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Mindfulness Coaching Session 1 - Attention & The Now
- 1. The Mindful Wellbeing Course Introduction & Session 1 – Attention and the Now Session 2 – Automaticity Session 3 – Judgement Session 4 – Acceptance Session 5 – Goals Session 6 – Compassion Session 7 – The Ego Session 8 – Integration
- 2. Why are we learning Mindfulness? Core skill to help us focus and enable us to deal effectively and rationally with the context at hand. Mindfulness is a scientific programme developed by Positive Psychologists Develop a mindful culture - living our values of compassion, collaboration and excellence Develop mindful leadership – to help us develop an environment where we can achieve our priorities together Mindful wellbeing – is a way of empowering our ourselves and our customers to deal with workplace and personal issues
- 3. Outline – Introduction Welcome Introduction Attention The present moment The Body Scan Homework
- 4. Mindfulness - Defined Focus and attention – here and now – non-judgemental Directed attention – inside and outside Thoughts and our emotions Acceptance Become an observer of your inner-state
- 5. What Mindfulness is NOT All about being calm The absence of thought Being complacent A religion A silver bullet
- 6. Jon Kabat-Zinn explains what mindfulness is. He stresses the fact that mindfulness is not a technique
- 7. Attention to the here and now
- 8. Directed Attention (inwardly and outwardly) What are you thinking about right now? Where are your thoughts at? What are you thinking inwardly? What are you thinking outwardly? What’s for Lunch?
- 9. The importance of attention
- 10. Our mind in endless thoughts (worry and rumination) Do you get lost in endless thinking? How much of the day are you worried and anxious? Do you keep thinking about something that went wrong, over and over again? Do you lie awake at night – thinking about your problems? Are you constantly thinking about the things you need to do or get done Our mind is never “fully switched off”
- 11. Thoughts and our emotions Thoughts, or what we believe about a situation – causes us to feel a certain way. Thoughts are fleeting ….. Emotions may come through when practicing mindfulness – and that’s ok Remember not to judge the feeling – we only want you to notice and acknowledge the feeling, and then focus again on a single object, item, or on your breathing
- 12. Thoughts and our emotions Attention without judgment. Tension or fear are automatically labelled as “ bad”, “ inappropriate” or “unwanted”. When we judge a certain feeling we automatically create a conflict Attempts to resolve this conflict, require a lot of energy and paradoxically cause us to feel even worse
- 13. Exercise: Just Be Focus and attention in the here and now
- 14. Acceptance & Becoming an observer Acceptance - reality as it is right now. Acknowledging what is present. We devote a lot of time to denying what is there - waste a lot of precious energy by resisting. During practice, both pleasant and unpleasant sensations, emotions and thoughts may arise. Remember that the goal of mindfulness is not to get rid of these internal states, but to change one’s relationship with these states
- 15. Without Striving There is no goal to achieve in doing the exercises. People participate in mindfulness trainings because they wish to achieve the goal of worrying less, experiencing less stress, less pain, etc. The exercises aim to cultivate awareness of the present. The problem - I want to become calm and relaxed The goal of mindfulness is not to achieve a goal - but to be present with whatever arises in the present moment
- 16. Compassion
- 17. What is needed for this course? Exercises •15 to 30 minutes a day •Can be done at home or at work •Formal meditation •Informal daily practice Link the insights Patience Effects will not be immediate Like going to gym, takes time to build up muscle Like gardening, takes time for the planted seed to grow into a beautiful flower By doing the exercises it provides opportunity to link the insights obtained from the sessions
- 19. Outline – Session 1: Attention and Now Attention The present moment The body Scan Mindful Listening Homework
- 20. Eckhart Tolle explains the power of regularly paying attention to our breathing. By paying attention to our breath, even when this is done for only a short period of time, can help us to make contact with the present moment again and step outside our thinking.
- 21. The body scan - meditation
- 22. Why do the body scan? The body scan teaches us to recognize and experience physical sensations. Much of our attention focuses on our thoughts and on matters outside our body such as our job, social environment, etc. This creates the risk that one pays very little attention to physical signals. The recognition of physical signals such as tension or restlessness is important, especially for the prevention of stress and burn-out (Shapiro, Astin, Bishop, & Cordova, 2005). The body scan is a method to get more in touch with body sensations and signals and to become familiar with them.
- 25. Homework Try to do the body scan (short or long) at home. The more repetitions the greater the effect. The best would be to do the body scan daily. However, if this doesn’t work out for you, try to practice as often as possible. Tip: Choose one (or more) routine activities, such as brushing your teeth, driving home, eating, doing the dishes, going to the supermarket, taking a walk, etc. and try to do it with full attention. In other words, try to focus on the act just as you try to keep your attention to a certain body part during the body scan. During the next week I choose the following routine activities where I consciously focus my attention on: 1 2 3 During the next week, try to pay attention to how you make conversation. Try as fully as possible to focus on the conversation and the person/persons you are together with. The moment you notice that your thoughts are distracted, return your attention to the conversation. Try to be as present as possible to practice mindful listening.
- 26. Log Book Exercise Times performed Observations or perceptions during the exercise Body Scan Routine Activities Consciously Listening
- 27. Some great tools to add to your toolbox Free E-Magazine on Mindfulness https://themindfulmagazine.com/category/mi ndfulness/ Mindfulness meditation apps Calm app – R54 per month, training on meditation plus over 100 meditations. Includes 3- minute body scan meditation for daily use. (great app, includes peaceful music) Meditation music app Wellzen (72mb) R13.75 pm (includes hydration and step tracker) E-Books: 1. The Stress-Proof Brain: Master Your Emotional Response to Stress Using Mindfulness and Neuroplasticity 2. MBSR – Everyday Practice 3. The relaxation and stress reduction workbook
- 28. Maternity Programme Objectives Enabling the wellbeing of families Reduce the risk of maternal and infant morbidity and mortality Early identification of pregnancy and related risks, including lifestyle diseases (Diabetes, Hypertension), including HIV. Referral to GEMS Disease Management programmes Provide support and guidance to maintain complete wellbeing (mental, psychological and social) for optimal functioning in the workplace and at home Raise awareness of the importance of wellbeing & healthy living during pregnancy
Editor's Notes
- More and more people worldwide are attracted to learning how to relate to their experience with mindfulness. Because of my own personal experience and through work with students and teachers, I want to address some common misconceptions I've encountered. I share this with the teachers with whom I work in K-5 before I begin sharing the curriculum in their class. I hope you find it helpful. What Is Mindfulness? Mindfulness, as defined by Jon Kabat-Zinn who introduced Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) 30 years ago, is “paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally.” Mindfulness is not about being calm or any particular way We often expect mindfulness will bring us peace or calm and relaxation. This highlights our human tendency to want pleasant experiences and to push away what is unpleasant or average. We want something, we don't get it and then we're unhappy. We think it's not working or we're doing it wrong. We start to judge our experience and ourselves. Although it's true that you can experience a sense of peace, calm, or relaxation while practicing mindfulness, these are not guaranteed outcomes. Mindfulness is just about noticing whatever experience we're having, including all the thoughts, feelings or physical sensations that are a part of it. Mindfulness can significantly reduce stress but it's not about stress reduction Rather than remove stress, mindfulness helps us learn to relate to stress differently. It may seem implausible that something as simple as listening to sounds or paying attention to our breathing can help us learn to respond to experiences in a healthy way, but it’s what science is showing and what people are saying (and it’s certainly my experience). There is now over 25 years of research with adults showing that mindfulness helps with stress by changing our relationship to it. Mindfulness is not the absence of thought Instead of aiming for an empty or blank mind where no thoughts are present, we learn the skill of becoming aware of our thoughts, without necessarily doing anything with them. By just noticing thoughts, we learn how to unhook ourselves from our identification with them. This is different from pushing thoughts away. It’s how we relate to our thoughts, not the absence of them. Mindfulness is not about being complacent Acceptance does not mean agreement or complacency. It means acknowledging whatever's going on, which is a good idea because it's already happening. We take action to change situations when appropriate - for our well-being and the well-being of others - but we do so out of compassion and understanding versus reaction and frustration. Mindfulness is not religious Mindfulness practices are useful for all people, regardless of their spiritual or religious backgrounds or beliefs. It's a human experience that utilizes awareness and compassion that is within us all. Mindfulness is not a silver bullet When we’re under stress or going through a difficult time we might look for ‘techniques’ to help us better cope. Mindfulness works, but it is important to approach it with the right attitude. Based on many years of research, it is well established that in order to fully benefit from mindfulness meditation, the best approach is to have a long-term view. Happy Practicing! And please email me if you have questions about any of this. Warm regards, Bonnie Mioduchoski
- (5,17 minutes) Jon Kabat-Zinn (born Jon Kabat, June 5, 1944) is an American professor emeritus of medicine and the creator of the Stress Reduction Clinic and the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Kabat-Zinn was a student of Zen Buddhist teachers such as Philip Kapleau, Thich Nhat Hanh and Seung Sahn and a founding member of Cambridge Zen Center. His practice of yoga and studies with Buddhist teachers led him to integrate their teachings with scientific findings. He teaches mindfulness, which he says can help people cope with stress, anxiety, pain, and illness. The stress reduction program created by Kabat-Zinn, mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), is offered by medical centers, hospitals, and health maintenance organizations.[1
- (2,16 minutes)
- In the first place, acceptance is about acknowledging what is present. In general, we often see what we don’t want to see and what we wish to see differently. We devote a lot of time to denying what is there. Consequently, we waste a lot of precious energy by resisting something that cannot be changed in the first place. During practice, both pleasant and unpleasant sensations, emotions and thoughts may arise. Instead of denying them and pushing them away, mindfulness requires willingness to let them be, as they are, in the present moment. Remember that the goal of mindfulness is not to get rid of these internal states, but to change one’s relationship with these states. Mindfulness cultivates a more friendly, acceptance-based relationship with internal states. In other words, when unpleasant states arise, try to welcome them and perceive them as part of the exercise, part of reality. Let them be as they are. LETTING GO Sometimes, positive experiences arise during the exercises. People often want to hold on to these experiences. We attempt to prolong their duration and make them last longer. Open awareness means detachment of all events. In fact, when we try to change the course of positive experiences, we are doing the same thing as when we try to push away the negative states. In both cases we try to alter reality instead of experiencing it with an open, detached attitude. It is enough to observe and give the positive experience room to follow its natural course. The more freedom you provide for experiences to occur, the more freedom you will experience.
- THE BODY SCAN - SCRIPT •Find a place where you will be safe, secure, and undisturbed. •Lie on your back on a firm mat or cushioned floor, arms resting by your side, palms facing upward. •If you find it difficult to stay awake during the meditation, it may be helpful to open your eyes or prop your head up with a pillow. If neither helps, you can change position that that would help you stay awake. Other positions include standing or sitting in a chair. •Close your eyes and start to focus your attention on the fact that you are breathing. Allow each inhale and exhale to flow through your body. Notice how your body feels with each breath as well as where the breath flows. With each breath, allow yourself to sink deeper into the floor. •Keep in mind that your mind will inevitably wander through this practice as that is what all minds do. When this happens, notice it and gently and kindly bring your attention back to the part of the body on which you were focusing. •As you continue to breathe, on the inhale, imagine the breath filling your lungs and then moving down into the belly, into the left leg, and all the way out of the left toes. As you exhale, imagine or feel your breath moving in through your toes, up the left leg, through the abdomen, all the way up into your chest, and finally out through your nose. With a playful approach, practice a couple of cycles of this kind of breathing. •Use this breathing technique throughout the remainder of the scan. When you notice a tense or unpleasant sensation, breathe into it and imagine relaxing, releasing, and letting go. •Notice all the sensations in your body, beginning with the bottom of your left foot. Where do you feel pressure? What does it feel like? •Move with your attention from the bottom of your left foot, up the ankle to the left leg, lower leg, knee, upper leg, across the pelvic region, down the right leg. Move into your pelvic region, scanning the front and back of your body. Notice all the sensations that arise and let them go. •As you focus on each part of the body, observe what you see and feel there without forcing anything to happen. If you don’t feel anything in an area of your body, that’s okay. Simply act as an observer, noticing how your body feels today. •Continue up through the stomach, upper chest, neck, down the left arm, back up through the collarbone down the right arm, up to your hairline, forehead, and finally face. •Remember to observe each small area of every part of your body. For example, you may want to notice what is happening in between your toes, ankles, shoulders, ears, tongue. Investigate every area of the body with gentle curiosity. •After observing every point in the body, feel your body as a whole, breathing in and out, fully alive.