Body Scan Meditation

Someone shared the image below for a reader who wondered:  "How do you do a body scan meditation?"Take ten deep breaths as you consider the benefits:

• Improved sleep
• Anxiety relief
• Stress relief
• Greater self-awareness
• Boosts self-compassion
• Reduced pain
• Reduced cravings when quitting smoking

Trying to figure out my dream

Dreams are strange things, if you think of it.  They are so strange that some people devote a lifetime to studying them.  I'm thinking about dreams this morning because I woke up thinking of a word that I have probably never spoken in my life.  Yes, you heard that right.  Why would I ever have had an occasion to say "endorphin" unless it was in a school science class?  Yet, I woke up spelling it out to myself so I wouldn't forget the word:  E-N-D-O-R-P-H-I-N.  Okay, let's define that word.

Word of the Day

en·dor·phin /ˌenˈdôrfēn/ noun = any of a group of hormones secreted within the brain and nervous system and having a number of physiological functions.  They are peptides which activate the body's opiate receptors, causing an analgesic effect.

What?!?  My first degree was a double major:  (1) in Philosophy and Religion and (2) in English.  I did not major in science, though I took all the science classes I could because it does interest me:  biology, chemistry, physics.  Now I need to look up more definitions, just to know what I'm seeing in this definition.  But first let's look at the plural.

Word of the Day (plural)

"Endorphins are the body's natural painkillers.  Endorphins are released by the hypothalamus and pituitary gland in response to pain or stress, this group of peptide hormones both relieves pain and creates a general feeling of well-being."

Or this from Wikipedia:

"Endorphins are endogenous opioid neuropeptides and peptide hormones in humans and other animals.  They are produced and stored in the pituitary gland.  The classification of molecules as endorphins is based on their pharmacological activity, as opposed to a specific chemical formulation."

I can see now this could get pretty involved, trying to suss out the word and why it was in my dream at all.  Okay, first I'll define the phrase "suss out":

suss out = British, informal: to find or discover (something) by thinking.  Or to put it simply = figure out.  Example:  "They had to suss out whether he was telling the truth."

Yesterday, I took the first exercise class I have had in two years, not since the beginning of lockdown in 2020.  All our public spaces were closed on March 16, 2020.  At the time, I had just begun a class in Chair yoga.  We had done only one class of the six that were planned.  I taught myself how to Zoom so I could help our teacher figure out how to do a Zoom class.  Over these past two years of the pandemic, I have taken a couple of online exercise classes (though not from that teacher).  But still, I did not do nearly the amount of exercising I had been doing, when some of us also met on Friday afternoons to lead our own exercise class.

That's the long way to say, I'm out of shape.  When an elderly body spends a couple of years, mostly alone in her apartment, she gets very out of shape!  Therefore, after a half hour of pushing this ole body to do what the nimble instructor did during our "Music and Movement" class, I was achy.  I could really feel it last night.  I fell asleep aware of muscles complaining and woke up with the word "endorphins" and a desire to remember the word. I looked online for an illustration for "endorphins," and found this:

How weird is this?  The illustration is an exercise class!  The participants are younger than the elderly folks in my class yesterday, here in my senior retirement center.  We stand behind our chairs, putting a hand (or two) on the chair to keep from falling as we bend and twist.  I notice that the girl on the right needs a chair to keep from falling.

Can you read the five benefits mixed in among the people exercising?

• Betters self-esteem
• Regulates appetite
• Reduces anxiety and depression
• Enhances your immune system
• Decreases pain

And . . . we're right back to my back pain (yes, I chose "back" and "back" on purpose).  Now for some good news:  The article where I found this picture is all about endorphins!  Wow!  My brain was apparently remembering something I learned somewhere along the way and giving me instructions on how to brush up on both the word and its meaning, and thus get over the achiness of exercising yesterday.  Here's a quote from the article "What Are Endorphins?"

"Endorphins are responsible for that feeling you get after a great workout, after eating a piece of dark chocolate, or after having a good laugh with a friend.  They are the chemicals in your brain that help you cope with pain and feel good overall."

Enough for today.  My brain apparently remembers things from decades ago and has to grab my attention in a dream to help me work through yesterday's aches and pains from exercising.  Thank you, brain.  (Brain:  "You're welcome.")  Here's the article about brain regions where I found this illustration.  I love it that Reading and Language are all cozy there in the middle.  By the way, everything I've been reading this morning says exercise is important for our brains.  So I'm right back to where I started.

Do unto others

Tuesday, April 5 is International Golden Rule Day.  A version of the Golden Rule can be found in the Scriptures and holy writings of all major spiritual traditions on earth:  Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Jainism, Native American, Zoroastrianism . . . well, read this list of 18 religions for yourself.  (Click to enlarge the chart.)  Let's celebrate that universal ethic to treat others as we want to be treated

And then there's this negative version:  Don't do it!

Things on my mind today

On February 25, 2022, President Joe Biden nominated Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to become the 116th Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.  She was educated in a public high school and an Ivy League Law School.  Her career includes Supreme Court clerking, Public Defender, Sentencing Commission, District judge, and Court of Appeals judge.  It appears to me that she is more qualified than all the rest of the other justices put together.

Seeing the blue and yellow in these illustrations reminds me about the war in Ukraine and the suffering of the people there, hoping it will be over soon.

For some reason, I haven't been actually reading as much these days.  I'm currently reading The Strange Journey of Alice Pendelbury by Marc Levy (2011, fiction, 283 pages) on my Kindle.  I'm enjoying it, but . . . maybe it's just that "Spring has sprung" and I'm restless.

My monthly calendar from the folks at Action for Happiness calls this month Active April, and I've jumped in with these three activities at the beginning of April:  I committed, I went outside (and taking Clawdia with me when I can), and I'm exercising my body.

Okay, one more thing for today — playing with words.  You know I'm a word person, so I'm going to try to be "punny" now.

Sarcophagus in the esophagus?

Mummy in the tummy?
Tut in the gut?

Someone on Facebook came up with these three great possibilities to call this sarcophagus of King Tutankhamun's mummy as it passes through this figure.  (You do know that Tutankhamun is commonly referred to as King Tut, right?)

Deb at Readerbuzz hosts the Sunday Salon.

Looking at this whole post, I see it's all blue and yellow today!

Meow to you, too

March 32nd

Sorry, Snoopy!  I declare that April Fools Day has been cancelled because the past two years have been enough of a joke.  That means today is actually March 32nd.  You're welcome.

Active April 2022

The Active April 2022 calendar from the folks at Action for Happiness has daily actions to help us be mindful.  (Click on the calendar to enlarge it.)

1 ~ Commit to being more active this month, starting today.

2 ~ Spend as much time as possible outdoors today.

3 ~ Listen to your body, and be grateful for what it can do.

4 ~ Eat healthy and natural food today, and drink lots of water.

5 ~ Turn a regular activity into a playful game today.

6 ~ Do a body-scan meditation, and really notice how your body feels.

7 ~ Get natural light early in the day.  Dim the lights in the evening.

8 ~ Give your body a boost by laughing or making someone laugh.

9 ~ Turn your housework or chores into a fun form of exercise.

10 ~ Have a day free from TV or screens, and get moving instead.

11 ~ Set yourself an exercise goal, or sign up to an activity challenge.

12 ~ Move as much as possible, even if you're stuck inside.

13 ~ Make sleep a priority, and go to bed in good time.

14 ~ Relax your body and mind with yoga, tai chi, or meditation.

15 ~ Get active by singing today, even if you think you can't sing!

16 ~ Go exploring around your local area, and notice new things.

17 ~ Be active outside.  Dig up weeds, or plant some seeds.

18 ~ Try a new online exercise, activity, or dance class.

19 ~ Spend less time sitting today.  Get up and move more often.

20 ~ Focus on "eating a rainbow" of multi-colored vegetables today.

21 ~ Regularly pause to stretch and breathe during the day.

22 ~ Enjoy moving to your favorite music.  Really go for it.

23 ~ Go out and do an errand for a loved one or neighbor.

24 ~ Get active in nature.  Feed the birds or go wildlife-spotting.

25 ~ Have a "no screens" night, and take time to recharge yourself.

26 ~ Take an extra break in your day, and walk outside for 15 minutes.

27 ~ Find a fun exercise to do while waiting for the kettle to boil.

28 ~ Meet a friend outside for a walk and a chat.

29 ~ Become an activist for a cause you really believe in.

30 ~ Make time to run, swim, dance, cycle, or stretch today.