We offer here some simple mindfulness practices which can help activate your body’s natural resources to both ease distress and build inner resilience. Feel free to use them as you so wish.
May you be safe and well.
Mindfulness Part 1a
ATTENDING TO YOUR BREATH
Your sympathetic nervous system manages your inbreath and speeds up your heart rate. Your parasympathetic nervous system manages your outbreath and slows your heart rate. Lengthening your outbreath naturally engages the parasympathetic nervous system and enables a deeper sense of calm and relaxation.
1. LENGTHENING OF OUTBREATH
Listen to audio file:
Pause and become aware of your breathing for a moment or two. Notice as you breathe in and as you breathe out, following your body’s natural rhythm. On your next inbreath, breathe in through your nose deeply and slowly for a count of 3 and then breathe out through your mouth for a count of 6. You can repeat four or five times before returning to your body’s natural rhythm of breathing.
To deepen this practice, you can add a sound to your outbreath such as ‘ooo’ or ‘haah.’ Or you can choose your own sound. Alternatively, you can purse your lips after your inbreath and blow your breath out as if blowing through a drinking straw. Allow yourself to be curious and playful with it.
You can repeat this several times during the day, not just when you feel anxiety but when you feel okay too. With practice your body will do this instinctively as it notices you are holding tension and anxiety and help give you a sense of calm.
2. SQUARE BREATHING
You can use a paper and pen, trace with a finger, or use your imagination to draw a square. As you make the first line, breathe in gently and slowly for a count of 4, hold for 4, making the second line as you breathe out to the count of 4, hold for 4, making the third line as you breathe in to the count of 4, hold for 4, making the fourth line as you breathe out to the count of 4 and hold for four, completing your square. Repeat 3 to 4 times before returning to your body’s natural rhythm. You may notice any sensations, or no sensations, remembering to hold yourself in kindness.
Mindfulness Part 1b
3. FEELING YOUR BREATH
Sitting comfortably on a chair or lying on your back with knees bent, feet flat on the floor, take a moment to be with yourself, noticing any tension or sensations in your body. Just notice. Become aware of your breath as your body breathes for you. When ready, gently place one hand on your tummy and one hand on your chest. Feel the rise and fall of your tummy and chest as you experience your breath flowing in and flowing out of your body. Notice if your breathing is shallow or deep, are you rushing it or holding it? Simply be curious and
questioning with kindness and compassion toward yourself.
You can try placing your hands on different parts of your body such as the ribs, your groin or near your collarbone to simply experience and feel your breathing. After a few minutes, or longer if you wish, return to your body’s natural rhythm and taking a moment to notice changes or no changes in the sensations of your body. Acknowledge with gratitude the wonder of your breath as it breathes for you, moment by moment.
GROUNDING YOURSELF IN THE PRESENT MOMENT
Life is a series of moments ranging from great happiness to great sadness and including everything in between. Change and loss are perhaps two of the most difficult moments we are experiencing due to the pandemic. Our minds can go into overdrive, focussing on the past or taking us to future events that may or may not happen. It can be exhausting. These practices help to ground ourselves in the present moment and give us a break from the constant chatter in our heads whilst calming the nervous system and raising awareness of the sensitivity of our body to the constant flow of thoughts and emotions that run through our minds.
4. ONE MINUTE MINDFULNESS PRACTICE
Sitting in a straight-backed chair so that your spine is self-supporting, placing your feet on the floor, hands resting comfortably in your lap, softly lower your gaze or let your eyes close. You could do this lying down.
Take a few moments to become aware of your breath as it flows in and out of your body. Notice the sensation of each in-breath and out- breath. Gently observe your breath without needing to change it in any way or looking for something special to happen. Just be with your breath as your body breathes for you.
When you notice your mind wandering, as it will, gently bring your attention back to your breath, without judgement or any sense of not doing it right. Breathing in and breathing out.
Your mind may eventually become calm like a still pond – or it may not. Even if you have a sense of absolute stillness, it may only be fleeting. Simply notice and gently return to your breath. Breathing in and breathing out.
Feelings may arise in you, they too may be fleeting. Again, simply notice, let them be, and gently return to your breath, breathing in and breathing out. Whatever happens, just allow things to be as they are, simply returning again and again to your breath as your body breathes for you. Breathing in and breathing out.
After a full minute of tuning in to your breath, gently lift your gaze or open your eyes, notice your surroundings and remain seated quietly for a few moments before moving on. This helps you take the grounding experience into the rest of your day.
This practice can be extended to, 5, 10, 15 or 20 minutes and can be done once or twice a day.
Mindfulness Part 2
5. FULL BODY SCAN PRACTICE
This longer practice is best done lying down on your back in a quiet place where you will feel warm and undisturbed. Support your neck by placing a cushion under your head and perhaps a rolled- up towel under your knees. Just be aware of what you need to do to be comfortable and not put strain on any part of your body. You can choose to sit down in a comfortable chair, placing cushions under your feet if needed, arms gently resting on pillows or in your lap, whatever suits your body best and enables you to be restful and attentive.
1 Allow your eyes to softly close and focus on your breath. Notice the rising and falling of your tummy with each breath. Take a few breaths to feel your body as a whole. Notice the sensations of your body where it contacts the chair, floor or bed and on your outbreath gently allow your body to sink deeper into being held and supported there, making any adjustments you may need.
2 As you breathe in see if you can follow the breath from your nose right down to the toes and back through the nose as you breathe out. Allow yourself to feel any sensations that may or may not arise from your toes. Take a few breaths here. You may find it difficult get the hang of this at first, so be kind to yourself. Approach the practice with curiosity and playfulness without judging or criticising.
3 Bringing your attention to the soles of your feet, continue breathing in and out from your soles. On your next inbreath, follow the breath to the heels of your feet noticing any sensations or no sensations, taking a few breaths in and out. Allow your awareness to expand to the rest of your feet, into the tops of your feet and into the ankles, right into the bones and tissues of your feet, taking a few breaths here.
If you find your mind begins to wander just notice and gently come back to your breath and tune in again to my voice. You may find yourself doing this practice at a different pace and that’s fine, simply tune out my voice and follow your own pace.
4 Continue now with the body scan as you bring your awareness to the lower legs..…breathing in and out. Bring your awareness to your upper legs, breathing in and out, moving your awareness to the pelvic area and on to your hips, breathing in and breathing out. Take a few gentle breaths in and out in each area, noticing any sensations or no sensations, simply being with your breath.
5 Continue now by following your breath to your lower back and out from there…..moving to your chest……and to your shoulders, breathing in and breathing out.
6 Now gently turn your awareness to your hands, to the tips of your fingers and thumbs, taking a few breaths there. Continue breathing into your hands as a whole, breathing in and out as your become aware of your wrists…..your lower arms and elbows..…your upper arms and back to your shoulders…..noticing and releasing any tension in your shoulders, taking a few breaths here, in and out.
7 Following your next inbreath to the neck, breathing in and breathing out. Sending your breath into the face, taking in the sensations of your jaw…..your mouth…..your lips…..your nose and your cheeks, breathing in and breathing out. Becoming aware of your eyes and ears and forehead…..gently breathing in and out to these areas.
8 As you breathe notice if there is any intense sensation or tension in any part of your body and just see how it is to breathe into them and explore them further with your breath. Use the inbreath to gently bring awareness into the sensation, noticing how the sensation changes, or doesn’t change, when you breathe out. Continue to breathe into any sensation, and breathe out.
9 Having scanned each part of the body in this way, see if you can become aware of your body as a whole. Feel the sensation of wholeness. See if you can hold all the sensations in spacious awareness, feeling the breath gently flowing in and out of the body. Spend a few minutes here to rest in the deep relaxation of your whole body.
10 When you are ready, slowly open your eyes and become aware of where you are, and of what you can see in the room. You may want to end with a gentle stretch, taking all the time that you need.
Mindfulness Part 2b
6. JUST ONE BREATH, PHRASE OR GESTURE
You breathe all the time. To breathe is to be alive. It is to be home in your body. Something as simple as one deep sigh can reset your nervous system. Anytime you feel tension or anxiety, you can take a breath in and deliberately sigh as you breathe out.
If you wish, you can add a simple, silent, repetitive phrase that you can repeat to the rhythm of your breath, phrases that meet the need of where you are in any present moment. Or you can choose the following one from meditation master Thich Nhat Hanh…..
‘Breathing in, I am home’
‘Breathing out, I smile’
‘Breathing in, I am alive’
‘Breathing out, I smile at life’
Experiment by smiling on your outbreath, noticing how such a simple gesture can change the sensations in your face and body as it activates your body’s natural resources to ease distress and help build deep inner reservoirs of resilience that you can access at any moment. You can do this as many times as you like, remembering to hold yourself always in kindness, compassion and gratitude as you work with your breath and body for your own wellbeing.