Welcome to Wonderpool.
How are you doing?
This is day five of our Mindfulness in Isolation course,
Designed to keep you company and help you use the time to develop a healthy mindfulness habit.
If you're working from home,
You might find there's fewer interruptions,
Where you might find there's more.
Did you know that every time you are interrupted from a task it takes an average of 23 minutes and 15 seconds to get back into the zone?
No wonder it's so hard to get anything done.
Here's some good news.
You can train yourself to reduce this time.
Focus is like a muscle that you can strengthen.
It just takes practice.
With just a few minutes a day,
Your brain will start to rewire.
Studies have found that long-term meditators have thicker cortical regions,
The areas of the brain that relate to attention.
So we're going to develop some focus with a technique called a body scan.
If you think of your attention like a laser,
We're going to sweep that laser up our body from the tip of the toes to the top of your head,
Relaxing as we go.
First,
Let's get comfortable.
Take a minute to feel your body as a whole,
And follow your breath in and out for a few cycles.
Now notice the weight of your body in the chair.
So of all the places,
Your body is in contact with the floor or the chair.
All right.
Get your laser of attention ready.
We're going to focus on the toes.
What can you notice?
Are your toes cold or hot?
Can you feel your shoes?
Slowly move the laser scanner,
The tension,
Up the foot,
Through the arch,
Into the ankles.
Anything to report?
Any aches or itches?
Just take note.
Right.
We're going up the shins now,
And the back of the calves.
How are those knees doing?
Up the thighs to the hips.
Hips are often tight.
Can you feel anything there?
Can you let go a little bit?
Okay.
Now move that laser up your belly and the lower spine.
Can you feel your breath in your abdomen?
What else is going on?
Scanning up the chest,
Feeling the breath there.
And into the shoulders.
There's usually some tension here.
Roll it out.
Up into your neck and then down the arms,
Slowly to the elbows and forearms,
Palms and fingers.
Now back up the arms and neck to the face.
Try to relax your jaw and the little muscles around your eyes.
And finally,
Move the laser of attention around your skull,
Checking in and letting go.
Great work.
Just like that,
You have scored a trifecta of mindfulness.
You've connected with the present by paying attention to your body.
You've taken some time to relax,
Switch off and reset your brain.
And you've done an exercise in focus.
All these things help you feel better and work better.
So well done.
One day at a time,
Thanks for being here.
