Episode 111: Practical Mindfulness: Resolution to Meditation

New Year’s resolutions aren’t like ordinary goals. In theory they have a far more powerful effect on our psyche because the start of a new year symbolizes new beginnings, a new chapter and a clean slate. Nevertheless, researchers tell us that over 1/2 of us will fail to commit to their New Year resolutions past six months. No sooner have we set our resolutions and announced them on social media, we find ourselves finding reasons to give them up.

So why then should meditation and mindfulness be the first two resolutions on your list? Because life is unpredictable, stress is normal and mindfulness can help you with all of it. A mindful meditation practice can helps you develop enough stillness to become aware of your internal state and the forces that drive your day to day behavior. In this way your meditation practice can go a long way to helping you keep your other promises to yourself! It also allows us the time and space to sit with difficult feelings and make better choices toward more helpful behavior. Finally, our time in meditation naturally spills over to become everyday mindfulness and the next thing you know, you're actually paying attention to the actual moments of your actual life! How radical!

Biography:
Nick Stein is an award-winning TV Producer and Show-Runner who has produced countless hours of non-fiction television for myriad networks and production companies for the past 40 years. Most recently, as the Series Producer of the National Geographic Channel’s “Border Wars” series, Stein and his crews gained unparalleled access to contested areas of the U.S. /Mexican border, embedding with the operational units of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, ICE, DEA and the Coast Guard.

As a result of witnessing the extreme psychological and physical suffering so prevalent in the border zone, Stein began a journey from meditation practitioner to mindfulness meditation facilitator by studying at UCLA’s Mindfulness Awareness Research Center (MARC) and attending various silent retreats in locations such as Spirit Rock. After completing two years of MARC’s Intensive Practice Program (IPP), Stein was accepted into the Engaged Mindfulness Institute’s (EMI) inaugural class and received a Certification of Mindfulness Facilitation in June 2016.

Due to years of immersive work with the men and women of law enforcement who serve along the U.S. Border, Stein has dedicated himself to introducing the concepts and techniques of mindfulness meditation to foster resilience in this community. He has traveled to New Mexico, Texas and Washington D.C. to bring this knowledge to U.S. Border Patrol agents and CBP’s Officer of Field Operations Officers and Chaplains. In addition, his work is expanding to local and regional law enforcement departments in the San Francisco East Bay area and most recently, to the Greater Cambridge Massachusetts area. Stein lives in Studio City, CA with his wife, Susan McGuire, a CA licensed MFT Psychotherapist and Jungian Analyst.

Website: strategicstillness.com
Twitter: SteinNicholas
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholasstein/