“I have no doubt that most people live - whether physically, intellectually or morally - in a very restricted circle of their potential being.
They make use of a very small portion of their possible consciousness, much like a man who, out of his whole bodily organism, should get into the habit of using and moving only his little finger.” William James

Now that you've made a commitment and set a plan it's time to learn some simple foundation practices.

We might think of mindfulness as being available in two different ways.

1. Meditation - this is sometimes called the formal practice where you set side a time to meditate.
   Our foundation practice is a Breath Awareness Practice

2. Mindful Moments - this is where you'll be invited to open more attentively to your present moment experience in different parts of your day. You can do this at almost any time but over the next four weeks I will give some guidance as to when you might practice and instructions into how.

Breath Awareness Practice

This is a simple but potent practice.
It will be the foundation formal practice over the next four weeks (& hopefully beyond).

The practice will deepen over time, try not to put pressure on yourself or the practice to be certain way.
Simply follow the instructions as best you can notice what you notice.

Instructions

*Find a comfortable, quiet place to practice where you're unlikely to be disturbed.
*Set a timer for the duration you've chosen to meditate.
*Give yourself full permission to surrender to the practice acknowledging that anything else that needs to be done can be done later.
*Make a commitment to practice as diligently possible.

First bring your attention to your sitting posture.
Notice what it's like to sit still and become familiar with the posture that you're in.

With a general awareness of your body begin to pay particular attention to breath.

Bring your attention to the sensations of the breath at one particular part of the body.

Acknowledge that body sensations, sounds, thoughts, and emotions will be present (& will sometimes distract you), but that the primary attention is on breathing.

If you notice you got distracted and your attention wondered from the breath firmly and gently guide your attention back to the breath, this is not a mistake it's part of the practice).

When your timer goes off to mark the end of your practice take a moment to journal about what you noticed during the practice.

HERE IS A GUIDED VERSION OF THE PRACTICE THAT MAY HELP.

Informal/Mindfulness Practice

Choose one event everyday to practice mindfulness (this could be something you choose to tune in with everyday, like brushing your teeth or showering or something you choose at random).

Open awareness to your present moment experience.

Notice as much as you can about the experience.

How does your body feel?

Is there a lot of thoughts present? What's the quality of thought?

Is there any emotions or feelings present? Where do you notice them?

What do you notice in the world around you?

What is it like to notice in the way?

Enjoy