The S.T.O.P. Technique

Welcome to this mini mindfulness practice to help you pause and reset.

This practice can be used throughout the day to reduce stress and it can even be used for moments of transition between activities.

The technique is called STOP and it's an acronym.

STOP stands for stop what you're doing,

Take some deep breaths,

Observe what's happening.

What are your thoughts,

Emotions,

Bodily sensations and P proceed in a way that supports you in the moment.

Let's practice this together.

First,

Stopping,

Finding a moment to come to a place of rest.

You can be seated or standing,

Feeling rooted in your feet or your seat and then softening the gaze down towards the floor or closing your eyes,

Taking this moment to pause.

We'll take some deep breaths together,

Breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth.

Take a few more deep breaths at your own pace,

As many as you need.

And as you continue to breathe deeply,

Observe what's happening within you.

Are there any thoughts running through the mind?

Are there any emotional tones present or even strong bodily sensations that you can notice?

Nothing to change or fix in this moment,

Simply noticing and befriending what's there.

Take one more deep breath together,

Breathing in deeply and breathing out slowly,

And then slowly blinking the eyes back open,

Coming back into the space that you're in and taking a moment to consider what would support you in this moment after your pause.

How would you like to proceed now that you've taken a moment to breathe,

To notice what's happening within you?

You might need to go for a quick walk outside,

Take a few gentle stretches,

Or continue this practice of deep breathing.

Know that whatever you choose,

You are in control.

You have the ability to respond rather than react to what's happening.

You can always take this moment to pause and stop,

Stopping what you're doing,

Taking some deep breaths,

Observing what's happening,

And then proceeding in a way that supports you.

Enjoy that pea proceeding in a way that supports you now,

And thanks so much for pausing with me.

We'll see you back here soon for another mindfulness practice.