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Mindfulness workshop slide deck - intro & session 1
- 1. Welcome to the Mindful Wellbeing Workshop Facilitator: Michelle Townsend
- 2. The Mindful Wellbeing Course Introduction & Session 1 – Attention and the Now Session 2 – Automaticity Session 3 – Judgement Session 4 – Acceptance Session 5 – Goals Session 6 – Compassion Session 7 – The Ego Session 8 – Integration Session 9 – Integration within Healthi Choices
- 3. Outline – Introduction Welcome Introduction Attention The present moment The Body Scan Homework
- 4. Mindfulness - Defined Focus and attention – here and now – non-judgemental Directed attention – inside and outside Thoughts and our emotions Acceptance Become an observer of your inner-state
- 5. What Mindfulness is NOT All about being calm The absence of thought Being complacent A religion A silver bullet
- 6. Jon Kabat-Zinn explains what mindfulness is. He stresses the fact that mindfulness is not a technique
- 7. Attention to the here and now
- 8. Directed Attention (inwardly and outwardly) What are you thinking about right now? Where are your thoughts at? What are you thinking inwardly? What are you thinking outwardly? What’s for Lunch?
- 9. The importance of attention
- 10. Our mind in endless thoughts (worry and rumination) Do you get lost in endless thinking? How much of the day are you worried and anxious? Do you keep thinking about something that went wrong, over and over again? Do you lie awake at night – thinking about your problems? Are you constantly thinking about the things you need to do or get done Our mind is never “fully switched off”
- 11. Thoughts and our emotions Thoughts, or what we believe about a situation – causes us to feel a certain way. Thoughts are fleeting ….. Emotions may come through when practicing mindfulness – and that’s ok Remember not to judge the feeling – we only want you to notice and acknowledge the feeling, and then focus again on a single object, item, or on your breathing
- 12. Thoughts and our emotions Attention without judgment. Tension or fear are automatically labelled as “ bad”, “ inappropriate” or “unwanted”. When we judge a certain feeling we automatically create a conflict Attempts to resolve this conflict, require a lot of energy and paradoxically cause us to feel even worse
- 13. Exercise: Just Be Focus and attention in the here and now
- 14. Acceptance & Becoming an observer Acceptance - reality as it is right now. Acknowledging what is present. We devote a lot of time to denying what is there - waste a lot of precious energy by resisting. During practice, both pleasant and unpleasant sensations, emotions and thoughts may arise. Remember that the goal of mindfulness is not to get rid of these internal states, but to change one’s relationship with these states
- 15. Without Striving There is no goal to achieve in doing the exercises. People participate in mindfulness trainings because they wish to achieve the goal of worrying less, experiencing less stress, less pain, etc. The exercises aim to cultivate awareness of the present. The problem - I want to become calm and relaxed The goal of mindfulness is not to achieve a goal - but to be present with whatever arises in the present moment
- 16. Compassion
- 17. What is needed for this course? Exercises •15 to 30 minutes a day •Can be done at home or at work •Formal meditation •Informal daily practice Link the insights Patience Effects will not be immediate Like going to gym, takes time to build up muscle Like gardening, takes time for the planted to grow into a beautiful flower By doing the exercises it provides opportunity to link the insights obtained from the sessions
- 19. Outline – Session 1 Attention The present moment The body Scan Mindful Listening Homework
- 20. Attention Attention focuses our awareness on a specific experience. Just like a flash light – that illuminates a targeted area and it therefore makes that area “conscious” to the person holding the light
- 21. Eckhart Tolle explains the power of regularly paying attention to our breathing. By paying attention to our breath, even when this is done for only a short period of time, can help us to make contact with the present moment again and step outside our thinking.
- 22. The body scan - meditation
- 23. Why do the body scan? The body scan teaches us to recognize and experience physical sensations. Much of our attention focuses on our thoughts and on matters outside our body such as our job, social environment, etc. This creates the risk that one pays very little attention to physical signals. The recognition of physical signals such as tension or restlessness is important, especially for the prevention of stress and burn-out (Shapiro, Astin, Bishop, & Cordova, 2005). The body scan is a method to get more in touch with body sensations and signals and to become familiar with them.
- 26. Homework Try to do the body scan (short or long) at home. The more repetitions the greater the effect. The best would be to do the body scan daily. However, if this doesn’t work out for you, try to practice as often as possible. Tip: Choose one (or more) routine activities, such as brushing your teeth, driving home, eating, doing the dishes, going to the supermarket, taking a walk, etc. and try to do it with full attention. In other words, try to focus on the act just as you try to keep your attention to a certain body part during the body scan. During the next week I choose the following routine activities where I consciously focus my attention on: 1 2 3 During the next week, try to pay attention to how you make conversation. Try as fully as possible to focus on the conversation and the person/persons you are together with. The moment you notice that your thoughts are distracted, return your attention to the conversation. Try to be as present as possible to practice mindful listening.
- 27. Log Book Exercise Times performed Observations or perceptions during the exercise Body Scan Routine Activities Consciously Listening
- 28. Some great tools to add to your toolbox Free E-Magazine on Mindfulness https://themindfulmagazine.com/c ategory/mindfulness/ Mindfulness meditation apps Calm app – R54 per month, training on meditation plus over 100 meditations. Includes 3- minute body scan meditation for daily use. (great app, includes peaceful music) Meditation music app Wellzen (72mb) R13.75 pm (includes hydration and step tracker) E-Books: 1. The Stress-Proof Brain: Master Your Emotional Response to Stress Using Mindfulness and Neuroplasticity 2. MBSR – Everyday Practice 3. The relaxation and stress reduction workbook
Editor's Notes
- Mindfulness is attention. This attention can be directed inside ourselves as well as outside ourselves. Attention to feelings, body sensations, thoughts or emotions are examples of attention to one’s inside world. Attention to a conversation with a friend, trees in a forest, sounds or a book are all examples of attention to the outside world. Mindfulness is attention in the here and now. Attention to the things that are happening in this very moment. This may sound easy, but how many times is our attention completely taken somewhere else by our thoughts? Although it is hard to deny that thinking is often very handy – we can make plans and solve difficult problems – at the same time, it is often the cause of many of our problems. Our mind easily gets lost in endless thinking (worrying and rumination). Our thoughts create emotions and feelings like fear and sadness. We lie awake at night because we worry about what might happen tomorrow. We can’t stop thinking of that mistake we made last week. In our mind, we are constantly busy with the things that need to be completed. These are only a few examples of how our mind can make life difficult. Mindfulness teaches us how to deal with these problematic thoughts by using the focus of our attention in the here and now. Mindfulness helps us create a different relationship with our thoughts, feelings and emotions.
- Mindfulness: What it is, What it is not More and more people worldwide are attracted to learning how to relate to their experience with mindfulness. Because of my own personal experience and through work with students and teachers, I want to address some common misconceptions I've encountered. I share this with the teachers with whom I work in K-5 before I begin sharing the curriculum in their class. I hope you find it helpful. What Is Mindfulness? Mindfulness, as defined by Jon Kabat-Zinn who introduced Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) 30 years ago, is “paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally.” Mindfulness is not about being calm or any particular way We often expect mindfulness will bring us peace or calm and relaxation. This highlights our human tendency to want pleasant experiences and to push away what is unpleasant or average. We want something, we don't get it and then we're unhappy. We think it's not working or we're doing it wrong. We start to judge our experience and ourselves. Although it's true that you can experience a sense of peace, calm, or relaxation while practicing mindfulness, these are not guaranteed outcomes. Mindfulness is just about noticing whatever experience we're having, including all the thoughts, feelings or physical sensations that are a part of it. Mindfulness can significantly reduce stress but it's not about stress reduction Rather than remove stress, mindfulness helps us learn to relate to stress differently. It may seem implausible that something as simple as listening to sounds or paying attention to our breathing can help us learn to respond to experiences in a healthy way, but it’s what science is showing and what people are saying (and it’s certainly my experience). There is now over 25 years of research with adults showing that mindfulness helps with stress by changing our relationship to it. Mindfulness is not the absence of thought Instead of aiming for an empty or blank mind where no thoughts are present, we learn the skill of becoming aware of our thoughts, without necessarily doing anything with them. By just noticing thoughts, we learn how to unhook ourselves from our identification with them. This is different from pushing thoughts away. It’s how we relate to our thoughts, not the absence of them. Mindfulness is not about being complacent Acceptance does not mean agreement or complacency. It means acknowledging whatever's going on, which is a good idea because it's already happening. We take action to change situations when appropriate - for our well-being and the well-being of others - but we do so out of compassion and understanding versus reaction and frustration. Mindfulness is not religious Mindfulness practices are useful for all people, regardless of their spiritual or religious backgrounds or beliefs. It's a human experience that utilizes awareness and compassion that is within us all. Mindfulness is not a silver bullet When we’re under stress or going through a difficult time we might look for ‘techniques’ to help us better cope. Mindfulness works, but it is important to approach it with the right attitude. Based on many years of research, it is well established that in order to fully benefit from mindfulness meditation, the best approach is to have a long-term view. Happy Practicing! And please email me if you have questions about any of this. Warm regards, Bonnie Mioduchoski
- (5,17 minutes) Jon Kabat-Zinn (born Jon Kabat, June 5, 1944) is an American professor emeritus of medicine and the creator of the Stress Reduction Clinic and the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Kabat-Zinn was a student of Zen Buddhist teachers such as Philip Kapleau, Thich Nhat Hanh and Seung Sahn and a founding member of Cambridge Zen Center. His practice of yoga and studies with Buddhist teachers led him to integrate their teachings with scientific findings. He teaches mindfulness, which he says can help people cope with stress, anxiety, pain, and illness. The stress reduction program created by Kabat-Zinn, mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), is offered by medical centers, hospitals, and health maintenance organizations.[1
- Mindful attention means attention without judgment. Often, sensations like tension or fear are automatically labelled as “ bad”, “ inappropriate” or “unwanted”. When we judge a certain feeling (“I experience fear, this is bad, I don’t want to feel this way”) we automatically create a conflict; a conflict between the current feeling (“bad”) and how the feeling should be (“good”). Attempts to resolve this conflict, for instance by suppressing the negative feeling, require a lot of energy (Baumeister, Bratslavsky, Muraven, & Tice, 1998), and paradoxically cause us to feel even worse (rebound effects; Wegner, 1994).
- (2,16 minutes)
- Acceptance plays a key role in mindfulness. Through mindful attention and acceptance, we allow every feeling, emotion, sensation or thought to be there. They are there anyway. Instead of fighting against feelings or thoughts, mindfulness fosters willingness to acknowledge, allow and accept these internal states. By letting go of this struggle and fight, we save energy (Alberts, Schneider, Martijn, 2011), and experience that the things we fight against, often fade away automatically; often sooner than when we actively fight against them. As soon as an emotion receives room to exist, one can experience the emotion as temporary; that is, the emotion comes and goes. In this way, one becomes an observer of one’s own inner states (the observing self; Deikman, 1982). One is no longer identified and completely lost in the content of thoughts of feelings, but becomes the observer of them. This observer still experiences the emotion or feeling, but now has the choice of being fully taken by them or not. By observing thoughts without judgment, one can experience their transient nature. In addition, we learn that not everything we think is true. In sum, mindfulness can help us identify less with feelings, emotions or thoughts. In other words, we are not our emotions or thoughts; we can simply be aware of our emotions or thoughts.
- Mindful attention means attention without judgment. Often, sensations like tension or fear are automatically labelled as “ bad”, “ inappropriate” or “unwanted”. When we judge a certain feeling (“I experience fear, this is bad, I don’t want to feel this way”) we automatically create a conflict; a conflict between the current feeling (“bad”) and how the feeling should be (“good”). Attempts to resolve this conflict, for instance by suppressing the negative feeling, require a lot of energy and paradoxically cause us to feel even worse
- Exercise – I would like to run a small experiment with you. This exercise only takes 1 minute. I will tell you when the time is up. I want to invite you to be silent for 1 minute. Without talking or doing anything, just be here. Review – What did you notice during the exercise? Were you distracted by your thoughts during this exercise? What were your thoughts about? REVIEWING THE EXERCISE Pose the following questions to the participants: • What did you notice during the exercise? • Were you distracted by your thoughts during the exercise? • What were your thoughts about? The goal of this exercise was to allow you to see how much attention goes to your thoughts. You likely noticed that your mind is all over the place. The mind may say things like “this is crazy, what’s the use of this?” or conjure up thoughts or images of the past or future. The mind can be a very powerful tool, but it can be very difficult to keep it under control. In most cases, thoughts are controlling us, rather than the other way around.
- Acceptance starts with perceiving reality as it is right now. In the first place, acceptance is about acknowledging what is present. In general, we often see what we don’t want to see and what we wish to see differently. We devote a lot of time to denying what is there. Consequently, we waste a lot of precious energy by resisting something that cannot be changed in the first place. During practice, both pleasant and unpleasant sensations, emotions and thoughts may arise. Instead of denying them and pushing them away, mindfulness requires willingness to let them be, as they are, in the present moment. Remember that the goal of mindfulness is not to get rid of these internal states, but to change one’s relationship with these states. Mindfulness cultivates a more friendly, acceptance-based relationship with internal states. In other words, when unpleasant states arise, try to welcome them and perceive them as part of the exercise, part of reality. Let them be as they are. LETTING GO Sometimes, positive experiences arise during the exercises. People often want to hold on to these experiences. We attempt to prolong their duration and make them last longer. Open awareness means detachment of all events. In fact, when we try to change the course of positive experiences, we are doing the same thing as when we try to push away the negative states. In both cases we try to alter reality instead of experiencing it with an open, detached attitude. It is enough to observe and give the positive experience room to follow its natural course. The more freedom you provide for experiences to occur, the more freedom you will experience.
- It is perhaps the aspect of mindfulness that is most paradoxical and most difficult to explain; there is no goal to achieve in doing the exercises. This may sound very strange. People participate in mindfulness trainings because they wish to achieve the goal of worrying less, experiencing less stress, less pain, etc. The exercises aim to cultivate awareness of the present. Awareness of the present can hardly be called a goal, because goals are always related to the future. The problem is, that when we start doing the exercises because of a goal (I am now going to meditate because I want to become calm and relaxed), the goal not only focuses our attention on the future, we may also become aware during the exercise that we are not achieving the goal state fast enough, if at all. The goal of mindfulness is not to achieve a goal (like becoming relaxed or becoming the best meditator ever), but to be present with whatever arises in the present moment. Paradoxically, this type of awareness has been linked to several positive health-related outcomes, but can only be cultivated in the present, with a future detached mindset.
- Practice compassion. Don’t be angry at yourself when you inevitably get distracted during the exercises. Thoughts and feelings will always arise. It is how the mind works. Every mind operates like this. Your mind is no exception. Awareness in this moment provides the opportunity to direct attention back to the exercise in a gentle, compassionate way. So be kind to yourself when you notice pain, anger or fear. Be kind when you notice that you judge, get distracted, that your mind wants to avoid pain. Practice friendly, open awareness.
- Attention focuses our awareness on a specific experience (Western, 1999). This process can be compared to the operation of a flashlight. Attention is like the light from the flashlight that illuminates a specific area and it therefore makes that area “conscious” to the one who is holding the light. When it comes to attention there are two different elements at work: 1. The one which demands attention and 2. The one which regulates attention Ad 1. External stimuli (such as noise, a handsome passerby or an advertisement on TV) but also internal stimuli (such as feelings, emotions or thoughts) may require attention. For example, when we suddenly hear a loud bang, our attention goes directly and automatically to this sound. The same is true for internal stimuli. Thus, a worrisome thought can also draw our attention and distract us from what we are doing. Ad 2. Everybody has the will or ability to focus and regulate attention. When our attention is drawn by a loud bang, we can decide to focus ones attention on what we were doing before. This process is called attention regulation and is a specific form of self-control. According to some researchers, attention regulation is the most important form of self-control. This is because attention plays a central role in all other forms of self-regulation, such as the regulation of emotions, impulses and thoughts (see, for example Baumeister, Heatherton, & Tice, 1994). To what extent we are able to regulate our attention is strongly related to well-being. The extent to which we have control over, among other things, attention is a strong predictor of happiness, satisfaction in social relationships, being resistant to temptations and academic performance (Duckworth & Seligman 2005; Kelly & Conley 1987; Tangney, Baumeister, & Boone 2004). The good news is that control of attention can be trained (Tang et al, 2007; Oaten and Cheng, 2006). This we will do during the course. In mindfulness the training of attention is essential. Mindfulness teaches to focus the attention on what is happening in this moment, the now. Although this sounds easy, it seems that we often just do not live in the moment, but rather focus our attention on our thoughts or the content of our thoughts. When we look back at the previously discussed dichotomy of the elements at work here, one could say that thoughts belong to the first category; they require attention. Mindfulness appeals to the second category, the one that regulates attention. Applying mindfulness exercises is a form of training attention. In line with the above, studies show that mindfulness training improves attention and self-control (Tang et al, 2007; Fetterman, Robinson, Ode and Gordon, 2010; Chambers, Yee Lo, & Allen, 2008; Zeidan, Johnson, Diamond, David, & Goolkasian, 2010).
- Eckhart Tolle (/ˈɛkɑːrt ˈtɒlə/ EK-art TOL-ə; German: [ˈɛkhaʁt ˈtɔlə]; born Ulrich Leonard Tölle, February 16, 1948) is a spiritual teacher. He is a German-born resident of Canada[1][2] best known as the author of The Power of Now and A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose. In 2008, The New York Times called Tolle "the most popular spiritual author in the United States".[3] In 2011, he was listed by Watkins Review as the most spiritually influential person in the world.[4] Tolle is not identified with any particular religion, but he has been influenced by a wide range of spiritual works.[5] Tolle said he was depressed for much of his life until age 29 when he underwent an "inner transformation". He then spent several years wandering "in a state of deep bliss" before becoming a spiritual teacher. He moved to Vancouver, British Columbia in 1995[6] and currently divides his time between Canada and California. He began writing his first book, The Power of Now, in 1997[7] and it reached The New York Times Best Seller list in 2000.[8] The Power of Now and A New Earth sold an estimated three million and five million copies respectively in North America by 2009.[9] In 2008, approximately 35 million people participated in a series of 10 live webinars with Tolle and television talk show host Oprah Winfrey.[9] In 2016, Tolle was named in Oprah's SuperSoul 100 list of visionaries and influential leaders.[1
- THE BODY SCAN - SCRIPT •Find a place where you will be safe, secure, and undisturbed. •Lie on your back on a firm mat or cushioned floor, arms resting by your side, palms facing upward. •If you find it difficult to stay awake during the meditation, it may be helpful to open your eyes or prop your head up with a pillow. If neither helps, you can change position that that would help you stay awake. Other positions include standing or sitting in a chair. •Close your eyes and start to focus your attention on the fact that you are breathing. Allow each inhale and exhale to flow through your body. Notice how your body feels with each breath as well as where the breath flows. With each breath, allow yourself to sink deeper into the floor. •Keep in mind that your mind will inevitably wander through this practice as that is what all minds do. When this happens, notice it and gently and kindly bring your attention back to the part of the body on which you were focusing. •As you continue to breathe, on the inhale, imagine the breath filling your lungs and then moving down into the belly, into the left leg, and all the way out of the left toes. As you exhale, imagine or feel your breath moving in through your toes, up the left leg, through the abdomen, all the way up into your chest, and finally out through your nose. With a playful approach, practice a couple of cycles of this kind of breathing. •Use this breathing technique throughout the remainder of the scan. When you notice a tense or unpleasant sensation, breathe into it and imagine relaxing, releasing, and letting go. •Notice all the sensations in your body, beginning with the bottom of your left foot. Where do you feel pressure? What does it feel like? •Move with your attention from the bottom of your left foot, up the ankle to the left leg, lower leg, knee, upper leg, across the pelvic region, down the right leg. Move into your pelvic region, scanning the front and back of your body. Notice all the sensations that arise and let them go. •As you focus on each part of the body, observe what you see and feel there without forcing anything to happen. If you don’t feel anything in an area of your body, that’s okay. Simply act as an observer, noticing how your body feels today. •Continue up through the stomach, upper chest, neck, down the left arm, back up through the collarbone down the right arm, up to your hairline, forehead, and finally face. •Remember to observe each small area of every part of your body. For example, you may want to notice what is happening in between your toes, ankles, shoulders, ears, tongue. Investigate every area of the body with gentle curiosity. •After observing every point in the body, feel your body as a whole, breathing in and out, fully alive.
- The body scan is a method that allows us to experience how strongly we experience the noise of our thoughts throughout our bodies. The simple instruction binds attention to one part of the body at a time, this can be much more difficult than one might initially think. The body scan is a method to learn how to draw attention to a specific point. In the body scan, the point of attention is one part of the body. The effect of the training of attention in this way can also transfer to other areas, such as focusing (concentrating) the attention on a specific task, a conversation with someone, etc. The body scan is a method that helps to learn to detect when attention wanders. Being able to notice when attention wanders is a critical component of successful self-control. Within the self-control literature this function is indicated by the term “monitoring” (for more information see: Carver, 2004). The body scan can provide insight into the nature and pattern of thoughts in general. In this way you may notice recurring themes of thoughts and realize how some thoughts are played over and over again like an old record. The way in which attention is returned to the body, gently without judgment is an exercise in an important part of mindfulness: self-compassion.
- Of all the things we can draw our attention to, we pay relatively little attention to the now. Our attention goes rather to thoughts about the past or the future. As we are taking a shower in the morning, we rarely pay attention to showering itself and the sensations that it entails. Instead, we are focusing on the things that need to be done that day, or we think about things we did yesterday. Mental “tools” like thinking and planning can be very useful. However, at the same time they can cause emotional imbalance. This is because we are often not able to stop thinking and planning when we no longer need to. They are powerful tools but often difficult to let go of. Consequently, we think more about life than we actually experience life. Concerns about the future, regrets about the past, comparing oneself with others and constantly thinking about how things could be better are examples of typical thoughts. Constant thinking makes it impossible to fully enjoy a nice meal, a nice concert or falling rain. And this constant thinking not only distracts our thoughts and attention from the here and now but when thoughts are negative, they can also cause problems such as anxiety or stress. Mindfulness can help us realize that thoughts are just thoughts; they are not reality. By focusing our attention on the present moment, we free ourselves from obsessive thinking and make contact with our direct experience, rather than a mental story. Soon we realize that in this moment, right here and right now, there is rarely an actual problem. Being able to make contact with the present moment has clear benefits. Research shows that people who are more mindful are in general happier (Drake, Duncan, Sutherland, Abernethy, & Henry, 2008), report less anxiety, depressive discomforts, anger and worries (Baer, 2003; Brown, Ryan, & Creswell, 2007; Greeson & Brantley, 2008; Grossman, Niemann, Schmidt, & Walach, 2004). A higher degree of mindfulness is also associated with reduced stress, more gratitude, hope and vitality (Baer, Smith, Hopkins, Krietemeyer, & Toney, 2006; Brown & Ryan, 2003; Cardaciotto, Herbert, Forman, Moitra, & Farrow, 2008; Feldman, Hayes, Kumar, Greeson,& Laurenceau, 2007; Walach, Buchheld, Buttenmueller, Kleinknecht, & Schmidt, 2006).
- issue wording for body scan – or play guided meditation/videos