MINDFULNESS PRACTICES
PAY ATTENTION | ON PURPOSE | WITHOUT JUDGEMENT
Body Scan
The body scan is a great beginning practice, as it changes attention quickly and is likely to hold your attention longer than if we focus on one thing for a long period of time. The intention of the body scan is to be present with our body without wanting anything at all. Not even relaxation. We simply feel what there is to feel.
RAIN
RAIN is the go-to practice when you are experiencing emotional difficulty. Move through the recognition of your challenges and, rather than pushing it away or obsessing about it, allowing it to rise, linger, and dissipate. Investigate the felt sense of the difficulty in your body, and remain curious about the beliefs you hold about the difficulty. Then move toward nurturing yourself with love and self compassion.
The 3-minute breathing space
The 3-minute breathing space is intended to increase awareness of thoughts, feelings, body, and breath. Use the mood meter and emotion-sensation wheel to help identify feelings and how they manifest in the body. We recommend practicing it three times daily and as needed.
The Mood Meter was created by Marc Brackett, author of Permission to Feel
Awareness of Breath
This practice is designed to increase awareness of breath. Breath is always with you, and therefore can be used as an anchor at any time.
Grounding in the Body
This practice is designed to get your wandering mind “back into your body.” It is useful when you’re feeling activated and “out of your body” or when your mind is preoccupied with worry, grief, or fear.
Short Grounding Practice
This practice is a brief and simple grounding exercise to help you arrive in the present moment. It’s a great practice to use when you sit down at your desk in the morning or as a way to transition from one activity to another.
Gratitude Practice
“If we cannot be happy in spite of our difficulties,
what good is our spiritual practice?”
—Maha Ghosananda
This practice is based on the work of Jack Kornfield.