Mindful Matters W Chris Griffin, Lpc

In this (week late) Thanksgiving episode Chris continues to update listeners about his adventures in cancer treatment and tells a story about treatment.  He also compares an MRI machine to the interior of an AT-AT from Star Wars.  Also, a shout out to the tune Mantra - by Dave Grohl, Josh Homme and Trent Reznor.  Burke discusses a recurring theme of Expectations  v. Serenity (Se2, Ep12)

Windows of Tolerance is a term coined by Dr. Dan Siegel to describe our abilities as humans to process strong emotions before we become overwhelmed.  Chris and Burke discuss this topic in terms of both understanding and making practical use of that knowledge.  For more on Dr. Siegel's work click here.

Spoiler alert, Chris discusses his cancer diagnosis with Burke, and reveals how mindfulness has helped him cope with a life changing diagnosis.  

In this special interview episode Chris and Burke speak with Justin Mitchell and Wilton Carraway, Jr. of Ball Headz.  Ball Headz is an organization dedicated to helping at-risk youth through athletics, mindfulness, mentorship and community service.  Chris also announces the date of a charity golf tournament on August 27th, 2021 at Topstone Golf Club in South Windsor, CT to raise money for the organization.  More info @ ballheadzgolf.com

Meditation is one of the best ways to increase and maintain your health in an increasingly chaotic world.  Chris and Burke do their best to simplify the basics of mediation and give listeners a path to beginning or enhancing their practice.  PLEASE NOTE THAT WE WILL BE TAKING A BREAK FOR THE MONTH OF JULY 2021 AND WILL BE BACK IN AUGUST.  Thanks for listening!

Identification, it's not just a piece of plastic in your wallet.  Humans identify with all manner of things, including their emotions, objects, and ideas.  Chris and Burke explore what it means to have an identity and to identify with things outside of ourselves.  The conversation spans from the dangers of identification to how we can identify less with external matters and more with who we are inside.

Chris and Burke take on the emotion of joy in this episode.  Chris discusses how the term joy is used in psychological literature, as well as ways to use intentionality to find it.  Burke gives the listener excellent, real life examples of what Chris is describing.  Burke uses his personal experiences while recovering from addiction to enlighten and guide listeners into how practical it can be to search for joy in their lives, whether recovering or thriving.

Chris and Burke explore the topic of starting small when attempting change or accomplishing goals and tasks.  The book that Chris mentions in the episode is Make Your Bed: Little Things Can Change Your Life...And Maybe the World by Admiral William H. McRaven (US Navy Retired)  The brain likes things in smaller, bite sized chunks, but our goals and tasks can seem overwhelming.  Breaking things down helps our brains and our sense of accomplishment.

In the season three debut, Chris and Burke get the listeners caught up on events since the end of season two last April.  The discussion centers around how the co-hosts have faired during the pandemic and the mindfulness practices that have helped in the year since the season two launch.  And of course, we get some awesome movie analogies from Burke.  Enjoy!

In this last episode of season two we discuss the usefulness of acknowledging impermanence as part of mindfulness practice. Death can be seen as a motivator and a teacher rather than something to fear. It has been our pleasure recording these past eighteen episodes of the Mindful Matters podcast and we appreciate all your feedback. Wishing everyone a happy, healthy, and safe holiday season. We look forward to recording and releasing more episodes in 2021.

We conclude our podcast series on Don Miguel Ruiz’s book The Four Agreements by talking about the fourth and final agreement—always do your best. While this may seem to be a very straight forward agreement, it does have some subtle nuisances that we discuss. Spoiler alert … our best changes due to a variety of factors, it is not a static level. Over the weekend when you are searching for something to keep your attention, tune in and listen to this or any previous podcast. As always thank you for your emails, we value your feedback and if you haven’t already, feel free to reach out with any comments or questions. Have a great weekend

In this podcast we move on to discuss the third agreement in the Toltec Mastery of Transformation from Don Miguel Ruiz’s book The Four Agreements—don’t make assumptions. Following this agreement helps to center us in the reality of the present moment, a key component of mindfulness. By not making assumptions we are able to strengthen relationships with those around us, and also with ourselves.

We continue with our Podcast series focusing on Don Miguel Ruiz’s book The Four Agreements and explore the second agreement—don’t take anything personally. In this episode we discuss how following this agreement helps us to create space, gain perspective and live more mindfully.

After our many references to Don Miguel Ruiz’s book The Four Agreements over the last six months, we have decided to end this season of the Mindful Matters Podcast by devoting a podcast to each agreement. In this episode we discuss the first of the four agreements: to be impeccable with your word. The idea of being mindful with your speech, not only outwardly towards others, but inwards as well, especially with self-criticism, is a powerful one, especially since the concept of moderating one’s speech is rarely thought to apply to someone’s inner voice. In applying this agreement to our lives, we can begin to recognize how powerful words can be. And once we acknowledge the power of the word, we can apply it to ourselves in the most positive way possible; as Don Miguel states, in the direction of truth and love. We hope you enjoy this first part of the four part series.

On this week’s podcast, recorded in February of 2020, we discuss different ideas that we use to help us come back to the awareness of the present moment. Waking up to what is happening around us now rather than letting ourselves drift away in thoughts of the past or future is the aim of mindfulness practice. It doesn’t always happen instantaneously and we maintain the point of view that it is best to be compassionate with ourselves in the process so as not to create any negative associations with mindfulness practice. See if there are any useful ideas in here that you can add to your current program, or use to start a mindfulness practice. If something resonates with you that we did not discuss, we’d love to hear about it and perhaps we’ll talk about it on a future podcast. Thanks for listening and have a great day

In this podcast, recorded back in 2019, we discuss the pitfalls created by expectations. We demonstrate through our personal experiences how our mindfulness practice is put to the test when we are attached to a particular outcome. To combat the expectations that we set on ourselves, others, or a particular situation, we develop awareness. With this awareness we can work on our communication, lessen our attachment to the expectation, and be in the present moment. Perhaps this is something that you can relate to and can create a sense of serenity for yourself by moving away from the grips of expectations. We hope you enjoy and always welcome any feedback.

This episode, recorded back in November 2019, deals with gratitude and its power to transform your life. By focusing more on the positive aspects of our lives, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, we can gain perspective in the moment and progress through some difficult obstacles. This has proven to be a powerful tool that we both apply to our own lives, and we encourage others to see if this process might also aid them in their daily lives. We hope that you enjoy it; if you have any comments or questions, please feel free to reach out.

Chris and Burke engage in a discussion about the concept of awareness and its context within the practice of mindfulness.  Both use personal examples and offer hints and help for those beginning and cultivating a mindfulness practice.

This is the second episode of the 2020 Racial Equality and Justice Bonus Series featuring activist Keren Prescott of Power Up Manchester CT.  Keren takes the mic to discuss how Power Up came into existence and how the group has organized to fight injustice, not just in the City of Manchester, but in surrounding towns in CT.  Keren also discusses her experience as a Back woman in America.  If you would like more information about Power Up check out the Facebook group or Instagram feed @powerupct  #blacklivesmatter

Chris and Burke discuss the #metoo movement.  This recording was done before the recent events of the pandemic and racial upheaval in America.  It is interesting to look at how the Black Lives Matter movement has taken shape much as the #metoo movement has.  Chris uses the fictional TV show The Morning Show as a framework for the discussion.  Talk of “traditional masculinity” and family structure give way to “a new definition of masculinity” and how roles can change in society.  Please join us next week for another racial justice bonus episode featuring Keren Prescott, leader of the Power Up Manchester movement in CT.