Highland Mindfulness Group

Session 1 – Monday 9th April 2018.

Basic Body Scan Practice – 30 minutes recorded by Rona MacKenzie.

For this first week of home practice please try and do this body scan at least 5 times – if you wish making a note of any difficulties that arise or particular experiences that you have during the practices. Please also practise being mindful of one activity of daily living, such as brushing your teeth in the morning, and try eating a snack or drinking a cup of tea or coffee mindfully once a day.

Session 2 – Monday 16th April 2018.

Basic Body Scan Practice – 30 minutes recorded by Peter Wilkes.

Basic Sitting Practice – 20 minutes recorded by Rona MacKenzie.

During the second week of home practice please try and do a body scan 5 times. If you have time please also try the sitting practice recorded by Rona and don’t forget to make a note of any pleasant events that occur. Please also try and remember to be mindful of one activity of daily life every day.

Session 3 – Monday the 23rd April 2018.

Sitting with awareness of body, mind and sound practice – 20minutes recorded by Rona MacKenzie.

The 3minute breathing space practice – 7minute recording as a guide to the practice – recorded by Peter Wilkes.

Sitting with awareness of the body, the breath and the mind – 10minutes recorded by Peter Wilkes.

During the 3rd week of home practice please do a sitting meditation at least 5 times and use the 3minute breathing space 3 times a day. Please also make a note of the experience of any unpleasant events that occur to you.

Session 4 – Monday the 30th April 2018.

The 3 minute coping space recorded by Rona MacKenzie – a guide to the practice approximately 6 minutes in length.

Sitting with awareness of the breath, the body, sounds and thoughts/feelings – 20minutes recorded by Rona MacKenzie.

Please practice the coping space whenever you feel that you require “time out” and make a note of its effects and the experience of using it. Please also practice sitting for 20minutes using the meditation as above and observe the experience of sitting.

Session 5 – Monday the 7th May 2018.

Sitting with difficulties – a 25 minute meditation practice recorded by Rona Mackenzie.

This week please practice a sitting meditation, either from this week or week 4, as best you can for 5 days out of 7. Please also use the 3 minute breathing or coping space as often as you wish.  Next week, session 6, we will be exploring the crux of mindfulness practice which is how we cope with difficult events using our mindfulness meditation practice.

Session 6 – Monday the 14th May 2018.

Dealing with difficulties practice with a formal settling, grounding and resting routine to start. A 30minutes sitting practice recorded by Peter Wilkes. Described by some as an intense practice intended to help us approach our difficulties with a feeling that we are in control of our experience.

Mountain meditation recorded by Rona MacKenzie. A 20minute practice intended to help us generate a feeling of calmness and stability.

Session 7 – Monday the 21st May 2018.

Basic loving kindness meditation recorded by Rona MacKenzie. A 25minute sitting practice.

Resting in awareness and allowing thoughts including difficulties to be as they are i.e. resting with difficulty. A 25minute practice recorded by Peter Wilkes.

Session 8 – Monday the 28th May 2018.

“Breathing awareness into the body” body scan recorded by Peter Wilkes. A 30minute body scan in which awareness accompanies the breath into all the parts of the body.

Loving kindness meditation – a 28minute practice recorded by Peter Wilkes in which feelings of loving kindness are used to “soften” the mind enabling difficult thoughts to be more easily experienced and integrated.