Mindfulness Journal

MINDFULNESS & STRESS REDUCTION PRACTICE GUIDE

YMCA OF THE PIKES PEAK REGION WORKPLACE WELLNESS PROGRAM TABLE OF CONTENTS Content Page 10 Steps to Mindful Meditation 3 9 Dots 4 Upstream/Downstream 5 Pleasant Events Calendar 8 Unpleasant Events Calendar 9 Walking Meditation 10 Mindful Yoga 11 Standing Yoga 12-13 Lying Yoga 14-15 Blocks to Listening 16-18 Mindful Communication 19 Communication Calendar 22 Automatic reaction vs. mindful response 25

2 TEN STEPS TO MINDFULNESSMINDFULNESS MEDIMEDITTAATIONTION

Create time & space. Choose a regular time each day Set a timer. for mindfulness meditation Start with just 5 minutes and practice, ideally a quiet place fr ee ease your way up to 15-40 from distraction minutes.

Check your posture. Find a comfortable Sit up straight, hands in a sitting position. comfortable position. Keep neck long, chin tilted slightly Sit cross-legged on the ﬂoor, on downward, tongue resting on the grass, or in a chair your feet roof of mouth. Relax shoulders. ﬂat on the ground. Close eyes or gaze downward 5-10 feet in front of you.

Direct attention to Take deep breaths. your breath. Deep breathing helps settle the Focus on a part of the body body and establish your presence where the breath feels in the space. prominent: nostrils; back of throat; or diaphragm. Try not to switch focus.

Maintain attention to your breath. Repeat steps 6-7. For the duration of meditation As you inhale and exhale, focus on session. The mind will wander. the breath. If attention wanders, Simply acknowledge this and return to the breath. Let go of return to your breath. thoughts, feelings or distractions.

Be kind to yourself. Prepare for a soft Don't be upset if focus landing. occasionally drifts or if you fall keep asleep. If very tired, meditate with eyes closed until you're ready to eyes open and rearrange posture open them. Be thankful. to more erect (but still relaxed) Acknowledge your practice with position. gratitude.

4 UPSTREAM/DOWNSTREAM - A CONTEMPORARY FABLE It was many years ago that the villagers of Downstream recall spotting the first body in the river. Some old timers remember how Spartan were the facilities and procedures for managing that sort of thing. Sometimes, they say, it would take hours to pull 10 people from the river, and even then only a few would survive.

Though the number of victims in the river has increased greatly in the recent year, the folks of Downstream have responded admirable to this challenge. Their rescue system is clearly second to none: most people discovered in the swirling waters are reached within 20 minutes - many less than 10. Only a small number drown each day before help arrives - a big improvement from the way it used to be.

Talk to the people of Downstream and they’ll speak with pride about the new hospital by the edge, the flotilla of rescue boats ready for service at a moment’s notice, the comprehensive health plans for coordinating all manpower involved, and the large numbers of highly trained and dedicated swimmers always willing to risk their lives to save victims from the raging currents. Sure it costs a lot but, say the Downstreamers, what else can decent people do except provide whatever is necessary when human lives are at stake.

Oh, a few people of Downstream have raised the question now and again, but most folks show little interest in what’s happening Upstream. It seems there’s so much to do to help this in the river that nobody’s got time to check how all those bodies are getting there in the first place. That’s the way things are, sometimes.

Donals Ardell High Level Wellness: An alternative to Doctors, Drugs and Disease

5 DROPS OF WATER Do not take lightly small good deeds, believing they can hardly help: For drops of water one by one, in time can fill a giant pot.

- Kunzang Lhamo Shelung

NOTES

6 STOPPING AND STARTING One of the hardest lessons of any inner journey is to understand that our ideal sense of how things should be and the actual experience are miles apart To be with our being… is the most simple, direct, truly human capacity, and it is the most difficult to sustain. In two minutes of sitting quietly we will soon discover that our minds have gone off by themselves with plans, fantasies, judgements, hopes, fears, and what have you! In nothing flat we have flown away from our presence in the present. To accept that we do this all the time is to accept the process of stopping and starting again and again. When we take an actual trip it is what happens as well. We go a distance. Then we stop. We travel another distance, often not seeing and doing what we thought we would, but meeting whatever comes our way instead. This happens on the inner plane, too. We think we are moving towards a recognizable peace or natural stillness and we discover we are in the noisiest city of all - our mind. Stop. Start. Start. Stop. And start again. We will only do relatively well even when we have been on our path for years.

From Inviting Silence by Gunnilla Norris, BlueBridge 2004.

7 PLEASANT EVENTS CALENDAR What are Were you aware What moods, How did your your thoughts, of the pleasant feelings, and What was body feel, in feelings, feelings while thoughts the experience? detail, during sensations as the event was accompanied this experience? you write about happening? this event? the event now?

8 UNPLEASANT EVENTS CALENDAR Were you What are What moods, aware of the How did your your thoughts, feelings, and What was unpleasant body feel, in feelings, thoughts the experience? feelings while detail, during sensations as accompanied the event this experience? you write about this event? was happening? the event now?

9 WALKING MEDITATION While meditation is usually associated with the sitting posture, meditation can also be practiced while walking. Walking meditation is essentially about the awareness of movement as you note the component parts of the steps. If you like, you can consider it meditation in action.

How to do it… Begin by noticing the way your body feels while simply standing still, observe the feeling of your feet connected to the ground. Essentially, tune in, mindfully. You will need to find a walking path with a level surface on which to walk back and forth, or else consider walking at a more natural place in a public area. Allow your Arms to hang naturally. Allow the eyes to gaze at a point about two feet in front of you on the ground to avoid visual distractions. Then, as you walk, keep the attention to the sole of your foot, not on the leg or any other part of the body.

In the beginning, you can note just three parts of the step: ‘lifting,’ ‘pushing,’ ‘dropping.’ Then mentally note or label each step part by part building up the noting to its six component parts: ‘raising,’ ‘lifting,’ ‘pushing,’ ‘dropping,’ ‘touching,’ and ‘pressing’ - concurrent with the actual experience of the movement. These are the basics of walking meditation. Beyond this, bring in the same mindful component that you bring into sitting meditation or yoga: non-judging, noting your experiences, observing the pull of the thinking mind and the feelings that arrives and pass through. When you find your mind has wandered off, just bring it back. Above all, be kind to yourself. Not judging yourself, not worrying about how well it’s going, not striving to reach any goal, consider all the opportunities you have in your life to practice walking meditation.

10 MINDFUL YOGA Many of us are reluctant to exercise because it involves discomfort or strain, or requires special equipment or others to work out with, or going to a special place to do it. If this has been the case for you, then mindful hatha yoga may be just the practice you have been waiting for. The word “Yoga” means “yoke” in Sanskrit, and implies a harnessing together and a unifying of body and mind. Yoga is a form of meditation, and when done regularly, is an excellent mind/body discipline for people who wish to move towards greater levels of health. Hatha yoga consists of postures done mindfully, and with awareness of breathing. They are easily learned and have dramatic effects if practiced regularly. The following postures will be extremely gentle. Regular practice will increase your musculoskeletal flexibility, strength, and balance, as well as help you enter states of deep relaxation and awareness. Many people experience a greater serenity about life in general, improved circulation, a firmer, trimmer figure and less illness as a result. In practicing yoga, you are advised to practice in the same way that you do when meditating, namely maintaining moment to moment awareness, and not striving to get somewhere, just allowing yourself to be as you are, and letting go of any judging of yourself. Move slowly and consciously. Mindful yoga involves exploring your limits but not pushing beyond them. Instead, you play with dwelling at the boundary and breathe. This requires honoring your body and the “messages” it gives you about when to stop and when to avoid doing a posture because of a particular condition. Yoga requires no special equipment and can be done almost anywhere. You can learn it from this course, and then go on to discover your own postures, and get ideas from classes or yoga books. Experiment mindfully.

Adapted from Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat - Zinn, Ph.D

11 STANDING YOGA POSES

1990 Jon Kabat-Zinn, Full Catastrophe Living 12 STANDING YOGA POSES

1990 Jon Kabat-Zinn, Full Catastrophe Living 13 LYING YOGA POSES

1990 Jon Kabat-Zinn, Full Catastrophe Living 14 LYING YOGA POSES

1990 Jon Kabat-Zinn, Full Catastrophe Living 15 BLOCKS TO LISTENING There are 12 blocks to listening. You will find that some are old favorites that you use over and over. Others are held in reserve for certain types of people or situations. 1. Comparing Comparing makes it hard to listen because you are assessing who’s more intelligent, more confident and more emotionally healthy. Many times you are also trying to assess who has worked harder. 2. Mind-reading The mind-reader doesn’t pay much attention to what people say. In fact, they often distrust it. The mind-reader pays less attention to words than to intonations and subtle cues in an effort to see through the “truth”. 3. Rehearsing You don’t have time to listen when you are rehearsing what you are going to say. Your whole attention is on the preparation and crafting of your next comment. You have a story to tell or a point to make. 4. Filtering When you filter you listen to some things and not to others. You pay only enough attention to see if somebody’s angry or unhappy, or if you’re in emotional danger. Once assured that the communication contains none of those things, then you let your mind wander. Another way people filter is simply to avoid hearing certain things -particularly anything threatening, negative, critical, or unpleasant. 5. Judging Negative labels have enormous power. If you prejudge someone as unqualified, you don’t pay as much attention to what they say. Hastily judging a statement as immoral, hypercritical, or irrational means you’ve ceased to listen and you’ve begun to make a “knee jerk” reaction.

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16 BLOCKS TO LISTENING Continued 6. Dreaming You’re half listening and something the person says suddenly triggers a chain of private associations. 7. Identifying In this block you take everything a person tells you and refer it back to your own personal experience. Everything you hear reminds you of something you’ve felt, done, or suffered. You’re so busy with those exciting tales of your life that there’s no time to really hear the other person. 8. Advising You’re the great problem-solver, ready with help and suggestions. You don’t have to hear more than a few sentences before you begin searching for the right answer. However, while you’re cooking up suggestions and convincing someone to “just try it” you may miss what’s most important. If you didn’t hear the feelings and you don’t acknowledge the person’s pain, he or she still feels basically alone. 9. Sparring This block has you arguing and debating with people. The other person never feels heard because you’re so quick to disagree. In fact, a lot of your focus is on finding things with which to disagree. You take strong stands on just about everything. One sub-type of the of sparring is the put-down. A second type of sparring is discounting. The way to avoid sparring is to repeat what you’ve heard. 10. Being Right Being right means you will go to any length - twist the facts, rationalize, make up excuses or accusations - to avoid being wrong. You can’t listen to criticism, you can’t be corrected, and you can’t take suggestions to change.

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17 BLOCKS TO LISTENING Continued 11. Derailing This listening block is accomplished by suddenly changing the subject. You derail the train of conversation when you get bored or uncomfortable with it. Another way of derailing is by joking; this means that you continually respond to whatever is said with a joke or quip in order to avoid the discomfort and anxiety in seriously listening to the other person. 12. Placating “Right…right...absolutely…I know…of course you are…” you really want to be nice, pleasant and supportive. You want people to like you so you agree with everything. Another form is you may half-listen - just enough to get the drift - but you’re really not involved. You are being placating rather than tuning in and examining what’s being said.

Contributed by Cindy Swarts. Author unknown.

Suggested Exercise: Thoughtfully read through the each listening block. Acknowledge one or two that you are prone to use. Observe how and when. Now work on really listening. When you note a block to deep listening, acknowledge the block, then return your full attention to what your speaking partner is saying. If your mind is active, try observing body language and facial expressions as they speak.

“The greatest compliment that was ever paid me was when someone asked me what I thought, and attended to my answer.” -Henry David Thoreau

18 MINDFUL COMMUNICATION

With whom did this conversation take place?______What was the general subject?______Briefly, what happened? Describe the communication.______How did the difficulty come about?______What did you really want from the person or situation?______What did you actually get?______What did the other person(s) really want?______What did they actually get?______How did you feel in the moment? What feelings, sensations, and emotions accompanied your experience?______... And immediately after?______... And now, during this recall exercise?______Have you resolved the difficulty?______How?______Or which of your own stressful personal communication patterns have gotten in the way?______19 NOTES

20 Think back to day one of the course.

What did you want to get out of the course?______What were your intentions?______Did you have any surprises?______What did you learn about yourself (for better or worse?)______How will you continue your mindfulness practice?______

MAY YOU BE WELL

21 S F T W T M COMMUNICATIONS CALENDAR COMMUNICATIONS S Describe the communication. With whom? Subject? What elicited the conversation? What were looking toyou get out of the conversation? What the result? theWhat was other person(s) looking to you/ get from Whatothers? the result? was did youHow duringfeel and after this communication? youWhat would do differently time? next

22 BEING WITH YOURSELF By being with yourself, by watching yourself in your daily life with alert interest, with the intention to understand rather than to judge, in full acceptance of whatever may emerge, because it is there, you encourage the deep to come to the surface and enrich your life and consciousness with its captive energies. This is the great work of awareness; it removes obstacles and releases energies by understanding the nature of life and mind. Intelligence is the door to freedom and alert attention is the mother of intelligence.

Nisargadatta Maharaj, 1971 NOTES

23 Environmental stressors Major life events Trauma, abuse (work, home, neighborhood)

Perceived stress (threat, helplessness, vigilance) Behavioral Individual responses differences (fight or flight; (genes, development, experience) personal behavior — diet, smoking, drinking, exercise) Physiologic responses Allostasis Adaptation

Allosttatic load

Figure 1. The Stress Response and Development of Allostatic Load.The perception of stress is influenced by one’s experiences, genetics, and behavior. When the brain perceives an experience asstressful, physiologic and behavioral responses are initiated, leading to allostasis and adaptation. Over time, allostatic load can accumulate, and the overexposure to mediators of neural, endocrine, and immune stress can have adverse effects on various organ systems, leading to disease.

Downloaded from www.nejm.org at UW MADISON on October 01, 2003. Copyright © 1998 Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved. http://www.psychiatry.wisc.edu/courses/Nitschke/seminar/mcewen_njm_1998.pdf NOTES

24 AUTOMATIC REACTION VS. MINDFUL RESPONSE

AUTOMATIC MINDFUL REACTION External Stressors RESPONSE Perceived threat/Challenge) ( PAUSE Autopilot Aware Unaware Mindful Appraisal Body sensations, thoughts, emotions Sympathetic Parasympathetic Fight or Flight Calm & Connect

Cardiovascular Digestive Hypothalamus Immune Pituitary Adrenals Musculoskeletal Adrenals Nervous Systems !Oxytocin Acute hyperarousal BP, heart rate Openness & Curiosity Internal Choice Chronic Stress Stressors thoughts, Reaction emotions, pain Adaptive/ Healthy Chronic Hyperarousal Aches and pain, Coping Asthma, Heart disease, Seeing New Possibilities Immune system, Mental & Physical Health Irritable bowel, Insomnia, Robust immune system Anxiety, Depression Improved wound healing Pro-social & Nurturing (Compassion, Trust, Generosity Kindness, Gratitude, Joy) Resilience

Denial, Overeating, Overworking, Hyperactivity, Isolation

© 2014 Elizabeth Lin MD, MPH Adapted with permission from Substance Misuse Breakdown Full Catastrophe Living Drugs, Alcohol Physical/psychological J. Kabat-Zinn 2013 Cigarettes exhaustion, Burn-out Mindful Birthing Caffeine N. Bardacke 2012 Graphics by R. Ryan

25 NOTES

26 NOTES

27 YMCA of the Pikes Peak Region ppymca.org