Mindfulness: Healing the Wounds from Domestic Violence & Feeling Empowered
Diane Yeo takes a real life approach to teaching mindfulness. She is known and loved for her calm presence, sense of humour and passion for self-discovery. After spending fifteen years in a sales and marketing career, Diane left it all behind in pursuit of her passion. Diane has been practicing mindfulness for over twenty years and teaching mindfulness since 2006. Recognizing the need for mindfulness to be both accessible and inspirational, Diane developed the SimplyPresent program; an effective and enjoyable way for people to calm their mind and live more in the moment no matter how busy their life is. Diane is highly sought after in personal and workplace settings, and is available for coaching, speaking engagements and retreats. Learn more about Diane and her SimplyPresent program at www.dianeyeo.com.
The benefits of mindfulness are being experienced and spoken of world-wide which is very exciting. More and more people are beginning to experience when they take time to stop, go inward and train their mind to be still, a depth of healing happens on many different levels.
This has been my experience – and it all started 23 years ago when I went on my first meditation retreat on Vancouver Island.
For most of my life, I was going nonstop. My life was chaotic and so was my mind. I was desperately searching for peace, love and fulfillment on the outside - in relationships, work, you name it. And it was nowhere to be found.
My relationships with men had one thing in common - they were all very unhealthy. Most were abusive – either physically or emotionally. The thought of sitting still and being with me was terrifying and it seemed beyond my reach. It was something that other people could do, but not me. So I never took the time to stop, go inward and do the healing that my soul was longing for. I used drugs and alcohol to push everything down and avoid the depth of my pain and loneliness I felt in my heart and my entire being.
Today my experience is very different. Through a mindfulness practice and other healing modalities, I have found a strength I didn’t know I possessed. I feel comfortable in my own skin and I create time every day to be alone with me, my thoughts and my feelings.
Is it always easy? No. Life still happens. But rather than running away from everything I now have the mental resilience and capacity to be with what shows up. I am practicing (not perfecting) living life on life’s terms. This feels so empowering and is such a relief from my old way of being.
Science has now proven that practicing mindfulness (which includes eyes-closed meditation as well as being present during our daily activities) changes the structure of our brain. It is called neuroplasticity. Research shows a decreased gray-matter density in the amygdala, which is known to play an important role in stress, anxiety and our fight or flight response. Meditation is one of the most effective ways to calm the mind and clear built up stress from the nervous system. That is why more and more doctors are recommending meditation as a protocol for health and over-all well-being.
The truth – everything you need to experience peace is within you and when you take the time (and have the courage) to stop and go inward, a healing occurs. There is an opening to peace and greater self-love that most of us long for, and that we all deserve.
I can feel grounded and safe. Comfortable in my own skin.
The ongoing result has been a steadily growing expansion of awareness and appreciation for all of life. This takes the form of improved relationships with those around me, connection with the entire human race and seeing the divine intelligence in the simplest life forms.
It has been life-changing.
Offering mindfulness courses in the workplace is a very effective way to empower all employees by teaching them simple tools they can use to let go of stress, live more in the moment, and handle the pressures of your daily life. This would include those individuals who have experienced or are experiencing domestic violence, whether they have disclosed that or not.
