In this special compilation episode, Dr. Wendy Bazilian offers a collection of “Mindful Minutes” she has shared in previous episodes for you to enjoy anytime you need a pause, a breath, or a gentle moment to ground yourself.

This episode features a string of guided Mindful Minutes from 1,000 Waking Minutes, each focusing on a different aspect of well-being under the pillars of “Eat well, Move daily, Be healthy®.”

While Wendy is currently taking a little time to rest, reconnect, and recreate with family and in nature, this episode brings together several powerful moments from previous episodes — offering you the chance to revisit them all in one place or try them for the first time.

Here’s what you’ll hear:

 (3:17) Five Senses Mini Meditation – from 'Meditate with Ease: Everyday Ways to Bring Mindfulness Into Your Life' - A 90-second practice to reconnect with your body and breath through taste, touch, sight, sound, and smell.

(7:04) Synergy Visualization and Pairing Practice – from 'Why Some Foods are Better and Healthier Together (Synergy)' - A reflection on food pairings, life partnerships, and small changes that create powerful outcomes.

 (10:35) Playground Joy Visualization – from 'Why Adults Need Recess and How to Reclaim Joyful, Healthy Movement' - A playful guided memory to reconnect with joy, childhood, and the value of movement and recess for adults.

 (14:15) Criticism to Curiosity Practice – from 'How to Clear Your Mind (and Mouth) of Criticism' - A mindful pause to soften harsh inner voices and bring awareness to how we meet ourselves and others.

 (16:06) Grounding and Renewal Practice – from 'Breaking the Criticism Loop: Daily Tools for More Calm' A simple, centering practice to help anchor your awareness and re-energize your next steps.

Whether you’re listening while walking, resting, working, or winding down, this episode is yours to return to — a toolset of calm moments to keep close.

CONNECT WITH WENDY:

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Visit the website: wendybazilian.com

Email me: 1KWM@wendybazilian.com

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Thank you for tuning in to 1,000 Waking Minutes and being part of this journey—together.

A huge thank you to our amazing collaborators including our production and marketing teams and Gabriela Escalante in particular. To the ultra-talented Beza for my theme music, my lifelong friend and artist Pearl Preis Photography and Design, to Danielle Ballantyne, Jen Nguyen, Joanna Powell, and of course, my family and everyone working tirelessly behind the scenes.

HEALTH DISCLAIMER:

The information shared in this podcast is for educational purposes only and should not be considered individual medical or health advice. Always consult with your trusted healthcare provider before making any changes to your diet, exercise, or medical treatment.

For today, I've gathered several

of the Mindful Minutes that

have been part of recent

episodes.

So you can listen, breathe,

reset and practice.

Whether it's your first time

hearing them or you've joined

me before, this is something

you can come back to

again and again.

Eat well, move daily, be

healthy.

We experience 1,000 waking minutes

on average every day.

How are you spending yours?

I'm Dr. Wendy Bazilian and

you're listening to 1,000 waking

minutes.

I can't wait to connect

with you here with practical

ways to eat well, move

daily and be healthy.

To optimize every waking minute

you live for a happier,

healthier life.

Thank you for sharing some

of your waking minutes with

me today.

Let's get started.

I'm saying yes to better

days.

Yes, I'm on my way.

Yes, it's gonna be okay.

Hi there.

It's Dr. Wendy Bazilian, your

host of 1,000 waking minutes.

And today's episode is a

little different.

I'm currently taking some time

away with my family, a

chance to rest, recharge, reconnect

and recreate with each other

and with myself.

Thanks, Calli.

And I hope in your

own way, you're getting a

few of those moments this

season too.

While I'm away, I want

to invite you to revisit

any of the past episodes

of 1,000 waking minutes that

you may have missed.

Or re-listen to a

favorite if I offered something

meaningful to you.

I hope I have.

And if you've been curious

about meditation, or how to

start a simple mindfulness practice,

you might enjoy the episode

we did on meditate with

ease, everyday ways to bring

mindfulness into your life.

That episode offers some helpful

ideas on how to take

intentional breaks to support your

mental clarity, and your emotional

and physical well being.

And for today, I've gathered

several of the Mindful Minutes

that have been part of

recent episodes.

So you can listen, breathe,

reset, and practice at these

mindful moments, Mindful Minutes within

your day.

Whether it's your first time

hearing them or you've joined

me before, this is something

you can come back to

again and again.

I hope they offer you

a little calm, a little

clarity and a reminder that

taking a moment for yourself

is not only okay, it's

essential to your overall health

and wellness.

Thanks for being here to

share some Mindful Minutes with

me.

This is Wendy Bazilian, and

you're listening to 1,000 Waking

Minutes, along with my daughter

reminding you to eat well,

move daily, be healthy.

And until next time, be

well.

Something that I think you'll

enjoy, and it's called the

Five Senses Mini Meditation.

You can do it wherever

you are, whether you're sitting

or standing, even walking, you

can do this mini meditation,

just 90 seconds.

And you don't need anything

fancy to prepare.

So first, I'm just going

to ask you to sit

or stand comfortably with your

feet grounded for our first

time together.

And we'll start by taking

one deep breath in through

the nose and then exhale

through the mouth.

Okay, now just follow along

with the five senses.

First is taste.

If you have something near

like water or tea or

coffee, take a sip right

now.

And if not, just notice

the environment of your mouth

right now.

Notice the sensation.

How does it feel on

your tongue?

What does your tongue feel

like against the roof of

your mouth?

What's the temperature?

Is there any texture?

If you didn't have liquid

right now, try this again

later at various temperature fluids.

Next, touch.

Press your hands together palm

to palm or one hand

to another place on your

body.

If you only have one

hand free at the moment,

like your torso or your

leg, press and release.

Press and release.

Feel the contrast between tension

and relaxation with the press

and release.

Next is sight.

Look at something still, somewhere

in your room, outside, inside,

anything in your space.

Observe it.

Notice something about it.

No judgment.

Just notice.

And sound.

Listen.

What's the quietest sound you

can hear right now?

Maybe a hum in the

background?

Is it the sound of

your breath?

And finally, smell.

Notice the air around you.

If you have a candle,

a coffee, an essential oil,

food cooking on the stove,

take a breath in and

notice.

If there's no strong scent,

notice the neutrality of your

air right now.

That's it.

You just meditated.

Totally done.

Taste, touch, sight, sound, and

smell.

Five Senses Mini Meditation.

Pretty simple, right?

You brought attention to something.

You made space for your

senses.

And this is something you

can return to anytime you

need a pause in your

day.

So that's it.

That's our Mindful Minute and

a half.

You can literally do this

anytime.

And the more often you

take little pauses for this

minute, more or less, the

more naturally mindfulness and meditation

will come to you.

This is a time where

we get to measure a

minute together, take pause, reflect,

and reconnect with ourselves over

this minute.

We'll focus, of course, on

synergy, both in what we

eat, but also in life.

So I'm going to encourage

that because we know that

the power of small changes

can lead to big impact.

And some of these pairings

can do just that for

you.

And we're going to imagine

how pairings, how the right

pairing, whether it's food or

people or actions, can amplify

what you already have in

your life.

We're going to be thinking

about how these combinations can

bring balance and joy and

maybe strength into your day.

Okay, I'm going to start

our stopwatch now.

And we're just going to

breathe simply.

Inhale.

Think about something in your

routine that works well together

already.

Maybe something as simple as

adding lemon to your tea,

if you like that, for

an extra boost.

Or a partnership with someone

in your life that brings

you energy and joy.

As you continue breathing, visualize

something small you could add

to your day that would

bring more balance and nourishment,

whether it's a new food

pairing, or maybe a moment

of collaboration with someone in

your life, someone you've been

meaning to reach out to

perhaps.

Now one more deep breath.

And as you exhale, imagine

how these small actions, these

synergies can grow into something

bigger.

Okay.

Thank you for sharing that

Mindful Minute with me.

It's always good to reflect

on the minutes spent.

Maybe repeat it again later

in your day.

And take small inventory on

some of our waking minutes.

Now we've covered some of

the science.

I've teased you with some

of the pairings.

Hopefully you're already thinking about

ways that you can pair

some of these foods together.

And I want to bring

it home and get practical

and bring it into our

days and into our meals.

So I'm going to give

you some easy tips that

you might try.

You'll hear me reinforce some

that I already teased to

before.

But, you know, simple small

changes that you can make

right away to get more

out of the food you're

already eating.

So let's start at the

very beginning.

A boost in your breakfast.

If you like oatmeal, maybe

add some walnuts and dried

cherries to it.

This simple combo, of course,

gives you that plant-based

omega-3 I talked about

in the walnuts, the shared

melatonin that both contribute, the

tart cherries give some great

flavor, as well as some

fiber, and also vitamin A.

And together they have some

anti-inflammatory effects and benefits

as well.

Now let's take a moment

for our Mindful Minute together.

This is your chance to

pause, breathe, and reconnect.

Not just with the present

today, which I want you

to do, but with a

memory that makes you smile.

This is a perfect time

to reset, recharge, and today

we'll even bring a little

play into our mind.

Start by closing your eyes,

if you're not walking or

driving, of course, or just

sort of tilt them down

at about a natural gaze

at about 45 degrees downward,

and relax and start some

natural breathing.

Picture your favorite playground from

when you were a kid.

Take yourself back to some

playground.

It could have been at

school, it could have been

a park, it could have

been your backyard.

What did it look like?

Maybe there was a towering

slide.

I remember a few that

were metal and got very

hot in the summertime myself.

Maybe a swing set that

had a rhythmic creak that

you recall or wobbled as

you tried to launch up

to the moon.

Or maybe it was the

monkey bars, you know, that

you would swing across.

Or as we sometimes manage

to do, I don't think

I could do it now,

climb on top of the

monkey bars and feel like

you're literally on top of

the world looking out.

So let's do one preparatory

breath together.

Take a slow deep breath

in through the nose and

let it out through the

mouth.

I'll standing there on the

playground.

Feel the ground under your

feet.

Was it gravel, those rubberized

wood chips or actual wood

chips, grass, concrete?

Listen for the sounds, maybe

some familiar laughter or the

rhythmic creaks of a swing

set, the funk of a

familiar ball hitting the pavement.

And picture yourself doing something

that you loved.

Was it the swings when

you soared higher and higher

or balancing on a curb

or a beam?

Let yourself experience a little

bit of that joy and

the freedom of play.

Take one last deep breath

in, let it out.

Okay, that's our Mindful Minute

plus a few seconds.

Bring back some of these

images you created and feelings

you had again during your

day or over the course

of the days.

And perhaps you can capture

some of that natural feeling,

that cellular and muscle memory

and the physiological feeling that

play gave you and picture

it now and again.

Thank you for taking this

time to reconnect with the

sense of playfulness and joy

with this.

And now we're going to

bring the lightness and energy

into the rest of our

day.

And we're going to talk

about some practical ways to

reinvent recess in your life.

Thank you for sharing that

Mindful Minute with me.

All right, now that we've

reconnected with the joy of

recess, let's talk about some

practical ways you can bring

that energy into your day

to day life.

So our Mindful Minute today

is about moving from criticism

to clarity.

Okay, let's begin.

Bring to mind a recent

moment today, or this week,

and you felt that tug

of criticism.

Maybe it was towards someone

else.

Maybe it's toward yourself.

Nothing dramatic, just a quick

reaction or maybe a judgment

that you made.

Can you breathe?

Just notice that moment and

see it without fixing it.

Label it maybe like judging

or reacting.

Sort of breathe through it.

Invite in a different voice.

What else might be going

on here?

Could I meet this moment

with curiosity?

And let that phrase, curiosity,

echo quietly through your last

couple breaths.

Now let that moment go.

Let it be.

There we have it.

A little bit more than

a minute there.

I had to let go

the thing that was coming

into my mind.

It took a minute.

Sometimes it does, but we

just created a little space.

You can shift something even

just by noticing.

And that's going to be

the practice.

It's about awareness.

It's about taking a breath.

It's about softening how our

mind is thinking at that

moment.

That's how we begin.

Thank you for sharing that

Mindful Minute with me.

So before we wrap up

this episode for today, I

think having a Mindful Minute

together could do us some

good and help us anchor

into what we talked about

today.

Help us get to that

next place and space where

we can start to do

something differently when the move

to criticism can be shifted

at least some of the

time.

And just a reminder also,

you don't need to be

anywhere special or do anything

fancy to have a minute

of meditation or mindfulness.

You just need your breath

and a willingness to take

pause.

So rest your feet, ground

them on the floor.

If it feels safe, sort

of soften your gaze or

even close your eyes.

Let your shoulders relax, your

hands rest, and let's take

one full preparation breath together.

In through your nose, out

through the mouth, and we'll

begin our Mindful Minute now

together.

Just breathe.

If a thought comes up,

let it pass by like

a cloud and come back

to your breath.

Think to yourself, I'm showing

up in my life.

Sometimes it's harder, sometimes it's

easier, and I'm enough.

Take one last easy breath

in and gently out.

And that's it.

One moment shared to pause,

rest, renew.

Our mental energy can come

back into focus and see

what's possible in our waking

minutes each day.

Thank you for sharing that

Mindful Minute with me.

Thank you for tuning into

1,000 Waking Minutes.

A huge thank you to

our amazing collaborators, including our

production and marketing teams, and

Gabriella Escalante in particular.

To the ultra talented Beza

for my theme music, my

lifelong friend and artist, Pearl

Preis Photography and Design.

To Danielle Ballantyne, Jen Nguyen,

Joanna Powell, and of course

my family, and everyone working

tirelessly behind the scenes.

And to you, our valued

listeners, I so appreciate your

support.

If you enjoyed today's episode,

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Until next time, find some

simple opportunities to optimize those

1,000 Waking Minutes each day.