Ignite Your Creative Potential with Mindfulness Morning Rituals
Nov 02, 2023Episode 50
Sheri Davidson
Ready to unlock your inner creative spark and cultivate a balanced lifestyle? In this episode, we step into the world of boundless creativity. I invite you to a serene moment where your imagination knows no bounds and your creative energy flows freely. As you carve out a space for yourself, picture a world where your creativity reigns supreme, with no restrictions in sight. Get ready for a journey of self-discovery, growth, and wellness as we continue to explore the power of mindfulness and creativity together.
Ready to unlock your inner creative spark and cultivate a balanced lifestyle? In this episode, we step into the world of boundless creativity. I invite you to a serene moment where your imagination knows no bounds and your creative energy flows freely. As you carve out a space for yourself, picture a world where your creativity reigns supreme, with no restrictions in sight. Get ready for a journey of self-discovery, growth, and wellness as we continue to explore the power of mindfulness and creativity together.
Hello Wellness friends, Welcome back to the Wellness Inspired Podcast, a place where you can find inspiration, motivation and empowerment in the pursuit of a wellness lifestyle. I'm your host, Sherri Davidson. I'm a wellness coach and acupuncturist in Houston Texas and I am deeply passionate about health and well-being. And, as always, I'm here with my co-host, Finn. And if you're new to the podcast, Finn is my Terrier, Mix, Rescue dog, troll runner and loyal companion. He is also a therapy dog and greeter at Element 5, acupuncture and wellness.
Speaker 1:
Before we get started, I want to say happy birthday to the Wellness Inspired Podcast. The podcast is two years old this month. Can you believe it? I can't believe it. I cannot believe it's already been two years. I have just had so much fun doing it. I guess time has just whew. It's flown by and the podcast is doing great. It is growing. It's growing slowly and organically, just as it should, and I have gotten some great feedback, especially in the past six months. So please keep your feedback coming. Suggestions are always welcome. I love hearing them. It helps me grow the podcast and provide content that you guys enjoy. So all the feedback is welcomed, appreciated. Suggestions as well. And also please give me a rating and review. This helps the podcast grow and it also helps people find me. So the more reviews I have, the more ratings I have, the more that my podcast gets out to the world. So thank you for that, and I want to share some exciting things, or at least one thing that I have planned for the coming episodes and in 2024, which I also can't believe is right around the corner. 2024 guys Wow, incredible Time is just again flying. But one idea I'm playing around with is a podcast segment called Wellness Watch, unveiling health and wellness business trends Still trying to decide on a name, so we'll see but this segment will be dedicated to the latest insights and updates in the ever evolving health and wellness headlines world. We will look closely at trends, innovations and key players in the wellness economy. So I think this could be really exciting. I would love to find an excellent co-host for this segment, because I believe conversation around the latest headline highlights would be good to hear from different perspectives not just mine, but for now it will just be me. So keep a lookout, because I'm putting the first episode together and we'll see how it goes. Like I said in the beginning, I really have been enjoying the podcast and creating the content for this podcast. It allows me to explore and integrate my creative side with TCM or traditional Chinese medicine, with wellness coaching and lifestyle and, with that said, it allows me to explore my creative side. This is an excellent lead-in to our topic today mindfulness and creativity.
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Last Wednesday, I was invited by ASID American Society of Interior Designers and Maddaval Luxury Kitchen Closets and Bathrooms to the Houston Decorative Center's Fall Market. This annual fall market is the destination for leading interior designers, architects, luxury home builders and landscape architects to come together with industry leaders and world-class brands in the luxury home furnishing industry for a full day of inspiration, education and networking while exploring new and noteworthy collections. Now Maddaval and ASID asked if I would come to their showroom and do a mindful morning ritual for designers, and I was so excited when they asked because, as many of you know I say this all the time on the podcast I was a former interior designer, so this event was a great alignment of the different parts of me, so I didn't hesitate to say yes, yes, yes, yes. The event was fantastic and successful. I could not be happier. Maria and Rachel did a fabulous job setting the stage for a calming meditation practice. The Maddaval Beautiful Showroom. They paid attention to every detail. It was absolutely beautiful, not to mention just the beautiful products they have. I did a short introduction to mindfulness and creativity and then we practiced mindfulness together. We did two rounds of eight minutes. I did a guided meditation for the first eight minutes and for the second round, the second eight minutes, we sat in silence together. It was beautiful, it was amazing and, like I said, I really could not be happier. So what I'd like to do on this episode? I want to recreate the event here for those who were there and want to revisit the information and the guided meditation and for those who could not make it but want the experience. So that's what we're going to do today. I also want to mention that this is the 50th episode, so not only is it a birthday episode, but it's also the 50th episode of the Wellness Inspired Podcast. I hope you enjoy this.
Speaker 1:
One more thing before we get started I am planning a European Wellness Riverboat Cruise in 2024. My friend, Tammy Heroka, is a travel concierge and friend. She's also been on the podcast. We talked about wellness travel and she will come back on the podcast and we will talk about this Wellness Riverboat Cruise when we get it all set up. She's helping me plan this amazing adventure. I still haven't committed to a river. I know, I know, I know it's coming, it's coming, but I'm thinking of a seven night cruise on the Danube River. We'll cruise through Austria, Germany, Hungary and Slovakia. There will be active sightseeing, hiking, biking, maybe some running. There will also be yoga, wellness talks, relaxing and locally sourced cuisine. So stay tuned for more details. I already have many people interested, so get ready to grab your spot. All right, let's do this.
Speaker 1:
Welcome to this special Mindful Meditation episode designed to cultivate wellness and creativity. I'm an acupuncturist, herbalist, wellness coach and trail runner and, interestingly, I am also a former interior designer and as someone in the wellness and design world, I understand and appreciate the incredible value of health, wellness and creativity. I also know, through years of practice and experience, how developing a mindfulness routine can positively impact all areas of your life. Now, because of that, I talk about mindfulness on this podcast often, and a mindfulness practice can offer a wide range of physical, mental and emotional benefits. Today, we're going to focus on how mindfulness can benefit designers overall and specifically how it can enhance creativity. So first let's talk about the overall impact a mindfulness practice can have on you.
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Number one, the big one it reduces stress. Stress-inducing projects often come with tight deadlines, client expectations and budget constraints, which can be stress inducing. We all know this. Mindful meditation helps reduce stress by promoting relaxation, calming the mind and enabling designers to manage the reactions to stressful situations. So breathing will actually stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, which is your rest and digest, so it takes you out of that fight or flight mode, which is super important for your health and creativity. The second benefit is it improves focus and concentration. Mindfulness trains the mind to stay present and focused and when you're present and fully engaged in the moment, it can improve your concentration, making it easier to pay attention to detail, stay organized and complete projects more efficiently. Now, who doesn't want that? Another benefit is better decision-making. Mindfulness enhances self-awareness and clarity of thought. The result you make better decisions about color schemes, layouts and materials when you have a clear and focused mind. Don't you think? All right? The next one is a heightened sense of awareness. Now, this one is really important.
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Awareness is so key. Design involves engaging with the sensory aspects of a space, such as lighting, textures and spatial arrangement. Social meditation can heighten sensory awareness, helping designers make more informed choices and create beautiful, unique and functional spaces. I really like the sense of awareness because I think awareness is so important in anything that you do. If you don't have awareness about something, then you can't change anything. I don't think you can be creative with anything because you're just stuck in this rut of doing the same thing over and over and over again. Nothing new comes out of it. For me, awareness is key for everything, no matter what you're talking about Creativity, your health, it could be anything, Just life.
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Awareness is so important if you want to change and grow. Another benefit is it can enhance client relationships. Mindfulness can improve empathy and communication skills. Designers who practice mindfulness can better understand their client needs and preferences, resulting in a stronger client-designer relationship. This is also so important. When you're present and you're fully engaged in the moment with your client, they feel that, and this develops a stronger relationship.
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So I encourage you to really think about this one. I do this a lot in my practice and I just sit with people and it is so appreciated. Okay, it can also increase adaptability. The design industry constantly evolves, with new trends and technologies emerging regularly. Meditation, mindfulness, meditation fosters adaptability by encouraging openness to change and the ability to embrace new design concepts and ideas Again. You're not getting stuck in a rut in the same way of doing things, You're open, you're creative and you are taking in all the new things to create new things. Okay, next, positive energy and passion. Practicing mindfulness allows you to balance your professional and personal lives. It can help prevent burnout and maintain a healthy work-life balance, ultimately benefiting your wellbeing and your work quality. So this one's super important too. These are all important.
Speaker 1:
Okay, we've got a couple more. So another one is it can enhance your problem-solving skills. So mindfulness fosters a calm and clear mindset, enabling you to approach design and challenges with a problem-solving orientation. This can lead to innovative solutions and improved project outcomes. We all want that. And the last one, enhancing creativity. Now I'm gonna expand on this one a little bit more here in a second. I just wanted to talk about the overall impact developing a mindful practice can have for designers.
Speaker 1:
Also important to note here that the benefits of mindfulness may vary from person to person, and the extent to which these benefits are realized can depend on the consistency and depth of your practice. So consistency is gonna be the key here, and many people find that even a few minutes of daily mindfulness can lead to positive changes in their life. And in fact there are some studies that say just eight minutes a day. When you first wake up in the morning, it can be before you go to bed. At night it could be sitting in your car. I think someone said this. At the event, they sit in their car at work. Eight minutes a day Totally doable, okay. So you're probably wondering how mindfulness can enhance creativity. So let's jump in.
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Creativity is a dynamic force that thrives in the present moment. It is the art of tapping into the richness of the here and now, where inspiration flows freely and possibilities are boundless. In this very moment, we immerse ourselves in the world connecting with our senses, emotions and surroundings. This intersection of past experiences, current sensations and future dreams spark the flame of innovation. When we fully engage in the present, our minds open to new perspectives, uncharted ideas and unexpected connections. It's in this state of mindfulness that creativity flourishes. The present offers a canvas for the mind to paint fresh visions, compose novel melodies and craft innovative solutions. Each second is an opportunity to think, feel and express in ways that are uniquely our own. Creativity is a dance with the present, a testament to the power of living in the now and a reminder that the most extraordinary ideas are often born from the immediate experience. So embrace the present, for you'll discover the boundless wellspring of your creative potential.
Speaker 1:
Composition for THE PADALAH. Start by finding a comfortable seated position. Place your feet flat on the floor and rest your hands on your lap and gently close your eyes. Take a deep breath in through your nose and slowly exhale through your mouth, and let everything be what is. Keep your focus to your breath and feel the natural rhythm of your breath as it flows in and out. Inhale deeply and, as you exhale, release any stress or distractions and keep your attention on your breath for a few more moments. Now bring your awareness to your body, even at the crown of your head, and slowly scan down to your toes, noticing any areas of tension or discomfort. And when you find some tension, breathe white light into that tension and, on the exhale, release that tension from your body. Breathe in and breathe out Until you're fully relaxed. And here and now that you're relaxed and you're present, letting things be what they are, set an intention and what do you want to get out of your practice today? And I'll give you a few moments to set your intention Now, in this now moment, in this now moment, the space you have given to yourself, care and creativity.
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Picture yourself waking up in the morning. See yourself engaging in a mindful morning ritual that sets a positive tone for the day ahead. This ritual could be yoga, savoring a cup of tea or coffee or simply taking a moment to appreciate the sunrise, whatever resonates with you. And as you envision this morning ritual, folks Focus on the feelings of inspiration, exhilaration and boundless creativity it brings. Visualize the powerful positive emotions infusing your being, lighting up your inner creative spark, and feel the connection between your inner self and your creative abilities growing stronger with every breath.
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Now visualize yourself as you engage in your design work. See how your creativity and inner beauty shine through in your projects. Imagine the positive impact this has on your clients and those who experience your designs. Feel the satisfaction of radiating your finest qualities and best self. And, as we near the end of our meditation, take a moment to express the gratitude for this time you've dedicated to your well-being and creativity and, when you're ready, slowly open your eyes, bringing a sense of mindfulness and creativity into your day. Thank you for joining me in this mindful meditation for creative wellness. May your inner beauty continue to inspire and enhance your work as designers, and remember that these practices can be incorporated into your daily routine to help unlock your creative potential and maintain your well-being. I wish you all a day filled with creativity, beauty and wellness.