Mindful 3 Minute Check-in

Posted by Nicola Preston Bell in General | 0 comments

Take a few moments to be still and congratulate yourself for remembering to give yourself this time and your attention.

Begin to observe where you are, the landscape and sound scape, like a meteorologist checking the weather.

Notice thoughts and feelings that arise as you contemplate your environment, simply allowing them to be whatever they are, along with any sensations, judgements, just letting the waves of thoughts, observations, feelings to flow through body and mind.

This might be the first break you’ve given yourself in a busy day, so as you begin to be rather than do, notice all the feelings you’ve been carrying with you.

No need to analyse, judge or try to figure things out, just let yourself be here in the moment, as if you are treading water, noticing what is happening from moment to moment.

Spend around 3 minutes being present, noticing the rise and fall of the breath and anything else that pulls your attention. Congratulate yourself again for doing this practice, which is contributing to your health and well-being.

Body Scan

Sit or lie down and check that you are comfortable and in a position that allows you to stay alert.

If you are sitting, make sure your back is straight and the body is centred, the head tilted slightly forward, feet on the floor.

Open the awareness to the whole body for a few moments, one whole, living, breathing body in a restful but alert posture. Congratulate yourself on spending this time meditating. Check in with any sensations and feelings, allowing them to surface as you make this time to enter the world of being and observing rather than doing. No need to judge, analyse or try to find answers.

When you are ready, bring your awareness to the breath and become aware of breathing in and breathing out.

Through out this exercise your mind is very likely to wander. Each time you notice that it has drifted from the primary focus, congratulate yourself that you are exercising the muscle of awareness as you gently lead yourself back to the meditation.

Now begin to bring your awareness to the air as it enters your nose, observe any difference as it leaves. Rest your attention on the journey in through your nose and out through your nose, breathing in and out with awareness.

Sense into your face, the little muscles around the eyes, between the eyebrows, each time you exhale, relax a little, let the area you are concentrating on begin to soften. Is your jaw tight, can you let it relax? Where is your tongue? Now feel into your scalp and inside your head. Sometimes it is difficult to feel anything, not hot, cold, tense or relaxed, just neutral, that’s fine.

Notice your throat and neck and the passage of the air, sense into that area. Just like a spotlight that is spreading out slightly , widen your attention to become aware of the tops of your shoulders, breathe into that area and notice whatever sensations are there. You might notice that when you exhale those shoulders can drop a little and settle down into your back a bit more.

Now let the attention move down both arms slowly noticing any sensations as your mind flows down to the elbows to the wrists to the palms of the hands, fingers, back of the hands resting there.

Breathe and take your mind to the chest area, noticing the natural rise and fall of the ribs, feel into the lung area and then the heart, can you feel the heart beat?

Now move down to the diaphragm, can you sense the dome and then the flattening of this sheet of muscle?

Let your attention flow down into the abdominal cavity, if you breathe into this area it helps to direct the attention, notice how the movement of breathing gives the tummy area a gentle massage. As you relax and allow everything to be just as it is, you might observe gurgles and sensations as the digestion begins to work more effectively!

When you have scanned down to the pelvic basin, breathe into the lower back and scan gently up the spine, noticing the muscles either side of the spine that support it, breathe and relax.

Now lead your attention to the hip joints and scan slowly down your legs, imagine you can breathe softness into the muscles and pay attention to whatever sensations you notice, all the way to your toes.

Now shift awareness to the whole body resting, breathing, one whole organism with all its various sensations, thoughts, feelings, just being here in the midst of your life, paying attention on purpose, being present.

Imagine you could breathe in through the top of your head and let it flow right down to your toes, then from your toes right up to the top of your head.

Congratulate yourself on taking this time to put some punctuation into your day by being present and noticing where your mind has wandered to when it drifted off, leading it back each time.

Note down any observations.