Apr 4, 2020 | Buddhism Blog |
Listed below
are videos, podcasts and guided meditations that have been taken from Buddhism
Guide archive. They have been specially selected to help you during difficult
and challenging times.
Coronavirus: Coping Mindfully
The Coronavirus is making many of us work from home or self-isolate. This can cause mental health issues and even lower our immune system. In this video Yeshe Rabgye introduces various mindful meditation practices that will help you deal with anxiety and a sense of panic. View the video here.
Guided meditation to reduce coronavirus fear and anxiety
The world is going through a very challenging time, due to the Coronavirus. Many people are becoming sick and having to isolate. This is causing huge amounts of fear, anxiety and panic. All of these ultimately stem from our minds. It is not possible to control the spread of the virus, but it is possible to control our minds and the way we respond to it. This guided meditation will help you deal with your thoughts of fear, anxiety and panic by showing you they are just thoughts and so we can learn to let them go. View the video here.
Let’s practice together through the crisis: Livestream #1 Breathing Awareness Guided Meditation
This video was recorded live and Yeshe Rabgye leads you through a guided meditation on breathing awareness. View the video here.
Let’s practice together through the crisis: Livestream #2 Compassion Meditation
This video was recorded live and Yeshe Rabgye leads you through a guided meditation on compassion and explains the importance of such a meditation during these difficult times. View the video here.
Let’s practice together through the crisis: Livestream #3 Forgiveness Meditation
This video was recorded live and Yeshe Rabgye leads you through a guided meditation on forgiveness for you and others. He also explains that forgiveness is to help ourselves let go and move on. View the video here.
Guided Meditation to release stress, anxiety and obsessive thoughts
Whenever you blindly follow each and every thought that arises it is easy to become stressed, anxious or even obsessive. This beautifully crafted meditation gently guides you through a process of seeing your thoughts like a flowing river. By letting your thoughts come and go naturally you are able to simply observe the thoughts and not get tangled up in them. This takes the pressure off of your mind and allows you to relax and untangle from obsessive thoughts. View the video here.
Guided Meditation - Letting go of anxiety
This is a mindful body scan meditation. It will gently guide you through different parts of your body. If you are feeling anxious, overwhelmed, stressed or are over-thinking it will help you let go and refocus. View the video here.
Dealing with Isolation: Podcast
In this podcast, Yeshe Rabgye gives us some very useful tips on how to deal with working from home or being in isolation. Please stay home and stay safe. Listen here.
Emotional Suffering: Podcast
What would you say if I told you the largest part of your emotional suffering was caused by yourself? I expect you would be doubtful or even shocked, but it is true. The way we live our lives, our beliefs, biases, concepts and social conditioning all cause us to mentally suffer. By suffering I mean our minds get disturbed, we become disillusioned, dissatisfied, discontented. This often results in stress, anxiety and depression. None of these are helpful or healthy. Listen here.
Ambrosia of Mindfulness: Podcast
This podcast was recorded live at the Prajna Meditation Centre, Northern India. In this episode Yeshe teaches mindfulness from The Hundred Verses of Advice. Listen here.
How to Reduce Your Suffering: Podcast
In Buddhism, there is a practice called Mind Training and within this practice there is a section on reducing one’s suffering. Now, suffering here means a dissatisfaction with life, an unease, a discontentment and a feeling that life could be better. The following four methods are described in mind training as the best way to stop the suffering of all beings, and bringing them, and ourselves, happiness. Of course, we have to be realistic and understand that life is not always going to be happy, and it is an unsatisfactory part of life that suffering is always lurking around the corner. However, these four methods will help to reduce our suffering and give us the tools to be able to cope with whatever comes our way. Listen here.
Cultivating Patience: Podcast
Patience is a virtue and needs to be practiced. In this podcast Yeshe Rabgye explains the best way to cultivate your patience. Listen here.
How to Deal with Intense Emotions: Podcast
In this podcast Yeshe Rabgye explain the R.A.I.N technique, which allows us to mindfully deal with our strong emotions. Listen here.
You can read more blogs, listen to podcasts, watch videos and practice guided meditations on the Buddhism Guide app. Available from the Apple Store and Google Play.
If you would like to become a supporter of Buddhism Guides work, such as podcasts, blogs, videos and guided meditation practices, please visit here. You can support for as little as $2 a month.
Mar 23, 2020 | Buddhism Blog |
So many of us are having to work from home or self-isolate and we are
starting to get overwhelmed by it all. That is no surprise because being confined
in our homes for days on end can have a detrimental effect on our mental
health. We start to over think and focus on the negative and forget the
blessings. If you have an obsessive nature or are prone to anxiety attacks,
this time can be particularly difficult for you. So, what can we do? Here are a
few things you may like to try.
Keep to your
routines
It may be
tempting to stay in bed longer, go to sleep later, not wash and get dressed or
eat at wrong times. All these things will eventually lead to a feeling of
desperation, despair and it could even lead to depression. Try to stick to your
normal routines where eating and sleeping are concerned. In other words, try to
do what you usually do, but without going outside. It would be helpful to
create a plan for each day and try to stick to it. As human beings, we crave a
little structure – so coming up with a plan for each day will help pass the
time and give you a sense of control.
Don’t overdo your
devices
Doing a
digital detox and limiting the amount of time spent on your phone or laptop can
help reduce anxiety and prevent you from feeling negative.
I understand
that stopping using your phone completely isn’t very practical, so set yourself
time limits. Make a commitment each morning to only use your phone at certain
times and for a set duration. Maybe, 30 minutes in the morning, again in the
afternoon and then in the evening.
It is true to
say that social media can be a great way to keep in contact with friends and
family during self-isolation, but we must keep in mind that overuse is known to
have a detrimental effect on mental wellbeing.
News overload
There is such
a thing as being too well informed. News overload can cause a lot of anxiety
and stress. As with social media, you should limit your exposure to it. Rolling
news only unsettles us. So, limit your news updates to mornings and evenings.
Start a hobby
There may be
something you have wanted to start doing for a long time. Now is the perfect
time to start. You could learn cooking, painting, sewing, writing or podcasting.
It will not only keep your mind occupied; it will also teach you how to be
mindful. When we are focusing on something it prevents our minds from wandering
off to dark places.
Do daily exercise
It is a well-known factthat exercising
releases all-important endorphins which boosts our mood. There is no need to
set up a home gym. You could do Tabata, Pilates or Zumba – there are many good
videos on YouTube that will help you with this.
Get some fresh air
You may be in isolation, but it doesn’t mean you
have to shut out fresh air. If you have a private garden, then go outside each
day. If you have a balcony, go and sit on that. If all you have is a window,
then open it wide and go and sit next to it. Just feeling the sun on your face
and breathing in fresh air will boost your mood and help you shake off mental
health issues.
Time to meditate and be mindful
Meditation and
mindfulness are great ways to banish feelings of anxiety or restlessness. When
we allow our thoughts to control us, they can take us into some deep, dark
places, especially when we are having to isolate. So, meditation and
mindfulness help us to take back control of our minds.
One reason to meditate is to stop the endless chitter chatter in your head, and to find the stillness and silence that lurks within. It will help you let go of those destructive thoughts that lead to anxiety and panic. In this guided meditation called ‘Allowing Your Thoughts to Flow,’ you will learn to see thoughts as just thoughts and so you don’t need to blindly follow everyone.
Mindfulness
practices will also bring your mind back under your control through bringing
awareness to whatever you are doing. The quickest and most simple way to bring
yourself into the present moment is to watch your breath or your five senses.
All you need to do is stop whatever you are doing, close your eyes and focus on
your breath. Just become aware of it flowing in and out of your body. There is
no need to judge or change the rhythm of your breath, just observe it. You
could also focus on what you can see, hear, smell, taste and touch. Again, do
not judge, just observe. So, look around you at five things of different
colour, touch four different textures, listen to three different sounds, become
aware of two different smells and see if you can taste one thing in your mouth,
Both these
practices will bring you into the present moment and help you to stop fixating
on the past or the future.
All of these points may sound quite simple, but even the
smallest of changes to your daily life can bring about substantial results when
it comes to our mental health.
During this time of isolation, I am conducting live mindful meditation practices on The Buddhism Guide Facebook page, so go to their page and check out the timings. If we can’t connect personally, at least we can do it virtually.
Please stay safe, stay healthy and stay informed.
You can read more blogs, listen to podcasts, watch videos and practice guided meditations on the Buddhism Guide app. Available from the Apple Store and Google Play.
If you would like to become a supporter of Buddhism Guides work, such as podcasts, blogs, videos and guided meditation practices, please visit here. You can support for as little as $2 a month.
