SLOW- A Mindfulness Acronym

SLOW- A mindfulness acronym to help us hold big emotions. Slow stands for Soften, Listen, Open, and Welcome.

Practice this mindfulness technique developed by Christopher that helps to remind us to slow down, come into the present moment, and welcome our difficulties with openness, listening to the needs of the body in the moment.

Practice it regularly until you memorise the steps.

Transcript

Welcome to this mindfulness meditation.

We'll be using the acronym SLOW.

That stands for S,

Soften,

L,

Listen,

O,

Open,

And W,

Welcome.

Get comfortable.

Close your eyes.

Let the world soften around you.

Feel the weight of your body.

How the ground holds you.

Without question.

Without effort.

Take a slow,

Steady breath in.

And let it pour out in its own time.

No rush.

No forcing.

Just the natural rhythm of your body.

Like a tide moving in and out.

When emotions feel too big to hold.

Slow.

Slow everything down.

The breath.

The thoughts.

The tightness in your chest.

There is no urgency here.

Just space.

S is for Soften.

So let your shoulders drop.

Your hands unclench.

Release.

Release any tension that you didn't even realize you were holding.

Soften.

The body speaks its own language.

Listen to it.

Breathe into the spaces that feel tight.

And with each exhale.

Let them loosen.

Even a little.

Soften.

The breath.

Soften.

The whole body.

L is for Listen.

What is this feeling that's here now trying to tell you?

Not the story about it.

Not the judgment.

Just the raw feeling itself.

Where does it live in your body?

Feel it.

Listen to it.

What does it need?

Let yourself be curious.

Curious.

And gentle.

O is for Open.

Instead of resisting.

Closing off.

Trying to push it away.

Make space.

Don't try to shrink it down.

Open up wide.

Let it live in you.

Imagine widening around the feeling.

Like the sky.

Opening up to hold the passing clouds.

It doesn't have to disappear.

It doesn't have to change.

Just allow it room to breathe.

Be open.

W is for Welcome.

Whatever is here,

Let it belong.

Every feeling has its place.

Its time.

You are not wrong for feeling this way.

You are not broken.

You are simply alive.

Experiencing the fullness of being human.

Rest here for a moment.

Holding it all.

And being held.

Knowing that emotions rise and fall.

Come and go.

But you,

You remain.

You are the vastness in which they move.

Take one more slow breath in.

Filling up the lungs.

And slowly let it out.

Connect for a moment with a sense of slowness.

And the peace that lives inside of that.

Whenever you're ready,

Gently open your eyes.

And carry the feeling.

This soft slowness with you.

Reviews

A great reminder to slow down and very easy to remember SLOW. I will remember this next time I'm in a challenging situation. Thank you Chris