Striving From Stillness

The best techniques to bring more calm and focus into your life don't have to always be the most complicated ones.

In this episode, I explain a simple add-on to noticing your inhales and exhales that will give your mind-chatter, or what is sometimes called your monkey mind, something to do so you can more easily step back into the present moment which is where our nervous system can reset and replenish.

Whether you are struggling with anxiety, stress, frustration, or worry, this is one simple technique you will want to add to your self-care and nervous system healing toolbox.

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Have questions you want me to address on the show?   Email me at [email protected]

Thank you for listening to the Striving From Stillness Podcast

A guided practice to help you get rid of one of the most common hidden energy drains, then learn to shift into the practice of bringing more energy, joy and ease into your day. 

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Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-pantano/

To learn more visit:  www.annapantano.com

Have questions you want me to address on the show?   Email me at [email protected]

Thank you for listening to the Striving From Stillness Podcast

Join me as we continue to explore how to live more intentionally.

If you struggle with your energy levels and consistently feeling motivated you will want to tune in for this episode as I discuss the hidden thing that may be draining your energy more than you think.

In this episode we explore how our emotions, attitude and thoughts can silently chip away at our energy reserves leaving us feeling exhausted and what you can do to spend more time in emotions that are energizing versus depleting.

CONNECT WITH ANNA

Follow me on IG and FB: @intentionalliving.annapantano  

Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-pantano/

To learn more visit:  www.annapantano.com

Have questions you want me to address on the show?   Email me at [email protected]

Thank you for listening to the Striving From Stillness Podcast

Today we will kick off a series about living a more intentional life by taking a look at what that really means.

Living with intention is a proactive approach to life that involves knowing your values, aligning your priorities with those values and from that space choosing your goals.

Intentional Living is about being mindful and aware of your thoughts, actions, and decisions and making sure they are in line with what is truly best for you and your life. It is about having the awareness when things are not right, and having the ability to tune into what you may need to do, not do or change in order for things to feel right again. 

In future episodes we will look at how we can be intentional when we travel, communicate, with our calendar and are at work. We will also explore the dance between taking action and letting go of control the outcome.

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Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-pantano/

To learn more visit:  www.annapantano.com

Have questions you want me to address on the show?   Email me at [email protected]

Thank you for listening to the Striving From Stillness Podcast

In today's  guided practice we will practice acknowledging the similarities between ourselves and others…often we focus on differences…but realizing that even a person who seems very different from us is in a fundamental way just like us can become the basis of real connection.

This can include people we don't know very well, people with whom we’re in conflict, or even people that we see as an enemy.

It’s possible to develop a sense of compassion and understanding by coming to feel our shared sense of experience as human beings...

This practice called, “just like me” that I was first introduced to by Sean Fargo, and it  can help overcome that sense of difference and distrust by opening channels of compassion.

And like any mindfulness or guided meditation practice it can help you step out of your stress response and soften into the parasympathetic nervous system where your body can repair, digest and rest.

CONNECT WITH ANNA

Follow me on IG and FB: @intentionalliving.annapantano  

Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-pantano/

To learn more visit:  www.annapantano.com

Have questions you want me to address on the show?   Email me at [email protected]

Thank you for listening to the Striving From Stillness Podcast

THIS EPISODE IS FOR YOU IF…

• You want to practice Mindfulness more but  can never seem to find the time.
• Sitting still and meditating is not for you, or you can’t seem to make it happen very often.
• You are unsure of how to practice or increase your consistency.
• You are dedicated to learning how to be more present, but not sure what else you can do!

IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT:

In this episode I share two simple practices that can be done on the go. One can be done while driving, using stoplights as your reminder and as an opportunity to practice. The other can be practiced any time you find yourself waiting in line, whether it be at the grocery store, a restaurant or some place like the DMV. 

Mindfulness doesn’t always need to be a long dedicated practice where you for example, sit and do a Mindfulness Meditation for 15 minutes or longer. In fact, taking frequent dips into Mindfulness or being fully present, can have long lasting positive effects on your overall well-being. During these short practices you are taking time to help your nervous system step out of its stress response (fight, flight or freeze mode) and into its parasympathetic nervous system where it can rest, repair and digest as well has giving your stress hormones a break. These frequent micro-breaks into the parasympathetic nervous system will, over time, weaken the neural pathways to our stress response and strengthen the pathways that allow us to be less reactive, more at ease, more focused and so on. 

FREE RESOURCES: 

If you find this episode helpful and would like a FREE pdf guide that explains how to practice 20 different ways to practice Mindfulness on the go, I encourage you to grab my FREE Mindful Moment Map pdf Guide. Included in the pdf is also a brief description of what Mindfulness is, why practicing it is beneficial and how to practice each of the 20 different suggestions.

Visit  https://bit.ly/3tlW5l2 for access to the FREE Mindful Moment Map pdf guide. I promise to never share your information and feel free to unsubscribe at anytime (but of course, I hope you will stick around for more valuable information on being a more present, productive and less stressed human!)

Check out Episode 22 published on March 2nd, "Mindfulness on the Go: Two Simple Ways to Practice Being Present Everyday" for two more easy to integrate into your day Mindfulness Practices.

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To learn more visit:  www.annapantano.com

Have questions you want me to address on the show?   Email me at [email protected]

Thank you for listening to the Striving From Stillness Podcast

Yoga Nidra is a meditation done laying down that promotes deep rest, and relaxation while expanding self-awareness. Yoga Nidra is a systematic form of guided relaxation that can typically be done between 20 to 40 minutes. Today's Yoga Nidra practice is about 20 minutes long. 

Yoga Nidra can reduce stress, help you get better sleep, and can bring about a sense of joy and well-being. The practice has also been used to help decrease PTSD and other trauma symptoms. 

If you like this practice and there is a  shortage of time, the practice can be done in 10 minutes as well. This can come in handy if you need a quick boost at the office or in the mid-afternoon when many of us can start to feel lethargic.

During Yoga Nidra, you start by developing an intention or I am statement for your life and for the practice, such as "I am healthy" or "I am present and patient".  If you struggle with believing your "I am" statement, I recommend you add the word "becoming",  e.g. "I am becoming a  healthy person".    Then depending on the length and style of the practice you start to shift your awareness to your breath, bodily sensations, emotions, and/or thoughts. 

You are encouraged to connect to an underlying sense of peace that is always present though often hidden and to cultivate awareness, observing and welcoming whatever is present.

CONNECT WITH ANNA

Follow me on IG and FB: @intentionalliving.annapantano  

Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-pantano/

To learn more visit:  www.annapantano.com

Have questions you want me to address on the show?   Email me at [email protected]

Thank you for listening to the Striving From Stillness Podcast

In today’s episode, we explore how we can self-sabotage in a way that looks like we are being productive, but we are actually avoiding the thing we desire to do most or the hard things we must do. 

This self-sabotage is often a sneaky way our brain and stress response thinks it is protecting us from something that may be new, uncomfortable, or scary but in reality, it prevents us from truly making the life changes we desire most.

In addition to working with your stress response so you can keep engaging in the transformational work that will make a difference or allow that dream you have had for a long time to become a reality, you can use a two-step process, similar to a mind map but taps into your body wisdom. 

The process is similar to a mind map but done in two different ways so you can get the benefit of both your thinking brain and the wisdom that our body and heart have to offer. 

To give this a try: 

• Grab two pieces of paper so you can compare and contrast what you’re finding 
• Then decide what your question is or what you would like to get clarity on, e.g. What next steps do I need to focus on in my business? 
• To start the exercise, draw a circle in the center of both papers. 
• At the top of the first paper write Mind Map and the second write Body Wisdom. 
• Then write your question in each circle. It should be the same for both.

Many of you have probably done a Mind map or a brain dump before, but essentially you want to take some time to write out all the things that come to mind around your question. Like spokes on a wheel that may start to look more like a web, write out everything that you have been thinking. 

• Once you feel complete with your brain dump take a moment to circle or highlight the top 3  things you want to focus on first, starting the number one if possible.
• After that, take a moment to get still and connect to your heart, gut, and the deeper knowing that you hold within your body. (It can be as simple as putting one hand on your heart, and one on your belly then breathing into those spaces until you feel the body start to soften.) 
• If you still are unsure of what may help you connect to your body wisdom, and would like more guidance I recommend you try the guided practice released on valentine’s day, episode 19, or the guided practice in episode 15 released on January 19th, or episode 5 which walks you through a simple Body Scan and was released on Nov 17th.
• Once you have completed your practice to help you connect to your heart and body wisdom go to the second paper, read the question and map out everything that is coming up for you from that space. 
• Once you feel complete, circle the one to five things that stand out as being most important. 
• Compare the two and reflect on the difference or the similarities and ask yourself again what you need to set or do as your number one priority. 

RESOURCES:

Book: Atomic Habits by James Clear

CONNECT WITH ANNA

Follow me on IG and FB: @intentionalliving.annapantano  

Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-pantano/

To learn more visit:  www.annapantano.com

Have questions you want me to address on the show?   Email me at [email protected]

Thank you for listening to the Striving From Stillness Podcast

Intention setting is a powerful way to guide your actions, your day, and your overall experience of life. Today, I will share with you how you can use your intentions to set the tone of your day or shift your experience of certain events,  even if they are challenging ones.  Then we will do a short guided visualization that you can use to make leaning into whatever intention you choose easier to implement and an even more powerful tool.

For the short practice choose an intention you would like to work with. This will be something you want to feel or bring more of into your life.  It can be used for a specific event, an entire day, or even one you want to use to guide your year.

In this episode, we go through the visualization fairly quickly, but when doing it on your own you can spend as much or little time visualizing what it would be like to live from the intention you choose.

Some examples of intentions are being more grateful, present, patient, confident or joyful.

Be as vivid and detailed as you can when visualizing.  Some questions you may ask yourself during this process are:

• What may be different about my day if I was aligned with my intention today?
• What words might I use?
• How would I walk, sit or carry myself?
• What challenges might I come across, and how would I handle them if I was aligned with my intention?

RESOURCES:

At the end of 2022, I shared some insights about the importance of intentions via this podcast and a guided meditation on how to connect with what really matters so when setting New Year's resolutions you can align yourself with what is really important to you over your lifetime. 

These episodes were released on Dec 29, 2022, and are episodes 11 & 12: Setting Intentions, (Part 1 and 2). 

CONNECT WITH ANNA

Follow me on IG and FB: @intentionalliving.annapantano  

Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-pantano/

To learn more visit:  www.annapantano.com

Have questions you want me to address on the show?   Email me at [email protected]

Thank you for listening to the Striving From Stillness Podcast

In this episode, you will learn a simple way to practice Mindfulness throughout your day that can be done with eyes open, while you are at work, at home, or out and about. It is a practice that is done standing or walking.

If we are frequently multi-tasking and distracted we make it hard for our brain to pay attention when needed or let go of distractions when we are ready to be present with family, friends, or whatever we want to be present with. Practice this simple technique to train your brain to pay attention to what is important to you in each moment.

CONNECT WITH ANNA

Follow me on IG and FB: @intentionalliving.annapantano  

Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-pantano/

To learn more visit:  www.annapantano.com

Have questions you want me to address on the show?   Email me at [email protected]

Thank you for listening to the Striving From Stillness Podcast