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A Note on Mindful Practices

Meditation is a form of mindfulness exercise that can be practiced either on our own or in groups, and may be either guided or unguided. The practices included in this section are common mindfulness exercises that are commonly introduced in mindfulness training for stress management.

Notes for users and facilitators:

The meditation practices offered in Mindfulness: Learning Tools are designed to introduce a novice to meditation for stress management or emotional regulation. Users may opt to practice any or all exercises, though they are sequenced in an order providing a natural progression for new practitioners.

For those wishing maximum benefit from this curriculum, we suggest these exercises be practiced over a four-week timeframe (see sample practice sequence below). Suggested daily practice time is less than one hour per day. We recommend completing the curriculum modules (and accompanying learning tools) for Loneliness and Stress before starting these exercises.

If practicing on your own, print out or familiarize yourself with the scripting or instructions for each practice in advance.

If facilitating a group or clients, provide members with scripting. Introduce each exercise in session, but have clients or group members follow the curriculum below outside of meetings as ongoing 'homework.' Star each session or group with a check-in, encouraging participants to share any insights from their reflection journals.

Sample practice sequence

Week one:

Week two:

Week three:

Week four:

Daily reflections:

For daily reflection, keep a small notebook or journal. Reflect two or more of the following questions daily:

  • How did I feel before I did this meditation, physically, mentally and emotionally?
  • How do I feel now that I've done the meditation? What's different, or what was the experience like?
  • What did I enjoy about this meditation? What did I find useful?
  • What was difficult or challenging about this meditation?
  • How could I use this meditation in my daily life? Would that be useful to me?

Tips for Guiding or Practicing Meditation

The following are general tips for beginners to meditation practice.

Practice consistency

Try to practice your meditation in the same time and space each day. Many people choose to meditate first thing when they wake up in the morning or in the evening before bed.

Choose your space

Find a space in which you can be uninterrupted during your meditation, as free from distraction as possible.

Be intentional about your posture

Most meditations can be done seated, lying down, or even standing.

  • If seated on the floor or a cushion, sit cross-legged or on your knees, whichever is more comfortable, with your hands resting at your knees. If seated on a chair, place both feet on the floor and fold your hands in your lap.
  • If lying down, lay flat on your back, arms at your side, legs straight and ankles and feet relaxed, flopping to whichever side is comfortable.
  • If standing, allow both hands to rest at your sides, feet in a stance wide enough to comfortably maintain your balance and weight evenly distributed between both legs.

Whatever position you choose, keep your posture gently alert yet relaxed, with your back and neck straight. Allow your shoulders and jaw to relax. If comfortable, close your eyes or allow your gaze to drift to some point in front of you.

Find the right practice

For many beginning meditators, using a guided meditation app downloaded to your phone may be the most accessible way to practice. There are many options available, and each will offer their own subtle variations on common meditations. Select an app and meditation based upon your meditation goals:

  • the body scan is used for relaxation or tuning in
  • the lovingkindness meditation is useful for finding forgiveness and warmth for others
  • visualization exercises are useful for those who process ideas visually

Watch your pace

Either in practicing on your own or guiding a group meditation, make sure to watch your pacing. If you're guiding a practice, find a gentle, slow cadence. Whenever giving an instruction ("observe your breath," "bring your focus to your body," "notice the sounds in the room"), pause to allow time for followers to fully visualize or practice the instruction. These pauses may be as short as 30 seconds, or held for as long as time allows (without letting followers lose focus). In a body scan meditation, for instance, a pause may be 30-45 seconds, but in a resting awareness meditation, we may sometimes pause for several minutes or longer.

Exit practice gently

As you complete a meditation, create a gentle transition out of the meditative headspace for yourself (or your participants, if leading a group) gently. Before resuming activity, end the practice with a few deep, slow breaths and gently begin bringing attention back to the environment -- wiggling fingers or toes, gently stretching, and beginning to notice the sounds of the space around you before opening the eyes and bringing them slowly back into focus.