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with a visual loss, especially those new

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to vision loss, who are adjusting to that?

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How do you think the mindfulness approach

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can benefit someone?

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So from my perspective,

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and, you know, the whole idea of going through

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a health struggle, I think, is stressful for everyone.

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There's elements of anxiety.

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You're not sure what to expect.

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You don't know how things are going

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to be tomorrow or the next day.

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You're feeling likely

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a sense of loss, fear.

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All of those emotions

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certainly get you very worked up.

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And the idea of the mindfulness coming into that moment,

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appreciating where you are, having that experience,

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is helpful because it's keeping your brain from worrying.

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Worry is really something that, the idea

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that our brain is making up stories about things

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that aren't going to happen, is kind of how I see worry.

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So if we really thought about all the places

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our brain went in a day and how many of those stories

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actually came true,

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there are probably not that many.

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We have a tendency to really build on that.

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So being able to say, "Okay,

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this is the situation that I'm in.

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How might I experience what I have here now,

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versus worrying about what's going to happen,"

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can really help control that anxiety.

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Now, it's my understanding, through some conversations

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that you and I have had, that becoming, that sense

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of vision loss, that one of the biggest challenges

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is your orientation mobility

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and being able to sort of move through

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the world in a different way

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because you've lost some of your sight.

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If you think about mindfulness, much of it starts

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with being able to just ground yourself

274
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and take a deep breath.

275
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And when I think about when I need a sense

276
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of balance, when I'm moving, when I'm walking,

277
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if I'm holding my breath,

278
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I'm really going to have some trouble standing,

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moving, because your body is so tensed up.

280
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It's really not moving with the flow.

281
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Having that breathing coming in and out

282
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can really ground your body,

283
00:10:22.950 --> 00:10:24.600
it relaxes your body,

284
00:10:24.600 --> 00:10:27.090
and it's going to allow you to have better control

285
00:10:27.090 --> 00:10:28.950
over where your body is in space

286
00:10:28.950 --> 00:10:30.750
as you're trying to move forward.

287
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So, from my perspective, I would think that

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that might be something that could be helpful

289
00:10:35.400 --> 00:10:38.250
for people as they're trying to learn how to, you know,

290
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move through the world as their vision is declining.

291
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What would your opinion be on that, Debbie?

292
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What do you think?

293
00:10:43.223 --> 00:10:45.090
I think that's a great insight

294
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because orientation mobility

295
00:10:46.980 --> 00:10:49.020
is really focusing where you are

296
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and where you want to go, and moving safely

297
00:10:51.840 --> 00:10:54.060
and effectively through the environment.

298
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And I think the use of mindfulness

299
00:10:55.980 --> 00:10:59.130
really helps people focus on your surroundings.

300
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One of my favorite captions from a book,

301
00:11:01.860 --> 00:11:05.550
it's by a Buddhist monk called Thich Nhat Hanh,

302
00:11:05.550 --> 00:11:08.130
and his book is "Peace is Every Step."

303
00:11:08.130 --> 00:11:09.510
He's talking about walking.

304
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So I'm thinking of a visually impaired person

305
00:11:11.880 --> 00:11:13.380
walking through their environment,

306
00:11:13.380 --> 00:11:15.210
whether they are sighted guide

307
00:11:15.210 --> 00:11:18.420
or with a guide dog or with a cane.

308
00:11:18.420 --> 00:11:21.930
But he's saying to be aware of the contact

309
00:11:21.930 --> 00:11:24.060
of your feet and the earth.

310
00:11:24.060 --> 00:11:27.367
And what I especially love, he says,

311
00:11:27.367 --> 00:11:30.000
"Walk as if your feet

312
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are kissing the earth."

313
00:11:32.070 --> 00:11:33.390
Yes, I've heard that, Debbie.

314
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Yep, I've read that.

315
00:11:34.560 --> 00:11:36.600
So for the visually impaired person,

316
00:11:36.600 --> 00:11:40.260
it's really being aware of the surroundings.

317
00:11:40.260 --> 00:11:43.380
What textures are my feet encountering?

318
00:11:43.380 --> 00:11:45.420
Is it the carpet in the house?

319
00:11:45.420 --> 00:11:47.220
Is it the hardwood floor?

320
00:11:47.220 --> 00:11:49.530
Outside, is it asphalt?

321
00:11:49.530 --> 00:11:51.060
Is it grass?

322
00:11:51.060 --> 00:11:52.830
What am I in contact with?

323
00:11:52.830 --> 00:11:55.500
Most of us are so in a hurry to get

324
00:11:55.500 --> 00:11:57.330
from here to there and everywhere,

325
00:11:57.330 --> 00:11:58.920
we don't pay attention to that.

326
00:11:58.920 --> 00:12:01.410
And for a person with a visual impairment,

327
00:12:01.410 --> 00:12:05.130
orientation mobility skills are very important,

328
00:12:05.130 --> 00:12:06.840
and I kind of see mindfulness

329
00:12:06.840 --> 00:12:08.850
going hand in hand with that.

330
00:12:08.850 --> 00:12:10.170
I totally agree, Debbie.

331
00:12:10.170 --> 00:12:12.960
When I was thinking about how the idea

332
00:12:12.960 --> 00:12:15.180
of mindfulness could really benefit folks

333
00:12:15.180 --> 00:12:16.860
that are having that vision loss,

334
00:12:16.860 --> 00:12:19.770
there's gotta be a turning up of some of your senses

335
00:12:19.770 --> 00:12:21.480
because you have one that's declining.

336
00:12:21.480 --> 00:12:24.420
And being able to do that as you're walking,

337
00:12:24.420 --> 00:12:26.790
as you're moving, is so critically important,

338
00:12:26.790 --> 00:12:28.050
as you said, for safety.

339
00:12:28.050 --> 00:12:30.270
And so when you are doing something like, say,

340
00:12:30.270 --> 00:12:32.130
for example, you're using a pair of scissors

341
00:12:32.130 --> 00:12:34.470
or a knife, you've increased your awareness.

342
00:12:34.470 --> 00:12:36.150
You're really more focused on it

343
00:12:36.150 --> 00:12:38.040
because you don't want to hurt yourself,

344
00:12:38.040 --> 00:12:39.120
because you're dealing with something

345
00:12:39.120 --> 00:12:40.290
that's a little more dangerous.

346
00:12:40.290 --> 00:12:42.360
And I would think that in walking,

347
00:12:42.360 --> 00:12:44.610
that's the idea, is how do I stay safe?

348
00:12:44.610 --> 00:12:48.030
Well, I stay safe by really concentrating on what

349
00:12:48.030 --> 00:12:50.280
my body is doing and how it's doing it.

350
00:12:50.280 --> 00:12:52.860
And as you said, there's such beauty in movement.

351
00:12:52.860 --> 00:12:54.570
There's such beauty in being able

352
00:12:54.570 --> 00:12:55.800
to move our bodies.

353
00:12:55.800 --> 00:12:58.620
And you kind of gain an appreciation for that

354
00:12:58.620 --> 00:13:00.540
just going through that exercise, saying, "Wow,

355
00:13:00.540 --> 00:13:02.490
think about all the things that my body

356
00:13:02.490 --> 00:13:04.080
is doing in unison,

357
00:13:04.080 --> 00:13:06.000
just because I'm sort of asking it to

358
00:13:06.000 --> 00:13:07.590
and becoming very present with it."

359
00:13:07.590 --> 00:13:09.570
So I think there's a strong appreciation

360
00:13:09.570 --> 00:13:12.900
and gratitude that can go with that, hand in hand,

361
00:13:12.900 --> 00:13:14.220
when you bring your awareness

362
00:13:14.220 --> 00:13:15.900
and your focus to it as well.

363
00:13:15.900 --> 00:13:18.990
Truly, the practice of mindfulness really helps

364
00:13:18.990 --> 00:13:21.780
with enhancing senses, whether it be hearing,

365
00:13:21.780 --> 00:13:24.570
whether you're in tune to just noises

366
00:13:24.570 --> 00:13:26.430
in your apartment or home, the hum

367
00:13:26.430 --> 00:13:29.520
of the refrigerator, when the furnace kicks on,

368
00:13:29.520 --> 00:13:31.710
the cat purring in the other room,

369
00:13:31.710 --> 00:13:33.480
as mine is doing now.

370
00:13:33.480 --> 00:13:35.901
What are the smells in your environment?

371
00:13:35.901 --> 00:13:37.980
You know, you talked about your body's position

372
00:13:37.980 --> 00:13:40.380
and movement, the textures you're feeling.

373
00:13:40.380 --> 00:13:43.620
So all of those are so important for someone

374
00:13:43.620 --> 00:13:44.850
with visual impairment.

375
00:13:44.850 --> 00:13:47.670
You know, when someone is diagnosed with vision loss,

376
00:13:47.670 --> 00:13:51.030
the other senses don't immediately kick in, right?

377
00:13:51.030 --> 00:13:53.700
They don't become super, they don't have super hearing.

378
00:13:53.700 --> 00:13:56.100
That all has to be enhanced,

379
00:13:56.100 --> 00:13:58.710
and mindfulness is a really good practice

380
00:13:58.710 --> 00:14:00.960
to help that happen, wouldn't you say?

381
00:14:00.960 --> 00:14:02.220
Yes, absolutely.

382
00:14:02.220 --> 00:14:05.670
And, you know, there are short meditation exercises,

383
00:14:05.670 --> 00:14:07.770
again, that I'll do with people in workshops,

384
00:14:07.770 --> 00:14:10.140
and many of my workshops are quite short.

385
00:14:10.140 --> 00:14:11.730
They might only be an hour or two.

386
00:14:11.730 --> 00:14:15.150
So we try and tap into different ways

387
00:14:15.150 --> 00:14:18.300
to use each of those senses to enhance them.

388
00:14:18.300 --> 00:14:21.450
And so another exercise that we might do is sitting,

389
00:14:21.450 --> 00:14:24.390
taking deep breaths, becoming aware of the breath.

390
00:14:24.390 --> 00:14:26.580
Maybe three, four, five of those,

391
00:14:26.580 --> 00:14:28.770
and then tuning into your environment.

392
00:14:28.770 --> 00:14:30.960
So like you were saying, it's what's happening

393
00:14:30.960 --> 00:14:32.190
in the space that you're in?

394
00:14:32.190 --> 00:14:35.640
So even here now, you know, I can hear what's happening.

395
00:14:35.640 --> 00:14:38.910
I can hear some buzz from some lights on my desk.

396
00:14:38.910 --> 00:14:40.980
I can hear the traffic outside.

397
00:14:40.980 --> 00:14:42.210
I can hear, you know,

398
00:14:42.210 --> 00:14:43.950
I've got some workers outside, actually,

399
00:14:43.950 --> 00:14:45.330
that are helping paint my house today.

400
00:14:45.330 --> 00:14:46.163
I can hear that.

401
00:14:46.163 --> 00:14:48.150
So there's different levels of sound

402
00:14:48.150 --> 00:14:51.360
that you can really tap into, and all of that.

403
00:14:51.360 --> 00:14:53.580
Say, for example, I was working on my computer

404
00:14:53.580 --> 00:14:55.230
or I was reading or something,

405
00:14:55.230 --> 00:14:57.720
I wouldn't be aware of any of those, likely,

406
00:14:57.720 --> 00:14:59.880
unless they became an annoyance to me.

407
00:14:59.880 --> 00:15:02.730
But when you really tap into the levels of sound,

408
00:15:02.730 --> 00:15:05.880
it's kind of fascinating and you might be surprised.

409
00:15:05.880 --> 00:15:08.850
Now, if we go back to that idea of safety

410
00:15:08.850 --> 00:15:11.670
and security for people, if you are trying

411
00:15:11.670 --> 00:15:13.620
to move from your living room to your kitchen

412
00:15:13.620 --> 00:15:15.570
and you can hear that refrigerator,

413
00:15:15.570 --> 00:15:17.220
you're gonna know how close you are

414
00:15:17.220 --> 00:15:18.330
or how far away you are

415
00:15:18.330 --> 00:15:19.950
because you're going to become attuned.

416
00:15:19.950 --> 00:15:21.630
And there's great value in that.

417
00:15:21.630 --> 00:15:23.610
If there's somebody at the door.

418
00:15:23.610 --> 00:15:25.260
There's a lot of different things here

419
00:15:25.260 --> 00:15:26.400
that I think can help.

420
00:15:26.400 --> 00:15:28.650
And so from my perspective, I do think

421
00:15:28.650 --> 00:15:32.100
that enhancing the senses through that practice

422
00:15:32.100 --> 00:15:34.440
has really just a good value

423
00:15:34.440 --> 00:15:36.840
in creating more safety,

424
00:15:36.840 --> 00:15:38.820
more security, less anxiety.

425
00:15:38.820 --> 00:15:40.860
And I think really just a competency

426
00:15:40.860 --> 00:15:43.140
and a proficiency that helps people

427
00:15:43.140 --> 00:15:45.270
as they're struggling with the vision loss

428
00:15:45.270 --> 00:15:46.680
to feel like, I've got this.

429
00:15:46.680 --> 00:15:49.260
I actually have some other ways that my body

430
00:15:49.260 --> 00:15:51.090
is going to help support me, that's going

431
00:15:51.090 --> 00:15:54.180
to help me feel safe in this world.

432
00:15:54.180 --> 00:15:56.250
And I'm using them, I'm working with them,

433
00:15:56.250 --> 00:15:57.083
I'm training them.

434
00:15:57.083 --> 00:15:59.220
I'm getting them to this place where I feel

435
00:15:59.220 --> 00:16:00.660
a good sense of proficiency.

436
00:16:00.660 --> 00:16:02.370
And I think the mindfulness practice

437
00:16:02.370 --> 00:16:05.490
can definitely be added to helping nurture that

438
00:16:05.490 --> 00:16:07.050
and help it along.

439
00:16:07.050 --> 00:16:09.870
Now that we've talked about what is mindfulness

440
00:16:09.870 --> 00:16:13.020
and how it could benefit someone with vision loss,

441
00:16:13.020 --> 00:16:15.210
could you tell us how we might begin

442
00:16:15.210 --> 00:16:16.950
a practice of mindfulness?

443
00:16:16.950 --> 00:16:18.720
And perhaps you could take us through

444
00:16:18.720 --> 00:16:20.670
a little exercise.

445
00:16:20.670 --> 00:16:22.650
Sure, absolutely. I'd love to, Debbie.

446
00:16:22.650 --> 00:16:24.690
Let's take just a minute right now.

447
00:16:24.690 --> 00:16:27.930
So you've heard me say quite a few times here

448
00:16:27.930 --> 00:16:29.850
as we've been talking about just doing

449
00:16:29.850 --> 00:16:31.110
some deep breathing.

450
00:16:31.110 --> 00:16:32.850
And it really is a simple thing,

451
00:16:32.850 --> 00:16:34.530
but it's one of those things

452
00:16:34.530 --> 00:16:37.470
that if you don't tell yourself to do it, you don't.

453
00:16:37.470 --> 00:16:40.170
And it's funny, when I do big conferences,

454
00:16:40.170 --> 00:16:43.350
when I'm onstage, I can get people

455
00:16:43.350 --> 00:16:44.730
to put their things down

456
00:16:44.730 --> 00:16:46.050
and take a deep breath.

457
00:16:46.050 --> 00:16:48.660
They're very, usually, audiences are pretty obedient,

458
00:16:48.660 --> 00:16:51.000
but we'll start by just grounding ourselves.

459
00:16:51.000 --> 00:16:53.977
And it's funny how, when somebody says to you,

460
00:16:53.977 --> 00:16:56.670
"Okay, we're just gonna take a few deep breaths,"

461
00:16:56.670 --> 00:16:58.020
in your mind, you're like, oh,

462
00:16:58.020 --> 00:16:59.280
that sounds really pleasant.

463
00:16:59.280 --> 00:17:01.620
Why wasn't I doing that before? (laughs)

464
00:17:01.620 --> 00:17:03.930
And then you do it, and it's quite pleasant.

465
00:17:03.930 --> 00:17:05.280
It's not a chore.

466
00:17:05.280 --> 00:17:07.440
It's actually something that feels good.

467
00:17:07.440 --> 00:17:09.480
I would like to just go through an exercise.

468
00:17:09.480 --> 00:17:11.340
It's just gonna take us a minute,

469
00:17:11.340 --> 00:17:13.170
but to just do a little bit of deep breathing

470
00:17:13.170 --> 00:17:15.840
so we can feel what that feels like,

471
00:17:15.840 --> 00:17:18.570
to become a little bit more grounded and clear,

472
00:17:18.570 --> 00:17:19.958
even while we're listening,

473
00:17:19.958 --> 00:17:20.880
you know, to a podcast

474
00:17:20.880 --> 00:17:22.710
and then, you know, a conversation that's got

475
00:17:22.710 --> 00:17:26.220
a lot of animation and a lot of interesting information,

476
00:17:26.220 --> 00:17:27.780
how we might become grounded.

477
00:17:27.780 --> 00:17:30.060
So what I'm gonna have you do is, if you're in the car,

478
00:17:30.060 --> 00:17:31.740
I don't recommend that you shut your eyes,

479
00:17:31.740 --> 00:17:33.810
if you're listening to the podcast (laughs) in a car.

480
00:17:33.810 --> 00:17:37.140
But if you are somewhere where you're sitting in a chair,

481
00:17:37.140 --> 00:17:38.430
or even if you're standing.

482
00:17:38.430 --> 00:17:40.260
If you can sit down, I think it's better.

483
00:17:40.260 --> 00:17:43.740
But to just sit down, get your feet flat on the floor,

484
00:17:43.740 --> 00:17:45.510
get your bum into the seat,

485
00:17:45.510 --> 00:17:47.340
and just sit up as straight as you can.

486
00:17:47.340 --> 00:17:50.190
So really just giving yourself lots of room there

487
00:17:50.190 --> 00:17:52.170
to do the deep breathing.

488
00:17:52.170 --> 00:17:53.850
And what we're gonna do is we're just going

489
00:17:53.850 --> 00:17:55.950
to take three deep breaths,

490
00:17:55.950 --> 00:17:57.720
and I'll walk you through it.

491
00:17:57.720 --> 00:18:01.500
What we wanna do is take a long inhale

492
00:18:01.500 --> 00:18:03.570
and a long exhale.

493
00:18:03.570 --> 00:18:05.850
If you're looking or thinking about your body

494
00:18:05.850 --> 00:18:07.020
and what should it be doing,

495
00:18:07.020 --> 00:18:09.510
your chest shouldn't be rising.

496
00:18:09.510 --> 00:18:10.830
You really want your belly.

497
00:18:10.830 --> 00:18:12.660
And some people call this belly breathing,

498
00:18:12.660 --> 00:18:15.030
where your diaphragm is pushing down,

499
00:18:15.030 --> 00:18:16.920
so it's opening your lungs up.

500
00:18:16.920 --> 00:18:18.930
So your belly kinda gets pushed out

501
00:18:18.930 --> 00:18:19.890
when you do that,

502
00:18:19.890 --> 00:18:22.890
and that really allows that breathing to happen.

503
00:18:22.890 --> 00:18:24.480
So let's just go ahead and do that.

504
00:18:24.480 --> 00:18:27.030
Again, gets yourself just situated in your chair.

505
00:18:27.030 --> 00:18:28.530
And if you're comfortable with it,

506
00:18:28.530 --> 00:18:31.650
either close your eyes, or maybe just put your eyes down

507
00:18:31.650 --> 00:18:34.200
and focus on something that's a little bit lower.

508
00:18:34.200 --> 00:18:36.360
And we're just gonna take our first deep breath.

509
00:18:36.360 --> 00:18:37.193
Deep breath in

510
00:18:39.210 --> 00:18:40.143
and out.

511
00:18:41.760 --> 00:18:43.360
Deep breath in

512
00:18:45.240 --> 00:18:46.353
and out.

513
00:18:47.970 --> 00:18:49.480
Deep breath in

514
00:18:51.030 --> 00:18:52.203
and out.

515
00:18:53.430 --> 00:18:56.850
And then I would say just open up your eyes,

516
00:18:56.850 --> 00:18:58.440
move a little bit.

517
00:18:58.440 --> 00:18:59.880
And then the question I would have for you,

518
00:18:59.880 --> 00:19:02.190
Debbie, is how do you feel now

519
00:19:02.190 --> 00:19:05.550
versus before we just did those few deep breaths?

520
00:19:05.550 --> 00:19:07.140
I feel so relaxed.

521
00:19:07.140 --> 00:19:09.150
I love breathing exercises.

522
00:19:09.150 --> 00:19:10.950
They're so simple.

523
00:19:10.950 --> 00:19:14.400
And what helps me is it really anchors my mind.

524
00:19:14.400 --> 00:19:16.200
And until you try it, you don't know

525
00:19:16.200 --> 00:19:18.120
that it works, but it does work.

526
00:19:18.120 --> 00:19:21.030
And, again, Tiffany, it's not about, right,

527
00:19:21.030 --> 00:19:23.880
getting in the car or finding a ride to the gym.

528
00:19:23.880 --> 00:19:27.240
These are simple exercises, breathing exercises

529
00:19:27.240 --> 00:19:29.280
that you can do at any time during the day.

530
00:19:29.280 --> 00:19:31.920
So what are some of your suggestions

531
00:19:31.920 --> 00:19:35.730
for incorporating mindfulness into daily routines?

532
00:19:35.730 --> 00:19:37.620
You've got the key right there, Debbie.

533
00:19:37.620 --> 00:19:39.300
It's the daily routines.

534
00:19:39.300 --> 00:19:41.670
So what are you already doing

535
00:19:41.670 --> 00:19:43.950
that you can bring that mindfulness in?

536
00:19:43.950 --> 00:19:45.750
Actually, I've got some good tips

537
00:19:45.750 --> 00:19:47.220
on my website for that,

538
00:19:47.220 --> 00:19:49.680
that don't feel like I'm having to set

539
00:19:49.680 --> 00:19:52.230
a time to go meditate or, like you were saying,

540
00:19:52.230 --> 00:19:53.370
I'm not going to a gym.

541
00:19:53.370 --> 00:19:55.980
It's really like where are the moments during my day

542
00:19:55.980 --> 00:19:58.560
that I can start to become mindful?

543
00:19:58.560 --> 00:20:00.870
You can do it while you're brushing your teeth.

544
00:20:00.870 --> 00:20:03.630
You can do it when you're sitting down

545
00:20:03.630 --> 00:20:05.580
to have your first drink of the day.

546
00:20:05.580 --> 00:20:08.130
So maybe it's a cup of tea or a cup of coffee,

547
00:20:08.130 --> 00:20:10.723
and really just experiencing that.

548
00:20:10.723 --> 00:20:12.450
I tell a lot of folks that, for me,

549
00:20:12.450 --> 00:20:13.530
I'm an espresso drinker.

550
00:20:13.530 --> 00:20:15.330
I just like a little bit of espresso in the morning.

551
00:20:15.330 --> 00:20:17.490
But for me, the experience

552
00:20:17.490 --> 00:20:19.380
of creating that espresso

553
00:20:19.380 --> 00:20:23.250
and having all of my senses take place there with it

554
00:20:23.250 --> 00:20:26.190
is how I start that idea of mindfulness every day.

555
00:20:26.190 --> 00:20:27.300
It's, you know, I'm walking up,

556
00:20:27.300 --> 00:20:28.710
I'm seeing my espresso machine.

557
00:20:28.710 --> 00:20:30.030
I'm pressing the button.

558
00:20:30.030 --> 00:20:32.220
I'm hearing the grinding of the beans.

559
00:20:32.220 --> 00:20:34.200
I'm then smelling the scent.

560
00:20:34.200 --> 00:20:36.540
I'm seeing the liquid come out.

561
00:20:36.540 --> 00:20:38.670
I'm able to pick it up and feel the warmth.

562
00:20:38.670 --> 00:20:40.020
I have the scent once again

563
00:20:40.020 --> 00:20:41.370
as it comes next to my nose.

564
00:20:41.370 --> 00:20:42.540
And, you know, as you know,

565
00:20:42.540 --> 00:20:44.610
there's not a lot to an espresso,

566
00:20:44.610 --> 00:20:47.580
but for me, just that moment is a way

567
00:20:47.580 --> 00:20:49.050
that I say, "Okay, I've woken up.

568
00:20:49.050 --> 00:20:50.610
I'm in my day now.

569
00:20:50.610 --> 00:20:52.260
How do I become present in it?"

570
00:20:52.260 --> 00:20:53.910
And it's one of the first ways that I do it.

571
00:20:53.910 --> 00:20:56.280
And I think people being able to find

572
00:20:56.280 --> 00:20:58.710
those individual moments is what matters.

573
00:20:58.710 --> 00:21:01.110
Another easy thing that I do is I transition

574
00:21:01.110 --> 00:21:03.330
from different things in my day.

575
00:21:03.330 --> 00:21:05.760
I will do things, like the breathing exercise

576
00:21:05.760 --> 00:21:07.230
that we just did, to be able

577
00:21:07.230 --> 00:21:09.030
to bring myself into this moment.

578
00:21:09.030 --> 00:21:11.550
So if I'm switching from one task to another,

579
00:21:11.550 --> 00:21:13.710
I might just stop and take a deep breath.

580
00:21:13.710 --> 00:21:15.000
That might happen in my kitchen.

581
00:21:15.000 --> 00:21:16.320
It might happen in my office.

582
00:21:16.320 --> 00:21:18.990
It might happen as I've, you know, rushed into a store

583
00:21:18.990 --> 00:21:20.850
and I've gotten into my car and I'm gonna drive.

584
00:21:20.850 --> 00:21:23.820
And I say, "Wait, you need to get yourself more grounded."

585
00:21:23.820 --> 00:21:26.010
I think one of the things I like to do

586
00:21:26.010 --> 00:21:28.020
is I'm on the computer a lot.

587
00:21:28.020 --> 00:21:30.210
Often, when the chime sounds

588
00:21:30.210 --> 00:21:33.420
and I have something coming into my inbox,

589
00:21:33.420 --> 00:21:35.580
I will just stop, before I answer it,

590
00:21:35.580 --> 00:21:37.500
I'll stop and take a breath

591
00:21:37.500 --> 00:21:39.150
and just observe where I'm at

592
00:21:39.150 --> 00:21:41.250
and just get grounded before I proceed

593
00:21:41.250 --> 00:21:42.420
to answer the email.

594
00:21:42.420 --> 00:21:45.330
It just gives me a fresh way of looking at the email.

595
00:21:45.330 --> 00:21:47.940
And my cat, my cat Buick,

596
00:21:47.940 --> 00:21:50.430
he helps me practice mindfulness all the time.

597
00:21:50.430 --> 00:21:52.110
I mean, he will jump in my lap

598
00:21:52.110 --> 00:21:54.900
at any time during the day and says, "Pet me."

599
00:21:54.900 --> 00:21:57.180
And just petting him during the day

600
00:21:57.180 --> 00:21:59.760
and hearing his purrs and feeling him,

601
00:21:59.760 --> 00:22:02.400
it really is just a routine that we have.

602
00:22:02.400 --> 00:22:03.510
And he loves-

603
00:22:03.510 --> 00:22:05.280
Animals are great for that, actually, Debbie.

604
00:22:05.280 --> 00:22:06.210
That's a great call out.

605
00:22:06.210 --> 00:22:08.250
Because when we are with animals in that way,

606
00:22:08.250 --> 00:22:09.990
we are so automatically present,

607
00:22:09.990 --> 00:22:11.910
and there's all kinds of unconditional love

608
00:22:11.910 --> 00:22:13.620
that's going with that, that I just think

609
00:22:13.620 --> 00:22:15.120
has just a beauty to it.

610
00:22:15.120 --> 00:22:17.400
But you really are, when you're petting your dog

611
00:22:17.400 --> 00:22:18.570
or your cat, or maybe you, you know,

612
00:22:18.570 --> 00:22:20.040
you have another animal,

613
00:22:20.040 --> 00:22:21.150
you're in that moment with them.

614
00:22:21.150 --> 00:22:23.010
You're not just in passing, petting them.

615
00:22:23.010 --> 00:22:24.090
You're present with them.

616
00:22:24.090 --> 00:22:25.620
And I love the sound, the purr.

617
00:22:25.620 --> 00:22:26.550
That's great.

618
00:22:26.550 --> 00:22:28.500
It seems that we've covered a lot

619
00:22:28.500 --> 00:22:31.200
about mindfulness, and in just a short time.

620
00:22:31.200 --> 00:22:32.970
And I appreciate all your insights

621
00:22:32.970 --> 00:22:35.700
and your encouragement for people.

622
00:22:35.700 --> 00:22:37.680
Just to remind people, the thing

623
00:22:37.680 --> 00:22:38.970
that I always remember,

624
00:22:38.970 --> 00:22:41.310
when you hesitate to start a new practice

625
00:22:41.310 --> 00:22:43.440
or anything, you're always worried, right,

626
00:22:43.440 --> 00:22:44.550
am I doing this right?

627
00:22:44.550 --> 00:22:45.780
Am I doing it wrong?

628
00:22:45.780 --> 00:22:47.970
I remember when I tried to take tai chi.

629
00:22:47.970 --> 00:22:49.350
Oh, my gosh.
(Tiffany laughs)

630
00:22:49.350 --> 00:22:51.286
My body doesn't move that way and I

631
00:22:51.286 --> 00:22:53.159
(Tiffany laughs)
was never doing it right.

632
00:22:53.159 --> 00:22:55.470
(Tiffany laughs)
The beauty of mindfulness

633
00:22:55.470 --> 00:22:58.230
is, you know, you can define it for yourself,

634
00:22:58.230 --> 00:23:00.270
and there's no right or wrong way.

635
00:23:00.270 --> 00:23:03.540
The key is to be in tune with your breathing, right,

636
00:23:03.540 --> 00:23:06.030
to bring your mind and your breathing

637
00:23:06.030 --> 00:23:07.590
and everything in sync.

638
00:23:07.590 --> 00:23:10.020
Isn't really that the basics of it?

639
00:23:10.020 --> 00:23:11.730
That is definitely the basics of it.

640
00:23:11.730 --> 00:23:13.290
And it's just paying attention to it.

641
00:23:13.290 --> 00:23:15.240
'Cause the good news is that our body is going

642
00:23:15.240 --> 00:23:17.220
to breathe, whether we focus on it or not.

643
00:23:17.220 --> 00:23:18.330
That's the good news.

644
00:23:18.330 --> 00:23:20.520
But if we can take advantage of that

645
00:23:20.520 --> 00:23:21.840
and really focus on it,

646
00:23:21.840 --> 00:23:24.780
it really becomes a foundation for mindfulness.

647
00:23:24.780 --> 00:23:26.730
It becomes a foundation for changing

648
00:23:26.730 --> 00:23:28.620
how our body is operating

649
00:23:28.620 --> 00:23:31.680
in its chemicals and stress and anxiety.

650
00:23:31.680 --> 00:23:34.110
You can't go wrong with it and there's no judgment.

651
00:23:34.110 --> 00:23:36.660
You know, we talked about what the belly breathing was.

652
00:23:36.660 --> 00:23:38.220
As long as you're taking a deep breath

653
00:23:38.220 --> 00:23:40.470
and it feels good, that's what matters.

654
00:23:40.470 --> 00:23:42.660
It's putting yourself in that present moment

655
00:23:42.660 --> 00:23:43.680
with the breathing.

656
00:23:43.680 --> 00:23:44.580
There's no pressure.

657
00:23:44.580 --> 00:23:46.860
And as you said, there's really no right or wrong,

658
00:23:46.860 --> 00:23:49.560
in my mind, in how I approach mindfulness.

659
00:23:49.560 --> 00:23:50.850
Really fascinates me

660
00:23:50.850 --> 00:23:52.860
how this mindfulness practice

661
00:23:52.860 --> 00:23:55.200
connects with vision loss

662
00:23:55.200 --> 00:23:59.370
and how it can really help people deal with emotions

663
00:23:59.370 --> 00:24:01.200
and have some clarity.

664
00:24:01.200 --> 00:24:03.960
And not that you're ignoring feelings,

665
00:24:03.960 --> 00:24:06.360
but you're not being overwhelmed with them.

666
00:24:06.360 --> 00:24:09.540
You really have a new way of being.

667
00:24:09.540 --> 00:24:12.510
So if people wanted to access your website,

668
00:24:12.510 --> 00:24:14.310
Tiffany, how can they find you?

669
00:24:14.310 --> 00:24:18.330
So I am at www.tiffanyguske.com.

670
00:24:18.330 --> 00:24:21.720
and that is T-I-F-F-A-N-Y,

671
00:24:21.720 --> 00:24:25.380
G as in good, U-S-K-E.

672
00:24:25.380 --> 00:24:27.390
And there are a lotta resources out there,

673
00:24:27.390 --> 00:24:30.240
including a quick start mindfulness guide,

674
00:24:30.240 --> 00:24:32.010
that you can go in there, click in,

675
00:24:32.010 --> 00:24:33.390
give me your email address

676
00:24:33.390 --> 00:24:34.710
and it'll shoot it right out to you,

677
00:24:34.710 --> 00:24:38.610
which is a really good way to just get familiar

678
00:24:38.610 --> 00:24:41.040
and start with the everyday routine piece.

679
00:24:41.040 --> 00:24:43.680
It really gives you examples of how you can use

680
00:24:43.680 --> 00:24:46.890
that everyday routine to start a mindfulness practice

681
00:24:46.890 --> 00:24:49.620
that fits you and is very personalized to you.

682
00:24:49.620 --> 00:24:51.480
And the blog posts out there are great.

683
00:24:51.480 --> 00:24:54.210
I have a specific grouping of posts

684
00:24:54.210 --> 00:24:56.130
that are called Mindfulness Monday,

685
00:24:56.130 --> 00:24:59.550
and those are really just intended to be very short,

686
00:24:59.550 --> 00:25:02.730
quick hits of mindfulness that you can incorporate.

687
00:25:02.730 --> 00:25:04.050
So if people are curious,

688
00:25:04.050 --> 00:25:06.120
I think those are two really good resources

689
00:25:06.120 --> 00:25:08.610
to take a look at and see if mindfulness

690
00:25:08.610 --> 00:25:10.740
is something that's a good fit for them.

691
00:25:10.740 --> 00:25:13.800
It's easy to look at, to read, to consider,

692
00:25:13.800 --> 00:25:15.810
and then incorporate into your everyday life

693
00:25:15.810 --> 00:25:19.740
as it suits you, in a very customized and personal way.

694
00:25:19.740 --> 00:25:21.660
Absolutely, and I think this

695
00:25:21.660 --> 00:25:22.920
is a wonderful website.

696
00:25:22.920 --> 00:25:24.360
I've checked it out myself,

697
00:25:24.360 --> 00:25:25.920
just kind of as preparation

698
00:25:25.920 --> 00:25:27.540
for the show, and then I found myself

699
00:25:27.540 --> 00:25:29.257
looking a little deeper at it and going,

700
00:25:29.257 --> 00:25:31.560
"Wow, there really are a lot

701
00:25:31.560 --> 00:25:34.260
of interesting things here to read about,"

702
00:25:34.260 --> 00:25:36.390
some of which are very short reads

703
00:25:36.390 --> 00:25:39.540
and some of which kind of take a deeper look into things.

704
00:25:39.540 --> 00:25:43.110
We also have some resources in our show notes,

705
00:25:43.110 --> 00:25:45.570
so you can check those out as well

706
00:25:45.570 --> 00:25:47.010
on the Hadley website.

707
00:25:47.010 --> 00:25:49.110
Debbie, for you, if people wanna contact you

708
00:25:49.110 --> 00:25:51.060
or learn more about you or ask you questions,

709
00:25:51.060 --> 00:25:52.230
how can they contact you?

710
00:25:52.230 --> 00:25:54.750
Yes, contact me at Hadley at Worman,

711
00:25:54.750 --> 00:25:58.597
that's my last name, W-O-R-M-A-N,

712
00:25:58.597 --> 00:26:00.720
@hadley.edu.

713
00:26:00.720 --> 00:26:04.110
And my extension is 6685.

714
00:26:04.110 --> 00:26:04.943
Fantastic.

715
00:26:04.943 --> 00:26:07.140
I wanna thank you both so much for being here.

716
00:26:07.140 --> 00:26:10.331
And I'll say I feel very relaxed and clearheaded

717
00:26:10.331 --> 00:26:11.795
(Tiffany laughs)
after this (laughs) episode.

718
00:26:11.795 --> 00:26:12.628
That's great,

719
00:26:12.628 --> 00:26:13.761
With a sudden craving

720
00:26:13.761 --> 00:26:16.154
for espresso and a purring cat, too, so.

721
00:26:16.154 --> 00:26:18.360
(group laughs)

722
00:26:18.360 --> 00:26:20.430
Thank you, again, for joining us.

723
00:26:20.430 --> 00:26:21.540
We learned a lot.

724
00:26:21.540 --> 00:26:23.430
And I wanna thank the audience

725
00:26:23.430 --> 00:26:26.130
for joining us and listening.

726
00:26:26.130 --> 00:26:27.810
Got something to say?

727
00:26:27.810 --> 00:26:30.000
Share your thoughts about this episode

728
00:26:30.000 --> 00:26:31.560
of "Hadley Presents,"

729
00:26:31.560 --> 00:26:34.380
or make suggestions for future episodes.

730
00:26:34.380 --> 00:26:36.150
We'd love to hear from you.

731
00:26:36.150 --> 00:26:37.380
Send us an email

732
00:26:37.380 --> 00:26:40.560
at podcast@hadley.edu.

733
00:26:40.560 --> 00:26:43.507
That's P-O-D-C-A-S-T

734
00:26:43.507 --> 00:26:45.810
@hadley.edu.

735
00:26:45.810 --> 00:26:47.430
Or leave us a message at

736
00:26:47.430 --> 00:26:52.430
847-784-2870.

737
00:26:52.440 --> 00:26:53.689
Thanks for listening.

738
00:26:53.689 --> 00:26:56.272
(gentle music)