Our lives are sometimes hectic. There is an endless to-do list, new bills every month, new challenges every day, and hundreds of details to keep track of. However, we cannot forget to practice some self-care; be aware of your needs and do not be negligent to yourself. When you are hungry, eat. When you are tired, rest. When you are overwhelmed, ground yourself. Take some time to be still and to be present.
Be-Still Mindfulness
- Start this exercise by placing your feet squarely on the ground and sitting up in your chair so that your back is straight but not rigid.
- Let's begin by first noticing or paying attention to the fact that your body is actively sensing the environment. Notice that you can feel yourself sitting in the chair and you can feel your feet on the ground.
- Now, gently close your eyes.
- Place you attention on the tip of your nose and begin to notice the sensation of air moving in and out of your nostrils.... paying attention to your breathing...Allow yourself to just gently be with breathing, paying attention to the gentle, easy air as it passes in and out.
- You may also notice the rise and fall of your chest. Be aware of the expansion and contraction - be your breathing.
- If you become distracted by your thoughts, just take a moment to notice where your thoughts took you, notice where your mind went, and then, without judgement, let go and return your attention to your breathing. If you get distracted a hundred times, bring yourself back to your breaths a hundred times.
- Now let's just take the next few minutes to focus completely on breathing. Allow yourself a few minutes of focused breathing.
- Now, turn your full attention to your body. Starting with your toes, scan up your body, following the scan right to the top of your head.
- Notice the position you are sitting in and the way your body feels in the chair. As you pay attention to your body, practice remaining perfectly still, except for the rise and fall of your chest as you breathe.
- You may notice that you have an itch or a desire to move. You may notice some discomfort, but your only task at this time is to notice those desires, discomforts, and itches without any effort to make them different.
- Stay still ... Watch as your body and emotions and thoughts ask you to do something and notice, too, that you can remain perfectly still in spite of these requests.
- Continue to remain still as you notice the different sensations in your body.
- Aslo, be aware that you do not need to react to sensations, you can simply observe them as they come and go.
- Now, releasing your attention from stillness, gently focus on just the rise and fall of your chest as you breathe, and then on your body and how it feels to sit in the chair. Notice the placement of your feet, your arms, and your head. Picture what the room will look like and, when you are ready, rejoin the room by opening your eyes.