This month offers another opportunity to come back to Mindfulness practice, regardless of how your practice was or wasn’t last month.
As Kung Fu Panda's wise teacher said "Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery, but Today is a Gift....which is why it is called the Present!”
So what could you practise Today…and why would you want to?
Well a reminder that we are all just part way through a training programme which has as it's prize the offer of really waking up and being more present with all the moments of our life.
Each time we sit in practise, whether formal or informal, we are cultivating a different way of being and cultivating perhaps a more helpful way of relating to our experience. And our experience is our life.
See for yourself what comes up.
Home Practice Sessions 3+4 Gathering the Scattered Mind & Recognising Reactivity
In addition to your usual home practice try doing
At least 1 Stretch and Breathe and 1 Mindful Movement practice each week
Practice the 3 step Breathing Space twice each day remembering the concept of the " Many Faces" of the breathing space, we touched on in the session . In Step 1 Recognising and Allowing, noting the "many faces" in the sense of the diversity of thoughts, moods, sensations that may be present in any given moment. It can also be applied in the sense that different moods and experiences that may be present may require different responses: pleasant moods may benefit by being met with savouring and appreciation, unpleasant moods with a sense of befriending care and compassion.
Daily walking practice : you are invited to identify a stretch of corridor, pavement or footpath that you walk each day and takes no more than 2 minutes to walk along. Make this your (secret!) walking path and practise devoting attention to the soles of your feet and/or the movement of the feet and legs when you walk this stretch each day. When the mind wanders, gently escort it back. Use the sensations in the feet and legs as an anchor that connects you to the present moment.
Continue to do the 10 Finger Appreciation Practice. Every day this week, bring to mind ten things which you are grateful for, counting them on your fingers. It is important to try to get to ten, even if it becomes increasingly difficult after three or four. And try and notice maybe for each one what it feels like in the body .The aim of the exercise is to encourage us to notice things that we could appreciate every day but normally overlook and to “Turn Good Facts into Good Experiences”
Continue keeping the body in mind when listening and speaking whilst practising 50:50 attention
You may be aware that practices can be streamed using an app for Apple devices available from the itunes app store (search Oxford MBCT) or via an equivalent website at:
mbctapp.oxfordmindfulness.org.
And our next refresher session looking at Weeks 5&6 will be on Wednesday 8th November for a 6.30 start. Hope to see some of you then.
Neil