Mindfulness Tools

The Stable Base Mindfulness Tool

Watch This Video for an Explanation of How to Use the Stable Base Mindfulness Tool

Bring the attention to the feet. Just notice what you find there. Explore without judging or ‘following the story’. Just notice.

When sitting … bring your attention to your seat, on the chair. Again just notice without judging.

Notice the contact points between the legs and the chair etc to start with. Then move on to notice the feet and seat together.

Allow yourself to sense the stability in the body arising from how you are sitting or standing.

Stability in the body. Stability of the mind.

In the stability notice the stillness … and then the sense of calm.

Accept being loved.

Notice the presence of the divine, or however you wish to express it.

LET GO and allow your self to go deeper into that divine presence.

Sitting or standing this mindfulness tool can be done in most places at any time during your day.

Remember - you don’t have to get through every step. Just as far as time permits.

Sometimes just awareness of the feet will do the trick and bring you back into the present moment and release unpleasant thoughts or emotions.

Simple Breathing Space

Bringing your attention to the breath.

Take a deeper than normal in-breath.

As you breathe in, notice your thoughts.

Just notice that they are there. Do not engage with them. Just let them be … and pass if they want to.

Slowly breathe out emptying the lungs.

Repeat this three times.

Compassion Pause

May I be well May I be happy May I be joyfully free from suffering

May everyone be well May everyone be happy May everyone be joyfully free from suffering

(This is a shortened version of the compassion meditation which you can do in real time. Try to feel compassion or kindness rather than just saying the words)

Body Scan

Quickly scan through your body from the top of your head to your feet. Notice the physical sensations you feel in each part of your body as you scan through . . . or maybe the absence of sensations in some places.

You may wish to complete the scan by taking a deep breath and breathing all the way out when you exhale.

This can be done in real time in a matter of seconds once you get used to it.

Priority Check-In

Stand still

Take a deeper breath in

Breath out slowly

Check in with the body and then ask yourself:

What do I need to do right now?

Take action on the next task right away.

Sounds Pause

Bring your attention to your hearing. Notice the sounds you can hear. Notice their quality and their character . . . how loud, high or low pitch, do they repeat, is there a rhythm, stop and start or continuous etc.

Then notice your feelings toward the sounds you hear. Do you like them or do they annoy you? Are they pleasant or unpleasant?

You may wish to conclude the pause with a couple of deep breaths.

3 Minute Breathing Space

There are three steps to this. Each one is approximately one minute long. Don’t worry about getting the timing spot on! You’ll develop a sense for how long to do each step once you’ve practised this for a while.

Step 1: Check-in with what you you’re feeling in your mind right now i.e. thoughts, emotions and any body sensations.

Step 2: Now bring your attention to your breathing. Like shining a spot-light, tune in to the in-breath and then to the our-breath. Notice how the breathing feels. Just breathe normally. Do not try to breath deeper or shorter than what comes naturally.

Step 3: Gradually bring your attention out into the wider body. Like a camera panning out, move the focus from the breath to the whole of your body. If it helps, think of the whole body as breathing now.

Meditations