In this episode of the Techquanimity Podcast, Cynthia Phelps, founder of Inner Ally, and Mark Montalban, co-founder of Mindful Text, share their favorite well-being practices for free to cope with the stress of the world. One practice they recommend is body scanning, which can improve focus, release tension, and increase awareness of the body's stress levels. They also discuss the importance of incorporating mindfulness and compassion practices into everyday life, emphasizing the value of self-awareness, kindness, and positive self-talk. The episode concludes with a discussion on the role of technology in promoting wellness and mindfulness practices.
Mark Montalban Introduces The Body Scan
They dive deep into the body scanning technique, a powerful relaxation method often included in guided meditations. Mark expresses his excitement in sharing this practice and highlights the reasons why he finds it so valuable. We learn that humans often hold tension in certain areas without even realizing it, like clenching our jaws while writing emails. By incorporating body scanning into our lives, we can build focus and redirect our thoughts to different parts of the body, a form of practicing mindfulness.
Cynthia Explains the InnerAlly Process
Cynthia delves into the InnerAlly experience, a process that helps individuals on their journey of self-understanding, overcoming obstacles, and even addressing their core beliefs. They explore how the InnerAlly process can be a game-changer in optimizing our well-being through the use of the inner voice.
Somatic Practices Amplify Mindfulness Practices
Mark emphasizes the importance of incorporating the body into our practices, sharing his own journey from solely focusing on cognitive techniques to realizing the profound impact of somatic elements. By using the body scan practice, we can become more aware of our stress levels and better understand how our bodies are feeling. Mark even provides insights into how this practice can contribute to our overall health.
Mark Explains the MindfulText Process
Mark introduces MindfulText, his platform that delivers engaging content through text messages, helping users to cultivate mindfulness and positive thinking. They address the challenge of managing our thoughts and how MindfulText can assist in developing the skill of mindfulness.
Throughout this captivating conversation, Mark & Cynthia explore various lenses and approaches to meditation and mindfulness, ultimately making these practices more accessible and relatable. They also invite your input to shape future episodes, ensuring that Podcast continues to provide the content you want to hear.
So get ready to embark on a transformative journey of well-being because this episode is filled with gems that can help you navigate the challenges of today's world. Let's dive right in!
00:00:00 In this section of the Techquanimity Podcast, Cynthia Phelps, the founder of Inner Ally, and Mark Montalban, a co-founder at Mindful Text, share their favorite well-being practices that listeners can use for free to cope with what's going on in the world. One of the practices they recommend is body scanning. Body scanning is a technique that is included in many guided meditations and involves relaxing each part of the body in a systematic way. This practice can improve focus, help to release tension, and increase awareness of the body and its stress levels. Cynthia Phelps mentions that as a founder of a company focused on well-being, she has learned the importance of incorporating the body into their practices for self-awareness and stress management.00:05:00 In this section of the interview, Cynthia Phelps discussed the concept of somatic experiencing as it relates to incorporating mindfulness and compassion practices into everyday life. She explained that somatic experiencing involves using one's senses to be aware in the present moment, which can help to reduce stress and anxiety. Additionally, she discussed the importance of creating a supportive space for oneself to practice these techniques, incorporating compassion and flexibility. Lastly, she emphasized the value of little moments of appreciation and gratitude for the body, as these practices can make even the most mundane conscious and trauma-informed.00:10:00 In this section, Cynthia Phelps, a PhD and Mark Montalban discuss the use of the body scan practice for daily health and wellness. Body scanning involves becoming aware of the body and identifying any tension or areas of discomfort. This practice can prevent health issues from occurring and can be applied to any part of the body, including the feet. They provide a step-by-step explanation of how to perform a body scan, starting at the top of the head and gently guiding attention down the body. They encourage listeners to try it as a way to improve their awareness of their body and improve their overall health and wellness.00:15:00 In this section of the YouTube video, Cynthia Phelps, PhD, discusses her secret to success in health and her work in the world. She emphasizes the importance of being aware of and honoring one's body, stating that this is the key to her own health and well-being, as well as to achieving her goals. Phelps then describes a body scan exercise and explains how it can help individuals become aware of and release tension in their bodies, thereby promoting relaxation, improved focus, and reduced stress. She also discusses the benefits of body scanning practice, including increased awareness, stress reduction, improved focus, relaxation, and pain management, and encourages viewers to do their own research to validate the many studies that have been conducted on the subject.00:20:00 In this section, the guest speakers on the Techquanimity Podcast discuss the practice of body scanning and its connection to compassion, self-compassion, and emotional resilience. Cynthia Phelps Ph D discusses how compassion emphasizes self-awareness and kindness, which helps individuals deal with stress and pain in a more resilient manner. She uses the example of someone who is compassionate towards themselves when they are experiencing pain, and how this contrasts with the idea of piling on negative thoughts that make things worse. Mark Montalban then points out that most of our thoughts are negative, and that skewing towards optimism with self-compassion is a better way to think. He also notes that this practice differs from affirmation, which tends to focus on a positive mindset, but ignores negative thoughts. Overall, the speakers agree that the practice of body scanning combined with compassion creates greater emotional resilience, which can have a positive impact on our mental and emotional well-being.00:25:00 In this section, Dr. Cynthia Phelps discusses her company, Inner Ally, and how it uses phrases and physical cards as a way to counter the default mode network, which can sometimes control our thoughts and actions. She shares a personal story of struggling with self-compassion and realizing she needed a more supportive voice to counter her own harsh voice. Inner Ally uses phrases based on core emotional needs, or "superpowers," and finding which ones work best for each person. They check in with the inner critic and modify phrases as necessary to pacify it. Dr. Phelps discusses the somatic aspect of creating these phrases, and how the body plays a role in determining if they will be effective. Overall, Inner Ally aims to help people build compassionate language that is customized for their unique needs and situation.00:30:00 In this section of the transcript, Dr. Cynthia Phelps and Mark Montalban discuss the benefits of creating an inner compassionate language as a foundation for self-compassion. Dr. Phelps explains how the use of empowering phrases can have a soothing effect on the body and provide a sense of readiness to take action. Mark mentions the positive experiences he had with the concept of inner Ally cards, which can help with the mental and physical aspects of well-being. Overall, the benefits of these practices such as self-understanding, overcoming stumbling blocks, and clarity are highlighted.00:35:00 In this section, the speakers discuss the practice of body scanning as a way to amplify inner Ally. Body scanning involves focusing on one's inner critic voice and creating supportive phrases to build an inner Ally. The speakers recommend trying this practice as a way to respond to oneself and balance out negative default modes of thinking. They also discuss the importance of putting positive phrases in front of oneself, like on flashcards or a computer monitor, as a reminder to work towards a more positive mindset.00:40:00 In this section, Dr. Cynthia Phelps discusses the challenges of practicing meditation and how the practice of mindfulness can help in overcoming these challenges. She describes how people are often bombarded with their thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations when trying to meditate, which can make it hard to focus. To help manage these distractions, mindfulness practice involves being non-judgmental with one's thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations. Dr. Phelps explains that the practice of mindfulness can be accessed through various forms of communication, but text messaging is particularly effective in making this practice accessible. Through the text message app Mindful Text, Dr. Phelps and her team have achieved a 90% retention rate among their users, compared to the 15% completion and retention rate seen in mindfulness programs. The app's ability to deliver nudges in accessible content helps individuals to gradually integrate positive ways of thinking into their daily lives.00:45:00 In this section of the content, the speakers discuss the importance of using an anchor in meditation to build resilience against intrusive thoughts. Anchor is an object, person, or action that helps maintain focus on the present moment. Many people have gone through a guided meditation and are familiar with the concept of an anchor. Examples of anchors include the awareness of breath or throat friction, the rise and fall of the belly, air coming in and out of the nose, the sensation of feet on the ground, or the back on the bed. Practicing the use of an anchor can help individuals develop a consistent meditation practice and achieve a calm state of being. For people with trauma in their past, finding an anchor that works for them may take time and allow for exploration of different options. Judgmental voices should be silenced during this process, and individuals should give themselves grace and the freedom to try different anchors.00:50:00 In this section, the episode's guests discuss the importance of finding a place to rest one's attention during meditation and mindfulness practices. This "resting spot" is a cue to set the focus and let go of distractions, providing a sense of calm. The guests suggest that bringing compassion and an explanation in layman's terms can enhance the practices, making them more accessible to a broader audience. The example of meditation being compared to going to the gym is given, emphasizing the long-term benefits that arise from consistent practice. The guests conclude by reflecting on how technology can impact our well-being and suggest ways to bridge the gap between well-being and technology through the practices they share.00:55:00 In this section of the podcast, Cynthia Phelps Ph D and Mark Montalban discuss the importance of mindfulness and compassion practices when building and designing technology. They emphasize the need to consider how our actions and creations can positively impact the wellbeing of individuals and society as a whole. This involves taking a two-fold approach, considering personal ethics as well as creating a world that aligns with our values.InnerAlly.com
MindfulText.com
