This week Myrriah talks about how we pile on the "self care" tips, tricks, routines, habits from all these credible sources...but are they actually helping?  She discusses how the goals and ideas behind these habits can have truly great intentions and impact, but not if they are adding more to your plate than they are helping.  Listen in for the challenge and this week's mindful moment!

Instagram: @mindfulbe_ing

Email: [email protected]

Hurray! First guest on the podcast! So excited to share this interview with Samara Zelniker, and hope you find it inspiring!  Give her a follow on social for more great content :)

Bio: Samara Zelniker is dedicated to helping leaders reach their infinite potential. With over a decade of experience in wellness, she is passionate about building emotionally intelligent leaders through tools in mindfulness and neuroscience.  Samara is an SIY certified teacher, the leadership and development program born at Google, a certified coach through the Institute of Integrative Nutrition and has been featured as a leadership expert in Forbes and Business Insider. Samara is a native of Montreal, Canada and lives in Los Angeles with her husband Tzur and dog Frankie. She can never be found too far from a beach, an inspiring conversation or her next adventure.

Instagram: @mindfulnessmatters

Website: https://www.mindfulnessmatters.ca

In this episode Myrriah shares her childhood experience with her aunt's horse, how they bonded in a special way that helped her through some difficult times in adolescence.  She also shares her anecdotal experience with horses, and children with autism and disabilities.  In the previous episode, Myrriah went over the research and science behind equine therapy, here she tells her own story and believes that without this human-horse connection her life might look very different.

Contact:

Instagram: @mindful_ing

Website: minfulbeing.blog

Email: [email protected]

In this episode Myrriah dives into the topic of equine therapy, with the research specifically focused on children.  She reads from her research paper about the fascinating impact horses can have for trauma survivors.  She discusses the way that horses specifically can be a therapeutic aid, even more so than canines!  Part two to follow-with a deep dive into what got her interested in this topic, and some childhood stories.

References:

Buck, P. W., Bean, N., & de Marco, K., (2017). Equine-assisted psychotherapy: An emerging

trauma-informed intervention. Advances in Social Work, 18(1), 387. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.libproxy.chapman.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,uid&db=edo&AN

Dunlop, K., & Tsantefski, M. (2018). A space of safety: Children’s experience of equine-assisted

group therapy. Child & Family Social Work, 23(1), 16–24. https://doi-org.libproxy.chapman.edu/10.1111/cfs.12378

Ewing, C. A., MacDonald, P. M., Taylor, M., & Bowers, M. J. (2007). Equine-facilitated

learning for youths with severe emotional disorders: A quantitative and qualitative study. Child & Youth Care Forum, 36(1), 59–72. https://doi-org.libproxy.chapman.edu/10.1007/s10566-006-9031-x=125527924&site=eds-live

Ford, C. (2013). Dancing with horses: Combining dance/movement therapy and equine

facilitated psychotherapy. American Journal of Dance Therapy, 35(2), 93-117. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10465-013-9156-z

McCullough, L. M. (2012). Effect of equine-facilitated psychotherapy on posttraumatic stress

symptoms in youth with history of maltreatment and abuse. Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences and Engineering. ProQuest Information & Learning. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.libproxy.chapman.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,uid&db=psyh&AN=2012-99120-062&site=eds-live

Naste, T. M., Price, M., Karol, J., Martin, L., Murphy, K., Miguel, J., & Spinazzola, J., (2018).

Equine facilitated therapy for complex trauma (EFT-CT). Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma, 11(3), 289–303. Retrieved from https://doi-org.libproxy.chapman.edu/10.1007/s40653-017-0187-3

Yorke, J., Nugent, W., Strand, E., Bolen, R., New, J., & Davis, C. (2013). Equine-assisted

therapy and its impact on cortisol levels of children and horses: A pilot study and meta-analysis. Early Child Development and Care, 183(7), 874-894. doi:10.1080/03004430.2012.693486

In this episode Myrriah shares her research on the scientific reasons that yoga is amazing!  She discusses the scientific studies that have shown the positive impacts a yoga practice can have on one's life!  Yoga has been proven to help with stress, anxiety, mental health disorders, heart health, strength & flexibility, and much more.  Coming from a background in psychology, Myrriah has always wanted to investigate the science behind improving mental health with mindfulness practices.  Tune in to this episode for one long commercial for a regular yoga practice!

References:

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/13-benefits-of-yoga 

Büssing, A., Hedtstück, A., Sauer, S., Michalsen, A., Ostermann, T., & Heusser, P. (2012).

Associations between mindfulness, lightheartedness, and inner correspondence in yoga practitioners. Mindfulness, 3(3), 227–234. Retrieved from https://doi-org.libproxy.chapman.edu/10.1007/s12671-012-0098-1

Bukar, N. K., Eberhardt, L. M., & Davidson, J. (2019). East meets west in psychiatry: Yoga as

an adjunct therapy for management of anxiety. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 33(4), 371–376. Retrieved from https://doi-org.libproxy.chapman.edu/10.1016/j.apnu.2019.04.007

Dol, K. S. (2019). Effects of a yoga nidra on the life stress and self-esteem in university

students. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 35, 232–236. Retrieved from https://doi-org.libproxy.chapman.edu/10.1016/j.ctcp.2019.03.004

Gebauer, J. E., Nehrlich, A. D., Stahlberg, D., Sedikides, C., Hackenschmidt, A., Schick, D., …

Mander, J. (2018). Mind-body practices and the self: Yoga and meditation do not quiet the ego but instead boost self-enhancement. Psychological Science, 29(8), 1299–1308. Retrieved from https://doi-org.libproxy.chapman.edu/10.1177/0956797618764621

Gerber, M. M., Kilmer, E. D., & Callahan, J. L. (2018). Psychotherapeutic yoga demonstrates

immediate positive effects. Practice Innovations, 3(3), 212–225. Retrieved from https://doi-org.libproxy.chapman.edu/10.1037/pri0000074

Gotink, R. A., Vernooij, M. W., Ikram, M. A., Niessen, W. J., Krestin, G. P., Hofman, A., …

Hunink, M. G. M. (2018). Meditation and yoga practice are associated with smaller right amygdala volume: The Rotterdam study. Brain Imaging and Behavior, 12(6), 1631–1639. Retrieved from https://doi-org.libproxy.chapman.edu/10.1007/s11682-018-9826-z

In this episode Myrriah records while driving home from yoga (and apologizes for sound quality differences).  This week she talks about trying to stay mindful through difficulties.  She shares how hard it can be to stay connected to your values and be mindful when you are feeling exhausted.  She reminds us that these are the times we most need self compassion, self love, and snacks!  This week's mindful moment encourages us to pause, reflect, and learn from life's hard things.

This week, Myrriah shares a little update and her story about Sunday night blues-turned anxiety monster.  She shares how taking time to be still can help you connect more deeply with what you feel, even when those feelings aren't always "good" feelings.  Myrriah shares how this idea of stillness  can be even harder than finding rest, as discussed in a previous episode.  Stillness can be uncomfortable and quite frankly boring; but the rewards can be life changing, one moment, one "aha" at a time.  Listen till the end for a glimpse into upcoming episode guests and topics!

In this episode, Myrriah shares her mindful moment of the week and how it inspired this week's topic!  She shares how it can be so easy to cultivate practices on your yoga mat and during a mindful setting, but it is so difficult to maintain those mindful practices in daily life. Myrriah shares her experience leaving class, to instantly forget what she had just encouraged her students to do.  She shares how that realization improved the rest of her day, and hopes it helps you too!

This week Myrriah shares her difficulty finding and staying in a restful state that brings the desired result of feeling relaxed and recharged.  She shares definitions of what rest is and how that can be different for everyone.  Even once you find the time and space to rest, is that inner critic quiet or is it disrupting your rest?  Myrriah shares her struggles and techniques to combat the inner critic by bringing in self compassion to help relax the body and mind.  Hope you find this topic relatable!  Reach out with your experiences of rest; what's working for you? What is challenging your ability to rest? Myrriah would love to hear from you via @mindfulbe_ing on instagram or via email: [email protected]

In this episode Myrriah goes through her self care toolkit sharing things from drinking more water to delving into EMDR therapy and shaking meditations.  She shares about her therapy journey, (Weddings are stressful!) and how you shouldn't always just stick with the first therapist that comes along and expect that to be as good as it gets.  At the end she shares her weekly mindful moment about a cracked windshield?

If you would like to reach out the contact info is [email protected] or on instagram @mindfulbe_ing or Myrriah's personal page @myrriahcatalan

Shaking meditation info: https://www.pacesconnection.com/blog/therapeutic-tremoring-shake-off-stress-and-trauma

EMDR Therapy info:https://www.emdr.com/what-is-emdr/