Informal practice stop.
An informal way of using mindfulness to decrease stress and anxiety in daily life is encapsulated in the acronym STOP,
Which outlines a very simple and effective method of bringing the body and mind back into balance.
The practice is not about shouting stop,
Which can create resisting.
It's simply another way to pause and become mindful.
Practice STOP and STAND,
Feet on the floor,
Taking two or three deep tummy breaths.
Take a moment to tune into the body,
Becoming curious and aware of our direct physical experience.
How is our body reacting?
As best we can,
Gently turning towards any pain,
Tension or tiredness,
Without resisting,
Clinging,
Fighting,
Avoiding,
Or getting caught up in rumination on the words and if only.
Oh,
Opportunity to change our reaction.
If it feels right saying to ourselves,
This hurts,
Can I be okay with this?
If there is pain,
Tension or tiredness,
What would it feel like to breathe into it?
Letting it go with the exhale.
We are not trying to push it anyway.
We are practicing softening our resistance.
Maybe taking a moment to notice what is pleasant in your moment-to-moment awareness.
Doing something tiny that you may not have noticed before.
P.
Possibility.
Congratulations!
With awareness you have found the space to step out of automatic pilot with this freedom.
What can you now do to best take care of yourself?
There may be many times during the day when we are unaware of what's happening inside us,
Including our sometimes automatic reactions to pain.
But taking a moment to stop,
Take a breath and tune in.
We can reconnect with our experience and give ourselves the space to be open to the possibilities of respond more effectively rather than automatically reacting.
This practice can be very revealing.
Perhaps you find your shoulders are up to your ears,
Your jaw clenched,
Your breathing shallow,
Perhaps you find that you are hungry or really need to go to the bathroom.
Maybe it's simply time to remind yourself to come back to the present moment.
