The Starter Kit
A simple introduction to mindfulness practice.
1. Why we need mindfulness
Life is stressful, and mental health issues such as anxiety and depression are reaching epidemic proportions, accounting for nearly half of all sick days at work. Pressure of workload and personal conflicts are the top causes, but we all have personal issues too.
We have to take control of our life where we can – with ourselves.
The brain is always adapting, so we can learn to react less strongly to stressful events, keep our self-destructive emotions in check, and start to enjoy life again.
Wherever you are now, however you’re feeling, this is the right time to start. Meditation has been shown to have multiple benefits, from bringing down blood pressure, to improving concentrative ability and counteracting mental aging.
Meditation is simple and normal. You can do it right now, just as you are. You can do it wherever you are, sitting at the desk, in the car, in the supermarket. You’ll get some benefit right away, and after 8 weeks of regular practice, you’ll start making permanent changes to the way your brain deals with stress.
2. How mindfulness works
Everything is neutral. A buzzing bee might annoy you, and delight me. So how we react is a pattern built into the neural pathways in our brain. That pattern can change, with practice.
Thoughts, that seem so real, are not us. We can step back and observe them, we don’t have to engage. We can also re-frame things consciously, so for example we can re-name something scary as something exciting, and our brain doesn’t know the difference.
We can likewise change our brain chemistry deliberately, for example by smiling to release feel-good neurotransmitters like dopamine.
Who we think we are, what holds us back, is just a story. We can tell another story and after while the brain will act that way. So yes, you can teach an old dog new tricks.
Meditation is simple and normal. You can do it right now, just as you are. You can do it wherever you are, sitting at the desk, in the car, in the supermarket. You’ll get some benefit right away, and after 8 weeks of regular practice, you’ll start making permanent changes to the way your brain deals with stress.
3. How to meditate
Mindfulness is simply about tuning-in to what is, now. And doing that as a kindly observer, without judgement. Meditation is using that experience to understand our own minds.
So you can use present moment attention to meditate at any time, in any place. To get going, first decide how long you’ve got, and fully commit to taking this time for yourself. Just be present, letting go of thinking about past and future events.
It’s useful to have an object to focus on to keep you in the present – tuning-in to your breathing is the most commonly used technique. If thoughts take you off, no problem, that’s normal, just come back. Let go of judgements about whatever you notice, or whether you’re doing it well – just observe and be with whatever arises, and focus on direct physical sensations; it’s not about thinking.
Meditation is simple and normal. You can do it right now, just as you are. You can do it wherever you are, sitting at the desk, in the car, in the supermarket. You’ll get some benefit right away, and after 8 weeks of regular practice, you’ll start making permanent changes to the way your brain deals with stress.
4. An introduction to mindful breathing
You can use your breathing as a focus of present moment attention. This is the most common form of mindfulness practice.
So follow these instructions now, for just 30 seconds:
Begin by sitting upright, staying alert and attentive but relaxed. You can close your eyes or keep them lightly open and unfocused.
Now bring you full attention to breathing. Notice the cycle of the in-breath and out-breath.
Where do you have the most evident physical sensation of this – in the nose the throat, the chest, the belly? Whatever it is for you, stay with that.
Now bring particular attention to the out-breath, allowing yourself to relax more each time – do that now for just 3 breaths. Then relax, and see how you feel.
5. An introduction to the body scan
The body is our early warning system of emotions arising. The body is much quicker to respond than the thinking brain.
So getting to know where we register tension helps us interrupt the stress cycle, before an event automatically leads to a habitual reaction.
The body scan is our way of getting know our body better, and it can be really relaxing too, so try this now:
Bring attention to the direct physical sensation in the head – the scalp, forehead, eyes and jaw.
Then bring the attention into the throat, and the torso, noticing the rhythum of the breathing.
Then down to the belly and feel yourself sitting on the seat. Feel your legs, and how your feet are connected to the floor.
..and with every outbreath, you can relax any tension that you find.