Mindfulness
“Mindfulness is the awareness that arises when
paying attention in a particular way;
on purpose,
in the present moment,
non-judgmentally.”
-Williams, Teasdale, Segal, and Kabat-Zinn (2007)
Summary of Session 2
Our aim in this program is to be more aware, more often. A powerful influence taking us away from being “fully present” in each moment is our automatic tendency to judge our experience as being not quite right in some way—that it is not what should be happening, not good enough, or not what we expected or wanted. These judgments can lead to sequences of thoughts about blame, what needs to be changed, or how things could or should be different. Often these thoughts will take us, quite automatically, down some fairly well-worn paths in our minds. In this way, we may lose awareness of the moment and also the freedom to choose what, if any, action needs to be taken.
We can regain our freedom if, as a first step, we simply acknowledge the actuality of our situation, without immediately being hooked into automatic tendencies to judge, fix, or want things to be other than they are. The Body Scan exercise provides an opportunity to practice simply bringing an interested and friendly awareness to the way things are in each moment, without having to do anything to change things. There is no goal to be achieved other than to bring awareness to bear as the instructions suggest—specifically, achieving some special state of relaxation is not a goal of the exercise.
Mindfulness of the Breath - a new quick mediation to add to your daily routine
1. Settle into a comfortable sitting position, either on a straight-backed chair or a soft surface on the floor, with your buttocks supported by cushions or a low stool. If you use a chair, it is very helpful to sit away from the back of the chair, so that your spine is self-supporting. If you sit on the floor, it is helpful if your knees actu- ally touch the floor; experiment with the height of the cushions or stool until you feel comfortably and firmly supported. Whatever you sit on, arrange things so that your knees are lower than your hips.
2. Allow your back to adopt an erect, dignified, and comfortable posture. If sitting on a chair, place your feet flat on the floor, with your legs uncrossed. Gently close your eyes.
3. Bring your awareness to the level of physical sensations by focusing your atten- tion on the sensations of touch and pressure in your body where it makes contact with the floor and whatever you are sitting on. Spend a minute or two exploring these sensations, just as in the body scan.
4. Nowbringyourawarenesstothechangingpatternsofphysicalsensationsinthe lower abdomen as the breath moves in and out of your body. (When you first try this practice, it may be helpful to place your hand on your lower abdomen and become aware of the changing pattern of sensations where your hand makes contact with your abdomen. Having “tuned in” to the physical sensations in this area in this way, you can remove your hand and continue to focus on the sensa- tions in the abdominal wall.)
5. Focus your awareness on the sensations of slight stretching as the abdominal wall rises with each inbreath, and of gentle deflation as it falls with each outbreath. As best you can, follow with your awareness the changing physical sensations in the lower abdomen all the way through as the breath enters your body on the inbreath, and all the way through as the breath leaves your body on the outbreath, perhaps noticing the slight pauses between one inbreath and the following out- breath, and between one outbreath and the following inbreath.
6. There is no need to try to control the breathing in any way—simply let the breath breathe itself. As best you can, also bring this attitude of allowing to the rest of your experience. There is nothing to be fixed, no particular state to be achieved. As best you can, simply allow your experience to be your experience, without needing it to be other than it is.
7. Sooner or later (usually sooner), your mind will wander away from the focus on the breath in the lower abdomen to thoughts, planning, daydreams, drifting along—whatever. This is perfectly OK—it’s simply what minds do. It is not a mis- take or a failure. When you notice that your awareness is no longer on the breath, gently congratulate yourself—you have come back and are once more aware of your experience! You may want to acknowledge briefly where the mind has been (“Ah, there’s thinking”). Then, gently escort the awareness back to a focus on the changing pattern of physical sensations in the lower abdomen, renewing the intention to pay attention to the ongoing inbreath or outbreath, whichever you find.
8. However often you notice that the mind has wandered (and this will quite likely happen over and over and over again), as best you can, congratulate yourself each time on reconnecting with your experience in the moment, gently escorting the attention back to the breath, and simply resume following in awareness the changing pattern of physical sensations that come with each inbreath and out- breath.
9. As best you can, bring a quality of kindliness to your awareness, perhaps see- ing the repeated wanderings of the mind as opportunities to bring patience and gentle curiosity to your experience.
10. Continue with the practice for 10–15 minutes, or longer if you wish, perhaps reminding yourself from time to time that the intention is simply to be aware of your experience in each moment, as best you can, using the breath as an anchor to gently reconnect with the here and now each time you notice that your mind has wandered and is no longer down in the abdomen, following the breath.
Tips for the Body Scan
1. Regardless of what happens (e.g., if you fall asleep, lose concentration, keep thinking of other things or focusing on the wrong bit of body, or not feeling anything), keep at it! These are your experiences in the moment. See if it is possible to be aware of them all, just as they are.
2. If your mind is wandering a lot, simply note the thoughts (as passing events), then bring the mind gently back to the Body Scan.
3. Let go of ideas of “success,” “failure,” “doing it really well,” or “trying to purify the body.” This is not a competition. It is not something you need to strive to attain. The only discipline involved is regular and frequent practice. Just do it with an attitude of openness and curiosity, then allow the rest to take care of itself.
4. Let go of any expectations about what the Body Scan will do for you: Imagine it as a seed you have planted. The more you poke around and interfere, the less it will be able to develop. So, with the Body Scan, just give it the right conditions—peace and quiet, regular, and frequent practice. That is all. The more you try to influence what it will do for you, the less it will do.
5. Try approaching your experience in each moment with the attitude: “OK, that’s just the way things are right now.” If you try to fight off unpleasant thoughts, emotions, or body sensations, the upsetting emotions will only distract you from doing anything else. Being aware, without striving, in the moment, accepting things as they are–this is the practice.
Home Practice for the Week Following Session 2
1. Practice the Body Scan (guided recorded practice) at least 6 times a week.
2. At different times, practice 12 minutes of Focused Attention (guided recorded practice) or the 10 minute Sitting Meditation. Choose an anchor for your attention – sensations of breath, sound, body such as touch points of where your body meets a chair, feeling of hands resting on lap, etc. Practicing focused attention provides an opportunity to become aware of what it feels like to be connected and present in the moment without having to do anything.
3. Complete the Pleasant Experiences Calendar (one entry per day). Use this as an opportunity to become really aware of the thoughts, emotions, and body sensations around one pleasant event each day. Notice and record, as soon as you can, in detail (e.g., using the actual words or images in which the thoughts came, and the precise nature and location of body sensations). We can review what you find during our appointments.
4. Choose a new routine daily activity to be especially mindful of (e.g., brushing your teeth, washing dishes, taking a shower, taking out garbage, reading to kids, shopping, eating, etc.).
ABC Model of Emotional Distress
As we bring mindful awareness to our experiences, we may come to see that our emotions are often consequences of a situation plus an interpretation. This is the basic ABC Model of Emotional Distress.
So often we find ourselves in a situation (A) and end up with an emotion (C). Normally, these are the aspects of the experience that we are aware of. Often, we are not aware of a thought (B) that links them. It is as if there is a stream of thoughts present all the time, just under the surface, below the level of our awareness.
From Segal, Williams, and Teasdale (2013). Copyright by The Guilford Press. Permission to use this handout is granted to purchasers of this book for personal use only (see copyright page for details).