Nicky’s Mindfulness Routines (slightly simplified scripts, for use at home or in the classroom: feel free to share with others)
1. introductory session
what mindfulness is: awareness/observing self, being at peace with self, not judging self
why it benefits learners:
· better mental health—reduce stress, cope with depression
· better memory, better focus/attention, better understanding
· better physical health—boosts immune system, increases brain function
· better social connectedness, increased altruism & compassion
· sit straight in your chair, feet flat on the floor, hands relaxed in your lap, eyes closed (or if that makes you uncomfortable looking softly down at hands)
• breathe slowly and smoothly
• explore your body with your breath—how are you feeling today? note places of energy or pain or tiredness; don’t condemn yourself if you’re feeling tired or anxious, just observe it
• let your breath be calm and relaxed, your heartbeat calm and relaxed, your mind calm and relaxed
2. distraction & intention
· remember that mindfulness is non-judgmental awareness, calmness, peace
· sit straight in chairs, feet flat on floor, hands relaxed in lap, eyes closed (or if that makes you uncomfortable looking down softly at hands)
· breathe slowly and smoothly
· explore your body with your breath—how are you feeling today? note places of energy or pain or tiredness; don’t condemn yourself if feeling tired or anxious, just observe it
· observe what your mind is trying to distract you with, what do you keep wanting to think about instead of the mindfulness exercise?
· think of an intention: could be to set that distraction aside, could be to make it relevant to what you’re doing today;
· if you like, open your eyes & write down your intention, to help you in carrying it out
· think about the mental strengths you have to carry out your intention; feel capable, not overwhelmed
3. breath & being present in the moment
· feet flat, sitting straight, close eyes; observe how you’re feeling physically and mentally
· pause for breath & observation of breath
· think about breath bringing oxygen to blood, alertness to brain
· allow yourself to be present in the moment, focused on the here and now
· mantra: breathing in I calm my body [inhale]; breathing out I smile [exhale]; I’m living in the present moment [inhale]; I know that this is a wonderful moment [exhale]
· repeat the mantra gently aloud or silently, keeping your awareness on your breath; if your mind starts to drift don’t condemn yourself, just pull your attention gently back to the breath
4. awareness of others, beginnings of work on compassion
· feet flat, sitting straight, close eyes; use breath & non-judging attention to explore how your body is feeling today; observe what’s trying to distract you today, what your mental stresses and concerns are
· keeping your eyes closed, expand your awareness, not just of yourself but out to people around you, also busy & stressed, working, with family responsibilities, with insecurities of various kinds; think kind loving supportive thoughts towards others nearby, staying non-judgmental, being at peace with them, accepting them as valuable parts of your life
· sit quietly breathing, inhabiting this place and time, thinking positive thoughts about your own abilities to do well in school, to focus clearly, to think clearly
5. gathering stress
· feet flat, sitting straight, close eyes; observe how you’re feeling physically and mentally
· observe your physical stress, not judging it, then gather it: deliberately tighten all the muscles you can, starting with feet and legs, make your hands into fists & tighten your arm muscles, then your stomach muscles,
· breathe in and hold the breath, scrunch your face up, hold, hold
· then completely let go, let spine slump, breathe gently
· observe your mental stress, not judging it, then gather it: take the individual stressers and gather them up mentally [school work, jobs, families, personal relationships, whatever’s stressful], squeeze them tight into a mental ball, breathe in and hold, hold
· then let it flow out of body, let it go
· sit and breathe quietly
6. joy
· feet flat, sitting straight, close eyes; observe how you’re feeling physically and mentally
· open yourself to the possibility of a power underlying the universe that is deeply joyful and loving,
· not a joy that is a response to perfection, because the universe is imperfect, but a joy that supports and sustains through pain and sorrow, through happiness and health
· open yourself to the possibility of a human society built on joy, taking pleasure in others, taking pleasure in helping others, contributing to joy
· breathe in peace and love and joy, breathe out any tiredness and frustration and pain
7. thankfulness
· feet flat, sitting straight, close eyes; observe how you’re feeling physically and mentally
· focus on thankfulness—what are you most thankful for that has happened over the semester?
· what have you learned that you’re thankful for?
· what people are you most thankful to have in your life?
· let thankfulness for all the good things in your life be a warm light deep inside you
8. head scan and facial massage
· [remove glasses]
· observe the sensations in your head, whether of energy or pain, tightness or looseness, tingling or numbness, lightness or heaviness, or observe a lack of distinct sensation
· observe the top of the head, the sides and back of the head, the forehead, the eyes, nose, and cheeks, the jaw, lips and tongue (observing moistness or dryness)
· rub your palms together to warm them up, then place your palms on your closed eyes, pushing gently around the eyeballs not directly on them
· release, and use your fingertips to massage your forehead, your temples, and around your ears
· use your thumbs to massage the place where your jaw meets your skull, then out under the jawline, and back under the cheekbones
· use your thumbs and first fingers to massage your eyebrow ridges, squeezing and massaging them
· relax your face and head, and observe the sensations in them now
9. dealing with pain
· breathing, observation of body
· Choose a part of your body that is feeling painful or tired or uncomfortable observe the sensation almost as if you are looking at it under a microscope. Is it sharp or dull? What's its temperature? Is there tingling or twitching? Is it a constant feeling, is it pulsing, or does it fade in and out?
· Notice what your relationship is to the sensation. What thoughts and emotions do you experience in relation to the sensation? Is there dislike of the sensation and a wanting it to end? Is there anger or worry or annoyance? Think about your response as a choice. You can observe both the sensation and the emotional response to it from a distance, noticing how they interact, being both compassionate toward the uncomfortable or painful part of your body and compassionate toward your response to it.
· If you experience chronic pain, you might want to go in and out of investigating the sensation and your relationship to the pain. Do this very gently and back off when you need to. There is no race and no gold star at the end of this journey, just a compassionate understanding of how your mind and body work together.
10. one-word check-in [leave lights on]
· breathing, observation of body
· open eyes so can see others
· everyone think about how you’re feeling today and choose one word that sums it up
· we’ll go around the room and I’ll ask you to share your word for today
· then close eyes, think kind supportive thoughts to those who are tired or in pain, think kind supportive thoughts to those who are feeling good or [add an example or two from list]
· back to breathing
11. fatigue
· observe body, observe mind
· in particular, observe any tiredness/fatigue in your body and your mind: does part of your body (or your whole body) feel heavy, sluggish? Does part of your mind feel foggy, dark, slow? Bring your awareness to the sensations without judging them and wishing them away; recognize the tiredness and acknowledge it
· think about ways that you may sometimes deal with tiredness in unhealthy ways, e.g. craving bad food or addictive substances, feeling depressed, being grumpy, avoiding the world, repeating negative thought patterns; being aware of these habitual responses can help us control them
· think about what you can do about the tiredness that’s better for you, e.g. if the tiredness means you may be getting sick, you need to take more fluids, maybe vitamin c; maybe you need to find time today to have a nap; maybe you need to stop trying to force a situation to happen, maybe it’s time to let yourself off the hook and stop expecting so much from yourself, maybe you need some exercise, maybe you need some healthy food
· breathe and allow energy from the world around you to flow gently through your body
12. extended compassion
· feet flat, sitting straight, close eyes; use breath & non-judging attention to explore how your body is feeling today; observe what’s trying to distract you today, what your mental stresses and concerns are
· keeping your eyes closed, expand your awareness, not just of yourself but out to people around you, also busy & stressed, working, with family responsibilities, with insecurities of various kinds; think kind loving supportive thoughts towards others nearby, staying non-judgmental, being at peace with them, accepting them as valuable parts of your life
· think of a person in your life who is the source of stress for you, who doesn’t treat you well or whom you find aggravating; I’m not asking you to forgive this person for the ways they’ve treated you or to find them a valuable part of your life, but to think about this person as someone who also experiences stresses and insecurities
· sit quietly breathing, inhabiting this place and time, thinking positive thoughts about your own abilities to do well in school, to focus clearly, to think clearly
13. creating space for strong emotions
· breath, check-in physically, mentally
· think about a person or a situation in your life that normally brings up strong emotions for you, could be strong negative emotions doesn’t have to be, e.g. something or someone that normally makes you feel angry, bored, helpless, reckless, etc.
· observe any changes in your body that happen with just thinking about that situation or person: does your heart rate change? your skin temp? does your stomach feel strange? do some of your muscles tense up?
· think about how you normally react when you’re in that situation or with that person—what do you normally do? lash out? suppress? over-react? retreat?
· now imagine a space between experiencing the emotion and reacting to it; imagine taking a couple of seconds to notice the emotional response first, before responding to it; imagine having a choice as to how you respond to the emotions after observing them; you are not locked into always responding to the emotion in the same way
· visualizing this away from the person or situation can help you practice for making a space between the emotions and your response when next you’re there in person
· back to breath
14. life as whole not parts
· Check-in and observation
· Think about the various parts of your life: taking university course, but probably lots of other areas, such as family, work, personal relationships, a faith community, a sports team
· Think about ways in which there are connections between different areas of your life; those connections could be if there’s a person in common (e.g. friend and fellow student), or an emotional response you have to them in common, or a goal in common
· The parts of your life aren’t perfect, and they don’t fit perfectly together, but they’re not totally separate parts, they make up the whole that is your life today
· Invite you to accept the fact that your life is complex and imperfect