WEEK 15
Meditation Practice
This week, we’re taking our daily meditation practice up to 20 minutes — the maximum time we’ll reach in this guide.
Twenty minutes may have felt like a lot of time to spend in meditation three months ago, but hopefully, by increasing the time you spend in meditation slowly, you will have found trust and faith in the practice in terms of the peace and freedom it brings to your life, so you can remain motivated to dedicate this time to meditate every day.
Monday — 5 minutes Breath Awareness + 15 minutes Body Awareness
Tuesday — 5 minutes Breath Awareness + 15 minutes Body Awareness
Wednesday — 5 minutes Breath Awareness + 15 minutes Body Awareness
Thursday — 5 minutes Breath Awareness + 15 minutes Body Awareness
Friday — 5 minutes Breath Awareness + 15 minutes Body Awareness
Saturday — 5 minutes Breath Awareness + 15 minutes Body Awareness
Sunday — 5 minutes Breath Awareness + 15 minutes Body Awareness + 5 minutes Loving-Kindness
Twenty minutes may have felt like a lot of time to spend in meditation three months ago, but hopefully, by increasing the time you spend in meditation slowly, you will have found trust and faith in the practice in terms of the peace and freedom it brings to your life, so you can remain motivated to dedicate this time to meditate every day.
Monday — 5 minutes Breath Awareness + 15 minutes Body Awareness
Tuesday — 5 minutes Breath Awareness + 15 minutes Body Awareness
Wednesday — 5 minutes Breath Awareness + 15 minutes Body Awareness
Thursday — 5 minutes Breath Awareness + 15 minutes Body Awareness
Friday — 5 minutes Breath Awareness + 15 minutes Body Awareness
Saturday — 5 minutes Breath Awareness + 15 minutes Body Awareness
Sunday — 5 minutes Breath Awareness + 15 minutes Body Awareness + 5 minutes Loving-Kindness
Mindful Living Practice — Practise Urge Surfing
Our attachments, habits and subtle addictions can be pretty challenging to release simply because of the way they have been wired into our brain over time. But by staying awake — by living consciously and mindfully instead of letting the automatic, unawakened mind control us, we can release any harmful habits that are causing us to suffer.
For example, say you’ve committed to going sober for a month — maybe to raise money for a charity or for health reasons or just to see if you can. But, on day one, you’re really craving that glass of Pinot you usually have with your dinner. Maybe your thoughts are making you doubt why you ever agreed to a month of no wine, maybe there’s a little voice inside your head saying, “One glass won’t hurt”, maybe you’re starting to feel the stress you’d would normally suppress by drinking.
This is the perfect situation to practise urge surfing — to learn to ride out the urge, and over time, it will weaken. Our cravings and urges rarely last longer than 20-30 minutes if you don’t feed them by either acting on them, ruminating on them, fighting them, or suppressing them. Urge surfing is about paying attention to the craving and watching it dissolve.
This week, practise urge surfing with a habit or attachment you’d like to change or release — drinking, smoking, social media, overeating, losing your temper, buying stuff… When the urge arises, notice where in your body you feel it and the physical sensations that are occurring (in the same way as you do in Body Awareness Meditation) — where do you feel the sensations? What are the sensations like — vibrations, pressure, pulsations, heat, pain? How do they change over time? Are they intensifying or weakening?
Coming back to the R.A.I.N. technique will help too:
Sometimes we don't recognise the power we have within us to go beyond or cravings and urges until we practise urge surfing — the practice itself can awaken us to our own power.
For example, say you’ve committed to going sober for a month — maybe to raise money for a charity or for health reasons or just to see if you can. But, on day one, you’re really craving that glass of Pinot you usually have with your dinner. Maybe your thoughts are making you doubt why you ever agreed to a month of no wine, maybe there’s a little voice inside your head saying, “One glass won’t hurt”, maybe you’re starting to feel the stress you’d would normally suppress by drinking.
This is the perfect situation to practise urge surfing — to learn to ride out the urge, and over time, it will weaken. Our cravings and urges rarely last longer than 20-30 minutes if you don’t feed them by either acting on them, ruminating on them, fighting them, or suppressing them. Urge surfing is about paying attention to the craving and watching it dissolve.
This week, practise urge surfing with a habit or attachment you’d like to change or release — drinking, smoking, social media, overeating, losing your temper, buying stuff… When the urge arises, notice where in your body you feel it and the physical sensations that are occurring (in the same way as you do in Body Awareness Meditation) — where do you feel the sensations? What are the sensations like — vibrations, pressure, pulsations, heat, pain? How do they change over time? Are they intensifying or weakening?
Coming back to the R.A.I.N. technique will help too:
- R — Recognise what is happening and what you are feeling
- A — Allow life to be the way it is
- I — Investigate your inner experience with kindness
- N — Non-identify with what you are experiencing (your thoughts/emotions/stories are not you, you are the awareness of them)
Sometimes we don't recognise the power we have within us to go beyond or cravings and urges until we practise urge surfing — the practice itself can awaken us to our own power.
If you can, see if you can keep up the mindful living practices from the last few weeks too. If you need a reminder, I’ve popped them below.
Week 1 -- Don’t Scratch the Itch
Week 2 — Non-Harm
Week 3 — Non-Stealing
Week 4 — Speak Only Kindness
Week 5 — Take a Break From Intoxicants
Week 6 — Conscious Relationships
Week 7 — R.A.I.N
Week 8 — Send Happiness
Week 9 — Let Someone Else Be Right
Week 10 — Wash Up
Week 11 — Play
Week 12 -- Practise the Pause
Week 13 — Practise Intentional Meandering
Week 14 — Take a Break From Social Media
Week 1 -- Don’t Scratch the Itch
Week 2 — Non-Harm
Week 3 — Non-Stealing
Week 4 — Speak Only Kindness
Week 5 — Take a Break From Intoxicants
Week 6 — Conscious Relationships
Week 7 — R.A.I.N
Week 8 — Send Happiness
Week 9 — Let Someone Else Be Right
Week 10 — Wash Up
Week 11 — Play
Week 12 -- Practise the Pause
Week 13 — Practise Intentional Meandering
Week 14 — Take a Break From Social Media