slow down

by Toku on Mindset

The Soviet Union Taught Me To Be Mindful

My interview with Kristi Kivi Frimpong author of mindfuldiary.com

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All Hail Mindful Estonia!

The Soviet Union Taught Me To Be Mindful

My interview with Kristi Kivi Frimpong author of mindfuldiary.com

From Chaos to Sanity

Recently I spoke with Kristi author of mindfuldiary.com about how she moved from a hectic life to a mindful one. She shared some tips on being a mindful parent, and told us how mindfulness helped her connect to her simple childhood in Estonia.
Check Out and Subscribe to her Blog Here

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Interview questions:

1. How did you become interested in mindfulness?

2. I know you are a parent how do you use mindfulness in parenting and do you teach it to your kids?

3. So you have lived all over the world and have a very international family?

How has integrating so many different cultures effected you and how has mindfulness played a role?

4. How can people transform their lives in a lasting way?

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Kristi Kivi Frimpong

Kristi’s Story

Kristi like alot of us used to live a life that only helped her build shallow walls, instead of a beautiful cathedral she knew she wanted to build.
This busy life met her needs and wants, but starved her soul and She knew something was missing.

She used to want a successful corporate career, expensive things, fabulous friends and a picture perfect family. Working on all those goals was exhausting, and stress knocked her off her feet forcing her to push the restart button and start from zero with mindfulness.

She decided to take responsibility for her own life and face her paralyzing fears. Filled with doubt she started building a new life, focusing on health, mindfulness, family and friends.

Now her mission is to inspire people to achieve their potential and live authentic lives with the help of mindfulness.

Kristi writes about mindfulness and life on mindfuldiary.com. She’s a Mom, runner, lifestyle entrepreneur, and mindfulness junkie. Helping others through mindfulness everywhere she goes.

Check Out and Subscribe to her Blog Here

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by Toku on Skillset

What is Mindfulness? – 3 Mindful Eating Tips

What is Mindfulness? – 
3 Mindful Eating Tips

Here are 3 tips to make your next meal more mindful-
 

1. 2 Ways to Snaz It Up 

 
A Nice Place Setting-
  • Food is not just a feast for the mouth. It can be a feast for the eyes and the nose as well.
  • The next time you cook at home, take time to set a nice place setting.
  • Set out a placemat
  • Set out silverware and napkin.
  • (Hint: the spoon and knife live together. Go ahead, let the fork get jealous)
  • Put out a candle, maybe even a little flower arrangement.
  • The goal is to treat yourself like an honored guest. 
Garnish Isn’t Garish-
Plating is the art of arranging food on a plate or in bowl.
(Hint: Bowling is something else entirely)
  • When you serve your food, try plating it beautifully.
  • Remember to leave empty space on your plate to frame the food.
  • Then add a finishing touch, AKA,  le garnish. (Hint: I don’t know french)
  • The easy route is a piece of fresh parsley or basil. (Hint: AKA a sprig)
  • A lemon wedge or half a slice of tomato also looks great.
  • Or go fancy and cut funky shapes out of cheese or tomatoes.
  • Finish with a sprinkling of fresh herbs.
  • No matter what you are eating, you can make it look lovely.
  • It just takes a little attention to detail.

2. The Anti-Eating+ Business Lunch

 
Eating+ = -Taste and -Enjoyment (Hint: This is called food algebra)
Think about what happens at a dinner party. People talk, laugh, and eat, but usually don’t focus on their food.
But what happens when the food is exceptionally delicious? Everyone gets very quiet. Everyone wants to focus on his or her food. This is an example of zoning in to your food.
 
Eating+ is what we do when we talk, text, watch, or work, while eating. When we ‘Eat+’ we subtract taste and enjoyment. We miss the experience because we are distracted.
 
The Business Lunch Problem
In the US we’re conditioned to Eat+. It’s part of our culture, especially our business culture. 
 
Business lunches are a great example. Instead of eating we often work over a meal. this is a hard tradition to overcome. One way to work with this is make  Mindful Business Lunch.
My father and his colleague tried this recently and gave me great feedback.
 
5 steps to a Mindful Business Lunch 
  1. Ask a friend or colleague out to lunch. 
  2. Pick someone who falls into one or more of these categories.
    1. You’re close to
    2. Wants to lose weight 
    3. Is into mindfulness 
    4. Likes trying new things
  3. Tell them you want to have a Mindful Business Lunch. 
  4. Tell them there are only 3 rules
    1. We’ll talk until we get our food. 
    2. Once the food come we just eat, no talking, for 5 mins
    3. After the 5 mins spend a few mins talking about the experience
  5. Ask them what they think?

3. Spooning Leads to Forking

One of the easiest ways to focus on our food is to slow downour eating pace. Here are 4 reasons to slow down:
  1. When large amounts of information come at us, we get overwhelmed. Large amounts of food are no different.
  2. When we eat fast, we taste less.
  3. When you taste more, you eat less.
  4. Slowing down you’ll enjoy everything you love about food even more.
Get Down With Your Fork
Putting down your spoon or fork is a great way to slow down. Here are 10 steps to getting down with your fork:
  1. Take a bite. 
  2. Put down your spoon or fork.
  3. Chew and taste your food.
  4. Instead of focusing on the next bite, taste the bite you have.
  5. What flavors are present?
  6. What is the texture?
  7. Do different flavors get larger or smaller as you chew.
  8. Chew until that bite is done.
  9. Then take another bite.
  10. Enjoy!
Thanks
Thanks for taking the time to check out these 3 mindful eating tips. If you liked this blog, I hope you subscribe to receive future Mindful Fitness blogs. I also hope you will comment below and share this post with your friends. 
Do you have a favorite mindful eating exercise?

 
by Toku on Mindset

A Big Turn Off

This will be a short blog.
Turn off this computer and go do something real with someone you care about. Take a walk, sing a song, or make a meal, no matter what this time of the year can help us remember that the best things in the world are analog. 
Happy Holidays!

 
by Toku on Skillset

Slow Down

That Time Of Year

This is the time of year where everything seems to be going so fast. It’s an acceleration to Christmas day, then New Years Eve, and then beyond. That’s why it’s so important that we slow down this time of year. When we get to the gym and find someone is using our machine or when we get to the store and find that the lines are long, irritation can arise. But these things are only a problem if we are in a hurry.

I’ve been told that in Russia for one to two weeks this time of year almost everything closes down. Because everything is closed people have no choice but to slow down and enjoy time with their loved ones. In many places things may only close for a day or two around the holidays so we have to make the choice to slow down.

Slow Down

When we slow down something truly amazing happens, we relax, we notice beauty, we become more kind, and we enjoy ourselves. But perhaps the most amazing thing of all is that we can get almost as many things done in the same amount of time. Frantic activity rarely leads to efficiency.

In addition to being more efficient we also perceive things differently. The lines move about the same at the grocery store, but because we slow down we don’t feel like they are going too slow. People may be on our favorite equipment, but because we slow down, we remember there is a new workout routine we’ve wanted to try out.

Theres no Hurry

Being around others who are in a hurry can be contagious so when you find yourself feeling frantic, try out these tips to help you slow down –
· Take a few deep breaths
· Reconnect with your heart
· Take a walk, run, or bike ride (alone if that’s what you need)
· Leave extra space in your day by planning ahead or managing expectations
· Let go of how things are ‘supposed to be’; being calm and relaxed is a better than any perfect dish, ritual, or present

When we are in a hurry nothing seems possible, our lives contract, and we rush from one thing to the next. When we slow down our lives expand, many things are possible, and we greet each new activity with a fresh and excited mind. Make the choice to slow down; it’s the best way to spread peace on earth and good will to men and women alike.