Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction - Home Practice Guidelines for Week 7
1. Practice without listening to any recordings or being guided through it for 40 minutes X 6 days. Decide which of the practices you will do each time: a body scan, mindful movement, walking meditation, a seated meditation, or some kind of combination of these. In each practice, notice when your attention wanders, and use your breath as an anchor to the present moment. It does not matter which practice you decide to do, what matters is practicing kindness towards yourself and noticing what is present in each moment of your experience. When you practice a seated meditation, you can allow your attention to rest on the breath, body sensations, sounds, thoughts and emotions, and/or all the sensations passing through your field of awareness while you remain in the background witnessing them all as they come and go. Set a timer so you will not have to check on the time. Use this week’s Record Form to record each time you practice. Make a note of anything that comes up for you during the practice in the space provided and bring it to the next class so we can talk about it.
2. This week set an intention to bring Informal mindfulness practice into your daily life. When you wake, take a few moments to be with your body sensations and your breathing and last thing at night do the same thing. Throughout your day, set the intention to be aware of your environment, noticing where you are and what you are doing and remembering to tune into your inner environment of body sensations, thoughts and emotions. Finally, take moments to consciously breathe. Notice if this changes your experiences. We will discuss our observations next week.
Retreat Instructions for Sunday March 10, 9am-3pm (daylight savings starts)
1. We will start on time, so arrive 10-15 minutes early, set up your mat and gather any props you have been using for the meditation practices. Feel free to bring your own or use what’s here. Once you are settled find a comfortable position on your mat and begin to unhook from the thinking mind by bringing your awareness to your breath and the sensations in your body. I will ring the bell to start.
2. Please turn off all cell phones for the entire retreat and do not wear a watch.
3. Wear comfortable clothes and have layers and/or blankets to stay warm.
4. Rest your personality - no one is watching. Limit eye contact with others so everyone can stay in their own experience.
5. Have water and tissues available, and anything else you may need to support your practice. If you need to leave for any reason, there is no need to let me know, just do so as mindfully as possible. If you do not plan to return, or you need assistance, send me a text: 720-313-4565. As always make taking care of yourself a priority. Working with any difficulty that arises IS the practice.
6. Bring a lunch that does not need reheating. There is a refrigerator you can use. There are glasses for water and there will also be hot water and tea available. We will be doing a mindful eating exercise for lunch. Sometimes a dessert or something sweet is nice to work with.
7. I will be leading you through all the mediation exercises we have done in class: Mindful Movement, Sitting Meditations, Walking Meditation, and the Body Scan.
8. From the moment you arrive, commit to spending the retreat in your chosen space in silence (“compassionate noble silence”). There will be no reading or writing, nothing to do, nowhere to be. Hopefully, it will be a restful and restorative experience for you.