WEEK 18
Meditation Practice
We’re focussing on consistency with our meditation practice this week. Keep everything the same as last week in terms of the types of meditation and length of your practices. Notice any resistance to meditating and make time to practice anyway — reread the introduction to this guide if you need a little reminder of why you are practicing.
Monday — 5 minutes Breath Awareness + 15 minutes Body Awareness — Sitting of Strong Determination
Tuesday — 5 minutes Breath Awareness + 15 minutes Body Awareness — Sitting of Strong Determination
Wednesday — 5 minutes Breath Awareness + 15 minutes Body Awareness — Sitting of Strong Determination
Thursday — 5 minutes Breath Awareness + 15 minutes Body Awareness — Sitting of Strong Determination
Friday — 5 minutes Breath Awareness + 15 minutes Body Awareness — Sitting of Strong Determination
Saturday — 5 minutes Breath Awareness + 15 minutes Body Awareness — Sitting of Strong Determination
Sunday — 5 minutes Breath Awareness + 15 minutes Body Awareness + 5 minutes Loving-Kindness
Monday — 5 minutes Breath Awareness + 15 minutes Body Awareness — Sitting of Strong Determination
Tuesday — 5 minutes Breath Awareness + 15 minutes Body Awareness — Sitting of Strong Determination
Wednesday — 5 minutes Breath Awareness + 15 minutes Body Awareness — Sitting of Strong Determination
Thursday — 5 minutes Breath Awareness + 15 minutes Body Awareness — Sitting of Strong Determination
Friday — 5 minutes Breath Awareness + 15 minutes Body Awareness — Sitting of Strong Determination
Saturday — 5 minutes Breath Awareness + 15 minutes Body Awareness — Sitting of Strong Determination
Sunday — 5 minutes Breath Awareness + 15 minutes Body Awareness + 5 minutes Loving-Kindness
Mindful Living Practice — Practise Thought Catching
Once upon a time I would stand in front of a mirror, catch sight of a bit flesh poking over the top of my yoga pants and begin to berate myself — you’re fat, you’re ugly, no one will ever love you, you’ll be lonely your whole life because there is nothing to like about you, you’re no good at anything, you fail at everything, you’re such a failure… And so it would continue for minutes, hours, days, weeks sometimes — sleep-walking my way through life, feeling like a failure, caught up in my own story of self-hate.
Somehow, my untamed mind had managed to take me from, “There is a bit of flesh hanging over my yoga pants” to “I am a failure”. But, if I had noticed the first thought and paid attention to it with loving awareness there would have been zero drama — I simply would have noticed a bit of flesh poking over my yoga pants and that would be that.
Neuroscience has discovered there is a magic quarter second when we can catch a thought before it turns into an emotional reaction. So, this week, practise thought catching — notice when you become lost in stories or fantasies or when one thought jumps to the next and somehow the fact that the guy you’re dating hasn’t replied to your last text even though you can see he has read it has lead you down a rabbit hole of feeling like you are unworthy of love.
By staying awake and catching our thoughts before they grow into a tornado of anger or sadness or self-criticism, we free ourselves from suffering.
Somehow, my untamed mind had managed to take me from, “There is a bit of flesh hanging over my yoga pants” to “I am a failure”. But, if I had noticed the first thought and paid attention to it with loving awareness there would have been zero drama — I simply would have noticed a bit of flesh poking over my yoga pants and that would be that.
Neuroscience has discovered there is a magic quarter second when we can catch a thought before it turns into an emotional reaction. So, this week, practise thought catching — notice when you become lost in stories or fantasies or when one thought jumps to the next and somehow the fact that the guy you’re dating hasn’t replied to your last text even though you can see he has read it has lead you down a rabbit hole of feeling like you are unworthy of love.
By staying awake and catching our thoughts before they grow into a tornado of anger or sadness or self-criticism, we free ourselves from suffering.
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 15 — Practise Urge Surfing
Week 16 — Practise C.O.A.L.
Week 17 — Practise Gratitude
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 15 — Practise Urge Surfing
Week 16 — Practise C.O.A.L.
Week 17 — Practise Gratitude