GROWING UP INSIDE
Week 1 Breath
Mindfulness is the practice of observing your current experience with an attitude of acceptance.
This first week is about creating safety and security - a necessary foundation for growth!
We are all imperfect in one way or another, and have things we are actively working on and things we’re oblivious to. In addition to this “work in progress”, we have ALL been wounded in one way or another.
When we take time to slow down and observe our experiences, sometimes unwanted baggage comes up to our attention - even occasionally hijacking our experience and throwing us back into the past.
These first mindfulness meditations are focused on the breath, which can be very helpful in bringing us back into the present, or becoming “grounded” and feeling safe. Occasionally some people find attention to other things to be more helpful in feeling safe (noticing where we connect with the ground, awareness of sound). It will take some practice for you to know what is most helpful for you in feeling grounded.
You do not become good by trying to be good,
but by finding the goodness
that is already within you, and allowing that goodness to emerge.
But it can only emerge if something fundamental
changes in your state of consciousness.
- Eckhart Tolle
One of our goals is to increase our ability to stay with hard things. As you do these meditations, you may find them fun, easy, enjoyable… or you may find them hard. Although it doesn’t happen frequently, it is possible for some people who have had traumatic events in their pasts to become overwhelmed or very upset during a short mindfulness practice.
***If you do notice something like this at any time throughout this course, you can bring your attention back to something that is more calming (focused breathing, sounds, the feel of gravity).
If you experience something uncomfortable, try to stay with it, observing all aspects of your experience with kindness and curiosity… but if it is overwhelming, please shift gears and find something that will calm you. If this does happen, you might keep to the shorter meditations, or SEEK SUPPORT from a trained professional as you complete the course.
AS YOU ANSWER THE QUESTIONS EACH WEEK, remember there are no right or wrong answers. Do the meditation, but don’t worry about thinking about the answer to the question during your meditation. The meditation will give you an opportunity to clear your mind, so that when you think about the question, whatever comes to mind is appropriate for you. Even if the answer is “I don’t know.”
There is some reasoning behind the questions… but this is meant to be an opportunity for you to learn through experience, so have fun with it.
As you answer these questions over time, you may notice a pattern… accept what your experience is! If a decision for action comes out of it, that’s okay too. 🙂
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