About Lynne Patterson

On Health & Life

I have many passions in my life and the two at the top of the list are my 6 rescue dogs and health and wellness, for myself and for others. I am the Head Coach at Flex Bend Balance, a wellness company that focuses on senior fitness, nutrition, and stress relief. Under the heading of stress relief, I am an accomplished meditation teacher. I have completed several in-residence teachers’-training classes and using online courses, I have studied with some of the best meditation teachers in the world. I am formally trained in 21 different styles of meditation and I consider it a good week when I can weave components from many different styles into the meditations I lead online through Zoom.

Meditation changes you – it changes the neural pathways in your brain, it changes the hormones released into your body, it calms anxiety and lifts depression. In the words of one of my teachers – “Meditation is everything!” As a meditation teacher, I lead meditation anywhere someone will allow me to sit down!

My guided meditations are deep and often surprising. My goal with any guided meditation is to help you see yourself more clearly and how the practice of meditation allows you to experience peace and joy, no matter what life throws at you. I see meditation as a life practice that is spiritual, physical, emotional and mental. My guided meditations may take you to the depths of your brain or to the orbit of the outer planets. 

A bonified nerd, I love to share the science behind meditation and how it affects the brain. My logo is the Mindful Monkey to remind everyone that the Monkey is always there. Meditation does not shut the Monkey down; meditation trains the Monkey to be calm.

I am also certified by the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) as a Personal Trainer with an additional certification in Senior Fitness. I work with seniors to ensure they have the functional ability to age in place, experiencing life with a clear head and a healthy body. I am a Senior Nutritionist and Behavior Change Specialist, using these skills to help people change their minds and change their lives. As a Holistic Coach, I guide people just like you to a better, healthier life. Whether you want to lose weight, cook more nutritious meals, or gain the strength you need to carry groceries and pick up children, I can help you develop a plan and then, using proven behavior-change techniques, coach you through to the desired outcome. When asked what I do, I usually say,” I support women who want to change their lives. I help women who are sick and tired of being sick and tired. I support women who want their lives to be different, to be free, calm, and balanced.” So, what do you need? A coach, a cheerleader, an advisor, a positive influence? Start living the life that you are dreaming of – strong, healthy, fit, and confident. Release stress and gain composure. Relax and be still. It’s the journey of your lifetime, and you don’t need to go alone.

Fitness

Meditation

Nutritionist/Diet Coach

Why a Monkey?

Anyone who begins meditating learns about the Monkey Mind – that part of your brain that seems to chatter incessantly. Many people who try meditation say they can’t meditate because they can’t stop their mind chatter. I use the Monkey as a meditation logo because I want everyone to know that the Monkey in your head is what makes you human, and meditation does not stop the Monkey; meditation calms the Monkey.

All our inner dialog – “these pants make my butt look big,” “why did I say that???”, “I know I’m forgetting something”… is the Monkey. When we find ourselves mentally making lists – to-do lists, grocery lists, … – that’s the Monkey. And guess what? Scientists measure the activity of the Monkey using fMRI. This non-focused activity shows up in the Default Mode Network, comprised of regions in the prefrontal cortex, the cingulate cortex, and the parietal lobe.

The Default Mode Network is active any time we are awake and not focused on the current moment. It is the voice of our daydreams, our self-referential thoughts, our random remembering, and our non-focused planning. The Monkey takes over anytime we are not mentally present. When we are focused, concentrating, or in the Flow, we hold the Monkey at bay.

The Monkey is critical to our memories – primarily autobiographical memories. These are the memories that allow us to be human – to create our internal model of the world and to predict the future based on past experiences. The Monkey Mind differentiates us from the animals around us.

In meditation, we practice concentration and focus, focus on the breath, or an object of meditation, focus on allowing and opening, focus on our deepest, innermost being. As soon as we lose focus, the Monkey shows up to keep us busy, to help us remember to get gas, dog food, or milk on the way home. The Monkey protects us by making sure we stay conscious and alert enough to react to the presence of a stranger or saber-toothed tiger. In meditation, we welcome the Monkey as he reminds us to go back to the breath, go back to the open awareness, go back to the Flow. While meditating, when the Monkey shows up, welcome him, tell him “thank you,” and tell him you are meditating and will get back to him later. Then watch him walk away. I tell my students to see his little backside very clearly, as he walks away, dragging his tail behind him.

 

Let your Monkey Mind know that you understand and know that he is working to keep you safe. Never fight or reject him. Welcome him. Celebrate him. Thank him. Assure him that you are safe. Then let him walk away as you return to the task at hand. 

Yoga Nidra

Lynne’s favorite guided meditation style is Yoga Nidra. Yoga Nidra, translated as Yogic Sleep, is anything but sleep. “I am bothered when I see meditations labeled as “Yoga Nidra for Sleep.” Yoga Nidra is dynamic, the body lies still and resting while the conscious and subconscious mind journey together, synchronizing, leading to profound discoveries and breakthroughs.” As Lynne guides Yoga Nidra, she continually reminds her participants, “You are awake and alert,” “your mind is active, free, and clear,” “You are actively practicing Yoga Nidra.”

Yoga Nidra uses guided meditation to walk you through the five koshas – the sheaths of the body that move from the outmost physical sheath to the pure and radiant bliss body. Yoga Nidra increases your awareness of these sheaths not only during meditation but as you move through your day as well.

Annamaya kosha: The first sheath is the physical sheath. This sheath is composed of the physical body – the skin, muscles, connective tissue, fat, and bones. As the kosha of physical sensation, many people are locked into their Annamaya kosha because they are addicted to sensation.

Pranamaya kosha: The second sheath is the Pranic or energy body — which controls the movement of life-force through the body using the blood, lymph, cerebrospinal fluid, and breath. Focusing on the breath activates the pranic sheath, which controls our bodily and spiritual rhythms.

Manomaya kosha: The third sheath is the emotional control center. When you engage with the Manomaya kosha, you move from the physical realm to the emotional and feeling domain. This sheath sends messages about feelings, thoughts, and emotions and takes us deep into the recesses of our mind.

Vijanamaya kosha: To work successfully with the emotions found in the Manomaya kosha, we call on the fourth kosha, the Vijanamaya kosha. Through the Vijanamaya kosha, we develop awareness, insight, and consciousness used to process emotions, thoughts, and feelings. Emotions, thoughts, and feelings without awareness, insight, and consciousness can be destructive. With awareness, insight, and consciousness, we recognize that we have choices in all things and can approach every situation with intention as we open to all possibilities.

Anandamaya kosha: The fifth kosha drops from conscious awareness into the pure and radiant bliss body. Within the Anandamaya kosha, you experience connection with all things and liberation from suffering. You find yourself in the Flow as all of life is unfolding in divine order.

My Certifications

  • Certified Personal Trainer (National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM))
  • Certified Senior Training Specialist (NASM)
  • Certified Behavior Change Specialist (NASM)
  • Certified Nutrition Specialist (NASM)
  • NASM CNC Certified Nutrition Coach
  • Diet Coach (Integrated Nutrition)
  • Ananda Meditation Teacher Training (15-Hour Yoga Alliance)
  • 200-Hour Meditation Teacher Training with Chelsey Charbeneau (200-Hour Yoga Alliance)
  • Award-winning public speaker (Toastmaster International)