Slow down the pace with Kaiser Permanente's Kevin Pham
Dear OCEA member,
Meditation is a great way to relax the mind and body. Research shows that anxiety, depression, and overall mental health will improve with just 10-15 minutes of daily meditation.
Kaiser Permanente is partnering with OCEA to provide an eight-week course titled "Mindful Minute with Kevin Pham." Mr. Pham is a Kaiser Permanente Health Educator and experienced personal trainer. He also holds a Yoga Teacher Training Certification and is committed to improving his clients' health and quality of life. This is Week 3 of Kevin's Meditation and Stretching program with videos that run between 3-5 minutes long. Click the following links to view the programs:Relaxation Video and Stretching Video.
This week's tips from Kevin Pham
This week's focus is on slowing down through relaxation. Stress can create a "fight or flight" response. Our body feels tense, we feel agitated and annoyed, and our overall mood is affected. This can contribute to the development of long-term chronic conditions.
- Meditate! Breathing and slowing down tell the body that everything is OK and your heart rate and blood pressure gradually return to a normal baseline;
- Smiling when you are feeling stressed actually works by releasing feel-good chemicals in your brain;
- Relaxing the diaphragm and stomach muscles will allow your body to breathe deeply and utilize your respiratory muscles, which activates the rest and calm areas of the brain;
- We might carry tension in our muscles when we stress. Relaxing our muscles tells the brain that there is no imminent threat.
"Mindful Minute" is another installment of our ongoing “members only” series that were previously held at OCEA Headquarters or at various work locations. We can’t hold those seminars in person yet because of the pandemic but we can bring you content produced especially for you.
With the increase in COVID-19 vaccination rates, we are looking forward to holding these seminars in person soon. Until then, nothing stops our commitment to standing together with each of you in our union. We are OCEA strong!
In Solidarity,
Orange County Employees Association
Publication Date: May 10, 2021
