the mindful month - coaching and mindfulness meditation

Dr. Elise Bialylew

A one month mindfulness guidebook to create more clarity, creativity and focus in everyday life.

The mindful month

Audio meditation downloads included

http://www.mindfulinmay.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Body-Scan-Re-Edit-30.04.12.mp3

about the authorElise Bialylew is a coach, meditation teacher and social entrepreneur with background training in medicine and psychiatry. She left the hospital wards to pursue a deeper calling to start a global meditation movement and founded Mindful in May an online global meditation campaign for social good in 2012. The campaign has taught thousands of people from around the world to meditate and raises funds to bring clean safe drinking water to those living in developing countries.

Elise combines her deep psychological understanding, her training in mindfulness meditation, and her passion and creativity to coach people to discover their own life purpose and turn their ideas into action. She thrives on helping people make positive change in their lives through learning to master their minds, free themselves from self limiting beliefs and develop the confidence and courage needed to take bold action. In short, her mission is to help people flourish and reach their full potential.

Apart from executive coaching training, she has trained in relationships counselling, cognitive behavioural therapy, acceptance commitment therapy and a range of other modalities which have enriched her practice and enabled her to help people create more freedom and possibility in their lives. She has attended regular silent meditation retreats to deepen her understanding of the mind, and trained with some of the worlds leading meditation teachers including Jon Kabat Zinn. Her writing and work have been featured in the Huffington Post, New York Times, United Nations and on National Australian Television. When she’s not catalysing transformation in her clients’ lives she can be found dancing salsa, reading non-fiction or brainstorming her next creative project.

✉ Sign up to Elise’s free monthly newsletter to receive tips on living well

✳ Elise offers one-on-one Skype coaching and public and corporate mindfulness training at www.mindlifeproject.com

➾ Join Mindful in May, a global mindful movement and meditate with thousands of people from around the world whilst raising money for a good cause (follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram).

✎ Read more of Elise’s writing at the Huffington Post

©2014 Elise Bialylew | All rights reserved. Learn the tools for better living @ www.mindlifeproject.com

http://www.mindfulinmay.org

http://www.mindlifeproject.com/media

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/19/movies/palm-springs-international-shortfest.html%3Fpagewanted%3Dall%26_r%3D0

http://www.mindlifeproject.com/

http://www.mindlifeproject.com/

http://www.mindfulinmay.org/

http://www.facebook.com/mindfulinmay

http://www.twitter.com/mindfulinmay

http://www.instagram.com/mindfulinmay

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/elise-bialylew/four-ways-mindfulness-can_b_5165799.html

http://www.mindlifeproject.com

Contents

INTRODUCTION 4

before you begin 8

WEEK ONE:

Tune into the body and focus your mind 12

WEEK two:

Use the power of breath to stay calm, focused and creative 33

WEEK THREE:

Transform your relationships through mindful listening 49

WEEK FOUR:

Create a positive mindset and master your emotions 65

The Mindful Month | Introduction 3

Weekly meditations

Week 1: Mindfulness of the Body

Week 2: Mindfulness of the Breath

Week 3: Mindfulness of Sounds

Week 4: Mindfulness of Thoughts and The Lovingkindness Practice

Meditation journal 84

https://soundcloud.com/mindful-in-may/mindfulness-of-the-body/s-L3n1V

https://soundcloud.com/mindful-in-may/breath-meditation-1/s-oX2VC

https://soundcloud.com/mindful-in-may/mindfulness-of-breath-and-sound/s-LUFNN

https://soundcloud.com/mindful-in-may/mindfulness-of-breath-sound-and-thoughts/s-tNdda

https://soundcloud.com/mindful-in-may/loving-kindness-meditation/s-ACJeb

Meditation is a powerful tool for

enhanced well-being

and mental focus.


IntroductionTechnology is developing exponentially, and at the click of a button we can access an infinite amount of information. This privilege brings with it the potential costs of information overload, increased distractibility and a background anxiety as we try to keep on top of things.

Staying focussed is becoming increasingly difficult as invisible umbilical cords connect us to our devices. Our attention buzzes around with the restlessness of a mosquito fluttering between, emails, Facebook, Twitter, and text messages. Many of us are suffering from what Dr. Ed Hallowell, specialist psychiatrist in ADHD, coined as Attention Deficit trait. He describes it as“a condition induced by modern life, in which you’ve become so busy attending to so many inputs and outputs that you become increasingly distracted, irritable, impulsive, restless and, over the long term, underachieving.”

If we wish to remain healthy, happy and clear-minded, we need to upgrade our “inner technology” to meet the demands of our increasingly complex world. We are standing on the precipice of a potential paradigm shift with an exciting dialogue unfolding at the intersection of science, technology and the world of wisdom. There is a rapid growth of scientific research, revealing what the Buddhist monks have known for generations, but couldn’t measure with machines:


Meditation teaches us how to harness our inner technology of attention, to create more focus and clarity in everyday life. Through the process of neuroplasiticity, which is the ability of the nervous system to change its structure and function through repetitive behaviour, we can use our minds to literally change the biology and function of our brain.

Meditation is not about becoming passive or giving up on your goals or future plans. In fact, it’s a perfect companion for developing your capacity to think more clearly and be more effective in day to day life. I have been surprised and impressed by the positive effect that regular silence and stillness can have on my mind.

Leading global companies, including Google, offer mindfulness training to their employees, recognising the benefits of meditation in supporting more clarity, innovation and productivity.

Science supports the fact that regular mindfulness meditation can have significant benefits. When regularly practised, meditation has been shown to increase our immune function, restructure our prefrontal cortex (required for strategic thinking and problem solving), and possibly protect against DNA damage caused by aging.

Just like physical exercise, bringing the habit of regular meditation into your life can be quite a challenge. Meditation commonly falls by the wayside for even the most enthusiastic amongst us. So often it seems like there’s not enough time or we just “don’t feel like doing it.”

The thing is there is research to suggest that even ten minutes of meditation, five days a week can improve our attention and focus. There may be different reasons that have led you to this

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21035949

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21035949


book. Maybe it’s stress, or perhaps a feeling that something’s missing. Or perhaps friends and family have suggested you give it a go. Maybe it was medical advice that led you here. Perhaps you’re simply curious to learn a powerful technique that can enhance the way you use your mind.

Whatever the case, the only way to discover the potential benefits of meditation is to actually practise it. Rather than a book you read from cover to cover, this is a day-by-day guide with weekly audio meditations included. It is designed to support you in developing a daily, ten minute meditation practice.

This guidebook is a meditation program based on the successful, global Mindful in May campaign (www.mindfulinmay.org), which teaches people around the world how to meditate whilst contributing to a global cause.

Some of the participants shared the following thoughts about



the benefits of committing to ten minutes of meditation a day for a month:

“I enjoyed the daily reminders and inspiration. I felt encouraged and supported to create the discipline required. I have always known that dedication would bring me more peace and you helped me to find the self discipline to just do it.”

“I discovered that the noise in my head had held me ransom for most of my life and the meditation challenge gave me the tools to start my journey back to the here and now. Thank you.”

“It was great to take time out for myself, to be a bit more disciplined but also be ok with myself if l didn’t do something, to take the time to connect and be mindful to apply it to every day life, always a work in progress but a great starting block.”

“It felt so good to know that I’m not the only person that struggles with an overactive mind and to learn that there are steps I can use to calm it. I found myself meditating even in the middle of the day when I was having problems with my work. After a break I actually found it improved what I was doing. I’ve never done that before - normally I punish myself by sitting at the computer longer, willing myself to work and just getting even more frustrated. Thank you for showing me an easier way to living life.”

I invite you to approach the next month as an experiment, consider this a challenge and suspend your judgments until the end.

It’s an honour to be your guide,

Dr. Elise Bialylew

The Mindful Month | Before you begin 8

before you beginThe aim of this program is to help you develop the habit of being mindful in your life, through both a structured and guided, daily meditation and through simple tips to bring more presence and consciousness into your everyday activities.

Each week you will be introduced to a new mindfulness meditation that you are invited to practise every day. The purpose of practising the same meditation for one week is to become familiar with the guidance and eventually to be able to practise without the recording.

It’s a good idea to download all the meditations at the beginning of your month of mindfulness so they are easily accessible.

Click on the meditation links and you will see a “download” button on the bottom left corner underneath the image of the meditation track. Click this button and the meditation will download onto your computer either into itunes or onto your desktop.

The Mindful Month | before you begin 9

personal intentionsWhen creating any new habit in your life INTENTION is key.

Take a few moments to think about the following questions and write down your answers...

What has drawn you to meditation?

What is it that you hope to learn or bring more of into your life?

What might get in the way of you doing your meditation in the next month and what steps can you take to prioritise this practice?

The Mindful Month | before you begin 10

How important is it to you to commit to this mindfulness program and why?

...Take a few moments to actually reflect and write down answers to these questions before you start...

Some helpful tips to think about before it all starts

• Think about when you are going to meditate. To support habit formation it can be helpful to choose a regular time every day. Anchor your meditation to something you do every day, for example, before brushing your teeth or going to bed.

• Memory tags are helpful when creating new habits. Think of ways you can remind yourself of the daily practice. Perhaps you can set a reminder in your phone with the question “Have you meditated yet today?”

• Print out the meditation journal and keep track of your daily practice.

• Be kind to yourself. If you miss a day, don’t be hard on yourself. Just get back on board the next day.

• Being mindful can be a challenging practice. If you’re new to the practice of sitting in silence, ten minutes may feel like an eternity. Give yourself time to settle in, before deciding it isn’t for you.

• Meditation is not about emptying your mind. It’s about noticing what’s going on from moment to moment which supports you in living a more conscious, intentional life.

• Meditation can feel overwhelming. As you start to notice the endless stream of thoughts going through the mind at any given moment, know that this is normal! Don’t panic.


The Mindful Month | Day 1 12

˜Jon Kabat Zinn

Day 1Day 1

Mindfulness meditation is the practice of paying attention to what is happening from moment to moment without judgment. Our minds are so often planning or worrying about the future or reflecting on the past, we miss the place where life is actually happening, here, in this moment.

Meditation is living your life as if it really mattered. That means you gotta be there for it, with awareness and a certain degree of kindness towards oneself, and an understanding of the deep interconnectedness of all life and beings.

week 1

Download this week’s audio meditation here




Purpose of the Body Scan

1. To develop more stable attention, becoming aware of the mind’s tendency to wander.

2. To become more tuned into the body on a daily basis and become better at noticing when there is stress, tension or ease.

3. To develop the capacity to observe experience without reacting to it, allowing for more conscious decision-making.

Tips

• If you feel yourself falling asleep, try and do the body scan with your eyes open or take some deep breaths to energise yourself.

• Bring the curiosity of a scientist to the body scan, just noticing whatever arises including thoughts, feelings and sensations, allowing them to come and go.

• If difficult feelings like boredom, restlessness, judgement or impatience arise, just allow them to become part of the practice, noticing whatever is present in each moment, whether pleasant, unpleasant or neutral.


The Practice:

• The body scan can be practised for 20-40 minutes but I have created the ten minute version for you to try each day this week.

• Before you switch on the guided body scan, make sure you find a comfortable and quiet place where you won’t be disturbed.

• It is preferable to do the practice lying down. If you have back issues, place some support under the knees.

• The focus of this practice is to strengthen our attention, by noticing sensations that come and go from moment to moment, within the body.

Print out the journal at the end of this guidebook and keep track of your daily practice.

Explore the impact that even a short daily practice can have on the mind.

Try it out yourself this month and notice how you start to feel as each day of the challenge goes by.

See what you discover. Suspend your judgment till the end.

Welcome to the month of mindfulness,

Dr. Elise Bialylew

Just like playing an instrument, the mind needs tuning in order to function at its best. Meditation can be likened to tuning up an instrument. Its purpose is to train the mind to be able to disconnect from distraction and consciously bring attention to what is happening in the present moment. This is a useful skill which enables you to respond more effectively to what is happening from moment to moment in your life.

How was your first body scan?

What did you notice? Did you fall asleep? Or maybe you noticed agitation or boredom?

The first time I practised the body scan I noticed how restless I felt and how my mind kept drifting off into random streams of thought.

If I have ever made any valuable discoveries,

it has been owing more to

paying attention,

than to any other talent.


Day 2Day 2

˜Isaac Newton

It can be easy to get impatient or judgmental towards yourself both in practice and in life. If you notice irritation arising during meditation, that is actually a mindful moment. As time goes by, with more regular practice, we can develop the capacity to have mindful moments in daily life, not simply when we’re meditating. When you notice the mind has wandered off, just keep gently bringing your attention back to the body...over and over and over again.

Practising mindfulness can be difficult at first as you become more aware of the distractable nature of the mind.

We need to upgrade our “inner” technology of attention, to meet the external demands of our increasingly complex world.

Meditation, an age old practice, is emerging as a crucial antidote to the information overload of our daily lives.


How did you find the body scan yesterday?

What did you notice about the experience? Was it different from the day before? When the mind wandered off into thinking, could you let go of thoughts and bring your attention back to the body? Notice how this is a choice.

The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thoughtover another.


Day 3Day 3

˜William James

It’s easy to live in our heads and be disconnected from our bodies. I remember whilst studying medicine, holding the brain of a cadaver in my hands and wondering how a lifetime of thoughts and memories could be generated by a one kilogram mass of white and grey matter. We can forget that we are made up, not just of thoughts and spirit, but also billions of cells that are alive and responding to the many choices we make: the food we eat, the stress we experience, the sleep we get, the beliefs we hold.

In his latest book the Relaxation Revolution, Herbert Benson describes how the stress that we endure not only impacts us at a genetic level, but can also be transmitted on to the next generation through our genetic expression.


Mindfulness meditation is like a gym workout for the brain.…Just like getting physically fit, the benefits of meditation require regular practice.

The idea that the brain can change its own structure and functionthrough thought and activity is, I believe, the most important alteration in our view of the brain since we first sketched out its basic anatomy.Like all revolutions this one will have profound effects…


Day 4Day 4

˜Norman Doidge

Here is some compelling science to fuel your motivation...There is a particular area of the brain, the prefrontal cortex, which sits behind the forehead and acts like the CEO of our thinking.


Current research suggests that regular mindfulness practice can actually grow this part of your brain.

We now know that the way we choose to use our attention, is literally changing the shape and function of our brains.

• Think before we act

• Be more organised and skilled at managing complex tasks

• Be skilled at managing our emotions

• Better communicate

• Be more flexible

• Be better able to regulate anxiety

• Be more empathic

• Develop more insight and self awareness

• Be more intuitive (better tuned into our body’s signals)

It helps us...

http://www.nmr.mgh.harvard.edu/~lazar/

Keeping attention anchored to whatever

we are doing is a valuable skill which supports us to be more efficient and effective in our lives.

Aside from your ten minute meditation practice, you can start to develop more mindfulness in everyday life by paying attention to what you are doing as you are doing it. Notice how much more you can take in, when you pay attention to what you are doing.


Day 5Day 5

˜Thich Nhat Hanh

The future is not even here yet. Plan for it, but do not waste your time worrying about it.

Worrying is worthless.

Here are a few suggestions:


Have a mindful Shower

• Bring your attention to the sensations of the water touching your skin

• Notice the temperature

• Listen to the sounds

• Notice when your attention has drifted from the experience of having a shower and bring it back over and over again

Have a mindful tea

• Bring your full attention to the experience of drinking tea

• Notice the temperature of the mug in your hands

• Notice the smell

• Feel the warmth in your mouth

• Take a moment to check in with how you are feeling?

Have a mindful meal

• Bring your full attention to the meal and the texture of the food

• Notice the colours and smell of the food

• Be aware of the sensations in your mouth as you chew your food

• Notice when your attention has drifted from the experience of eating and bring it back to the activity over and over again

Initially you may wonder what purpose there is in bringing mindfulness into everyday activities.

Mindful daily activities can be an opportunity to slow down, let go of thinking and tune in to your senses. This gives the mind a break and helps to strengthen your muscle of attention.

Try it and see what you notice.

You’ve been practising for nearly a week.

Great effort. Mindfulness could become a new habit soon.

As you continue practising mindfulness of the body, why not try to be more mindful about what you are putting into your body too.


Day 6Day 6Wear gratitude like a cloak and it will feed every corner

of your life.˜rumi

Green Smoothie

• 1 banana (frozen or fresh)

• A handful of baby spinach or kale

• A peeled apple or pear

• Water (half a thumb’s height)

• Optional: a teaspoon of Spirulina

Put all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

Drink mindfully.

Eating is something we do each day but so often we don’t appreciate or even taste our food, as we rush through meals or eat while on the go. Using our meals as a trigger to be mindful is an easy way to slow down and bring more mindfulness into everyday life.

Here is a healthy green breakfast smoothie you can drink mindfully.


Here are six principles to explore when having a Mindful Meal:

1. Arriving at food - Take a moment before taking your first mouthful to notice the food and bring a sense of appreciation to the effort it has taken to grow and cook the food.

2. Experiencing food - Notice every aspect of the food itself before, during and after eating it. Notice the different colours, textures and smells.

3. Tune into the body - Pay attention to your body as you eat. Notice the movement of muscles, limbs, fingers, lips, teeth and tongue. Tune in to your level of hunger and notice if you are eating despite feeling full.

4. Chew patiently - It’s not easy, but try to slow down, bring mindfulness to actually chewing your food rather than eating it without properly digesting it.

5. Pause frequently and consider silence - Experiment with having five minutes of silent eating. Set your timer and notice what it’s like to eat with others in silence. If talking, be fully present in conversation. Slow down and bring full attention to your conversation with others during the meal.

6. Be mindful of your mood - How does it feel to be engaging in a Mindful Meal with others or yourself? Are you calm, happy, bored, content, distracted, full, hungry? Where do you notice contentment, boredom or restlessness in the body? Emotions arise in the body, but often we are too distracted to notice. Ask yourself “Am I still hungry?”

HOW TO HAVE A MINDFUL MEAL


PurposeFacilitate deeper and more authentic connections with one another. Allow time and space to get together with friends and like-minded people over food and conversation.

Benefits• Space and time for meditation and shared practice

• A deeper appreciation of food and a healthier way of eating.

• Fulfillment through real connection

• A space for creativity and serendipitous meetings of like minded people

Time6.30pm onwards for a 7pm start and 9pm end.

Process

1. Mindful Meditation (7.00pm: 10-30min). Decide on the length of your meditation depending on the needs and setting of the group. You could play a guided meditation or sit in silence with a timer. It may be a shorter practice to set the mood, or as you become more experienced you may increase the duration.

MINDFUL MEAL GUIDE

Having a Mindful Meal with friends and family is a great way to create a sense of mindfulness around you. Practising mindfulness in a group provides a unique opportunity for deeper and more authentic connection.

Below is a recommended format you can use if you wish to host a Mindful Meal with friends, friends-to-be or family.


2. Mindful Mouthfuls (7.30pm: 45min). Everyone brings a plate to share (decide before hand on dietary requirements). If there are people new to mindfulness the host can read from these guidelines about the purpose and process of Mindful Meals. This will set the scene to be more mindful whilst eating and sharing conversation.

3. Mindful Mingling (8.15pm: 30-45min). Opportunity to share and reflect from the heart in a circle or more casually during the meal, practising mindful listening. Make your own meaningful questions or reflect on the ones below. Each person can take a turn to reflect on answers while others bring mindful attention to the speaker. If you feel inspired, add a dash of poetry to the night. Find a poem that inspires you and read it to the group.

Some questions you can mindfully contemplate with the group during your mindful meal:

• What makes you feel most alive in life?

• What gives your life most meaning?

• What is a story that you can share that speaks of a moment of appreciation in your life?

• What is one thing you are most proud of in your life so far?

• If this circle could infuse you with a quality you need more of in your life at the moment, what would it be and how would you use it?

• What are three things you are most grateful for today?

Some recommended poets for inspiration:

Invite people to bring a poem to the meal and read it to the group during the meal.

• Rumi

• Hafiz

• David Whyte

• Mary Oliver



Think about a positive intention that you have had in the past around eating and bring it back into your life.

Less coffee? Less sugar? Less takeaway? More home-cooked meals?Using our meals as a trigger to be mindful is an easy way to slow down and bring more mindfulness into everyday life. Eating mindfully simply means bringing your full attention to the experience of eating, really experiencing the flavours and textures of the food.

Mindful Moment:Choose one meal in the day today that you will eat mindfully.

Notice how different it may be to your usual way of eating.

Knowing grass, I can appreciate

Knowing trees, I understand the meaning of


Day 7Day 7

CONGRATULATIONS on your first week of

meditation.

Being mindful isn’t always relaxing or easy. It can be a tricky path at times, bringing feelings of restlessness, sleepiness and boredom to the surface.

˜Hal Borland

patience.

persistence.

Like any new journey a GPS can be useful in guiding you along the way. Use this meditation G.P.S. during your practice:

GentlenessPatIenceSense of Humour


If your motivation has dropped or you’ve forgotten to practise, just get back into it. notice any judgments or self criticism about not practising and just let that go. tomorrow there is a neW MeDItatIOn, so stay tuned.

There’s no failing this challenge.

Just remember to turn on your G.P.S. when you meditate.

Breath is the Bridge which connects life to consciousness,which unites your body to your thoughts. Whenever your mind becomes scattered, use your breath as the means

to take hold of your mind again.

~


Day 8

˜Thich Nhat Han

Welcome to week two.

this week we shift our attention to mindfulness of the breath. In this practice, we direct our attention to the sensations of breathing and use our breath as an anchor to stabilise our attention.

Day 8week 2


https://soundcloud.com/mindful-in-may/breath-meditation-1/s-oX2VC


this practice is best done in the seated position or you can do it lying down if you prefer.

Sit in a comfortable chair. ensure adequate back support if needed or use a meditation cushion if you have one.

1. Make sure your feet are flat on the floor with legs uncrossed

2. Your back, neck and head should be upright but relaxed and comfortably balanced

3. Place your hands comfortably on your lap

4. Once you are seated and have adjusted your body position, try and stay as still as possible - this will help to settle the mind

• Bring a clear intention to fully engage in the practice. Leave all other concerns to the side for ten minutes

• Remember not to try too hard, just gently observe

• It can be helpful to stabilise the attention by counting the breath from one to ten. You can repeat the cycle as many times as feels helpful to settle the mind

• count one at the end of the inbreath and just before the outbreath so that your attention can be with the outbreath as it releases

• the purpose behind counting is to replace the many distractable involuntary thoughts with one intentional thought

• another technique is silently noting ’in’ with the inbreath and ‘out’ with the outbreath


the breath is used as the object of meditation because it is a reliable anchor to the present moment. It’s always here.

It’s also a barometer of our emotional state. When we are stressed or anxious, the breath is restricted or tight. When we are calm and relaxed, it flows effortlessly.

We can actually use the breath as a tool to de-stress by purposefully lengthening the duration of the exhalation.

this sends a message to our parasympathetic nervous system, which helps to slow down our heart rate and support a feeling of calm. try it for yourself.

When practising mindfulness of breath meditation, see if you can allow the breath to just breathe itself. It’s not uncommon for people to feel uncomfortable or even anxious initially when they direct their attention to the breath. See what you notice, and just observe the experience of breathing as it is, whether pleasant, unpleasant or neutral.

the cure for boredom

is curiosity.there is no cure for curiosity.


Day 9

˜Dorothy Parker

What did you notice while practising the

breath meditation?

When you take a moment to really think about it, the breath is completely miraculous. It is the most essential aspect of our being, yet something we completely take for granted.

Day 9


You may have noticed how often your attention gets distracted from the breath. the mind has a mind of its own.

Jon Kabat-Zinn, leading Mindfulness teacher gives a helpful tip to support us in engaging with the mindfulness of breath meditation:

Bring the curiosity of a scientist to the

phenomenon of breath.

Imagine you have never experienced it before. Don’t try and change it in any way. allow the breath to breathe itself.

a tip from Dr. B. alan Wallace, esteemed Buddhist scholar and writer:

Bring particular attention to the outbreath.

Imagine each outbreath as if it is your final breath, releasing and letting go completely.

In order to settle the mind, we need to settle the breath. try touching base with your breath during the day, and notice how you can choose to unhook from the stress of a moment by letting go of thinking and bringing your attention to a few cycles of breathing.


Day 10

˜Ekhart Tolle

It’s so easy to move forward in life, reaching your goals but not bringing adequate appreciation to your efforts.

take a moment to give yourself some appreciation and gratitude for the effort you have made so far to commit to a daily meditation practice.

If you’ve fallen off the meditation train, no stress, just begin again today.

Day 10

You can strengthen your mindfulness muscle by trying shorter practices during the day. Short mindful pauses in the day can have a surprising effect. Here’s a two minute meditation to help you reconnect with yourself in the middle of a stressful day. experiment with the impact of a momentary PaUSe in your day.

Take a MINDFUL MOMENT and P.A.U.S.E. today:

P - Pause for a moment and interrupt your ‘automatic pilot’

A - Attend to the breath and locate the feeling of the breath in your body

U - Use the out-breath to let go of any tension in the body

S - Sense what is present. What you’re thinking, feeling, hearing, seeing?

E - Engage again with your activities

Remember at any moment you can unhook from thoughts or emotions and tune into the breath. through this mindful practice you’ll develop more capacity to respond deliberately, rather than react automatically when you’re under pressure.


Download the mindful minute meditation here

https://soundcloud.com/mindful-in-may/mindful-minute/s-7bavT

https://soundcloud.com/mindful-in-may/mindful-minute/s-7bavT

Day 11


Are you noticing your breath more often this week?

Have you noticed a difference in the quality of your breath from day to day or throughout the meditation?

Day 11

˜William James

Many people assume that meditation is about trying to have an empty mind. It’s a common myth which leaves people thinking they are “bad” meditators.

The fact is the mind makes thoughts.

Like the eyes see, the ears hear, the skin feels, the tongue tastes, the nose smells...


THE MIND THINKS.The average person has about 70,000 thoughts a day. That means in a ten-minute meditation you’ll probably have about 486 thoughts...

The purpose of practising mindfulness meditation is not to eliminate thoughts but rather to notice and become better at unhooking from them, and therefore reduce the impact they have on our emotional state. Cultivating mindfulness supports our capacity to CHOOSE what we are paying attention to and how we are relating to our experience, both our internal mind states and stimulus from the outside world.

Set a phone reminder for yourself today to “TAKE A P.A.U.S.E.” and notice the effects of this on your body and mind.


Day 12

˜Mary Pipher

Today connects breath to inspiration and

creativity.

How is your practice going? Reconnect with your initial intention to commit to a one-month meditation challenge and breathe motivation into your practice.

Day 12

The word inspiration comes from the latin “inspirare” - to breathe in spirit. As you continue to bring mindfulness to the breath, take a moment to bring attention to what inspires you. Reconnect with inspiration this week. Allow space for creativity to flow.


What is one small thing you could do to make

yourself feel more alive and inspired today?

Meditating with a goal in mind, like “I’m going to meditate so I can be more creative” is not going to work. As soon as we attach a desired outcome to meditating we move into a space of striving, which will inevitably suffocate creativity. However, meditation creates space for the unexpected and a by-product of that is enhanced creativity.

Creating space for creativity to flow enhances so many areas of our lives. Whether creating unique art, coming up with innovative ideas at work, finding novel ways to re-inspire long term relationships, parenting, combining previously unrelated thoughts to create something original or stumbling upon new ideas that can take you on unexpected life adventures.


Meditation can support creativity in many ways:

1. It helps us recognise and diffuse the power of the inner critic that so often gets in our way when we are trying things outside of our comfort zone.

2. It gives us skills to better tolerate the unknown, which is such an inevitable part of the creative process (and life itself).

3. It supports us in moving a little more towards being, rather than striving.

4. It creates a space for spontaneity to arise.

Although meditation is not about striving to get somewhere or make something happen, I have noticed that when I put time aside for meditation and create that space, unexpected, creative ideas sometimes bubble up.

There’s always something that arises when you sit down to meditate. Sometimes it’s pleasant, sometimes it’s unpleasant. The art of meditation is to allow experience to be as it is, from moment to moment. It is about just noticing rather than reacting to the ripples of thought, sensation and emotion as they constantly change like a kaleidoscope in the space of the mind.

Meditation is a microcosm, a model, a mirror.The skills we practice when we sit are transferable

to the rest of our lives.


Day 13

˜Sharon Salzberg

Have you been using the P.A.U.S.E. or eating

mindfully?

How is your practice going? Are you experimenting with bringing mindful moments into your day?

Day 13

Don’t underestimate the power of the pause.

Keep practising it and notice how it starts to automatically arrive when you most need it.


It really can be easy to underestimate the power of taking a pause and connecting with the breath in the middle of a busy day.

When we P.A.U.S.E. for a moment we have a chance to catch up with ourselves - to literally catch our breath.

After taking a P.A.U.S.E. the next step is to ask yourself:

“What do I need to do in this moment to best support myself?”

Through consciously asking this question, we start to move into more mindful action.

Giving ourselves a moment to actually tune in to what is happening, relax our bodies and enquire into what we need, we can start to open up new possibilities of responding effectively to high pressure situations.


Day 14

˜Sir William Churchill

We are nearly halfway through the challenge. It’s time to take a step back and reflect on how things are going.

Day 14


What is it you really wanted to gain from this month?

What have you noticed about your habitual way of doing things as it has shown up in this one-month meditation challenge?

Have you been too hard on yourself, or perhaps you’ve had difficulty persevering?

What is called for at the moment in your practice? Do you need to be more kind to yourself, or give yourself a pep talk and find more motivation?

If meditation practice hasn’t been as regular as you would have liked, identify the things that have been getting in your way.

How can you address these obstacles and get back on track for the next two weeks?

Remember with each moment you have an opportunity to begin again.

There’s none so blind as those

who will not listen.


Day 15

˜Neil Gaiman

Welcome to week three.

I’d like to invite you to take a moment to acknowledge the effort you have made so far to develop mindfulness.

This week we expand our awareness and direct our attention to the world around us, starting with mindfulness of SOUND.

Day 15week 3


https://soundcloud.com/mindful-in-may/mindfulness-of-breath-and-sound/s-LUFNN


Just like the breath, being mindful of sounds is another way of training our attention to be where we want it to be. It’s a beautiful meditation to practise with music or the sounds of nature. However, it can also be interesting to practise on a busy city train. Tune in to the urban or rural soundtrack of your environment.

The mindfulness of sound practice is a helpful way of adapting your practice if you find yourself in a noisy situation. Try it on the train or even when you are walking through the city in peak hour.

Notice the way sounds can so easily stimulate stories that can hijack your attention.

Remember to turn on your G.P.S. as you practice (gentleness, patience and a sense of humour).

1. As with all mindfulness meditation, it is important to ensure the body is relaxed and comfortable

2. This practice is preferably done in a seated position (but you can lie down if you prefer)

3. We start the practice by tuning into the the rhythm of the breath

4. Then simply shift attention to the sounds that come and go each moment wherever you are

5. If there are no sounds then just notice the silence

6. Notice as you pay attention to the sounds whether you are drawn to any particular and notice whether some sounds are pleasant, unpleasant or neutral


Day 16

˜Friedrich Nietzsche

How was the mindfulness of sound practice? Did you experiment with using it during the day? What did you notice?

Day 16


Being mindful is the practice of remembering to be present in the moment and in your life. Often it takes extraordinary things to bring us into the moment, whether it be breathtaking beauty or tragedy. It can be harder to be present to the more ordinary moments of life.

MINDFUL MOMENTLie on the floor, turn on your favourite piece of music, close your eyes and mindfully listen. Become aware of any urge to move. If you feel pulled to move, then allow mindfulness into motion through dance. This is mindful movement meditation. Do it alone in your lounge room. It’s liberating, playful and creative.

“We could say that meditation doesn’t have a reason or doesn’t have a purpose. In this respect it’s unlike almost all other things we do except perhaps making music and dancing. When we make music we don’t do it in order to reach a certain point, such as the end of the composition. If that were the purpose of music then obviously the fastest players would be the best. Also, when we are dancing we are not aiming to arrive at a particular place on the floor as in a journey. When we dance, the journey itself is the point, as when we play music the playing itself is the point.

And exactly the same thing is true in meditation. Meditation is the discovery that the point of life is always arrived at in the immediate moment.”

Alan Watts (1915 - 1973)


Day 17

˜Karl Menninger

We live in an interconnected world where we are constantly in relationship with one another and our surroundings. Bringing mindfulness into communication is a challenging practice, but one that can deepen and enrich both our personal and professional relationships.

Day 17


Conversations can be a great opportunity to practise being mindful. With the speed of our lives and competing forces pulling our attention in all directions, bringing our full attention to someone is a truly precious gift. Experiment today with bringing mindfulness into communication.

Here are twelve steps for being mindful in

C.O.N.V.E.R.S.A.T.I.O.N.

Experiment today with bringing your full attention to someone as they speak. Mindfully listening to someone is a truly precious gift and will deepen the quality of your interactions.

C - Create a clear intention to be fully present and mindful

O - Open to the other person

N - Notice their features

V - Voice quality

E - Engage with the content

R - Refrain from interrupting

S - Speak the truth

A - Allow pauses

T - Tune into the body: breath, heart beat, tightness

I - Invite a non-judgmental attitude

O - Observe your mind’s tendency to drift

N - Notice when your attention has drifted and re-focus


Day 18Day 18

˜Vilayanur Ramachandran

WHAT IS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH TECHONOLOGY?

Are you using it mindfully?


Technology can be so valuable in supporting communities of like-minded people to develop. However, you will have likely experienced the shadow side of technology - increased distraction, insomnia from hyper-stimulation, or perhaps the multiple window syndrome (finding yourself with many different windows open at once on your computer and not being able to focus on any one of them).

Did you know that sitting in front of a computer screen can impact your health by its effect on your breathing?

Linda Stone, thought leader in the field of technology, described the phenomenon of email apnea, or breath holding whilst using email. She revealed that a large portion of people chronically breath hold whilst using the computer. The result of this breath holding is a triggering of the sympathetic nervous system, commonly referred to as the fight-or-flight response. This leads to associated disturbance in the balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood and can contribute to stress-related disease.

Bringing mindfulness to the relationship we have with technology is becoming crucial. There is a growing tawareness of the benefits of taking a digital detox and self imposing limitations on our internet use.

Taking ten minutes a day to rest your brain from the constant barrage of information, is an act of lovingkindness towards yourself.

Take a few moments today to reflect on your interaction and relationship with technology.

Does anything need adjusting? Tune into what’s happening with your breath whilst using technology.

To listen fully

means to pay close attention

to what is being said beneath the words.You listen not only to the ‘music,’ but to

the essence of the person speaking.


Day 19

˜Peter Senge

Day 19

The mindful dialogue is a conscious interaction that needs both the speaker and the listener to take part.


Here is a guide to the Mindful Dialogue

1. Find a good time when no one is rushing.

2. Ask your friend or partner if you can have a mindful dialogue.

3. Decide who is talking and who is listening.

4. Set a timer for five minutes and the listener opens with a question: “What would you like to dialogue about?”

5. The speaker has five minutes to talk freely about anything they like.

6. The listener’s role is to be completely mindful, without talking or responding with thoughts or advice, to what is being said.

7. The listener then takes three minutes to reflect back what was heard, without overlaying opinion or advice.

8. The speaker then takes a minute to reflect back what it felt like to be listened to.

9. Swap roles and practise again.

10. If you are unsure what to talk about, the listener can make up whatever question they choose.

Some suggested questions to experiment with:

• What interests you deeply?

• What makes you feel most alive?

• What is something you appreciate most in your life?

• What gives your life most meaning?

˜Simone Weil


Day 20

˜Albert Einstein

If you’re still reading and practising, that is a truly inspiring outcome. Even if you are not practising everyday, take a moment to consider whether you’ve been more mindful in daily life than before starting the challenge.

Day 20


As you continue to practise, you may like to try and explore unguided meditation. Start by setting up a timer and be your own guide. Begin with a short practice of two minutes and simply tune into the sounds around you and each time your attention wanders bring it back to sounds.

With every new habit we try to bring into our lives, we will inevitably face obstacles and resistance.

What are the biggest obstacles for you so far?

Some of the common obstacles that arise in meditation include restlessness, agitation, boredom, anxiety, impatience, sleepiness, doubt and self criticism ( just to name a few). These are often the same challenges or blind spots that arise in our everyday lives. These obstacles can lead us to give up too soon. Know that you are not alone in these challenges and stick with the practice, holding your final judgements for the end.

An essential aspect of being mindful is noticing the way we relate to our experiences. When practising mindfulness, it’s helpful to actively remind yourself to bring a friendly, kind and accepting attitude to whatever experience arises in the moment. This doesn’t mean you have to like what is happening, but rather just bring an openness and curiosity to whatever is present.

Take a moment to check in with yourself and notice if there is any niggling guilt about not having meditated as much as you had intended... with the next out breath... LET IT GO NOW. Just get back on board for the remaining time.


Day 21Day 21

The best way out is always

through.˜Robert Frost

There are many challenges you may face

when practising meditation.

The important thing to know is that this does not mean you are a “bad meditator”. Rather it’s all part of the journey.

Here are a few common obstacles and their antidotes.


Same theme coming up every day During meditation we watch thoughts arise without engaging with them or pushing them away. However, if the same theme arises each day it is helpful to pay attention and explore it outside of meditation. It can be helpful to take what you have noticed and spend a few moments writing about it, exploring your feelings around the theme or issue. A valuable complement to meditation practice can be a mentor, therapist, spiritual teacher or life coach to help you see beyond your potential blindspots.

Doubting

Do you find yourself doubting the practice? Perhaps doubting your own capacity to meditate or even even starting to think it’s all a waste of time?

When doubt arises with it’s sticky tentacles, direct your attention to the body and see what you notice. What emotions sit beneath doubt?

Notice the sense of tension associated with a need to “work it all out” and use the outbreath to relax and bring a sense of ease to the practice.

Bring an active sense of kindness and compassion to yourself when a cloud of doubt sets in, whether during meditation or simply in life.

Doubt is like a force that pulls the rug out from under you. Wise decisions are not made under the spell of doubt. Wait until doubt has passed before you make any final decisions.

Dominated by a particular thought When a thought arises in the mind and you feel like it has totally taken you hostage, say quietly to yourself “I am having the thought that…[insert thought here].” This is a good way of diffusing the thoughts power over you and reminding you that you are not your thoughts.


Distracted

If you notice the mind is particularly distracted, remember that a helpful way to settle the mind is to count the breath up to ten at the beginning of each practice. This is particularly helpful if you try and do a practice without guidance.

Sleepy

If you find yourself constantly falling asleep when meditating try and bring energy to the practice by evoking a “begginer’s mind”. This is a mind that is fresh and curious, like that of a child. This orientation will allow you to engage more with the practice and with life in general. Finally, it may be a sign that you are actually fatigued and could be a good indicator for you to prioritise more rest.


Day 22

˜Victor Frankl

Day 22

WELCOME TO WEEK FOUR YOUR FINAL WEEK OF PRACTICE.

This week we introduce two new meditations and move our attention to the domain of thoughts and emotions.

week 4

Download the audio meditation here



The mindfulness of sounds and thought practice. In this meditation we rest our attention on the thought stream itself, observing thoughts as they come and go, just like sounds.

The practice of becoming mindful of thoughts can be difficult at first. With the previous meditation, the object of our attention was something more solid and tangible, like sensations of breath, body sensations or sounds. Thoughts are much more elusive and it can be difficult to bring attention to them without getting pulled in and distracted by their content. As we become more mindful of thoughts, we develop more capacity and freedom to choose how we relate to our thinking. This opens up more possibilities and frees us from our habitual thinking and auto-pilot reactions.

We often relate to thoughts as if they are our reality, rather than a mere representation of it. We can spend our whole lives imprisoned by our own self-limiting beliefs and unproductive thought patterns. Practising mindfulness of thoughts enables us to observe thoughts rather than be completely pulled into their stories.

We can’t control what thoughts arise in the mind,

but we can decide

how we relate to these thoughts.



An experimentTake a few moments now, close your eyes and just observe the mind. Notice the flow of thoughts and pay attention to what the mind is thinking. Notice what thoughts come to mind.

A ReflectionYou may have noticed that your mind suddenly seemed blank. When you go looking for thoughts they seem to disappear, whereas when you want your mind to stay in one place, like on the breath, thoughts seem to constantly pull at your attention.

Did you notice that there is a part of you, that is not your thoughts? This is the part of you that was observing your thoughts.

This means that you are NOT only your thoughts. There is a part of you that can observe your thinking mind. This is the part of you that can observe your planning, judging, thinking mind.

Thoughts may come and go, but awareness, the space from which thoughts arise, is always present and unchanging.


Here are a few metaphors that originate from Buddhist texts which give a helpful way of thinking about the mind as we move into the mindfulness of thought practice:

The mind is like a stageThe stage is like our awareness, that constant, unchanging space from which all thoughts arise. The actors are like thoughts that come and go in the space of the mind. When meditating on thoughts, the idea is to take the observer position and simply witness your thoughts coming and going like actors on a stage. This way we become more able to maintain an observer position even in the midst of difficult thoughts or emotions.

The mind is like the skyThe sky is boundless, clear and infinite, like our awareness. Just as clouds come and go and can obscure the clear sky, so to thoughts come and go and can obscure the clarity of the mind.

TIPS

• See if you can locate the space out of which thoughts arise.

• Listen to your thoughts like you are listening to the radio. Are there repetitive stories or is the content different each time?

• Notice the type of thinking that arises. Is it recollecting, planning, problem solving, judging, worrying, fantasising?

• Try counting your thoughts and observe what happens to them.


You will know when you have been pulled into a thought stream when you momentarily forget you are meditating.

What form do your thoughts take?

Are they:

• like a radio with a constant internal narrator?

• like a movie with random images?

• like reading words in a book?

Perhaps you are having trouble detecting any thoughts at all?

As we learn to relate to thoughts from the observer position, our thoughts begin to have less power over our moods, emotions and behaviours. We start to become masters rather than slaves of our minds.


Day 23

˜ Marcel Proust

With practice you will start to become more

familiar with the weather patterns of your mind. They are always changing.

Just like the ever-changing patterns of thoughts, emotions are constantly changing too.

Mindfulness of emotions can help us consciously respond, rather than react when we are overcome with difficult feelings. Whether it’s losing one’s temper with a child, colleague, friend or partner, emotions such as anger, fear or sadness can lead to actions that are reactive and often regrettable.

Day 23The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes

but in having new eyes.


According to integrative neuroscientist Evian Gordon, the brain works according to the underlying principle of a “minimise danger and maximise reward” paradigm. When we are faced with an event or emotion our brains tag it as “good” and we want more of it, or “bad” and we try to avoid it.

We are wired to move away from experiences that are unpleasant and towards experiences that are pleasant. This includes emotions. The problem with this is that while avoidance can help in the short term, it often doesn’t work in the long term and comes with physical and mental health consequences.

When emotions take over, it can be hard to think clearly. This is because the primitive reptilian brain, which is wired to protect us from danger, kicks in with the fight or flight response, making us react automatically. While this is protective in life, threatening situations, this same brain circuitry unfortunately gets triggered whenever we feel threatened by circumstances which are not physically dangerous, for example, in conflict with others.

EMOTIONAL FIRST AID is a way of bringing damage control to emotions when they are ‘hot’ and most likely to lead to impulsive or destructive behaviour.

When it comes to communicating with others in the heat of an emotion, we want the prefrontal cortex (aka. CEO of the brain) to take charge rather than be hijacked by the fight or flight response which disables our capacity to think clearly.

Rather than taking impulsive action in the heat of the moment, mindfulness helps us stay with emotions and choose how we are going to respond. Bringing mindfulness to emotions is about noticing and connecting to whatever emotion is present. It is about moving closer with curiosity, rather than turning away or cutting off.


The Four Steps of MINDFUL EMOTIONAL FIRST AID

A- Acknowledge

• Acknowledge that the emotion is present.

• Doing this is the first step in having more freedom to respond wisely in the face of emotion.

B- Be open

• Be open and accept that the emotion is with you.

C- Curiously Explore

• Curiously explore the actual emotion.

• Where do you feel the emotion in your body? (emotions are located in the body even though initially this can be difficult to discern)

• Do you notice any tension? Heat? As you observe the emotion do you experience it as solid and permanent or do you notice it changes in its quality?

D- De-identify

• De-identifying from emotion means you can access a space in your mind to observe the emotion rather than fusing with it and becoming the emotion.

• This observer position allows you a capacity to SEE the emotion rather than BE the emotion.

• If you can SEE it, you can choose how you will respond to it. If you are BEING it, there is no space left in the mind in that moment to be able to CHOOSE your response.

• Just like thoughts, when a strong emotion arises you can silently note to yourself “I am noticing the feeling of [name the emotion] …..” Or simply “Here is anger.”


Remember that bringing mindfulness to emotions doesn’t mean you will stop feeling the range of negative emotions: anger, sadness, anxiety, loneliness, disappointment - rather it means you can better relate and respond to these emotions when they arise.

As you practise observing emotions

you begin to appreciate their

transient and impermanent nature.


Day 24

Are you bringing more curiosity to your

thoughts and emotions?

Take a moment to actively notice what thoughts, body sensations and emotions are associated with pleasant and unpleasant experiences in your day.

Day 24

˜ Marcel Proust

We don’t receive wisdom; we must discover it for ourselves after a journey that no one can

take for us or spare us.


Becoming more aware of what you feel, in the moment, is mindfulness.

Mindfulness supports us in becoming more clear, focussed, creative and compassionate.

Becoming more mindful can help us regulate our emotions as we begin to get better at recognising them and catching them before they proliferate. If we can tune into emotions in real time, we can become more skilful in responding to them.

An effective way of regulating our emotions is by describing how we feel with words. This tool is grounded in research. One study quoted in Dr. Daniel Siegel’s book The Mindful Brain, demonstrated that people who use words to describe their feelings are better able to regulate their emotions and respond more skilfully in high-stress situations.

The act of labelling intense emotions by describing them in words, allows the higher brain functions including the prefrontal cortex to act on the emotion centre of the brain, the amygdala, and reduce it’s amplification of the emotion.

Try labelling emotions out loud, particularly when they arise in relation to others and notice if this has any effect on their intensity and your capacity to respond to them.


Day 25

The final practice for THIS MONTH OF

MINDFULNESS is the lovingkindness meditation, which calls upon our capacity for imagination.

This is an opportunity to stop and consciously bring appreciation and compassion to ourselves and others. The practice is a beautiful way of reminding ourselves of the truth of our interdependence and interconnectedness. Through it we connect with the universal desire we have as humans for happiness and our shared vulnerability living in the face of constant change.

Day 25

Download this week’s audio meditation here: the lovingkindness practice

Talk to yourself like you would to someone

you love.˜Brene Brown

https://soundcloud.com/mindful-in-may/loving-kindness-meditation/s-ACJeb


The practice is another way of calming the mind but rather than anchoring our attention to the breath or thoughts, we anchor our attention to the lovingkindness phrases as we repeat them silently to ourselves.

Decide if it works for you after trying it out. You can always create phrases that fit more comfortably for you and practise it on your own.

You don’t have to feel any particular emotion during the practice. Rather it is an INTENTION to orientate the mind towards kindness and compassion for ourselves and others.

The lovingkindness meditation is helpful when difficult emotions arise by allowing our awareness to expand beyond our own small circle of existence. This gives us perspective, and opens us to the universality of suffering and reminds us we are not alone.

Breathe in lovingkindness

for yourself, breathe out

lovingkindness to others.


After three weeks of meditation practice you will have likely met that voice inside your head. The one that tends to constantly be judging, evaluating or criticising you or those around you. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you are a very rare breed.

It’s liberating to be able to relate to this voice with awareness, rather than be absorbed by it’s unhelpful storytelling. Some people spend their lives limited by the convincing nature of the inner critic.

Today, bring lovingkindness to yourself.

Be mindful of the inner critic and remember to

give yourself a break.


Day 26

The lovingkindness practice reminds us

that we are part of an intricate web of

Interconnectedness.

Day 26

˜John Muir

When one tugs at a single thing in nature,

he finds it attachedto the rest of the world.


A human being is a part of the whole that we call universe, a part limited in time and space.A person experiences themself, their thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of consciousness.This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us.

Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.

Who came up in your meditation today?

I invite you to write an email or letter to someone who you feel grateful to have in your life. Notice how it feels to share your positive feelings.

˜Albert Einstein


Day 27

The lovingkindness practice can be integrated

into your life by practising it whilst you are moving through different experiences in your day.

Day 27

˜carl rogers

ThE GOOD LIfE Is A pROcEss not a state of being. It is a direction, not a destination.


Here are ten examples where you could experiment with shorter, self-guided lovingkindness meditation:

1. After having an emotionally charged conversation with a friend or family member

2. When waiting for a medical test to come back

3. Before public speaking (practise lovingkindness to the audience)

4. When feeling angry

5. When waiting in queues (supermarkets, airports, traffic lights)

6. When walking down the street (silently send an intention of lovingkindness to a stranger that passes you by)

7. On public transport at peak hour (find the most stressed-looking person and send it to them)

8. Before a difficult conversation with your boss or an employee

9. After your children have been testing your patience and pressing your buttons

10. When you see a homeless person on the street

Practising lovingkindness reminds us of our common humanity and shared desire for genuine happiness.

Traditionally the lovingkindness meditation originated from Buddhist contemplative practice and was prescribed as an antidote to fear.

As with all of the meditation practices, the only way to discover the benefits is through practising them. Stick to a regular practice and discover the benefits for yourself.


Day 28Day 28

CONGRATULATIONS ON REACHING THE END

OF A MONTH OF MINDFULNESS.

Whether you managed to meditate every day or not, take a moment to acknowledge your efforts.

˜ Milarepa

Hasten slowly and you shall soon reach

your destination.

Record what you are feeling after having taken the one-month challenge. What have you noticed about the power of bringing presence into everyday life? What is your intention for the future? What would you like to take from the one month of meditation and bring into your everyday life?

The more you know yourself, the more clarity there is. Self-knowledge has no end - you don’t come to an achievement, you don’t come to a conclusion.

It is an endless river.˜Krisnamurti

Meditation journalMeditation journal

What thoughts, feelings or sensations did

you notice during the practice?DAY

1

2

3

4

“If you correct your mind, the rest of your life will fall into place” - Lao Tzu

DAY

5

6

7

8

Didn’t practise today? No problem, just start again tomorrow...

Remember to turn on your G.P.S. when meditating: Gentleness, Patience, Sense of humour.


you notice during the practice?

DAY

9

10

11

12

“Nature doesn’t hurry, yet everything is accomplished” - Lao Tzu

If you’re getting the hang of meditation, you might like to try and do it alone in silence. Set a timer and be your own guide.



DAY

13

14

15

16

Your own positive future begins in this moment. All you have is right now. Every goal is possible from here” - Lao Tzu



DAY

17

18

19

20

“Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.” - Vincent van Gogh



DAY

21

22

23

24

“Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions; Watch your actions; they become habit. Watch your habits; they become character.

Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.” - Lao Tzu

“The most difficult times for many of us are the ones we give ourselves” - Pema Chodron



DAY

25

26

27

28



“We are here to awaken from our illusion of separateness” - Thich Nhat Hanh

DAY

29

30

31



Congratulations! Whether you have meditated every day or not, take a

moment to acknowledge your effort this month.

the mindful month - coaching and mindfulness meditation

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