STOP Practice - Stop, Take A Breath, Observe & Proceed

The STOP practice is a portable mindfulness practice that can support us during the day whenever we feel distressed or when challenging moments arise in our day. The four steps of the STOP practise can take as little as a few seconds to a few minutes to complete. The STOP practice can help create space to observe how we feel and access the deeper resources within us. It helps to develop the emotional intelligence and psychological flexibility required for greater mastery over challenging moments.

Transcript

Stop practice.

So finding a comfortable position for the next few minutes,

And you can do this practice either standing up or sitting down,

With our eyes open,

Softening our gaze by gently lowering our gaze downwards.

So S,

Stop,

Just stop,

And notice what it feels like to stop moving,

To pause for just a moment.

Notice what it feels like to let go of any task for a minute or two,

Without needing to do anything,

Nowhere to be,

Nothing to do.

T,

Take a breath,

And feel what it is like to be breathing.

How does it feel to inhale and exhale?

Where do you feel the breath most strongly in the body?

We might notice the feelings of the breath at the nostrils,

Or the rising and falling of the chest or the abdomen,

Not needing to change the breath in any way,

Just becoming aware of the breathing body,

And gently noticing the quality of our breathing.

Is it slow,

Steady,

Rhythmic,

Or maybe shallow?

And then O,

Observe your experience at this moment,

Our body,

Physical sensations,

Feelings,

Emotions,

Thoughts.

So noticing the body,

What is the general felt feeling in the body?

Maybe a sense of ease or tightness,

Energy or stillness.

Maybe we might notice that we're hungry or thirsty.

Maybe we notice just trying to be present with the sensations as best as we can,

And then noticing any emotions,

Feelings that might be present.

Maybe a sense of calm or presence.

Maybe a sense of impatience or irritation,

Or a sense of joy or stillness.

And then observing any thoughts present for you right now,

Not needing to think about them or change them,

Just noticing what our mind is doing right now.

Maybe distracted,

Caught up in thinking about the future or the past,

Maybe thinking about something that happened earlier today,

Or perhaps planning for what's next.

And if so,

Gently guiding the mind back to this moment,

With our next outbreath,

As the body breathes out.

And finally P,

Proceed,

Perhaps asking ourselves,

What is most important right now to pay attention to?

What deserves my attention right now?

Using whatever comes up to the surface for us,

And then using that as a guide to proceed and continue with awareness and intention into the next moment.

Proceeding,

Continuing with greater awareness and intention.

Reviews

A perfect STOP practice! Time to proceed! Thank you!

A simple yet invaluable mindful moment to practice frequently. Thank you 🙏😊

I enjoyed this method of taking an awareness pause. A great way to start the day with attention and intention. Grazzi hafna!

Great short meditation and also a wonderful meditation for a beginner. Thank you!

Thank you for this easy and very effective practice. It’s a wonderful way to stay in the present moment.

You presented this so clearly. I will remember this strategy now. Thank you. 🥰💗🙏

Great exercise for presence.
Thank you for charing 🙏

Excellent. Thank you. Worth revisiting several times a day!

Very nice. Voice is clear and slow enough to allow for contemplation of the ideas.

Good concise meditation to be grounded in the moment. Thank you.

Really enjoyed this easy-to-remember practice, will keep it close moving forward. Thanks Clayton!

My son is incarcerated after a tragedy. I worry for him. He has serious mental illnesses. I look for ways to help him. I am going to write down your meditation and send to him. Concrete and helpful meditation easily pulled to mind with the acronym. Thank you. May you feel an ease that passes through your life like a breeze of compassion.

Thank you for this gentle & profound practice!

A really wonderful short practice with practical tips on how to be grounded and present! Thank you 🙏

A very helpful and useful exercise to practice regularly. Thankyou. 🌟

Thank you.

I felt the stillness within Thank you! 🙏

What a great tool that can be used anytime I need to ground myself. Thank you!🌼

Straight to the point, and effective. I like it. I'll be listening to this one often I would bet. Gratitude to you my friend.

Thank you :)