Mindfulness

 Mindfulness Steps

 1.   Observe your external surroundings, who is entering into your space (or on the phone, or computer)

  • Notice external details such as colors, shapes, smells, energy, how many or how much of something
  • Notice the highlights of what might be important about this encounter or experience.
  • This is the first step of slowing down, allowing you to focus on one thing at a time.

   Detach yourself from analyzing and judging your observations

  • Notice the details but don’t evaluate them.
  • This is the art of detachment.
  • Don’t jump to conclusions about what these observations represent or assume you know what you are seeing or hearing means.

2. Pause:  Do an internal check to integrate what your sensing, feeling, intuiting and apply your wisdom

•Wisdom building skills begin here: allow your brain to integrate right and left hemispheres so that you provide a re-balancing…in other words so that you are not leaning more toward analytical reactions versus more toward emotional reactions

•Remember your left brain is where you judge, deduce, analyze and manage your thoughts

•Your right brain is where you creatively think outside the box, react impulsively, feel deeply and store subconscious memories

•Observe without bias, judgment or editorializing as you continue to process all of these elements

•unglue yourself from your values and principles as best you can as you witness how step 1 makes you feel and

•don’t judge yourself for judging the person(s) or situation, just stop the habit

•Notice what you are feeling inside, again without attachment to your reaction

•Let your senses guide you through this step, therefore pay attention to what you sense, feel, or see as you remind yourself not to cling to your judgments about all of this going on inside

•By naming your feelings it also helps you to not only get in touch with them but like a pressure valve you can regulate the flow of their release more effectively

  Allowyour intuition to bubble up silently from deep within to guide you on how to move forward next.  This prepares you for a more neutral response without your baggage attached

  • Again, pausing is allowing you to notice what you notice, from outside to in, as you re-balance and integrate it all which allows you to manage your reaction first instead of correcting yourself later

3.  Respond is the last step after the preparation you performed in steps 1 and 2 and allows you to be:

•In the moment, fully present and conscious of now, not tomorrow’s now, or the past nows

• Move forward more level headed and calm, confident that you are guided by your intenral GPS to making the best response next

•Feel more gracious, polite and insightful about the best response

• Be able to see humor in what sometimes can be difficult

  Benefit yourself and the situation by adding a level of wisdom in how you

•Language the situation for best descriptions, most effective communication & best participation

•Engage without reacting with mindlessness because you are practicing mindfulness

•Continue to assess the situation for the best, next response without judgment or labeling

Remember, the more frequently you meditate with longer time commitments the more instinctive this is!