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Mindfulness is a powerful practice for your mind and body. It’s a technique that Marines, top athletes, CEOs and even members of Congress are using ...
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Yeah.
Hello and welcome to health talk and Julie Banderas sitting in for Dr.
Manny mindful -- it is a powerful practice for your mind and body it's a technique that marines' top athletes CEOs and even members of congress are using.
To change their lives joining me now is congressman Tim Ryan he's the off there.
Of a mind formation thank you so much for coming in -- right first of all here we have your book in front of me.
What is mindful the next.
Mindful -- is paying attention to the present moment on purpose.
Wherever that moment is bringing -- so you and I talking right now or.
Putting on our socks or dancing or swimming or running -- at whatever moment you're end.
It's about disciplining your mind and having that mental discipline to really ground yourself into the present moment.
And everyone can do it and that changes everything.
You know it does because when you say -- it reminds me of interviewing when you -- someone you can watch how some people tend to listen right there mindful of what their guest is saying and rationing tuna but often times people will be having a conversation but really their mind is somewhere else right.
And it does affect your overall performance at work.
Sure -- it's it's not productive with your awareness is on something else while you're doing a task one of the great examples is when you get the car and you start driving in the end up somewhere and you think.
How -- I get here I now think you're -- hearing running.
And that can bring a lot of anxiety.
And that stress level can cause a lot of health issues.
Decrease in your immune function from heart disease high blood pressure type two diabetes -- all of these things and then we as Americans spend a lot of money on prescription drugs.
And even the prevention methods that we have now the screenings your blood pressure whatever.
It's still down -- what's causing your heart disease now you know what's causing your high blood pressure.
It's in many instances -- stress and so we have a very simple cheap effective technique that we can all use and learn to reduce our she.
-- in mind over matter I mean we've all heard of that expression it really really does ring true here but why we.
I guess less mindful now more than ever.
I think the information that the speed of our society right now in many instances the inequality the gap in between the rich and the poor the anxiety of just trying to make and -- make ends meet -- fifty years ago.
You know we had a stronger middle class and we have today.
And all of that life so much simpler life and I talk a lot about -- my information about my tying grand parents Jeff who my grandfather worked at a -- will -- a good living he get off work at 3 o'clock.
He go work in his garden -- at happy hour there'd be a family dinner together we can picnics with the family you know that was a simpler time and I think actually.
We want to get back there I think that's really where all the anxiety in our politics and our discourse of coming from we're not living in the kind of like you know -- There is so true getting back to back because it when you talk about people over prescribing themselves and not -- true there are so many people that are -- themselves from these disorders that did not.
-- they just did not exist back in the day and we you'll find.
Right I mean it it seems that that.
The lack of mindful -- is is is bringing down our society as a whole I mean how do you find found mindful this to be useful in your life for.
-- of disturbed stress reducer and helps you not just take in all of the negative information I mean think about all the information we have today you can -- -- -- -- Tokyo newspaper on your iPhone right now and all of the information is bombarding you so.
This is why it's important and schools we yell -- our kids to pay attention but we never teach them how to pay attention when it's more essential and it's ever been because of all this information coming in.
My infamous if you're wired -- present moment like a finely tuned athlete you're gonna pick which information is really essential for you to have in what you need to let go by.
And if you start holding on to all of it the negative news in the newspaper and TV and everything in in your own life that builds up a certain amount of stress.
So how well are members of congress receiving the message of mindful -- -- if there are.
If there was one group of people that maybe too much going on in their mind is and congress I -- -- got a lot of prop.
Runs on -- Staff members of congress aren't any different than a single mom you know who's trying to make and meet or make ends meet or someone who's working double shifts are two jobs or whatever stress distress -- -- what you're rich and run and wild or you're.
You know trying to make ends meet -- family that's all that's all stress and what your body wants to do is naturally heal itself.
There's a great study we talk about an error of psoriasis patients -- -- one group just goes and you get a treatment in a light box and one.
Group just -- and another group one in practice mindful -- the mindful in this group because the study suggested they were reduce their stress killed four times quicker.
Then the group that just -- in -- your body wants to heal itself.
And what I'm saying is a policy -- is if we start teaching all of our citizens this technique we can prevent a lot of these problems we can heal quicker.
And save our health care I think hundreds of millions and if not billions of dollars in the long.
What kind of tips can you teach.
Those who are watching right now on what they can do to better their lives and better their health their mental health by by using some of these technique in the back of the book as a resource section Lugar and buying CDs of guided meditations you can see with the Marines are doing you know it's all basically the same technique to meditation -- -- -- meditation is is the essential one.
And it's basically your minds like of a boat.
And your breath as like an anchor.
That keep -- grounded and so you try to keep going back to your breath keep trying to ground yourself in your breath.
Because that's the present moment and you can find yourself over time if you practiced.
Where your mind's going it's going on problems that.
May never happen.
-- and the only way you'll be able to deal with that problem -- -- does happen is to be completely awake in the present moment -- and to start off just think about your socks when you're putting on your socks just focus on your gas prices as well John -- a great UCLA basketball coach that was his first.
That was his first class that was his first teaching of how to put on your side.
At a starting -- pay attention somewhere congressman Tim Ryan thank you very much pick up does become mindful nation it's a must read thank you very much -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- thank -- and that's gonna do it for me I'm Julie -- thanks for watching.
