Mindfulness Practice

  Breathing is the most ordinary thing you do. But when you pay attention to it, the results are anything but ordinary. The way you breathe can dial stress up or down, sharpen focus, and even influence how well your immune system stands guard. Stress and Immunity Go Hand in Hand Fast, shallow breathing locks your body in fight or flight. That means stress hormones like cortisol stay high, which weakens your immune response. Slow, steady breathing is the off switch. It drops stress levels and lets your immune system get back to its real work. Oxygen is Fuel for Your Defenses When you breathe deeply into your diaphragm, you are delivering more oxygen to your bloodstream. That oxygen powers your white blood cells and the rest of your immune system. Shallow chest breathing is like running on half a tank. Deep breathing fills you up. What Huberman Calls “Controlled Stress” Huberman has highlighted a style of breathwork known as cyclic hyperventilation, often used in the Wim Hof ...

  She’s the Betty to my Wilma, my sister-from-another-mister 🤣, the one who just makes life, well, better. Now she’s far away. Still texting, still calling, still here in spirit, but not beside me. Some days it feels like I’ve lost a limb. The laughs, the random chaos, the little moments that made life feel full are gone for now. Mindfulness doesn’t make the missing go away. It just lets me feel it without spiraling. The tug in my chest when I want to tell her something ridiculous. The ache when I remember it’s six months until the next hug. The little spark of joy when my phone buzzes with her name. I try to treat all that as proof of love, not a problem. Missing her means she matters. Longing means connection is still alive, even from a distance. So here’s what I do: Breathe in, think I miss you. Breathe out, think I’m grateful you exist. It doesn’t close the gap, but it makes it easier to sit in it. Even if she’s not here, she’s still the Betty to my Wilma, just as ...

Some days my mind feels like a battlefield. One voice says I’m not enough, another snaps back, and I’m left standing in the noise. It’s not elegant or Zen. It’s messy and exhausting. Mindfulness is not about pretending the fight isn’t happening. It is about noticing it, even when it’s ugly, and choosing not to pile on. Here’s one thing that has helped me: Pause. Feel your feet on the floor. Inhale slowly for a count of four. Hold it just long enough to notice your heartbeat. Exhale for six, letting your shoulders drop. Do that three times. It will not solve everything, but it cracks the door for a little kindness to slip through. After that, name one thing, anything, you still care about. A friend’s laugh, the smell of rain, even your favorite mug. Let it remind you that you are more than the harsh voices. Being human is rough work. Meeting yourself with a scrap of compassion in the middle of the chaos is the practice.