2. Session
6:
2
• Breathing Space
• Home Practice
• Has Mindfulness been helpful to you?
• Brief Recap of False Refuge
• Role Play: Showing Compassion to
Someone Else
• Guided Exercise: Being your Own Best
Friend
• Guided Exercise: Compassion Break
• What do you want to practice in Session
7?
• Toolkit
• Wrap Up
• Assign Home Practice
3. STAR Breathing
3
• The purpose of STAR Breathing is to help
you move out of autopilot, slow down, and
respond to stressful situations more skillfully.
• STOP, and step out of autopilot.
• Focus your attention on your breath.
• Become aware of what is happening in your
mind and body right now.
• Gently bring your focus back to your breath.
• Gently open your eyes and regain focus.
5. False
Refuge
3
False Refuge
False refuge – take
refuge in
something that
doesn’t benefit us
Human nature to
avoid dealing with
issues sometimes
Examples include:
• Being angry at others
• Retail therapy
• Stress eating
Why do you want
to cope in this
way?
What would
actually help you
calm down?
Take a breath,
pause, before you
act/react
8. Roleplay: Showing
Compassion to
Someone Else
• Think of a time when something went wrong, or you
made a mistake. Imagine you mentioned it to a friend,
and they helped you feel less bad about it.
• Would anyone like to share their small mistake?
• How did the other person show you compassion?
• What did they say that made you feel better?
• Roleplay Scenario: Imagine you spilled coffee on
your shirt right before an important job interview.
• Person 1: Tell us what happened and be critical of
yourself
• Person 2: Try to show compassion towards
Person 1 and make them feel better
8
10. Being Your Own Best Friend
The purpose of Being Your Own Best Friend is to show yourself the compassion that you
might respond to with a close friend.
• Sit in your chair with both feet flat on the floor.
• Sit upright but not stiff.
• Relax your arms and shoulders resting your hands on your thighs/or wherever is
comfortable.
• Your eyes can be closed, open, or half-closed.
• Pay attention to your breathing (or the raising and lowering of your chest or an object).
• Repeat 2 or 3 short simple phrases of your choice similar to the following. “May I be well.
May I be healthy. May I be at peace.”
• If your mind wanders, gently return to your breathing.
• Continue for 2 minutes.
10
11. Session 6: Self Compassion Break
11
Self Compassion Break is a brief practice in which you think of a
situation that is stressful and show compassion to yourself
• Your eyes may be closed, or open, or half-closed.
• Think of a stressful situation, but not something overwhelmingly difficult.
• Bring the problem in your life in focus.
• Think to yourself. “This is a moment of suffering. Suffering is present.” And turn toward
your difficulty, name it.
• The second phrase is, “suffering is a part of life”. If this language doesn’t work, find
language that makes sense to you.
• Think about what you might say to a good friend going through the same thing and use
that language for this problem that you are having.
• Something such as, “May I be kind to myself in this moment. I care about you. May I have
peace.”
• Now end the practice and be just as you are in this moment.
12. What skills would you like to
practice in Session 7?
• Sitting Meditation with Mindful
Breathing
• Mindful Walking
• Body Scan
• Breathing Space
• Stealth Compassion
• Being Your Own Best Friend
• Self Compassion Break
12
14. Session 6: Home Practice
• Formal practice: Choose at least one skill from the toolkit to practice for at least 15 minutes
daily
• Sitting Meditation with Mindful Breathing
• Mindful Walking
• Body Scan
• Stealth Compassion
• Being Your Own Best Friend
• Self Compassion Break
• You can vary which skills you practice each day and may choose to practice more than one
some days.
• When you experience something stressful, try using Being Your Own Best Friend or Self
Compassion Break.
• Spend some time thinking about how you will continue your mindfulness practice in the
future.
14
15. References
15
• Neff, K. (no date). Self-Compassion/Loving-Kindness
Meditation. https://self-compassion.org/wp-
content/uploads/meditations/LKM.self-compassion.MP3
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA
