Hello and welcome to this very brief mindfulness practice that I think was created by Jon Kabat-Zinn.
It's good to do if you are experiencing anxiety or if you find yourself rushing.
And we use the STOP acronym.
So first of all,
Stop.
Just taking a moment to pause.
And then T,
Take a breath.
Reconnect with your breath.
Feel the breath in the body.
The cool air as you breathe in.
The warm air as you breathe out.
Notice how the body moves to facilitate the breath.
The rise and fall of the shoulders.
The expansion and contraction of the belly.
And O is for observe.
Noticing what you are experiencing right now.
Noticing what is happening inside of you.
The thoughts,
Sensations,
Emotions.
Noticing what is happening outside of you.
And seeing if you can be present to those things without judgement.
Just observing.
And then the P is for proceed.
You might continue doing what you were doing before.
Or you might not.
Use the information you've gleaned from this brief practice.
To determine if you want to continue or change course.
This gives you the opportunity to respond rather than react.
When we can be mindful of what we're doing.
That's the end of the practice.
You can do this practice many times throughout the day.
If you find it helpful.
To bring more mindfulness into your day.
Thank you for listening.
