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b'IN THIS EPISODE:\\nEpisode 9: Minding Your Relationship: Three Mindfulness Exercises to Practice With Your Partner\\nShow Notes\\nWe often stop really seeing and hearing our significant other, so mindfulness in your relationship is a key free resource to add spark and life. Instead of relying on who we think our partner is based on history, we learn to see them anew and get better at connecting without a ton of words.\\nLearn what mindfulness is and the difference between meditation and mindful awareness practices.\\nFirst Mindfulness Exercise\\nTurn off the electronics and find a few minutes to give undivided attention to your partner (or child, or parent). Find something you haven\\u2019t noticed before and relay that, in exquisite detail, to your significant other.\\nThe brain is an anticipation machine, so getting it to slow down and see a familiar face with new eyes is not natural for grown-ups, yet that is exactly how to fall in love all over again, feel sexy, or rediscover the changing being in front of you.\\nEllen Langer has researched the impact of really noticing new things about our familiar loved ones and she found that the person receiving the mind-full attention views their partner as more trustworthy and honest. And that\\u2019s because they are \\u2013 they are actually showing up!\\nSecond Mindfulness Exercise\\nTake a few minutes to gaze into your partner\\u2019s eyes. This exercise leverages our biology to increase connection because extended gaze releases oxytocin, \\u201cthe bonding hormone.\\u201d This powerful hormone is released when mothers breast feed or when lovers have an orgasm, therefore this simple mindfulness exercise releases a hormone that fosters our most basic biological connections.\\nExtended soft eye contact is the second mindfulness exercise described.\\nThird Mindfulness Exercise\\nLeverage that vagus nerve of yours (and theirs)!\\nUpon coming home, embrace each other without talking and wait for that little relaxation\\xa0that you feel when a baby relaxes against you. When you embrace your partner and allow yourself\\xa0to silently remain\\xa0belly to belly and be present in your body, you reset both of your nervous systems.\\nDon\\u2019t let go until you both have let down, you\\u2019ll know it when it happens.\\nFinally\\nIn conclusion, these three short simple mindfulness exercises help us break through those automatic assumptions about our partner and really see, hear and be with the actual live person, in the present moment. And believe us, THAT has a big pay-off in relationship satisfaction for both people.\\n\\xa0\\nRESOURCES:\\nAdditional resources for this episode:\\n\\nEllen Langer \\u2013 The Power of Mindful Learning\\n* Tara Brock \\u2013 Finding True Refuge: Meditations for Difficult Times\\n* \\nSuzanne Midori Hanna- The Transparent Brain in Couples and Family Therapy\\n\\n* Stan Tatkin \\u2013 Wired for Love\\n* These and other resources have been collected for you on our Resources page!\\n\\n\\xa0\\n\\nTweet'