Here is how to get started with mindfulness exercises.
You can download three Mindful School lessons for free.
I’ve also included links to the basics in this post.
The comments section has additional resource links.
I’ve previously blogged several posts about mindfulness and meditation. The best of them are listed at the end of today’s post.
Mindful School: Mindfulness of the Breath
Awareness of the breath is one of the foundational exercises for learning mindfulness meditation. It’s a popular starting point because the breath is something you can always access, and the act of breathing also serves to regulate your physiological state. It serves as a valuable anchor for other mindfulness practices.
Listen to “Mindfulness of the Breath”
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Mindful School: Body Scan
The body scan is a simple, structured way of checking in with the different parts of your body. Often, you will find areas where you have been holding stress, which can help to release that stress. The body scan can be very useful as a grounding mechanism when facing strong emotions, or if you’ve having trouble keeping your attention on the breath.
Listen to “Body Scan”
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Mindful School: Mindfulness of Walking
Walking mindfully cultivates awareness of your body while it is in motion. Mindful walking can help to increase your energy level if you are tired or restless, and it can also add variety if you are doing longer periods of seated practice. It’s also useful because directing attention to walking, and even standing, is something you can do throughout the day.
Listen to “Mindfulness of Walking”
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Download All Three Exercises in a ZIP Folder
You can download these three mindfulness meditation exercises in MP3 format so you can listen to them offline on your computer, laptop, iPod, or other mobile device. Download ZIP File
Mindfulness Schools
source
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I’m including my source for mindfulness training.
My Practice
I am using Shinzen Young’s teachings. In his practice developing mindfulness, he defines mindfulness as Concentration Power, Sensory Clarity, and Equanimity. The purpose, he defines is, to develop skills as a way to process sensory experiences.
There are many manuals and teachers for mindfulness. I selected Young for several reasons. A few include that he is a teacher through and through; his practices are well defined and described; he is adept at communicating even abstract concepts; and his methods are tried and tested and easily available.
Take just a few more minutes to look more closely at mindfulness. Here is a video that is about the basic assumptions of mindfulness and I’ve included a training manual PDF as well. If you like the video and booklet, you can search Youtube for more from Shinzen Young. He has lots of his work posted on Youtube. His Website is http://www.shinzen.org/.
Five Basic Assumptions in Mindfulness Practice
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Here is a manual on mindfulness from my teacher:
PDF: Five Ways to Know Yourself
An Introduction to Basic Mindfulness
by Shinzen Young
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I am Christian (nondual) and mindfulness is for me a course of discipline like taking up martial arts and it’s like artistic instruction as well. It opens me to greater God-willingness and creative abilities.
Mindfulness is preceded for me by a prayerful desire for inner peace and then is a part of life, a prayer. Know it or not, we get what we are praying or being. We are all praying or being what we are. We do not necessarily just get what we say we want, but we do get what we are. In my experience, mindfulness helps me to better live as a loving kindness prayer.
I pray that there is a similar benefit for you.
Thanks for visiting. I am lovingly, your blog friend,
Related articles (hunt4truth.wordpress.com)
- morning Meditation
- Mindfulness – it is improving us
- meditation changes brains
- developing better brains
- ripple-ing
- Accept what you cannot change or change what you cannot accept.
- You shall reap what you sow.
- heart coherence? and awake my soul
- Watch – a power is changing this world.
this is post #325
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John Kabat-Zin Meditation for beginners
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Mindfulness for Beginners (from Session 1)
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Guided Mindfulness Meditation Series 1
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Guided Mindfulness Meditation Series 2
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Guided Mindfulness Meditation Series 3
I tried to watch the video and it is way over my head. Is there a book you would recommend for beginners?
I’m not sure if you mean the video in the post or the two in my comment
There is a channel on youtube http://www.youtube.com/user/expandcontract
with an introduction
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I have a few Buddhist PDFs – not much on books myself on this topic – I like the videos best. Maybe you want to search on youtube – begin with ‘mindful’ and then refine it. There are thousands of videos.
There is this link that I have:
http://www.vipassana.com/meditation/mindfulness_in_plain_english.php
I may refer to it in a future post (or just paraphrase)
This is very brief and describes basics:
Click to access Mindfulness-sessions-Introduction.pdf
Look maybe at the free course in my prior post (heart intelligence)… I think it is a good fit for you https://hunt4truth.wordpress.com/2014/01/18/what-is-heart-intelligence/
Also: the mindful.org has a beginner page and a monthly e-magazine
http://www.mindful.org/mindfulness-practice/mindfulness-the-basics
http://www.mindful.org/mindful-magazine
You may find the suggestions in my morning Meditation helpful
https://hunt4truth.wordpress.com/2013/07/26/morning-meditation/
I posted on affirmations type (tao meditation)
https://hunt4truth.wordpress.com/2014/01/16/watch-a-power-is-changing-this-world/
the stillness posts are helpful for getting started
https://hunt4truth.wordpress.com/2013/12/27/stillness-your-essential-nature/
https://hunt4truth.wordpress.com/2013/12/17/outsmarting-unhappiness/
https://hunt4truth.wordpress.com/2013/12/03/stillness-speaks/
https://hunt4truth.wordpress.com/2014/01/23/four-quick-mindfulness-exercises/
something similar (new to me) on energy (exercise) may be up your alley
https://hunt4truth.wordpress.com/2014/01/04/how-energy-travels-in-the-body/
as a mentor, I practice visualizing peace in serenity in the community
https://hunt4truth.wordpress.com/2013/12/23/ripple-ing/
also, Michele and others that visit may post suggestions…
hope I was helpful Heather.
~ Eric
Thank you. I’ll read these. I was getting lost in the verbiage and I’m a visual learner rather than audial, so my mind kept drifting as he was talking.
here is a short booklet with mindfulness and movements
Click to access 10MindfulMovements.pdf
Cool. Thanks.
I use awareness of the breath when I am lifting weights and stretching.
Good information, Eric. We should all practice mindfulness–I really like Jon Kabat-Zinn.
I have a few of his meditations too. He has an excellent clear energy as well. His work is popular for hatha yoga practitioners.
Do you practice yoga?
Jon Kabat-Zinn is easily found on youtube and ther probably are plenty of articles and booklets too. I found this one: http://www.makingsenseofmentalhealth.org/articles/mindfulyoga.pdf
In it he discusses Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction
I think for beginners this is EXCELLENT!
I had previously posted this from his work (mindful.org):
meditation may relieve chronic inflammation
https://hunt4truth.wordpress.com/2013/12/14/meditation-may-relieve-chronic-inflammation/
I really enjoyed this! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Thank you for saying so. I will visit your blog again… just had a chance to see it.
I generally have a post on meditation or mindfulness, every week or so… and related topics often as well… hope you’ll like them.
~ Eric