• 'Mindfulness': Medicine through breathing

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What prompts a senior international manager to drop everything at once to devote himself to meditation?

"There came a time when I realized that my work was no longer aligned with my values ​​and I made the leap to live by them. I remember that I set out to find

a job that I never wanted to retire from

. It was one

of the best. decisions I have made in my life

. My body changed, my mind changed and my life changed. I believe that I am a better person and I give thanks every day for that ", says Andrés Martín Asuero, founder and director of Instituto Esmindfulness (Barcelona),

A biologist (he patented the first fish vaccine in Spain), MBA and PhD in Psychology and certified mindfulness instructor, Asuero is one of the experts participating in the

application of Diana

, the Spanish voice meditation and mindfulness 'skill' that has launched Grupo Planeta with the support of Amazon Alexa.

The coronavirus has turned our lives upside down, how is it affecting us psychologically and what consequences will the pandemic leave us? I am seeing an increase in states of anxiety, dejection and stress.

A psychiatrist colleague told me that the third wave will be the impact of the pandemic on mental health. In your opinion, what is weighing us the most: uncertainty, fear, loneliness ...? I think it depends on personal circumstances each.

If you live alone, it is more difficult to manage loneliness, especially during confinement.

If you have a precarious job, I think the enemy is uncertainty and, if you are from a vulnerable health group, the biggest problem is fear.

Also, they can be combined, which is tremendous. How can we (if at all) deal with all these emotions? Mindfulness meditation helps me, which gives me peace of mind;

physical exercise that releases tension and gives me health;

and be in contact with loved ones.

I am also fortunate that I am passionate about my work and it is a great support at the moment. But let's go to the practical ones, how do we manage to get a negative emotion out of our head? By stopping to ponder the subject in an overwhelming way, which It is known as 'mental rumination', and moving the intention to something concrete in the present moment or a worthwhile activity.

The practice of 'Mindfulness' is very good at reducing 'rumination', in MBSR (Mindfulness-based stress reduction) courses it is reduced by up to 30%.

What's more, how can we turn these negative emotions into engines to get ahead stronger? That is resilience, taking advantage of adversity to grow, learn and become wiser.

In the Diana study of Alexa, we have included a resilience course because we believe it is very necessary at this time, as well as an introduction to 'Mindfulness' and many other valuable resources to face this moment.

Is the 'here and now' finally the only thing that matters? Well I'm not a fanatic.

It is clear that planning for the future is essential, even if you have to improvise later.

Learning from the past and remembering is also essential to give meaning to life.

What happens is that if we are constantly turning our heads to issues of the past or future, we lose intimacy with the real moment.

We miss out on the opportunity to enjoy surprise, love, enjoyment, create and marvel.

You might think that the coronavirus has taught us 'the beast' to focus on the present ... I'm not sure about it.

I think that, right now, there is a lot of heartbreak and catastrophizing when you think about the future.

I would like to see that the result of the pandemic is a world that is more aware of the present, that is, more connected with reality. Why are we so fond of 'getting lost', of dreaming about what we don't have?

Do we tend to be unhappy by nature? Human beings have an extraordinary capacity called consciousness, coupled with a system of verbal communication and abstract thinking.

The combination of these elements is what can create heavens and hells in themselves;

cultivate a desert and raze a forest.

We have a very powerful faculty but we do not always know how to use it properly and, due to that ignorance, we generate unhappiness for ourselves and for the life of the planet.

Do you really think there is hope for human beings? I hope there is!

At least, it is one of the motivations for my work as an instructor of 'Mindfulness', to contribute to creating a more conscious, harmonious and sustainable world;

at the micro (person), meso (companies) or macro (planet) level.

I believe that we are living the moment of greatest human development, but also the most dangerous due to the power that we have achieved.

Could you give us 'homework'?

What do we do to resurface with more force and value, finally, what we have? An easy formula would be;

First, become aware of where you are in your vital moment and how you would like your life to be in two or five years.

Create a powerful vision of the life you want to live, and then find a path that goes in that direction.

She develops support rituals (meditation and nature help me), illusion that another life is possible.

And it should be remembered that you do not always have to change anything outside;

If you change, everything changes!

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