What is your strongest sense perception?
The most acute sense among respondents was hearing, with 34%. Sight is the runner-up (28%), followed by the mysterious sixth sense, at 17%. Smell and touch were tied with 10% each, and only 1% chose taste.
What is your favorite exercise to do mindfully?
- Walking
- Weight lifting
- Hiking
- Kayaking
- Mindful aikido
- Karate
- Dancing
- Cleaning the house
- Barre classes
- Reiki
- Biking
Body and mind: How do they get along?
When do you feel most centered?
Do you practice mindful eating?
23% say they cultivate the habit of eating mindfully. 36% have tried it once or twice. 16% eat mindfully only when they’re not too hungry (we’ve all been there!). 20% have never tried a mindful eating practice. Finally, 5% make the case that mindfulness shouldn’t relate to pressures about so-called right and wrong ways to eat.
Do you practice mindful eating? 36% of readers said they have tried it once or twice.
What is your favorite food to eat mindfully?
- “Peanuts.”
- “Baby carrots…or potato chips.”
- “My first cup of coffee in the morning!”
- “A Malteser.”
- “Dessert.”
- “If I have to eat something mindfully, it needs to be chewy and/or sticky, like dried fruit.”
- “Biryani.”
- “Salad—so many things grown from the earth, picked by hand, and made available to me with nutrients to fuel my body.”
- “Wine and cheese.”
- “Anything crunchy and juicy and fresh.”
- “Chocolate!”
- “Probably something smooth like yogurt.”
- “Sushi.”
Do physical cues (e.g., sitting up straight, deep breathing) help you to practice mindfulness?
Hugs are …
- 58% A genuine way to connect physically and emotionally. Hugs all around!
- 37% Nice, but only with good friends or family members.
- 1% Reserved for family reunions or under duress.
- 4% Awkward. I want my personal space.
What emotion creates the strongest feeling in your body?
The least powerful physical response comes from relief, with only 3%. Sadness and happiness also scored low (7% and 8%), and love only a little higher at 11%. Unpleasant emotions had the highest scores: fear (18%), anger (19%), and anxiety (34%).
In one word, how would you describe the relationship between your mind and body?
- “A journey.”
- “Complicated.”
- “Attuned.”
- “Strengthening.”
- “Progressing.”
- “Overrated.”
- “Compelling.”
- “Struggling.”
- “Integrated.”
- “Tentative.”
- “Give-and-take.”
- “Inextricable.”
- “Mysterious.”
- “Scattered.”
- “Balancing.”
- “Compassionate.”
- “Can’t do a word…a love in progress.”
This article appeared in the June 2018 issue of Mindful magazine.
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