5 Days Of Becoming More Zen | Try Living With Lucie | Refinery29 - video Dailymotion

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This week on Try Living With Lucie, our host Lucie Fink tries 5 days of mindfulness. From breathing techniques to a daily intake of green tea, Lucie tries to find simple ways to wind down and be present each day. Watch this episode of Try Living With Lucie for tips on how you can do it, too!  https://greenteasfromjapan.com/  ABOUT SERIES Try Living With Lucie follows our favorite R29 millennial, Lucie Fink, as she dives headfirst into social experiments — five days at a time. From a week without sugar to full-blown street performing; there is nothing she won't try!   ABOUT REFINERY29  Refinery29 is a modern woman's destination for how to live a stylish, well-rounded life. http://refinery29.com/  RELATED CONTENT 5 Days Of No Mirror https://youtube.com/watch?v=xUkwRV_8gc4 5 Days Of A Capsule Wardrobe https://youtube.com/watch?v=Di9Bjf_OPj4 5 Days Of Meal Prep https://youtube.com/watch?v=DWaU47V3rMU  SEE MORE REFINERY29 VIDEOS http://refinery29.com/video  SUBSCRIBE TO REFINERY29 Subscribe to the Refinery29 channel: http://bit.ly/subscribe-to-r29 For the latest trends and videos, visit: http://refinery29.com Like Refinery29 on Facebook: https://facebook.com/refinery29 Follow Refinery29 on Twitter: https://twitter.com/refinery29 Heart Refinery29 on Instagram: https://instagram.com/refinery29/  TALENT Follow Lucie Fink on Instagram: https://instagram.com/luciebfink/ Follow Unbothered on Instagram: https://instagram.com/r29unbothered/ Follow OnHerTurf on Instagram: https://instagram.com/onherturf/ Follow Refinery29 on Instagram: https://instagram.com/refinery29/

Transcript

00:00I'm Lucy Spank and this week is 5 Days of Mindful Habits.

00:04I just want to give you guys a little tidbit into what's going on right now.

00:07I'm trying to record my vlogs in my apartment and this city is so loud and there's so much

00:13construction going on outside that I have to stop every two minutes to let the drill

00:17happen or the siren go by and that is why I need to be more mindful.

00:23If you're new to Refinery29's YouTube channel, click on the little subscribe box in the corner

00:27and give this video a thumbs up if you're excited for a week of mindfulness.

00:31When the seasons start to change, it's easy to get overwhelmed with new tasks and busier

00:35days.

00:35So this week I decided to learn a few mindful habits that could really counteract that daily

00:40stress.

00:40Mindfulness is the practice of focusing on the present and really acknowledging the way you're

00:45thinking and feeling in any given moment.

00:47It can be a really helpful practice for anyone who's feeling overwhelmed just to really slow

00:51down the pace a bit and to remind us to be present and positive even in the midst of all

00:56the craziness going on in our daily lives.

01:00When I woke up on Monday, one of the first things I did was sit right here on my bed

01:04and

01:04I gave myself about 10 minutes to let my body wake up slowly.

01:08I took some deep breaths in through my nose and as I was breathing, I focused my attention

01:12on the inhale and then the exhale.

01:16I knew that if I really wanted to get into a proper mindfulness habit, there are certain

01:20things that I need to make sure I'm doing every single day.

01:23So I decided that for this entire week, I was going to start off each morning with some

01:27sort of mindfulness breathing exercise and then a cup of Japanese green tea, which I

01:32believe is the mindfulness drink.

01:34So after Monday's breathing practice, I went into the kitchen for my first tea of the week.

01:39I began with Sencha and I let the teabag steep in the cup before drinking it.

01:43I also spent some time meditating on Monday.

01:45The goal of meditation is to journey beyond your mind into this higher state of awareness.

01:50Even though I did five days of meditation years ago, I actually recently within the past

01:55year just started meditating every single morning.

01:57So the time wasn't right for me back then, but now I am in it to win it.

02:01If you want to try this at home, it's as easy as sitting with yourself in silence for five

02:05to ten minutes and just letting your mind do whatever it wants.

02:08But if you want more of a guided experience, there are tons of free apps in the app store.

02:12In New York, there's a studio called InScape that offers guided meditation practices focusing

02:17on things like stress relief, mindfulness, and even improving your sleep.

02:21It's basically an escape in the middle of the city.

02:25InScape.

02:26And they offer relaxation sessions in their alcove as well as meditation sessions in the

02:31dome.

02:31I chose the meditation and so when you arrive, you remove your shoes and then the session

02:35facilitator stands at the door and gives you a little drop of essential oil before you

02:39enter and take your seat.

02:40When you're in there, it's really hard to remember that you are in the center of a bustling

02:45city with construction noises and cars honking.

02:48You can't hear a thing in there.

02:50It's completely immersive and they use sound, scent, light, and temperature to remind you

02:55to focus your attention inward and just reflect.

02:58Be mindful as you enter back into the world and travel gently.

03:08Pranayama is the formal practice of controlling the breath.

03:11And one method of pranayama that I've already practiced during five days of yoga is called

03:15nadi shodhana or alternate nostril breathing.

03:18So on Tuesday morning, I woke up, I made my bed, and then I sat right on it and practiced

03:23this technique.

03:23You start by sitting in a comfortable position and then gently closing your right nostril with

03:28your right thumb.

03:29You take a deep inhale through the left nostril and then hold it and cover your left nostril

03:34with the ring finger.

03:35Then you release the thumb from the right side and breathe out the right nostril.

03:38And you repeat this a few times, alternating which nostril you're breathing in through

03:42and which you're breathing out through.

03:44After some relaxing nadi shodhana, I went into the kitchen for my Tuesday morning Japanese

03:48green tea.

03:49I made sure to brew this one at a bit of a lower temperature than the sensha to extract

03:53the amino acid.

03:54I knew when I started researching and planning activities for this five day challenge that

03:58I wanted one of the days to be a full on tech free day.

04:01Our phones have become so ingrained in our day to day lives that we sit and we stare at

04:06these tiny screens all day and basically just look at what other people are doing with their

04:11lives.

04:11And a major part of being mindful is just being present where you are and focusing on those

04:16real authentic moments going on around you.

04:18So on Tuesday, I tucked my laptop underneath my mattress.

04:22I put my cell phone away in my drawer and I was totally tech free.

04:26And then I spent the rest of the day working on a mindful DIY project.

04:30So things that are methodical, anything that instills a sense of inner calm or peace, these

04:35are all considered mindful activities.

04:38Don't look right here in the frame because it's going to give away the project.

04:41I have some crystals that I used to keep just on my bedside table on the base of the lamp.

04:45And I love having them there.

04:47It's great that they're so close to my bed, but whenever I would reach over, I would knock

04:51them over and they were always at risk of breaking.

04:53So I decided to do a DIY project where I created Zen shelves for just above my side of the

04:59bed.

04:59First, I sanded and then painted the wood white.

05:02And then after, I had painted a couple of layers and then let it dry.

05:05I added bright turquoise to the edge that would face outward.

05:09I hammered some nails into the wall and then hung up the shelves.

05:12I wanted these shelves to be not only a dedicated space for my air plants and my crystals, but

05:16also just art in and of themselves.

05:19For the hour or so that I was working, I completely forgot everything going on around me.

05:23I forgot all the work I had to do for the day.

05:25My phone was tucked away so I had no distractions and it was an incredibly relaxing and mindful

05:30activity.

05:34On Wednesday, I started my morning with samavriti or equal breathing.

05:39The idea is that our bodies are always craving balance.

05:42So if we balance our breathing, we can help with this.

05:44Inhale for a count of four, then exhale for a count of four.

05:48If you want to take this one step further, increase the count to six seconds or eight seconds

05:52to calm the nervous system, increase focus, and reduce stress.

05:56On Wednesday morning, I drank a cold-brewed Japanese green tea that I had brewed the night

06:00before.

06:00Instead of steeping this one in hot water, I learned that when you brew it slowly at a

06:05lower temperature, it offers a nice mild good flavor.

06:07So I kept it in the fridge overnight and then I enjoyed it Wednesday morning, poured over

06:11ice.

06:12By Wednesday, I realized how much I've been loving the ritual of having a Japanese green tea every

06:17single morning.

06:17And the more I think about it, the more I realize that something as simple as drinking

06:21a cup of tea can be a very mindful experience.

06:24So after having my morning tea at home on Wednesday, I went to the East Village to be part of

06:28a Japanese

06:29green tea ceremony.

06:31My name is Sohe Kimori.

06:32I became Japanese tea ceremony master in 2003.

06:37And then I have been learning Japanese tea ceremony over 20 years right now.

06:41In these ceremonies, the entire prepping process, as well as the brewing process and the drinking

06:46process become a total art form.

06:49Every single moment is ritualized and it becomes a shared and very intimate experience.

06:54I met with a tea master and she first had me remove my shoes and then sit very comfortably

06:59on the tatami mat.

07:00She started the ceremony by doing three walks to and from the tea kettle, carrying different

07:04containers each time.

07:06So first it was the water, then the matcha container and the drinking bowl, and lastly all of her tools.

07:10She bows before beginning the ceremony and then goes through the steps slowly and deliberately.

07:15She takes her orange cloth, which she folds very precisely, and uses it to purify the

07:20matcha container and also to purify the tea utensils and the bowl.

07:24Then she scoops the matcha powder into the bowl, adds water, and whisks away.

07:29Fun fact of the day, when you're whisking matcha, I learned you're supposed to whisk in the shape

07:33of an M or a W. Having the chance to take part in this tea ceremony was incredibly special.

07:39The tea master told me that she drinks three bowls of matcha a day, one after every meal.

07:44Drinking Japanese matcha makes me mindful and relaxing and also calm down.

07:49Every single Japanese green tea that I've had this week was so unique, and I've actually

07:54been using my bullet journal to write down the different flavors and scents that are

07:58coming through.

07:59And the matcha obviously had its own flavor profile, but what really set that apart was

08:03the experience of drinking it at a tea ceremony.

08:08On Thursday morning, I tried the 4-7-8 breathing exercise, which can really help you feel more

08:14grounded and more mindful.

08:15You place the tip of your tongue behind your upper front teeth, and you start by exhaling

08:19completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound, like whoosh.

08:23Then you inhale for four seconds, hold for seven seconds, and exhale for eight seconds, making

08:29that whoosh sound once again.

08:30This breathing system is supposedly a natural tranquilizer for the nervous system, and it

08:35might leave you feeling a little bit lightheaded at first, but if you keep it up and if you

08:39do it properly, it can be very, very relaxing.

08:42Thursday's tea was a green tea known for its roasty aroma.

08:45And once I finished it, I jumped right into my mindfulness task of the day, which was reorganizing

08:50my kitchen.

08:51I recently did an episode focused entirely on getting my home organized.

08:55But in that episode, I really focused heavily on my closet and Michael's closet as well

09:00as the bathroom and the desk area.

09:02So my kitchen was completely omitted.

09:04But to be honest, the kitchen space has been stressing me out a lot because we have a ton

09:08of appliances that we just leave out on the counters for easy access, but that leads to

09:12a lot of clutter.

09:13So on Thursday, I popped on a podcast and did a major kitchen clean-out.

09:18Organization is really such a great way to practice mindfulness because the whole purpose

09:22of it is clearing things out that are no longer serving you to make room for what you need in

09:27this present moment.

09:28So after I was done, I packed up a few different donation boxes for things we no longer use.

09:33When you don't have so much stuff that's taking up not only your physical space but

09:37your mental space as well, you overall feel more intentional about what you're using.

09:41So after the clean-out on Thursday, I kept just what's essential and I let go of everything

09:46that was just taking up space.

09:50I started off the last day of this week by taking a mindfulness walk inside of my apartment.

09:55I put on a comfortable outfit that allowed me to move freely and also put some socks on

09:59my feet because they're always cold.

10:01If you live in a calm and peaceful setting where you can go outside and be connected to

10:05nature, I would highly recommend doing this mindfulness walk outdoors, but since I'm in

10:09the heart of a really loud city, I figured doing this indoors would be a little bit less distracting.

10:14Basically, I just followed the steps for a mindful walking practice and I began by pacing up and

10:19down my hallway.

10:20With each step, I paid attention to the lifting and the falling of my feet.

10:24I noticed the movements in my legs and any shifting from side to side.

10:28Whenever something else captured my attention, I just gently came back to the sensation of walking.

10:33I focused on the sights, the smells, the sounds.

10:37And at the end of my walk, I just sat on my yoga mat for 15 minutes, reflected on my

10:41thoughts,

10:41and just acknowledged all of the feelings I felt during that activity.

10:44I followed up the mindful walking exercise with my last Japanese green tea of the week.

10:49A little bit later in the day, I wanted to try something hands-on, so I decided to explore

10:53Japanese calligraphy.

10:55If you remember, in an older video, I tried five days of calligraphy and hand lettering.

11:00And after that episode was over, I did continue practicing my hand lettering, but only with brush pens.

11:04So this week, I wanted to explore something a little bit different.

11:08Shoto.

11:09The Art of Japanese Zen Calligraphy.

11:12I bought a giant book on the subject to teach me not only the history of Japanese calligraphy,

11:16but also the type of paper you should use, the brush you need, how to hold the brush,

11:21and the breathing sequences that you need to keep in mind as the brush is in motion.

11:25I used calligraphy practice rice paper made in Japan, and a classic calligraphy brush,

11:29and I followed the book's direction for practicing my strokes, and also for drawing certain Japanese characters.

11:35It was really a peaceful moment for me.

11:37The sun was just streaming in through the window, it was pouring onto the paper,

11:42and the whole activity just gave me some time to breathe and relax, and really reflect on the entire week.

11:47I hope you were able to take away some tips on how you can get started practicing mindfulness on your

11:52own,

11:52and comment below if you have any more tips for us.

11:55Thanks so much for watching, and let us know what else you want to see me try for five days

11:58at a time.

11:59See you then on Try Living With Lucy.

12:01Bye guys!

5 Days Of Becoming More Zen | Try Living With Lucie | Refinery29

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