The P.R.O. Practice In Minutes

The P.R.O. Practice is a guided mindfulness practice that involves three steps: Pausing, to momentarily stop and redirect attention to the present moment; Relaxing, to release physical and mental tension while practicing acceptance of what arises; and Opening, to expand awareness beyond oneself, fostering mindfulness of interconnection. Together, these steps help cultivate a sense of presence, ease, and openness to the here and now.

Transcript

Welcome friend. Thank you so much for joining me on this brief yet transformative journey of becoming a total pro here at mindfulness, At awakening awareness, At awakening to our life, Opening to it. So let's begin by gently inviting ourselves to pause. Pausing is a temporary stop. It's where we momentarily step away from whatever else is commanding of our attention and most of the time that is thoughts and impulses and urges to do. So we can simply put them down in this pause and then orientate to the presence of awareness, This ability to know that knowing is happening. And then there's this awareness of this body, The sense of being here, Alive and breathing, Feeling and experiencing in this moment. And noticing how this pause then allows for a greater sense of relaxation. Relaxing is an invitation to release what can voluntarily be let go of and to accept what can. So we may notice patterns of tension and tightness in our body and with that awareness there might be this immediate sense of easing, Of softening, Of letting it go. But we may come across areas that don't seem to let go, That it seems quite sticky and hard and solid and then we can bring in that quality of acceptance. It's like, Oh, Can accept that this won't release in this moment. And sometimes what we're experiencing is really hard to accept. It's really painful and so we can layer that acceptance with another layer of acceptance. Can I accept what's hard to accept or that I can accept in this moment? And this kind of extended expression of acceptance can really allow any mental tension to release. So we carry tension in our mind through the patterns of resistance and clinging, Of wanting things to be a certain way. Can we accept that that's the case? And then maybe bring our attention to another experience that's happening in this present moment that nurtures a sense of openness. So openness emerges from the first two steps or practices of pause and relaxing. And when we're nurturing openness, We might be able to feel it physically in our body. Maybe we can locate an area of in our body that feels spacious, That feels receptive and rest our attention there. Or we may discover this sense of openness by broadening that sense of awareness beyond the borders of our skin and into the world around us, Feeling that sense of being whole and connected to the world around us, That we are a part of what's happening, Both large and small. So we can open to this moment exactly as it is and exactly as we are with whatever is present. And in doing so, We may discover this embodiment of mindfulness and feeling like we are a total pro here in being able to show up for our lives in this intentional, Receptive, Mindful way. So for the final few moments of this practice, Let's just notice the presence of pausing, Relaxing, Opening. Can even repeat those words very quietly, Like a light touch in the space of awareness and noticing the influence that they have in this moment. Pausing, Relaxing, Opening. Pausing, Relaxing, Opening. Becoming a total pro. Thank you for being a total pro.