Mindfulness involves paying attention to present experiences without judgment. It has physiological benefits like reducing blood pressure and stress, as well as cognitive benefits such as increased focus and creativity. Mindfulness can be practiced through breathing techniques and meditation to foster qualities like patience, acceptance, and non-judgment. Simple exercises like breath counting and the 4-7-8 breathing method can lower stress and promote relaxation.

1. Mindfulness
The natural state of living moment by moment

2. What is Mindfulness?
 Mindfulness is about how we are in relationship to everything- our
thoughts, bodies, emotions, & past
 We can learn to live in a way that recognizes and makes use of what is
already beautiful and already whole inside of us, and drawing upon it to
live our lives
 Mindfulness practice is merely paying attention to what is when you
breathe, placing no expectations on the experience

3. The Benefits of Mindfulness
 Physiological
 Improve immune functioning
 Reduce Blood Pressure
 Behavioral
 Have a greater sense of choice and control
 Help in changing behaviors
 Cognitive
 Sustain focus and attention
 Increase creativity
 Enhance memory
 Achieve emotion regulation
 Emotional
 Foster resilience
 Reduce anxiety, stress and depression

4. A Survivorship Tool
 Mindfulness can positively effect the immune system and help with healing
 Studies increasingly show how cancer and the immune system are intertwined,
and thus mindfulness can be an important survivorship tool
 Mindfulness-Based Cancer Research finds that meditation can impact the
body’s inflammation response and lessen symptoms associated with
cancer

5. How Can One Practice Mindfulness?
 It is not about doing, but more about being and allowing yourself to be who
you already are
 Becoming mindful means to become aware of each moment, thought, or
feeling without judgement- nothing is good or bad, it just is
 You must be willing to live more in the present without wishing it were
different
 React not respond
 Reactions are unconscious and automatic; responses are made consciously and
with thought

6. Attitudes of Mindfulness
• Non-Judgement
• Becoming aware of our own judgements can
allow for more control over responses to
situations
• Labelling your surroundings as good, bad, or
neutral can be a habit that causes you to react
without thinking and involuntarily
• Patience
• Accepting the way things are in the present
• Beginner’s Mind
• The willingness to see things as if it were for
the first time, without viewing the world
through a lens shaped by past experience
• Trust
• Develop trust in you and you feelings
• Non-striving
• Do not focus on an outcome or what you
wish to achieve when undertaking
mindfulness; simply do the practice without
any expectations
• Focusing on an end goal interferes with you
being present
• Acceptance
• Seeing and acknowledging things as they way
they are, without approval or satisfaction
• Letting Be (rather than letting go)
• Avoid getting stuck on the past or future and
accept things as the way they are

7. The Best Medicine is Free
 One of the best ways to become mindful is to become aware of and focus on your
breath
 Controlled breathing keeps the mind & body functioning at its highest capacity,
while lowering blood pressure and promoting feelings of relaxation
 Diaphragmatic breathing (“belly breathing”): this method naturally influences
the involuntary nervous system to positively effect circulation, digestion, and heart
problems
 4-7-8 Exercise (or “Relaxing Breath”):
1) Sit with your back straight and place the tip of your tongue against your upper front
teeth
2) Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound
3) Close your mouth and inhale for a count of 4
4) Hold your breath for a count of 7
5) Exhale completely through your mouth for a count of 8
**This is one breath, repeat the cycle three more times, totaling four breaths

8. Breathing Techniques
 Breath Counting:
1) Sit with the spine straight and the head slightly forward. Close your eyes
and take a few deep breaths
2) Count “one” to yourself as you exhale
3) With the next breath count “two”; continuing until “five”
 Never count higher than five, if you do you will know your attention has
wandered
o Phrases for Focus:
o “I breathe in healing oxygen; I exhale toxins”
o “I am aware of my life energy in breath”
(inhale); “I am aware of relaxing fully”
(exhale)

9. Formal Meditation
 Sit comfortably with your back straight, you can close your eyes or focus
softly in front of you
 Breathe into your lower abdomen, following your breath as you breathe
naturally
 Upon exhaling, think about where your mind and attention is, observe
what you begin to think about, then come back to your belly and your
breath
 Begin practicing in small increments of time, and gradually increase
the length of your meditation
 The willingness to follow your breath and mind each moment is key
to mindful practice

10. STOP- One Minute Breathing Space
 Create space to reconnect with your natural resilience and wisdom. Turn into what
is happening right now without any expectations of the outcome
S- Stop and Take Stock
• Ask yourself “What is my experience right now?” to acknowledge and register what you are
feeling
T- “Take” a Breath
• Gently direct your attention to breathing, following each inhale with an exhale
O- Open and Observe
• Sense your body as a whole- your posture and facial expressions
• Further outward your awareness to the surroundings- sights, smells, sound, etc.
P- Proceed/ new Possibilities
• Allow your attention to move into the world around you, sensing how things are right now