Are you convinced that things can never change?
Are you here, facing an uphill struggle?
But want to be here?
Are you thinking that other peoples’ lives are better than yours?
Do you know that life has more to offer but are lost as how to make it happen? Are you ground down by the daily grind?
To go from turmoil to calm is a journey that you can choose to make.
The great news is that the journey can cost nothing and for most of us it means doing much, much less. Ironically, for some people ‘doing less’ is not as easy as it should be.
Mindfulness can be a first step on your journey of ‘doing less’ to find the peace and contentment you deserve. The peace and contentment you seek is already inside you, but is hidden by worries, by thoughts, by beliefs, by our way of life.
This short guide offers a few, simple, quick exercises that can be done at any time to start you off, and keep you on the path.
or
Full mind?
Mindful
“Our world is created from thought.” Every thought has a feeling as its shadow
.
Sometimes, particularly ifwe’re feeling low, a thought and its feeling can have unwanted effects on us.
When we are more aware, and feeling higher, we can see and cope better.
So what is Mindfulness?
“Mindfulness means intentionally paying attention to
what's happening in the present moment, in a
non-judgmental and compassionate way
”
Mindfulness means learning a new skill, but it’s easy to do.
Mindfulness means doing regular practice if you want to develop your skill. It only takes minutes, it can be done at anytime and be a welcome,
comforting part of your daily life.
Mindfulness brings success: it has a powerful, proven effect on your health, your well-being and your contentment.
Mindfulness is not a magic suit of armour. Life is a contact sport and we would be truly fortunate if we never experience any mental pain, suffering or unhappiness in our life.
Mindfulness won’t prevent these things happening to us. But it can help us from spiralling further and further out of control when these things happen. Mindfulness can help us become more resilient and recover quicker when unwanted events happen.
“Every successful journey starts with a decision.
Then a single, small step.
Followed by another small step, then another …
And then you’re there.
~~~
There may be set-backs, delays and obstacles.
Sometimes a guide is needed to help you find a better,
quicker path, or to help re-find your way.
But you do get there.
Your journey is no different.”
What do we need to do?
• When doing the meditations be
compassionate with yourself. There may be times when it’s just plain difficult, frustrating, even annoying – this is not a sign of failure.
• Mindfulness does not mean having an empty mind. You will have thoughts and feelings. This is not wrong.
• Watch as those feelings and thoughts
arrive, and watch as you let them go – like leaves floating away on a stream. Don’t struggle with them.
• Be gently curious where the thoughts come from and where they go to.
• Be generous to yourself. Have a little time for yourself and be slow.
The One Minute Meditation
This is a simple, first
introduction to meditation.
It is quick to do and this can help develop a habit of doing mindful meditation.
It is also be used to catch ourselves when we notice our thoughts beginning to run away. While it can be done in one minute, there is no maximum limit. Do it for as long as you wish.
Posture
• Sit upright with your head high.
• Uncross your legs with your feet flat on the floor.
Eyes
• Close Your eyes or slightly lower your gaze to a point in front of you.
Breath
• Place attention on the breath as it flows from the nostrils all the way down to the abdomen and then as it flows back out of the body.
• Breathe normally and don’t try to control or change your breathing.
Sensations and Feelings
• See what you see. • Hear what you hear. • Feel what you feel.
• Be aware of the moment.
Distractions
• When a distraction happens (this is normal and there could be many occurrences), just
acknowledge it and don’t judge.
• Be compassionate and patient with yourself. • Return to following the breath.
After a minute open your eyes and come back into The room.
The Three Step Meditation
Stand or sit erect, close your eyes if possible. Step 1
• Ask ‘What is going on for me at this moment?’ • What thoughts am I thinking?
• What feelings are there?
• What bodily sensations are there? • Do this for about a minute.
Step 2
• Focus on the breath, anchor yourself to the present moment with each breath.
• Do this for about a minute. Step 3
• Expand your awareness to include the whole body. • Do this for about a minute then open your eyes.
Just note them. Don’t try and change any of these
"It's easy to lose touch with the way our bodies are feeling and to end up living 'in our heads' – caught up in our thoughts without stopping to notice how those thoughts are driving our emotions and
behaviour"
Professor Mark Williams
A body of research into ‘The Mind Body Connection’ suggests every cell in
the body is ‘listening in’ to the mind. We know that being ill can make us
Posture
• Sit upright with your head high.
• Uncross your legs with feet flat on the floor.
Physical Sensations
• Notice the physical sensations in your body. • Firstly bring attention to the abdomen as it
moves in and out. Spend a couple of minutes resting here.
• Move your attention down to the toes and notice the sensations there.
• After about 15 to 20 seconds, on the
out-breath, move the attention to the feet. Notice the sensations, moving on after about 15 to 20 seconds, on the out-breath.
• Repeat this as you move up the body through the ankles, lower legs, knees, upper legs, pelvis, abdomen and lower back, chest and upper back, shoulders, arms, wrists, hands, fingers and thumbs, neck, face and head.
The Body Scan Meditation
The body scan can remind us that our mind and our body are not separate entities.
The meditation can be used to: • Set up an early warning process • Notice tension and release it
within minutes
• Notice which areas of the body need extra relaxation effort. It takes about eight minutes to complete and involves focussing attention on specific areas of the body in turn.
As with all meditations find a time and a place that works for you, so that you can be free of as many external distractions as possible.
There are longer meditations available. The Frantic World app is a free, eight-week programme with guided meditations. There is an accompanying book ‘Mindfulness: A practical guide to finding peace in a frantic world’ by Mark Williams and Danny Penman. Other resources are at the Oxford Mindfulness Centre – Resources
Going further with mindfulness
So what now?
We’ve touched upon mindfulness with a few, simple, meditations that can be done at any time to help bring us into the present. Regular practice
enhances the benefits. But where next on
your journey?
