1. TO JUMPSTART YOUR HEALTH ROUTINE, BE MINDFUL
The Science & Practice of Mindfulness.
by Shalini Bahl, Ph.D.
Active Aging in The Pioneer Valley: A Collaboration Between
UMass & Daily Hampshire Gazette

3. PERCENT OF
PEOPLE WHO ARE
SUCCESSFUL IN
ACHIEVING THEIR
RESOLUTION
8%
http://www.statisticbrain.com/new-years-resolution-statistics/

4. WHAT DOES IT
TAKE TO
BRING
SUSTAINABLE
CHANGE

5. NOT ABOUT MORE
WILL POWER
OR WORKING
HARDER, OR MORE
INFORMATION
OR “SHOULDING”
YOURSELF

6. SYSTEMIC &
SUSTAINABLE
CHANGE IS ABOUT
SIMPLE AWARENESS,
INNER CALM &
COMPASSION
Mindfulness cultivates awareness,
inner calm & compassion

7. WHAT GETS
IN THE WAY
OF OUR
GOALS
3 Facts About The
Human Mind

8. 3 CHALLENGES TO
REACHING YOUR GOALS
1. Unconscious
Decisions
2. Stress
3. Self-criticism

9. W H AT
P E R C E N TA G E
O F Y O U R D A I LY
D E C I S I O N S A R E
M A D E
C O N S C I O U S LY ?

10. 5 %
9 5 % O F T H E
D E C I S I O N S A R E
M A D E
U N C O N S C I O U S LY
*Bargh and Chartrand 1999

11. A U T O M AT I C I T Y I S
U S E F U L B E C A U S E
W E H AV E L I M I T E D
C O G N I T I V E
R E S O U R C E S

12. WEIGHT GAIN DUE TO STRESS
INCREASE CRAVINGS + DECREASE METABOLISM
STRESS
Korkeila et al 1998; Kiecolt-Glaser et al 2015

13. SELF-
CRITICISM
Negative self talk impedes
progress

14. THE INNER CRITIC
“You’re not good
enough.”
You’re lazy!
You’re such an idiot!
You’ll never lose
weight.
You have no will power!
You’ve never reached
any of your goals!

15. NEGATIVE SPIRAL OF SELF
CRITICISM
Self
Criticism
Self-
Inhibition
Self-
Punishment
Demoralized
Rumination
Procrastination
Self-
Loathing
Slow
Progress
Less likely to
achieve goals
Powers, Koestler & Zuroff 2007
Gilbert 2006

16. HOW
MINDFULNESS
CAN ADDRESS
THE 3
CHALLENGES
3 ways mindfulness is a
super power

17. UNCONSCIOUSNESS AWARENESS

18. STRESS INNER CALM

19. SELF-CRITICISM
SELF-
COMPASSION

20. POSITIVE SPIRAL OF SELF
COMPASSION
Self
Compassion
Positive
feelings
Balance our
fears Joyous
Calm
Confident
Care-
Giving
Self-
Awareness
More likely to
achieve goals
Less Self-
Conscious
Less
Comparisons
Less
Insecure
More
Motivation
More
Resilience
Neff & Dahm 2015
Bahl & Milne 2010

21. WHAT IS MINDFULNESS
“Mindfulness is the
awareness that
arises from paying
attention on
purpose, in the
present moment,
non-judgmentally”
~ Dr. jon Kabat-Zinn

22. TRANSFORMATIVE POTENTIAL OF MINDFUL CONSUMPTION
Bahl et al 2016

23. AWARENESS TOOL: TRIANGLE OF AWARENESS
AWA R E N E S S
T H O U G H T S
B O D Y
S E N S AT I O N S
E M O T I O N S
Com
passionate
Curiosity
InnerCalm
Attention

24. HOW TO CULTIVATE MINDFULNESS
Mindfulness
Designated
Practices
Mindfulness
Mindfulness
Integrated
Activities

25. T Y P E S O F
M I N D F U L N E S S
P R A C T I C E S
• Awareness of Breath
• Body Scan
• Open Awareness
• Mindful Walking
• Mindful Listening
• Loving Kindness
• Mindful Movement (Yoga,
Tai chi)

26. DESIGNATED PRACTICE
Awareness of Breath

27. KNOW YOUR HABIT LOOP
Cue
Routine
Reward
Charles Duhigg, 2014

28. MINDFULNESS & THE HABIT LOOP: FOOD
Cue
Stress
Dark
Chocolate
Feel Good
Routine
Reward
Participants in the mindfulness intervention showed significantly greater decreases in
food cravings, dichotomous thinking, body image concern, external & emotional
eating.*
H.J.E.M. Alberts, , R. Thewissen, L. Raes, 2012

29. MINDFULNESS & THE HABIT LOOP: EXERCISE
Cue
Alarm
reminder
Zumba
Joy &
Community
Routine
Reward
People who reported being mindful during exercise also generally reported satisfaction
with exercise, which was related to more exercise.*
Tsafou KE1, De Ridder DT2, van Ee R3, Lacroix JP4. 2015

30. INTEGRATE MINDFULNESS IN THE HABIT LOOP
Cue
Routine
Reward
Time
Location
Emotional State
Other People
Immediately preceding action
Entertainment
Comfort
Feel Good
Socialize
Replenishment of depleted resources
AWA R E N E S S
T H O U G H T S
B O D Y
S E N S AT I O N SE M O T I O N S
Com
passionate
Curiosity
InnerCalm
Attention
Choose Mindfully

31. MAIN TAKEAWAYS
1. Change is not about more will power
or working harder but about more
awareness, inner calm & compassion
2. Practice mindfulness daily, even if
only for 5 minutes.
3. Integrate mindfulness in the habit
loop: STOP
➤ Stop
➤ Take a few breaths
➤ Observe - Thoughts, Emotions,
Body
➤ Proceed with mindful choice
Mind
Heart
Body

32. CONTINUE YOUR EXPLORATION
1. Sign up for free introductory classes at Downtown
Mindfulness
2. For Mindfulness coaching email me
shalini@RemindingProject.com
3. Stay informed by liking us on https://
www.facebook.com/DowntownMindfulness/
4. Try my 5-minute meditations on the Simple Habit
app:
A. Women’s resilience
B. Self-Awareness
C. Procrastination
5. Subscribe to my blog on RemindingProject.com