Jane has now completed week 2 of the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course and feeds back on how she has found it in her ‘Mindful Memo’ for the week:
I found this week’s 2 hour session really interesting. We did an exercise that illustrated how our thoughts can impact how we feel and how we can easily miss the fact that a thought occurred before we felt something. Normally we just focus on how we feel in response to a situation and judge it on that feeling. We also did another 45 minute body scan and it was surprising how we tend to find it easier to do the body scan in the group session rather than on our own. Then we were introduced to a new meditation which is ‘Mindful Breathing’.
The home practice for this week was to do a 45 minute body scan and 15 minutes of mindful breathing on 6 of the 7 days. We were also invited to chose a new routine activity to be mindful of. I was going away for a few days at the weekend so would have to do ‘Mindfulness on the Move’ as I called it. It was very challenging to make myself do the practice when I was away when there were so many other things that I wanted to be doing but on reflection I now think it enhanced my sensory awareness so that I noticed more on the trip and helped me enjoy it even more. I really tuned in to what I could see, hear and feel.
I have found the mindful breathing meditation difficult as I keep nearly falling asleep during it as I was finding with the body scan last week. So I have now adjusted my position so that I sit in a more upright position away from the back of the chair and I sit on a firm chair. This seems to be helping. I noticed that my mind has wandered many times during the mindful breathing but I have made a point of not judging that as ‘I have done it wrong’ but just accepting it and bringing my attention back to my breathing.
On one of the days, I didn’t make enough time to do the full 45 minute body scan and did a shorter 20 minute version. I was surprised to find that I missed the longer version of the body scan! I felt like I was rushing too quickly through my scan with the shorter version and wanted to spend more time in certain body areas. So I happily reverted to the longer body scan and feel I am doing the 45 minute version through choice rather than doing it and wishing it would hurry up and feeling a bit bored. I have also noticed that more often than not I wasn’t feeling any body sensations and would be focusing more on directing my breath into certain body areas. I have adapted my approach a bit since noticing that and I now let go of my focus on breathing when I move to a new body area and imagine shining a spotlight around that area, giving myself more time to feel sensations.
When I noticed sensations in my stomach I found that I was rushing to label that sensation and give it a shape and colour etc and then I was getting frustrated with myself if I couldn’t visualise a shape. I was thinking about the sensation rather than experiencing it. In this moment I decided to let go of the need to give the sensation a shape and took my attention back to the how the sensation felt. It was through the body scan that I really got a physical feel for what ‘excitement’ felt like before going on my trip rather than just thinking ‘I’m excited’. I could compare it to feeling like I was on a rollercoaster!
The routine activity I chose was having a shower and that has now turned into a mini-spa experience every morning! I can’t recommend enough tuning into your senses in the shower; noticing what you feel, see, hear and smell and gently pulling your mind back when it wanders to thoughts of what you have to do that day. Give it a go!
I am pleased to report that my general feeling of contentment and feeling aware and awake has continued during this week. Hard to describe but I feel to have greater clarity about situations at the moment and am spending less time going round in circles thinking about my worries. Again I think this is too much of a coincidence to not be linked to my mindfulness practice. Bring on week 3!
Thank you Jane for sharing your experience of week 2. Look forward to hearing about week 3.