Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge with regards to mindfulness. It has been an incredible ten-week journey as I’m just beginning to learn more about being present (mind, body, spirit) and accepting the moment for what it is.

       The Palouse website was introduced to me by two friends. In skimming over the website, the information looked really appealing and interesting to me. I liked the way the lesson for the week was presented - reading material, videos, meditation and practice. However, my initial thought was “this is just one more thing I have to do during my day, which I really don’t have the time for”. Two weeks later, I found myself back at the website, ready to make the commitment to do something for me.

       Over the past two years, my anxiety and stress levels have increased, while my tolerance level and ability to cope greatly decreased. As a result, my ability to remain asleep throughout the night has been greatly affected. In addition, racing thoughts were almost constant, day and night. My initial goals for the course included:

       *learning how to manage my thoughts and lessen my anxiety and as a result, improve my sleep

       *develop a way to remain centered and calm so that when things get busy and crazy, I won’t go nuts, explode or anything else

       *to reconnect with myself and learn/grow

       With Simple Awareness, the body scan was helpful in bringing awareness to the tension that I hold in my body, especially in response to stress and anxiety, in my neck/shoulders. Through the ten weeks, the frequency and severity of my migraine headaches have greatly decreased. In addition, when I am unable to fall back to sleep in the middle to the night, the body scan helps me to notice areas of tension. Once recognized, I am able to breathe into that area, relax and fall back to sleep.

       Attention & The Brain was probably the most challenging for me. Prior to this course, my thoughts would race day and night. The first time I attempted the sitting meditation, I got very frustrated and stopped after a few minutes as every single thought would surface and every single sound would distract me. Today, I am able to sit for at least thirty minutes, just “be” and find peace in the moment. My mind still wanders and sounds are still present, but I am able to come back to my breath. Ironically, what was the most difficult for me, is now the meditation that I crave after a busy, hectic day.

       The One-Minute Breathing Space (STOP), has been very helpful in creating that “space” so that I am responding and not reacting to others, especially during stressful situations or when my patience is limited. STOP has also helped me to be a more compassionate, loving daughter and caregiver to a mother with dementia.

       The RAIN meditation has helped me to better understand myself and why I feel the way I do in certain circumstances. Learning to recognize what is happening and what I am feeling then letting “it just be” and responding with loving-kindness has led to self-acceptance and a peace that is beyond words.

       As a health care provider, I am communicating or attempting to facilitate communication with patients, families and other health care providers. Most recently, I’ve been extremely fortunate to work with patients nearing the end of life especially with regards to Palliative Care. In walking along side these individuals and their families, many ongoing discussions are held with regards to wishes and what constitutes quality of life to each individual. Sometimes, what may constitute quality of life to the individual with the illness may be in disagreement with the family's ideas. Tara Brach’s video, The Sacred Art of Listening, brought to my awareness the importance of being present, removing my judgment or goals of listening and to give up control of the outcome. As a result, communication is more authentic, loving and life changing.

       I could go on and on about how mindfulness has impacted my life over these past ten weeks (it took me longer to complete this course as I felt I needed to spend additional time on a few lessons). Spiritually, I feel more at peace, more connected with myself/others and a greater sense of joy/compassion. Physically, I feel more rested and the frequency/severity of the migraine headaches has significantly decreased. What I felt was “just one more thing to do” (ie meditation) has transformed into something that I look forward to doing, daily. I realize the importance and benefits of daily meditation and plan to continue. I have also returned to a weekly yoga class, yoga (to me) being a physical form of meditation. In April, I will attend a retreat, “Healing, Mindfulness and Compassion”. I know that this is just the beginning of my journey and I am excited for all that I will learn, experience and grow.