Session 1 of the 8-week series provides the basis for mindfulness, looking at neuroscience and the way it changes our brains, reduces stress and helps to connect us with a deeper sense of the now.
3. GROUP AGREEMENTS
This is our agreement to stay both physically and
emotionally to the best of your ability over the next 8 weeks
I intend you all good will
I will keep in confidence everything that I see and hear
I will stay present to the best of my ability, in spite of
challenges
7. 8 session, 8 essential topics
1. THIS TRAINING
§ Session 1: Beginner’s Mind - neuroscience of mindfulness “reboot”
§ Session 2: Overcoming Obstacles - automatic patterns and reactivity
§ Session 3: Staying Present - Judgment
§ Session 4: Conflict / Acceptance
§ Session 5: Staying Clear - Goals / Future (doing versus results)
§ Session 6: Listening & Silence - Compassion
§ Session 7: Self Care - Ego / Identity
§ Session 8: Letting Go – Integration for Life
8. Neuroscience
1. THIS TRAINING
§ Why does mindfulness work?
§ What happens when we are mindful?
§ What is the evidence for the effectiveness of
mindfulness?
9. Practice
1. THIS TRAINING
§ integration of mindfulness in daily life
§ formal vs. informal
§ acting with awareness
§ dealing with emotions
15. Neurochemicals carries, boosts and
modulates signals between neurons and
other cells in the body.
More than 100 such chemical
messengers have been identified.
Neuroscience & Mindfulness
30. [ ]
The human mind is a relational and
embodied process that regulates the
flow of energy and information.
- Dan Siegel 2009
Neuroscience & Mindfulness
33. Definition
” Keeping one’s complete attention
to the experience on a
moment-to-moment basis
in an open and
non-judgmental way.
Jon Kabat-Zinn
”
3. WHAT IS MINDFULNESS?
34. Mindfulness is not:
§ relaxation
§ a religion
§ a way to change thoughts
§ difficult
§ easy
§ a way to not be concerned with the future anymore
§ impossible to investigate scientifically
3. WHAT IS MINDFULNESS?
36. 5 core components
1. attention
§ pay attention to what occurs in this moment
§ awareness of thoughts, physical sensations,
emotions and feelings
3. WHAT IS MINDFULNESS?
37. 5 core components
2. open awareness
§ awareness of judgment
§ awareness of labeling (e.g. “good” vs “bad”)
§ letting go of label's and judgments
3. WHAT IS MINDFULNESS?
38. 5 core components
3. acceptance
§ accept current experience as it is
§ do not attempt to change it
§ no struggle/fight
3. WHAT IS MINDFULNESS?
39. 5 core components
4. no identification
§ you are not the emotion/thought
§ I experience sadness vs I am sad
§ not everything you think is true
§ states (emotions/thoughts) come and go
3. WHAT IS MINDFULNESS?
40. 5 core components
5. Choice
§ not letting a state of being take over
§ room between impulse and action
§ conscious vs automatic behavior (autopilot)
3. WHAT IS MINDFULNESS?
42. Mindlessness
§ rushing through activities without being attentive to them
§ breaking or spilling things because of carelessness inattention,
or thinking of something else
§ failing to notice subtle feelings of physical tension or discomfort
§ finding ourselves preoccupied with the future or the past
§ snacking without being aware of eating
3. WHAT IS MINDFULNESS?
43. Practicing mindfulness
1. attention
2. open awareness
3. acceptance
4. no identification
5. choice
} Prevented by
automatic patterns
3. WHAT IS MINDFULNESS?
45. Exercise
4. THE NOW
§ Please remember a beautiful moment from the past.
§ Try to think of what happened back then.
46. Exercise
Now consider the moment you just thought of:
§ Where was your attention?
§ Were you thinking a lot?
§ Were you living in the moment?
§ Were no other problems present in your life at that time?
4. THE NOW
47. The present moment
§ plays a fundamental role in mindfulness
§ we are often not in the now
§ where are we then?
4. THE NOW
51. Thoughts…
§ are a powerful tool
§ difficult to “turn off” when not needed anymore
§ disconnect us from the present moment
§ can become problematic when believed to be true
4. THE NOW
52. Mindfulness & thoughts
§ thoughts are not facts
§ observe vs being caught in a train of thought
§ in this moment, there is seldom a problem
4. THE NOW