mindfulness

Where Is My Center – Mindfulness Practice

MME Album Art(5:22) I like to use this mindfulness practice when I am out in the world and I want to play… play with balance and play with getting calm and clear.

It is a standing practice, which makes it good fun in elevators, on escalators or standing waiting for the train or the light to change.

It can also be done sitting, which is perfect for getting calm and clear at my desk or in meetings!

Mindfulness Practice: Where Is My Center? (Standing or Sitting)

  1. Start by becoming present: bring your attention into the space you’re in by looking at what you can see right now.
  2. Close your eyes, or lower them so they are 3/4 closed, and gently shift your attention to your breathing. Notice your breath moving in and out of your body right now. Be curious about your breath. “How am I breathing right now?”
  3. Shift your attention to your feet and notice the natural weight of your body pressing down.
    1. Begin to notice if your weight is more on one foot than the other. With small, subtle movements, rock from side to side to feel where your weight is, and find the place in the middle where your weight is evenly distributed between both feet.
    2. Now notice the fronts and back of your feet, the balls of your toes and your heels, and notice where you weight is from front to back. With small subtle movements, rock forwards and backwards and find the place where your weight is evenly distributed front to back.
    3. Notice how it feels to be standing with your weight evenly distributed from side to side and front to back.
  4. Begin to end by shifting your attention back to your breath, noticing it moving in and out of your body.
  5. When you’re ready to end, open your eyes noticing the space that you’re in right now.

When your mind wanders, as it inevitably will, gently bring it back first to presence by noticing your breath and the quiet between thoughts, and then re-focus on the heart of the practice.

 

 

To Download:

Click on the Download button below.

If it does not download automatically:

  1. A new window will open with an audio player (like the player above).
  2. Right click on the player and choose “Download File” or “Download Video”
  3. iPhone users will want to first copy the meditation into iTunes (on your computer) and then sync with your iPhone.

Note that you are welcome to download and share this files as many times as you like provided you do so in it’s entirety and it is used for personal or educational uses only (no commercial uses).

 

#1 Mindfulness Myth Busted!

(5:16) Myth: When you meditate you should clear your mind of thoughts.

Myth busted: Ouch! This is not my experience at all. 11 years of practice later, I still think a lot when meditating!

If you’re alive, your heart will beat & your mind will think… Even when you’re meditating! Congratulations, you’re alive! This is great news! :)

So what does happen to our thoughts when we meditate?
We learn to have perspective on our thoughts. It’s called presence.

This perspective helps us stay grounded in reality vs getting lost in our thoughts.

How is that relaxing? When we have this perspective (vs getting lost in a single stream of thoughts) we have access to lots of ideas, information & input. We have options vs getting stuck in old thought patterns & outdated ideas. We have access to lots of ideas (& feelings & sensations, etc). We can see what makes the most sense vs just the first thing that popped in. We can be clear about what is actually going on, which makes for a much saner and calmer mind.

This is how the mind is ‘clear’. You’re not clear of thoughts, you’re clear in your thoughts.

Want help maintaining this clarity for yourself? Contact me for your private Skype sessions.

Can Tracking Your Mindfulness Practice Help You?

(5:51) Definitely!

Tracking is simply noting down the date each time you practice mindfulness & any metrics you want to focus on.

Do you want to measure how your practice is helping you? Tracking, or writing down your insights and benefits each day will let you see your progress overtime.

Do you want to create some visual motivation to do your practice? Nothing like a calendar with checkmarks on the wall to motivate you to add more!

Do you want to create extra accountability? Find a friend and send them a practice report each week or month, using your notes to keep track of what to tell them.

The uses are endless!

Enjoy your practice!

Pick a Regular Time and Place to Practice Mindfulness

(4:38) Here are two great tools for helping you create a regular mindfulness practice.

First, pick a habit that you already have and use that habit to remind you to practice.

For instance, I use my daily habit of getting out of bed to remind me to practice. You could use your daily meals or exercise or commute to remind you. These are called ‘practice pairs’ and eventually your existing habit will remind you to meditate… Every time you sit down to breakfast, put on your running shoes, or get in your car or on the train you will automatically remember to practice.

What do you do every day that you can pause just before or during & practice?

Second, how to do remember to pair the practice in the first place? How do you remember to practice when you get up? Create a visual reminder.

For example, I have a notebook next to my bed that I use to track my meditation practice and when I get up it’s the first thing I see. It is a visual reminder to pause there on my bed & practice. You could put a post it note on your wall or refridgerator, a beautiful, calm picture that reminds you to meditate, a string on your running shoes, a sticker on your keys, etc. Let these visual cues remind you of your practice pair!

What visual reminders can you create around your practice pair?

Enjoy your practice!

Simple Body Scan (Begin w Eyes Open) – Guided Practice

(5:53) Body scans are a type of meditation practice that are popular in yoga and other body based modalities. This one is very simple as it scans or notices just three points in the body: feet, seat and shoulders.

This practice is great if you want help falling asleep. It is easy to do lying down, and it includes gentle muscle contraction and release which encourages the body to relax along with the mind.

Simple Body Scan

  1. Start by becoming present to the location you are in: look around at what you can see right now.
  2. Close your eyes and gently shift your attention to your breathing. Notice your breath moving in and out of your body right now. Be curious about your breath. “How am I breathing right now?”
  3. Shift your attention and notice the sensations in each body part:
    1. Notice the sensations in your feet for a few breaths
    2. Notice the sensations in your seat for a few breaths
    3. Notice the sensations in your shoulders for a few breaths
  4. Shift your attention back to your breath. Notice your breath moving in and out of your body.
  5. When you’re ready, open your eyes to end the practice, noticing the space that you’re in right now.

When your mind wanders, as it inevitably will, gently bring it back first to presence by noticing your breath and the quiet between thoughts, and then re-focus on the heart of the practice.

 

To Download:

Click on the Download button below

If it does not download automatically:

  1. A new window will open with an audio player (like the player above).
  2. Right click on the player and choose “Download File” or “Download Video”
  3. iPhone users will want to first copy the meditation into iTunes (on your computer) and then sync with your iPhone.

Note that you are welcome to download and share this files as many times as you like provided you do so in it’s entirety and use it for personal or educational use only (no commercial uses).

 

Three Breaths (Begin w Eyes Open) – Guided Practice

(4:37) My meditation practices evolve as I do, so over time what I share with you will change and grow. Here is the newest version of the Three Breath meditation that I share in my classes.

Mindfulness Practice: Three Breaths

  1. Start by becoming present to the location you are in: look around at what you can see right now.
  2. Close your eyes and gently shift your attention to your breathing. Notice your breath moving in and out of your body right now. Be curious about your breath. How am I breathing right now?
  3. Continue to notice your breath, counting 3 breaths. (Inhale + Exhale = 1 breath)
  4. Continue to notice your breathing with out counting, just resting in the quiet.
  5. When you’re ready, open your eyes to end the practice, noticing the space that you’re in right now.

When your mind wanders, as it inevitably will, gently bring it back first to presence by noticing your breath and the quiet between thoughts, and then re-focus on the heart of the practice.

 

 

To Download:

Click on the Download button below

If it does not download automatically:

  1. A new window will open with an audio player (like the player above).
  2. Right click on the player and choose “Download File” or “Download Video”
  3. iPhone users will want to first copy the meditation into iTunes (on your computer) and then sync with your iPhone.

Note that you are welcome to download and share this files as many times as you like provided you do so in it’s entirety and use it for personal or educational use only (no commercial uses).

 

Secret to Savoring Precious Moments

(3:33) Ever feel like time is flying by? Here’s a simple secret to savoring your precious moments… Drink in all your senses!

How?
When you’re standing on the beach, holding your loved one’s hand this summer, inhale slowly and take a moment to drink in all that you can see, hear, feel, taste & smell. Drink in the rich blue of the water and the fluffy white foam dancing over the top, the crash as the wave hits the wet sand, the call of the gulls and children laughing, the warmth of the sun kissing your skin, your loved ones hand softly caressing your’s, the salty tang in the air, the soft smell of sea.

It’s a great way to drink in the moment!

Re-igniting Your Mindfulness Practice

(2:46) Not practicing mindfulness these days? Here’s a quick way to get inspired again…

Grab a pen and a piece of paper and write down:

  1. Intentions: What are your intentions for your practice? Why do you want to do it? Remembering the reasons that you want to practice will help get you motivated again!
  2. Inspirations from the Past: Write down 3 things that you have gotten already from your practice. Think of 3 things that you have gained from practicing. This might be general like, “I’m more calm when I practice.” This might be specific like, “My colleague noticed that I was calmer during a meeting.” or “I was able to listen to my daughter complain with out getting upset at dinner one night.”
  3. Inspirations for the Future: Write down 3 things that you can do to inspire yourself to practice. Write down 3 things that will be fun, engaging or compelling. You might want to reward yourself with a trip to your favorite cafe after a weeks practice, decide to join a group to practice with, find some inspiring meditation videos to watch, or create a practice goal for yourself like being present for 5 full breaths.

Read what you’ve written and let your motivations, successes and ideas inspire you!

Happy practicing!

Three Point Body Scan (Pure Noticing) – Guided Meditation

(4:19) This guided meditation is quick to do, and nice for your daily 2-minute practice.

This particular version of a body scan guides you to notice whatever sensations are happening right now versus creating sensation by moving your body.

This is great for when you want to do a quick practice, because you just notice an area and move on with out staying there very long. It is also nice for increasing your ability to notice subtlety, because as you practice it your capacity to notice subtler and subtler sensations improves.

 

 

To Download:

Click on the Download button below

If it does not download automatically:

  1. A new window will open with an audio player (like the player above).
  2. Right click on the player and choose “Download File” or “Download Video”
  3. iPhone users will want to first copy the meditation into iTunes (on your computer) and then sync with your iPhone.

 

Progressive Breathing + Body Scan (Moving Muscles) – Guided Meditation

(11:16) This meditation practice is nice for when you want to practice for 10-15 minutes.

This practice can also be nice to do lying down in bed if you’re having trouble getting to sleep. It is also good for beginners who enjoy body based practices, because it includes a variety of body based things for the mind to focus on.

This practice includes progressive breathing, or taking 3-5 breaths that are each slightly deeper and longer than the one before. It also includes a 4 point body scan with muscle relaxation to give the mind something to focus on and the body additional encouragement to relax.

Enjoy!

 

To Download:

Click on the Download button below

If it does not download automatically:

  1. A new window will open with an audio player (like the player above).
  2. Right click on the player and choose “Download File” or “Download Video”
  3. iPhone users will want to first copy the meditation into iTunes (on your computer) and then sync with your iPhone.