Patty Roth is a social emotional educator for MSU Extension targeting key areas of importance to Michigan. Today she focused on improving health and nutrition in Michigan residents with Mindfulness as a technique.
Patty Roth shared a mindfulness session with us today. Mindfulness is:
- Paying attention
- On purpose
- In the present moment, "here and now"
- With a non-judgmental attitude
- With kindness and compassion
The technique that Patty demonstrated was breathing mindfully. This effort provides both mental and physical health benefits. Mental health benefits include:
- decreased anxiety, depression, ADD, substance abuse, grief and more.
- improved quality of life while living with back pain, heart disease and other chronic conditions
- assisting in ways to help people find meaning and purpose in their jobs and lives
- improved memory and concentration
Physical health benefits include:
- reduction in chronic pain
- diabetics: better able to control blood glucose
- better sleep
- reduced cardiac risk factors, including lower blood pressure and cholesterol
- increased exercise
- improved immunity , based on blood samples
I cannot attest to the long-term benefits, but I left the session far more relaxed than I have been for a long time!
Patty holds a BS from MSU and a Masters in counseling from WMU. She also has a long history with Rotary starting as an exchange student and culminating as president of the Frankfort Rotary Club. She, her husband and 4 children live in Frankfort, and she shared that her children are now so tuned in to the techniques she uses on them that they use them on her.