Letting Go Of Negative Judgment & Self-Criticism

This meditation stands on its own as an effective introduction to mindfulness & relaxation but is specifically designed to help prepare the meditator for the transformations and insights of this course. Having the ability to release and let go is a key skill that we will be using throughout this course, and having a relaxed body is the “ideal environment” for doing deep work that shifts not only what we think, but how we think, and our relationship to thinking and feeling.

We know that the mind affects the body and the body also has a powerful affect on the mind. In this lesson, you’ll notice the emotional sensations and tensions that arise in the body which trigger, or are triggered by, negative thinking. You will then learn to release all or part of that tension – which will also help release the emotions (that tend to promote that repetitive cycle of negative judgments and thinking). This is one way to break this negative cycle and create a new, positive one.

This is a technique that can be used during daily life as a strategy to help “unplug” from negative thinking and judgment as it arises. It’s always available and easy to do – and thus helpful in a pinch. The same part of the brain registers internal verbal (auditory) thinking as hears external auditory sounds. In this mindfulness exercise, we take advantage of that connection and learn to direct our awareness to “slide out” of external auditory experience when thoughts of past, future or judgment, arise in the present moment.

See Hear Feel is a foundational technique of the Unified Mindfulness system that brings us in the most simple way in direct contact with the 3 essential components of our sensory experience. This technique is also a strategy that can help us reduce our suffering from negative thinking and, as it trains us to tune into our sensory experience with more clarity, can produce a richer, more satisfying experience for us as we move through the world.

This is a fun sensitizing exercise that uses sounds to help you locate and have a greater intimacy with how emotional sensations – of different flavors – manifest for you in your body. This exercise offers insight into the impermanence of life, as you notice emotions come and go in real time.

In this meditation, we first create a relaxed open body which is a more conducive environment for creating relaxed open thinking. Then, we cultivate gratitude, generosity, compassion, love, loving kindness and a good intention to others – and to ourselves. By deliberately creating positive thoughts we can use this as momentum to help balance the habit of negative thinking.

In this meditation, we tune into our bodies kindly - even allowing them to become fluid, in a playful, loving way, as we work with reframing that voice in our head. This practice is designed for encouraging and cultivating kindness, compassion, and a supportive empathy and natural wisdom.

In this meditation, we try a different relationship to that voice in our head. We speak to it in a new way, asking important questions and inviting it on our journey. This lesson is designed to open the potential for an empowering partnership with our mind, allowing us to “become the change we want in the world.”

In this meditation, we try a technique that Stephanie developed, called "Shared Presence." This tecnique connects us to others, while melting that habit of negative judgement – including how we perceive (or fear) the judgement of ourselves and others. This lesson invites you to open up to receive what is happening in each moment with more acceptance.

This is a fun, light, diaphragmatic exercise that instantly releases endorphins which stop the sympathetic nervous system from releasing cortisol and allow for a greater sense of joy and well-being. The sound of the exercise tends to create a humor/laugh response that can “pop” negative thinking or judgment as it arises. There is also a special fun “bonus” at the end. Consider this lesson the “feel good icing” to wrap up the last 10 days of this course.