Mindfulness with Becca: Recent Episodes
Becca
Becoming aware of how our emotions, thoughts and physical sensations are as one, embrcing our mind and body connected and not separate
Whenever you catch this Mindfulness meditation practice, it will be the perfect time for you to get the most out of it. Enjoy your calm space.
Mingling my ideas on mindfulness and my newly acquired skills of EFT/tapping and the unlimited potential of their impact on those who will come into contact with it in my courses and group sessions!
No, how are you really feeling?
Noticing, or even acknowledging, how we really feel can be tricky so in this mindfulness practice we can use the weather to describe what is going on in our minds and bodies. Like the weather, our thoughts are temporary and they will pass and move on.
This time of year, whatever role we have in college, comes with the urgency from our learners wanting to achieve their goals and qualifications. It is important we allow ourselves time to connect with our mind and body and be in the present moment, rather than be on automatic pilot in our heads and hoping our bodies keep up. This connection helps our approach throughout our day to be calmer, kinder and with a continued positive mindset.
Often our negative thoughts stick more in our mind than the positive ones, so by labelling them we can identify and acknowledge that they are there, helping us to let them go of them easier. Our intention is to not get hooked and attached to the stories of those negative thoughts, but notice they are there and move on.
Here are a couple of quick techniques to help if you notice that you have feelings of concern/worry coming back to work after having time off.
It has been another busy and challenging term. Give yourself permission to have a few minutes to just sit in your own quietness. I hope you manage to take some time out to rest and reset over the break.
Setting your intention first thing, brings clarity and focus to your activities throughout the day. Don't confuse your intention with goals, these are for the future, whereas intentions are embodied in the moment. You may forget to focus on your intention throughout the day, even remembering it just the once in your day is worth celebrating.
Our thoughts automatically pop into our minds and pull us away from our tasks throughout our day. Take 5 minutes and allow time to sit and settle your thoughts. Allows you to refocus and move onto your next job with a clearer mind.
Taking a few moments in your day to sit and experience what arises in your mind and allow yourself permission for these thoughts and feelings to be there. Giving yourself a sense of kindness and compassion to support you through your day.
Sometimes thoughts may arise when planning your week ahead and it may feel like you are out of control - but we all can choose to pause, even if it is for 1 minute. This pausing can help you to refocus and bring yourself back to the present moment, so take these few minutes to listen to this mindfulness practice and then move onto your next job/lesson/ task with a clearer intention and calmer approach to your day.
Job lists, emails, planning, marking, deadlines and all your other daily worries can sometimes feel slightly overwhelming. Use this short practice to recognise the thoughts that are there, and sit with them.
Take a few moments before you start your week to be aware of your breathing and also to notice those tricky thoughts appearing. By focussing and connecting with your breath it helps to settle those thoughts and gives you space in your mind to be responsive to them and not reactive.
Enjoy this 3 minute mindfulness practice in between lessons/meetings/jobs/ or sat in the car at the beginning or end of your day. The intention is to help you refocus where you are at this point and bring you back to the present moment, helping you to move onto your next job with more clarity.
Use this practice as a support over the holiday period as a reminder to enjoy being in the present moment and give yourself permission to sit for a few minutes if you start to feel overwhelmed with the expectations and pressure of this time of year. In this practice we notice and label those involuntary thoughts that arise and we check in on the content of them - are they kind thoughts or judgemental? I hope you all enjoy the break and please be kind to yourselves and those around you.
Are you too busy to stop? Is your to do list getting longer by the minute?
This is the perfect time give yourself permission to take 5 minutes and rest your mind and body. Taking these few minutes out of your busy day, will help you feel refreshed and refocused. This practice will bring yourself back to the present moment and to what is important at this point of your day.
They do say if you think you are too busy to sit and take 10 minutes out of your day, then you need to sit for an hour...
Use this very short mindfulness practice to notice the automatic thoughts and emotions of overwhelm/stress/anxiety/frustration/irritation. Be curious of what you are experiencing right now, and bring yourself into the present moment out of your head, thoughts and emotions to being here and now. This helps you then to move onto your next activity in your day.
This mindfulness meditation introduces the settling of the mind and can be done anytime, anywhere. It is ideal if you need to take yourself away from your environment to give your mind some space. Take a few moments to reflect on your experience and have a drink of water as soon as you are able. Do not do this whilst driving or operating heavy machinery.
Before embarking on our mindfulness journey we need to make sure we have covered a few important points to get the maximum benefit out of the meditations.