Your Daily Meditation Practice

This session covers the best way to establish a positive habit. Skip this video if you want to go straight to the daily meditations! There is a lag between actions and rewards, so be patient and persistent. Establish a time consistent time and place to meditate. Get your family on board, let them know why you are meditating. Start small and build over time. Track your progress. If you miss a day, get back on board the next day. Project: In the classroom, set (and share) your strong why. Why are you meditating? What do you hope to get from this course? Print this off and stick it on your wall. Look at it daily!

Today we practiced 'Mindfulness'. Choose an anchor for attention (the breath at the nose) and focus your attention there. When you notice your mind wandering, or find yourself lost in thought, gently and lovingly return it back to the breath. The goal isn't to empty the mind or alter the contents of consciousness, just to notice where attention is. Discovering your attention has left the anchor is the entire point. You haven't failed at meditation; by noticing your mind, you can bring it back to the breath.

Today we practiced 'Present State Awareness'. Start by focusing attention on the breath. Then turn your attention to each sense in turn, asking: "What can I feel, see, hear, taste, and smell? Finish with your attention resting on all your senses simultaneously. If your mind wanders, gently and lovingly bring it back to the sensations arising. This is a mindfulness practice. The goal isn't to have an empty mind or a totally focused mind, but rather to notice where the mind is in each moment.

Today we practiced 'Labeling To Enhance Mindfulness'. Start with a traditional mindfulness practice: choosing a meditation object and focusing on it. When your mind wanders, label where it went, eg, thought, memory, sensation, sound, etc. Then, with love and compassion, return your focus to the anchor. Use the labels of 'distraction' or 'cloud' as a catch-all, or for when you are not sure what distracted you. Labels can help you to better notice the contents of your consciousness.

Today we practiced "Mindfully Focusing On The Body + Labelling". Turn your attention to the sensations arising from the body. If your mind wanders, gently and lovingly bring it back. Just observe the sensations arising. Labeling them as pressure, tension, heat, dull, etc. Avoid judgments like 'good or bad' or 'pain or pleasure'. If pain or itchiness arises, observe and label the parts. If you need to move, do so slowly and mindfully.

Today we practiced "Intention Setting". Setting an intention for your session helps to keep you focused on the practice. For a Mindfulness Practice, "For the next few minutes, I will be mindfully meditating to improve my calm, clarity, and focus. I will gently return my focus to the breath for the duration of the session." For an introspective practice, "I will approach and accept everything that arises with compassionate curiosity and calm confidence." You can also end a session with an intention, "I will bring the clarity, calm, and insight from this practice into my day."

Today we practiced 'Self-soothing touch'. Start by slowing down the breath. Place your hands upon the body and just feel the warmth and self-love (heart space, back of neck + belly, butterfly hug). Add to that a healing visualization and the words 'I am enough'. Physical contact is vital for development, connection, and stress relief. Regardless of our external circumstances, we can offer ourselves physical contact through self-soothing. Explore what your body needs and take some time to be your own inner parent.

Today we practiced 'Breathwork Basics'. Slow the breath down (without gasping or straining). Breathing through the nose, low into the belly, and slow. Yogic breath: fill the belly, then the chest, then the throat. Pausing. Then, release in reverse order. Slowing down the breath activates the parasympathetic nervous system and relaxes the mind. Combine breathwork with the slowing of speech, movement, and muscle relaxation for full effect.

Today we practiced "Finger/Mountain Breathing" followed by 10 minutes of silence. Place your pointer finger at the base of the opposite thumb and with a slow breath in through the nose, 'climb the mountain' of the thumb, pausing at the top, then slowly descend with the out breath. Repeat this process for all the finders on the hand. This is a mindful practice as we focus on the sensations of the fingers as we climb. The slowing of the breath is akin to a square/box breathing practice. Nose, low, slow, calming the body and mind.

Today we practiced 'Box Breathing Plus'. Principles of breathwork: Nose, Low, Slow. Breathing in for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, out for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds. Repeat. Entrain (adding) a visualization of the box and counting on the fingers to occupy the mind. Remember to adjust the count to suit you. If the count offered is too fast or slow, it can be anxiety-inducing. Feel free to speed up, slow down, and tweak to your count (just slowing the breath down is the goal!)

Today we practiced 'gratitude breath'. Start with a slow, deep, sighing breath. Relax the muscles in the body (unclench jaw, drop shoulders, release the belly). Picture a person, pet, or plant and foster the feelings of gratitude and love. Repeat this process until you are feeling calm (or as a meditation practice). The Gratitude Breath Practice is great for when you're feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or otherwise unsettled. If in public, you can do an 'internal sigh rather than vocalizing.

Today we practiced 'Heart Space Connection'. Start with your hand upon the heart space. Visualizing it as a light, flame, or energy (whatever color manifests). Allow yourself to embody, embrace, and become the heart space. We often feel like 'we' are located in the head, that consciousness sits somewhere behind the eyes. But with this practice, we can explore shifting that center, allowing for softening and release.

Today we practiced 'Heart Space Expansion'. Start with your hand upon the heart space, visualizing it as a light, flame, or energy (whatever color manifests). With the in breath, visualize the heart space moving down into the earth. With the out breath, visualize it moving into the heavens. Optional: add (entrain) tracking with the eyes and a mantra "Love//Trust" Entrainment helps occupy a busy mind. The more things we focus on, the less chance the mind has to wander. Keep adding until you find that your mind is occupied, if it gets too much, take one aspect away.

Today we practiced 'Heart Space Exploration'. Start with your hand upon the heart space, visualizing it as a light, flame, or energy (whatever color manifests). With the in breath, visualize the heart space moving to each part of the body in turn and then returning (left foot, right foot, head, groin/buttocks, neck, belly, left hand, right hand). Add the words and intention with the breath of "Love//Trust" This practice will help you reconnect and integrate the parts of your body, personality, and past. It is a subtle but continual offering of self-love and acceptance.

Today we practiced 'Mindful Awareness Of The Belly'. Turn your attention to the sensations in your belly. If your mind wanders, gently and lovingly return your focus to the belly. Mindfulness trains us to become aware of the contents of consciousness. To notice where our mind is at any point. It also helps us to learn focus. But there is an additional benefit to using the 'anchor' (focus point) of the belly; it fosters a mind-body/somatic connection. Something that is deeply healing and integrating when practiced regularly.

Today we practiced 'Progressive Muscle Relaxation'. Start by taking a slow, calm breath and checking into the body and mind. In turn, scan, tense, and release each muscle, then tense and release the entire body at once. Progressive muscle relaxation is a simple way to help the body (and in turn the mind) relax. It can be done in a flow or targeted at areas that you know you are holding tension.

Today we practiced 'Radical Self-Acceptance + Action', followed by 10 minutes of silence. Radical Self-Acceptance: accepting reality as it is for what it is, right now. The good, bad, ugly, unknown, and changing aspects of the self and the external. This is what you are feeling and thinking. Just this. Nothing more or less. Radical Self-Acceptance is couched within my '3A' framework of healing: Awareness, acceptance, action. All of which can be fostered through daily meditation.

Today we practiced 'Loving Kindness (Metta)'. Hold a person in your heart and offer them love. "May you be free of ill will. May you be free of suffering. May you be full of loving kindness. May you be happy." Begin with someone easy to offer love to, then extend to yourself, strangers, the world, and all living beings. Metta is offered as a balm, a soothing, a softening. Some believe it acts as a prayer, others that it is a self-healing practice. I will leave that for you to decide. I just know that it helps in life and with other mindfulness/meditation practices.

Today we practiced 'Gratitude'. Place your hand upon your heart and belly. Slowing down the breath. Embrace the feelings of gratitude for the simple act of self-soothing. Bring to mind (and body) the image of a person, pet, or plant you are grateful for. Extend this to your family, community, and world. Gratitude is an antidote to resentment, craving, anger, and jealousy. Yes, the world is not perfect, but there is always something to be grateful for, even if it is just this next breath. We end with the contemplation question "What if I gave thanks in advance for the wonderful things that are going to happen" - bringing the possibility of gratitude into the future as well.

Today we practiced 'Basic Mindfulness'. Choose an anchor for attention. Traditionally, the breath is taken through the nose. But this can be anything you see, feel, hear, taste, smell (or interoceptive feelings and even the mind space). Focus your attention there. When you notice your mind wandering, or find yourself lost in thought, gently and lovingly return it back to the breath. Remember that the goal of mindfulness isn't to empty the mind or alter the contents of consciousness, just to notice where attention is. Discovering your attention has left the anchor is the entire point. You haven't failed at meditation; by noticing your mind, you can bring it back to the breath.

Today we practiced "Mindfulness + Advanced Labelling". Focus your attention on the sensations of the breath at the nose. Using your broad awareness, scan for any 'distractions' that may capture your mind and label them: sensations, thoughts, emotions, moods, memories, future-focused attentions (anxiety/hopes), etc. If you notice your mind distracted, gently and lovingly return it to the breath. Sometimes it can feel like the distraction is a combination of many different things. If so, label it all as 'cloud' as in an overwhelming storm cloud of emotions/thoughts/sensations, etc. This labeling helps us to mindfully detach from it all and return to the breath.

Today we practiced 'Mindfulness Skills: Focused Attention Vs Broad Awareness," followed by 10 minutes of silence. Begin with a traditional mindful focus on the sensations of the breath at the nose. If your mind wanders, gently and lovingly bring it back. Then engage your broad awareness, keeping watch for sensations, thoughts, and other potential distractions. Focused attention is like a laser. Sharp and specific, but easily pointed off course. Broad awareness is like peripheral vision. Catching everything, with minimal detail. Used together, these tools can greatly enhance mindfulness practice and can help the benefits transcend the meditation mat and into everyday life. You are focused, but a part is always broadly aware of distraction.

Today we practiced 'Vipassana' followed by 10 minutes of silence. Begin with a mindful focus on the sensations of the breath at the nose. If your mind wanders, gently and lovingly bring it back. Scan each part of the body, part by part, piece by piece, from head to toe (then toe to head). Not hoping to change, or alter, just accept what is arising - good, bad, blank, or otherwise. Vipassana is an advanced mindfulness practice that can help with the mind-body connection, integration, and healing. We sat in 'strong determination', that is, without moving. This can cause pain and discomfort, and your mind may wander to other parts of the body or to thoughts. If tolerable, push through the pain and feel it. Try to find the parts that make up pain: pressure, movement, and other sensations. Feel it without judgment. It may pass. But if it becomes unbearable, simply shift your body, but do so slowly and mindfully.

Today we practiced Protective Barrier Visualization" followed by 10 minutes of silence. Begin with hands and attention upon the heart-space, visualize it as a light/flame/ball of energy. "With the breath, the heart space grows stronger and brighter, and we embody, embrace, and become the heart space". From that space, and with the breath, visualize a barrier or shield extending outwards. This can manifest in any color and form you like. This barrier keeps you safe, allowing you to choose what to let in. You can finish the session by 'letting it go' or by 'keeping it active'. A visualization practice grants you an internal response to external stressors. When things arise, you will remember your shield and will therefore be less impacted, as you will (at least) be reminded of the self and thus have a more mindful response!

Today we practiced "Cleansing Liquid Visualization" followed by 10 minutes of silence. Begin with hands and attention upon the heart-space, visualize it as a light/flame/ball of energy. "With the breath the hear-space grows stronger and brighter, and we embody, embrace, and become the heart space". From that space, and with the breath, a dense golden healing liquid entering the body and filling you up. Feet, legs, belly, chest, arms, neck, head, then flowing out and over. he nature of this liquid is such that at takes with it anything that is not you. This visualization practice helps you to shift anything you are holding onto, and become aware of things that are not yet wanting to release. If, during this practice, you discover something that isn't wanting to shift, get curious and compassionate. Ask that part what it wants to let you know or what it needs from you, and with calm confidence, listen. Eventually it will release/integrate.

Today we practiced "Heart Space Transmutation Visualization" followed by 10 minutes of silence. Begin by placing the hand upon the heart-space, visualizing it as a ball of energy, flame, or light. "With the breath, the heart space grows stronger and brighter." Then, with each in breath, visualize all heavy emotions coming into the heart space and being transformed into love/compassion on the outbreath. The highest part of the self, the part that is connected to the divine, the heart-space, the witness, whatever you call this space, is pure, untaintable, incorruptible. Whatever comes in contact with it cannot help but be transformed. This is a variation of a metta/loving kindness meditation, "May you be free of ill will. May you be free of suffering. May you be full of loving kindness. May you be happy.

Today we practiced "Inbox Zero" followed by 10 minutes of silence. Begin with a traditional mindfulness practice of focusing on the sensations of the breath at the nose. If you notice your mind wandering, gently and lovingly bring your attention back to the nose. Then simply sit and allow the contents of consciousness to reveal themselves. Almost as if you are 'reading the emails' that have built up until your mind reaches inbox zero. If you notice yourself obsessing on an 'email', take a breath, refocus on the practice, and continue. This session ends with a discussion of the power and benefits of silence and boredom. Highlighting why the continual distractions available to us may be causing significant harm and how silence could indeed be our best teacher.

Today we practiced "Focusing On The Present Moment". Focus your attention on what you can hear. These are the sounds of the present moment, of now. Focus your attention on what you can see. These are the sights of the present moment, of now. Focus your attention on what you can feel. These are the sensations of the present moment, of now. Focus on the breath. If your mind wanders, gently bring it back. Let it all go and allow yourself to be in the moment, to be in the ever-present now. The present moment provides respite. If you are lost in thoughts of the past or future, or feelings of overwhelm, fear, panic, or grief, return to the present moment. This is one to practice. It is a skill to hone over time.

Today we practiced "Mind Space Witnessing". Focus your attention on the sensations of the breath at the nose. Then scan each aspect of the Mindspace in turn: Sensations, Thoughts, Emotions, Memories, Imagination, Impulses, Meta cognitions, States of consciousness, Sense of self/soul. Approach and accept everything that arises with an attitude of compassionate curiosity and calm confidence. This practice is akin to a mindful body scan, but for the components of the mind. Beginning with the most obvious, then shifting to the more subtle. Explore your own mind and make changes to this practice if you discover differences. The mnemonic to remember the order is “Sometimes The Elephant Makes Imaginary Ice-cream Meringues Super Salty.”

Today we practiced "A Loving Inner Vision Exploration". Place your hand upon your heart space and feel the warmth. Visualize the heart space as a ball of energy/light/flame, growing stronger and brighter with the breath. Invite a part of your past/body into the session. Approach and accept the sensations, thoughts, visions, and other things that arise with compassionate curiosity and calm confidence. Gently and lovingly offer love and trust with the breath. Commit to returning to this part in a future session. If we hold that the body keeps the score and that emotions/sensations are messages we need to hear, this session is us doing just that. We feel, listen, see, and accept. Becoming our own inner parent/therapist, listening to our parts as they express, release, and slowly reintegrate.

Today we practiced "Intuitive Guidance". Place your hand upon your heart space and feel the warmth. Visualize the heart space as a ball of energy/light/flame, growing stronger and brighter with the breath. Scan the body for a part to work with. We assume that the body keeps the score and that emotions/sensations are messages. Approach and accept the sensations, thoughts, visions, and other things that arise with compassionate curiosity and calm confidence. Become the inner therapist/parent and allow that part to express itself. Feeling, listening, observing deeply. Asking questions to encourage it to open up. Offer love and commit to return to this part in a future session. This practice takes time. Time for you to familiarize yourself with the process, and time for the parts to trust that you are there and available. Take time. Be like the breath, subtle but continuous and ever returning. Come back to this practice again. As many times as you/the part needs.