Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Program

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Program Three Trees Yoga Studio

Guidelines for class participation:

 Please come 5-15 minutes early to settle in if possible

 If you must miss a class or be late, please call or email Karen or Janice

 Maintain confidentiality outside of class by not repeating what was said in class.

 No cross talk or advice to participants who share their experiences in circle. Your support is felt in your silent, non-judgmental, compassionate presence.

 Avoid taking notes: trust yourself to remember what is important.

 If you have trouble hearing what is being said, please ask the speaker to be louder.

 You may bring water into the studio, but not food or drinks, with the exception of emergency food for a medical condition (diabetes, hypoglycemia).

 Disarm your watch, turn off your cell phone and set your pager to vibrate.

 Please don’t wear perfumed toiletries to class.

 Make yourself comfortable: Take off your shoes, bring slippers or heavy socks to wear if you wish, and feel free to use the mats, cushions, or chairs and to stand up or lie down, as needed. Please dress in extra layers. Use your own wisdom for bathroom, medication or food needs: take a break if you need one.

 A packet of materials and CD’s for homework and practice will be distributed

 Although it is not required, reading Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn, may offer you more information about the class and its rationale

 Take care of yourself during meditation and yoga: if something doesn’t feel right for your mind and body, ease off, and feel free to speak to Karen or Janice about any questions that arise.

If questions or concerns regarding your practice arise between weekly sessions, feel free to contact either one of us, preferably by email. If you feel like your concerns can better be addressed by a phone conversation, please try to arrange a time by email, prior to the call.

CONTACT INFO:

Janice Sack-Ory Karen Schwisow 253-370-6599 253-224-8246 [email protected] [email protected] “Even when we feel we can’t change things, it’s important to have awareness of what has happened. If you are unaware of what has happened, it means you are not alive in many respects. And to be unalive in many places within yourself means you are missing a lot of experience of being on this planet. And this planet is not to be missed.” --Alice Walker

Daily Home Practice Assignment for Week One:

 Review all the handouts.

 Listen and practice the body scan recording at least 6 times this week.

 Observe your breath for a few moments each day, especially during routine activities such as reading your mail, preparing a meal or driving. Observe your breath when you are feeling stress or pain and when you are engaged in something pleasant, like visiting a friend, listening to some favorite music, or talking with a loved one. Remember your breath is your ally. BREATHE!

 Buying Jon Kabat-Zinn’s book Full Catastrophe Living is encouraged. Suggested Reading: Introduction and Chapter 5.

 Do the nine dots puzzle included in the hand outs. Noticing your process is more important than solving the puzzle.

 Eat at least one meal mindfully this week. Can you look at this food as if you were seeing it for the first time? Experience the food directly. Notice the color, texture, and smell. Recognize there is a difference between the direct experience of the food and your thoughts and feelings about the food. Reflect on the origins of the food. What conditions contributed to forming or creating this food? What thoughts arise in reaction to this food? What feelings? Observe your intention to eat. Mindfully chew the food. Experience its flavor. Mindfully swallow. Notice when sensations of satisfaction and/or fullness begin. Notice when the mind wanders away from the food, forgive yourself instantly and bring yourself back to the experience of eating. Guidelines for doing the Body Scan

 Just do it! . . . regardless of what happens (falling asleep, losing concentration, being distracted by sounds, thoughts, emotions or other physical sensations). These are your experiences in the moment. Be aware of them, even if your mind is wandering a great deal.

 If you are distracted by wandering thoughts, emotions, or other sensations, know these experiences to be normal, notice them as passing events, and gently return to the instructions on the CD (or temporarily return to awareness of the breath if the instructions are creating too much discomfort for you, following the CD again when you are ready). If you fight off unpleasant thoughts, emotions or sensations, the fighting against what is present in the moment may only add to the unpleasantness of the experience.

 Notice if you have ideas about “success”, “failure”, or “doing it really well”. This is not a competition. It is not a skill that you are striving to perfect. The only discipline involved is setting a strong intention and following through with regular and frequent practice, being open and curious about whatever you happen to experience during the body scan.

 Notice if you have ideas about getting somewhere, about what the body scan will do for you. Think of this desire as the energy or motivation that gets you to the place of lying down and turning on the CD. Then, once you are there, letting go of expectations to experience whatever is happening, even if it is not what you want to happen. The more you try to get somewhere or control the effects of the body scan, the less effective it will be. WAYS OF SEEING

NINE DOTS

CONNECT ALL THESE DOTS WITH FOUR STRAIGHT LINES WITHOUT LIFTING THE PENCIL, AND WITHOUT RETRACING OVER ANY OF THE LINES...... PLEASE LIST THREE PERSONAL GOALS YOU HAVE FOR TAKING THE STRESS REDUCTION PROGRAM:

1)______

2)______

3)______