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Greetings
Gratitude
What did you notice?
The dew snail;
the low-flying sparrow;
the bat, on the wind, in the dark;
big-chested geese, in the V of sleekest performance;
the soft toad, patient in the hot sand;
the sweet-hungry ants;
the uproar of mice in the empty house;
the tin music of the cricket's body;
the blouse of the goldenrod.
What did you hear?
The thrush greeting the morning;
the little bluebirds in their hot box;
the salty talk of the wren,
then the deep cup of the hour of silence.
What did you admire?
The oaks, letting down their dark and hairy fruit;
the carrot, rising in its elongated waist;
the onion, sheet after sheet, curved inward to the
pale green wand;
at the end of summer the brassy dust, the almost liquid
beauty of the flowers;
then the ferns, scrawned black by the frost.
What astonished you?
The swallows making their dip and turn over the water.
What would you like to see again?
My dog: her energy and exuberance, her willingness,
her language beyond all nimbleness of tongue, her recklessness, her loyalty, her sweetness, her
sturdy legs, her curled black lip, her snap.
What was most tender?
Queen Anne's lace, with its parsnip root;
the everlasting in its bonnets of wool;
the kinks and turns of the tupelo's body;
the tall, blank banks of sand;
the clam, clamped down.
What was most wonderful?
The sea, and its wide shoulders;
the sea and its triangles;
the sea lying back on its long athlete's spine.
What did you think was happening?
The green breast of the hummingbird;
the eye of the pond;
the wet face of the lily;
the bright, puckered knee of the broken oak;
the red tulip of the fox's mouth;
the up-swing, the down-pour, the frayed sleeve
of the first snow-
so the gods shake us from our sleep.
~ Mary Oliver ~
(from What Do We Know)
These words of mindfulness from poet Mary Oliver seem to be written for this season of thanks and gratitude. It is often easy to notice the feeling of gratitude for the bounty before us on the Thanksgiving table but the bounty of beauty that unfurls before us throughout the year is much more elusive. Mary Oliver poses questions throughout her poem, Gratitude, and provides her mindful answers. If you pose these questions to yourself...how will you answer?
Wishing you a season of gratitude and thanksgiving,
Pam |
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Stress Resources has an active Facebook Page with frequent links to articles, research and events related to resiliency, mindfulness and stress management.
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Meditation Maintenance
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 Meditation Maintenance Sessions are a great way to give yourself a monthly self-care "tune-up" by joining with fellow meditators to discuss insights and challenges of your practice. You are welcome to attend each month or simply on an occasional basis. You will find a supportive and welcoming respite in the midst of your busyness.
Fall/Winter Schedule
Evening sessions meet from 7-9 PM
Wed, Nov 9
Wed, Dec 14
Wed, Jan 11
Daytime sessions meet 12:30-2:30
Fri, Nov 11
Fri, Dec 9
Fri, Jan 13
Both evening and daytime sessions are held at Stress Resources' office (97 Lowell Rd, Concord, MA). Please pre-register for sessions as space is limited.
Meditation Maintenance sessions are $15 per session. Register by e-mail or by phone (978-369-5243).
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Pam Ressler
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I invite you to read AND comment on my blog. I write reflections and post links to articles of interest on the intersecting topic areas of resiliency, healthcare, stress management, mindfulness, and life!
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Stress Resources and Pam Ressler are on TWITTER
Follow @pamressler
and @stressresources
for updated resources and links to relevant healthcare articles and research
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Stress Resources is on YouTube
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 Check out the new Stress Resources Channel on YouTube.com You will find a collection of clips, dialogs, and lectures from some of the world's foremost teachers of mindfulness, compassionate communication, stress reduction and relaxation methods...and some videos that I just plain like! This will be an evolving and expanding collection, so be sure to check in often by clicking this link and subscribing to the Stress Resources Channel (it's free!)
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|  When does empathy begin? Can empathy be taught? Do all humans have the capacity for empathy? Is empathy culturally based? These are a few of the questions being asked by Mary Gordon, the founder of the Roots of Empathy. As I read news reports about the horrendous effects of school bullying, workplace violence, and domestic abuse on individuals and society, I feel there is an urgent need for more schools to adopt curricula such as Roots of Empathy. I hope you will feel as hopeful as I did when I saw this video clip of baby Mei visiting a Canadian fourth grade classroom. |
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Winter 2012 Group MBSR Program Begins in January
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 The Winter 2012 Session of Stress Resources' Group MBSR will be starting in January! Both Thursday evening and Friday morning classes are available. Classes begin on January 12/13 and end on March 8/9 (classes are not held during February public school vacation week February 23/24)
Registration is now open! Class size is limited to 15 students. Continuing education credit is available for nurses and other health professionals.
For more information or to register for the Winter 2012 Group MBSR Program, click here.
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Flexible MBSR...Works with even the most unpredictable schedule
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- Do you have an unpredictable schedule that doesn't allow for a commitment to an every week group class?
- Have you heard about the new research on the health benefits of mindfulness and are curious to find out how you can benefit?
- Are you interested in exploring how to add mindfulness practices into your busy life?
- Could you use some gentle guidance and coaching in establishing,renewing or maintaining a mindfulness practice?
- Do you live too far from Concord, MA to attend on-site classes?
Stress Resources will help you craft a mindfulness practice that makes sense for you. We can arrange in-office or real-time interactive web instruction anywhere in the world through Skype webcam connection!
Flexible MBSR/Private and Semi-Private Mindfulness Training: This unique option offered by Stress Resources allows the individual to set the pace for training but maintains the essential framework of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction in private or semi-private sessions. The individual mindfulness training option allows your MBSR training to take place over 8-12 weeks at your own pace and schedule. Four individual sessions (1-hour each) are scheduled at the participant's convenience with morning, afternoon and evening sessions available. Additional training sessions may be added as needed for an additional fee and a Blue Cross/Blue Shield discount is available. Train with a friend for added savings.
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Pam Ressler Featured in Health Literacy from A to Z
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As patients are being asked to play a more active part in their health care, it is essential that everyone, patients, caregivers, family members and health professionals are communicating clearly and effectively for the best possible health outcome.
My colleague, Helen Osborne, has just released the 2nd edition of her book, Health Literacy from A to Z and I am honored to have been featured in the chapter on Technology: Blogging and Social Media. I highly recommend Health Literacy from A to Z as a comprehensive resource for health professionals, as well as for health educators, patient advocates, and caregivers to gain a greater understanding of effective health communication and literacy.
Earlier this year, Helen Osborne interviewed me on the topic of social media in healthcare, specifically patient blogging. Click here to listen to the podcast.
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Does Your Doctor Practice Mindfulness?
| |  Fascinating research is beginning to be published around the topic of job burnout and mindfulness. Not surprisingly, primary care physicians report high levels of job burnout over time, primarily due to heavy patient load, increased administrative duties and lack of time. Researchers at the University of Rochester explored the introduction of mindfulness meditation training to a self-selected group of primary care practitioners to see if there might be a reduction of symptoms of burnout and an increase in empathy among the study participants. The results of the study were recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Physicians who took part in the mindfulness meditation training reported feeling more empathy, focus and attentiveness in their patient care.
Read Dr. Pauline Chen's article about this study in the New York Times.
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Opening the Door to Meditation | | |
Thanks for your positive feedback and support of Opening the Door to Meditation...we are on the second run of the CD!
"Opening the Door to Meditation has become my favorite "GO TO" CD for my daily meditation. I love the 20 minute version with the guitar, and I have not missed a day now for the longest time."
"I hope Opening the Door to Meditation will find its way to people new to meditation (and those of us who've gotten sidetracked...). The music is great, and I think many people would enjoy it, whether new to meditation or not."
How can you order Opening the  Door to Meditation? - Stress Resources' secure online shopping cart by clicking here
- Downloadable mail-in order form by clicking here
- Amazon.com and entering "opening the door to meditation" in the search box
Do you already have a copy of Opening the Door to Meditation? First, thank you for purchasing a copy and secondly, we would love to hear your comments! You can post them directly on the Stress Resources Facebook Page  or to the Amazon.com review area. |
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