Mindfulness to sit with discomfort.
In times of worry,
Stress or distress,
The part of our brain called the amygdala disables the frontal lobes and activates the fight-flight response within our bodies.
Without the prefrontal cortex,
You can't think clearly,
Make rational decisions or control your responses.
Mindfulness practices calm the reactive response to the amygdala and help to re-engage the prefrontal cortex.
We aim to move from reaction to response.
When we sit quietly and breathe smoothly and slowly,
We calm the fight-flight response and move into the natural relaxation response of the body.
Sit comfortably.
Close your eyes or look down.
Stand tall and allow your body to settle.
Feel your contact with your chair or the floor.
There are three things we can do as we notice stress arising.
Firstly,
Turn towards those feelings of upset,
Stress,
Distress or discomfort.
This may not be so easy.
Name the feelings.
Acknowledge the feelings without judgement.
Observe the feelings.
Where do you notice them in your body?
And then simply be with those feelings.
Sit with them.
Allow and accept them.
Allowing them enables you to begin to understand them.
By understanding them,
They will loosen their grip on you.
Secondly,
Tune into your breathing.
Breathe with the feelings of discomfort.
Observe the natural movement of breath.
Inhale expand.
Exhale draw in.
Breathe with the feelings of stress.
What you can breathe with,
You can be with.
Continue to breathe smoothly.
Feel expansion and drawing in.
With your mind settling and your body relaxing.
Sit with the feelings,
No judgement.
Allow them to be.
The last step of our practice is to take our attention into the lower half of the body.
Feel the stability of your posture.
Feel where your feet touch the floor or your legs touch the floor.
Be with your body.
Feel the stillness of your body.
Ground yourself in your body.
Continue with the practice.
Sitting with the feelings.
Breathing with the feelings.
And being aware of the stability of your body.
Allow your attention to be with your breath and your body.
Allow your attention to be with the breath and the body.
Allow the feelings of discomfort to slide further into the background as you watch your breath and your body.
If you feel your mind wandering,
Bring it back to your body and your breath.
Allow your attention to remain with the body and the breath.
Start to become aware of yourself sitting in the space you're in.
And gently open your eyes.
