Mindfulness

Taking just five or ten minutes to practice mindfulness can help produce a sense of calmness.

There are two ways to practice. In this video I'll show you formal mindfulness meditation practice. Simply sitting in a chair doing nothing other than paying attention in a mindful way.

In another I'll show you more informal ways of being mindful and present throughout your day to create that sense of calm.

This practice is the soles of the feet meditation and uses an emotionally neutral part of our body.

It can anchor us when we feel overwhelmed as it redirects our attention away from our thoughts and to the points of contact between our body and the earth helping to ground and settle ourselves.

Let yourself be free of any expectations about how this meditation should go. Your thoughts will wander and that's normal.

Just bring your attention back to your feet as I guide you through. The very practice of repeatedly and gently guiding your attention back to the focus of your feet creates a mindful state.

So let's begin.

You can be sitting in a chair or perhaps standing with your feet flat on the floor.

Make sure you're comfortable and slightly lean forward so there's a slight pressure in your feet.

If it feels comfortable drop your soft gaze forward slightly.

Breathing naturally now, and now shifting all your attention to the soles of your feet, noticing any physical sensations that are present right now in your feet.

Moving your toes, feeling the sensations change, maybe grabbing the floor with your toes and notice if the sensations change.

Allowing yourself to notice any sensations that are present. Tingling, moisture. Remembering there's nothing you should be feeling but allowing yourself to be fully present to the sensations in the soles of your feet.

Maybe noticing your shoes covering your feet and that sensation may be feeling the pressure of the sole of your shoes.

Exploring the curve of your arch, noticing any sensations any temperature or tingling, any sensations that are present allowing them to change and being okay with the possibility of not feeling any sensations at all.

Exploring your heels against the back of your shoes.

From time to time your mind will wander off and that's okay. Just accepting and not judging when this happens and gently bringing your awareness back to the soles of your feet over and over and over again.

And now gradually expanding your awareness to hear any sounds near you right now.

Hearing them with your senses, not having to describe or explain them, just hearing them.

When sounds no longer pull your attention away, bringing your attention back to the soles of the feet again.

So you can now switch if you like between sounds and soles of the feet and when your mind wanders bring your attention back to the feet or sounds around you for a while now.

And in a moment listening for the bell which will signal the end of the meditation.

Becoming aware now of what you see around you, perhaps even having a little stretch as the sound of the bell disappears from your awareness.

[Music]

Well done.

There are a few other ways to make you feel a little calmer, especially when you're feeling all those big emotions just like we all do.

And probably an adult has said to you, calm down.

These fun things will help you calm and find your still happy place.

Using your pointing finger, write each letter of the alphabet in capital letters on your arm.

Erase each letter before moving on to the next.

Look around you right now and count some colours.

How many blue things can you see right now? How many red? How many green things?

Two, three, four.

And squish and relax, tighten every muscle in your face, head and upper body like this and hold for 10 seconds.

And relax and shake it out. Let's do it one more time.

Bubbles, here's a great activity you might enjoy.

By taking deep breaths in and out, you can calm whilst having fun.

I happen to have some bubbles with me.

I'm going to try and then you can try at home.

Let's relax a little, take a deep breath in and blow the bubbles and simply watch them for a while.

As you look at them, see if you can see the colours through them.

Watch them as they fall and lastly, how do they feel when you pop them?

Have fun!