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July 2014      
Greetings!

The sunshine of July, the fresh produce tumbling from the tables at farmers' markets, the lazy, hazy days of summertime...mindfulness seems to come easier during these days of plenty.

 

As you savor this season, I invite you to notice; notice simply dropping into this moment. To guide your noticing, I share with you a favorite poem of mine by Mary Oliver, The Summer Day, and challenge you to consider the last two lines....Tell me, what is  it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?

 

Wishing you a month of noticing,

Pam 


The Summer Day by Mary Oliver

 

Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean-
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down-
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?

 

In This Issue
Pam's Blog
Meditation Maintenance Schedule
Tips for Stress LESS Vacations
Stress and Illness
Join me in Rhode Island on July 15
Individualized MindfulnessTraining
Brain, Addiction, Mindfulness
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 Pam Ressler
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!
 Meditation Maintenance
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2014 Summer/Fall Schedule

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.

Our general schedule is the 2nd Wednesday (evening) and 2nd Friday (afternoon) of each month. However, there may be some months when we will meet on other Wednesdays or Fridays. Please see the schedule below.

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. 

Summer/Fall Schedule


Evening sessions meet 7-9 PM


Wed, July 9   

No August Session

Wed, Sept 17 (note this is the 3rd Wed of the month)

Wed, Oct 8

Wed, Nov 12

Wed, Dec 10

Daytime sessions meet
12:30-2:30 PM


Fri, July 11

No August session

Fri, Sept 19 (note this is the 3rd Wed)

Fri, Oct 10

Fri, Nov 14

Fri, Dec 12
 
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 
 

Stress Resources and Pam Ressler are on TWITTER    

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Follow @pamressler   

and @stressresources    

for updated resources and links to relevant healthcare articles and research 

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Stress LESS Vacations
Beach Chairs

We anticipate our summer vacations all year long. We set high expectations perfect weather, perfect relationships and unlimited fun -- what possibly could go wrong?  By setting unrealistic expectations, we have automatically set ourselves up for disappointment and exhaustion -- not a great way to return to work and other responsibilities. Why not consider making this year different by taking a look at my tips for decreasing your vacation stress.

Tips for a stress LESS vacation
Stress and Illness...The chicken or the egg?
 
A new survey by the Harvard School of Public Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation suggests that stress and health are having a greater impact on our society than previously thought. 1 in 4 U.S. adults say that they have had a great deal of stress in the previous month, and half of all American adults say that they have experienced a major stressful event in the past year -- that works out to be over 115 million very stressed out individuals. Add in kids and teens and the numbers would rise exponentially.

While there is a correlation between stress and illness, determining which came first is like the proverbial chicken or the egg, and the vicious cycle continues without abatement. Mindfulness has gained popularity in recent years and while not a magic bullet for relieving stress, can at least put a bit of a pause into the frantic cycle of stress and illness.

Read more about the survey
Mind Body Connection: Strategies for Coping with Stress
 
Join me for networking, a light supper and a complimentary CE program on Tuesday, July 15 from 4:00-5:30 PM (networking and light supper from 4-4:30 PM, CE program 4:30-5:30 PM) at Greenwich Farms at Warwick (Warwick RI).

Our topic is a popular one, especially after reading the Harvard School of Public Health and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation results that many of us are more stressed than ever!

For more information and how to RSVP for this complimentary event, click here

Individualized, Flexible Mindfulness Training   

Do you love the idea of learning mindfulness based strategies and meditation to enhance your life and decrease your stress, but a weekly program does not work for your schedule? Look no further than our Flexible Mindfulness Training. Stress Resources offers individual and semi-private training in Mindfulness Based Stress meditation Reduction. Sign up for semi-private sessions with a friend and one of you trains for 1/2 price ($200 savings).

  

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.

Stress Resources' Flexible MBSR has been successfully taught to business leaders, healthcare professionals, management consultants, teachers, busy parents and students. We work together, mindfully, to meet your needs. What are you waiting for?
 

The Flexible Mindfulness Training
:
  • Includes four 1-hour sessions that may be scheduled
    in the morning, afternoon or evening to meet your needs. We can meet in person, in Stress Resources' Concord office, or via Skype. 
  • Materials provided include 5 CDs (downloadable to mp3), copy of Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn, training workbook and reference guide.
  • Allows your MBSR training to take place over 8-12 weeks at your own pace and schedule with individualized coaching
  • Add a friend option allows you to learn the skills of MBSR with a friend and train for 1/2 price! (BCBS discount cannot be combined with this special rate)
For more information about Flexible MBSR Training, click here     

 

Brain, Addiction, Mindfulness   

Brain Scan Interesting new research is beginning to emerge on the neuroscience of addiction and how mindfulness may be able to play a part in treatment. Work currently being done at the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School is studying how mindfulness may be an adjunct to successful 12 step programs, as well as with smoking cessation.