Mindfulness Practices

Belly or Diaphragmatic Breathing Sit or lie down in a comfortable position. Place one hand on your abdomen in order to feel it rising and falling. Bring your focus/ awareness to your breathing. In order to deepen and slow your breathing, you may wish to count to four as you inhale, making sure that your abdomen is rising, and then exhale to a count of four.

“Ha” BreathTake a long, slow breath in through your nose. Release the breath through the mouth while making the “ha” sound. The sound can be made softly and gently or it can be loud and strong. Even one “ha” breath can bring relaxation, but repeat as many times as you like. You can also use “ha” breath at the start of sitting meditation to help you relax into your practice.

Dynamic Breathing (a.k.a. Chicken Breath)This is easier to do standing up. Keeping your mouth closed, breath quickly and deeply. Placing your fists at armpit level, use your arms as bellows as you breathe; on your exhalation your arms are pushing at your chest. Breathe as rapidly as you can but also deeply. Try not to tense your neck and shoulders. Do this for just a few minutes.

Sitting Meditation Find a relatively quiet place where you will not be disturbed. Sit in a chair, on a yoga mat, or on a cushion. Make your back straight, then relax your shoulders. Place your hands on your knees. Close your eyes gently. Take two or three breaths to help you settle in and become relaxed. Then, let your breath return to normal. Focus your attention on the breath. Follow the in-breath all the way; follow the out-breath all the way; notice any pauses between in-breath and out-breath. Whenever you become distracted (e.g., you have a thought, you hear a noise, you experience an itch, etc.), just notice the distraction then let it go. Gently and kindly return your attention to your breath. If your attention wanders 100 times, gently return to the breath 100 times.

Body ScanAs with sitting meditation, find a relatively quiet place where you will not be disturbed. Sit in a chair, on a yoga mat, or on a cushion. Make your back straight, then relax your shoulders. Place your hands on your knees. Close your eyes gently. Take two or three breaths to help you settle in and become relaxed. Then, let your breath return to normal. Take your attention to the top of your head. Feel any sensations there are to feel (heat, cold, tingling, tension, pain, or nothing at all). Slowly move your attention into your forehead. Relax your forehead. Bit by bit, move your attention down the body, proceeding to the eyebrows, eyes, eyelids, nose, cheeks, etc. Relax each body part as you go. Work down to the shoulders, then down the arms. Once your fingers are relaxed, bring your attention slowly back to your shoulders and work your way down the torso. Continue until you’ve relaxed all the way down to the tips of your toes. At this point, you can do another body scan from head to toe, or you can bring your attention to your breath and finish your session with sitting meditation.

Walking MeditationFind a place where you can walk comfortably back and forth for 10 – 30 steps (or a path on which you can walk continuously for several minutes). Begin with standing, centering yourself, and closing your eyes. Feel the bottoms of your feet. Then open your eyes and walk very slowly, with a sense of ease and dignity. With each step, feel the sensation of lifting each foot off the floor. Be aware as you place each foot on the floor. Feel each step mindfully. When you reach the end of your path, pause, center yourself, and carefully turn around. You can experiment with the speed, walking at whatever pace keeps you most present.

Guided Imagery Assume any kind of relaxing position and close your eyes. Bring your attention to your breathing and let it be even and comfortable. Now, see yourself in a very special place, a place in which you feel completely comfortable and safe. Appreciate it with all of your senses. Hear the sounds, smell the aromas, feel the air and the ground. Notice what you are wearing, what time of year it is, what time of day it is, how old you are, whether you are alone, what colours are visible, and what the temperature is.

Look around to see if there is anything else that would make this place safer for you, perhaps something you need to add or remove. And take time to enjoy this feeling of safety in your special place. Thank yourself for taking this time and reassure yourself that you will visit this place or some other place on your own whenever you need to.

Meditating with a Practice Poem (a.k.a. a Gatha)Follow the instructions for sitting meditation. Use the practice poem to guide your breath. Each line in the poem has two words. As you breathe in, say the first word to yourself silently. As you breathe out, say the second word to yourself silently. The poem has four lines that can be repeated as many times as you like:

In, OutDeep, SlowCalm, EaseRelax, Release

You can also use the poem a couple of time at the start of a sitting meditation then let go of the poem and just focus on your breath. This poem was created by Zenmaster Thich Nhat Hanh, and you can find more of his (and others’) practice poems with a simple Internet search.

Techniques to help you focus on the breath while meditating- Counting: Breathe in, breathe out, count one. Breathe in, breathe out, count two. Keep counting

breaths until you reach ten, then start again at one. Continue counting as long as you’d like. If you ever lose count, don’t worry. Just start again at one.

- Labeling thoughts and feelings: When you have trouble letting go of thoughts or feelings that arise, try labeling them. When you notice a thought or feeling, give it a the most straight-forward simple label you can (e.g., thinking, remembering, worrying, planning, feeling, fear, happiness, sadness, etc.). Don’t be concerned about choosing the right label. Just label the thought or feeling simply and then let it go. Return your awareness to your breath.