A mindfulness breathing meditation

Mindful Breathing Meditation Instructions

1. Get as comfortable as possible.
   
   
2. Close your eyes. Be aware that this is your time to relax. Start concentrating on deepening your breathing.
   
   
3. Breathe calmly and naturally. Concentrate your attention on the coming and going of the breathes.
   
   
4. Notice the sensation created by the passage o air through your nostrils.
   
   
5. Notice where exactly the sensation is focused. Is it in your nostrils or further inside your sinuses?
   
   
6. Notice the moment when breathing is suspended, the natural pause after breathing out, before you breathe in.
   
   
7. Notice the point at which you feel the breath passing.
   
   
8. Notice the moment between breathing in, when you pause, full of breath, before breathing out again.
   
   
9. Stay concentrated in the same way during the next cycle of breathing, breathe after breathe.
   
   
10. Think about a cloud of dust, then rain washing that cloud away, then the rain clearing to leave a clear blue sky.
    
    
11. Let any agitation and confusion be like the dust, washed away by the rain of your breathing, leaving calmness and relaxation.
    
    
12. Let your breathing choose it's own rhythm, do not force the speed or pace, just let the natural rhythm occur.
    
    
13. If thoughts or sensations distract you, do not tense or feel bad about this. Let them pass through your mind, like birds through the sky, leaving no trace behind them.
    
    
14. Just enjoy the state of calmness for as long as you wish, noticing thoughts, but letting them pass without resistance or tension. Simply being mindful.

After returning, make sure you relax a while longer before you return to normal activity.

Self Help using online resources

Clearly any serious emotional issue needs professional assistance, therefore there is no online substitute for proper psychotherapy, coaching or counselling services. However to assist with low levels of stress, or to take a role in your personal management package, it is well worth looking at some online resources.

poodwaddle.com allows you to access some short streamed meditation music you can use alongside meditation, Chi Gung or other relaxation methods.

Google Apps market have a number of free downloadable apps for meditation and relaxation.

Lightening bug is an app that is on android and I think Iphone that assists sleep patterns and has a free trial version.

YouTube have quite a range of instructional videos for autogenics, basic yoga such as sun salutation, and a few other things too. Of course with YouTube take a look first and screen out any flaky videos before choosing one that is credible!

Sometimes using a free app, or free online service can breathe new life into some of the little positive habits and routines that are really good for us, stopping them going stale, and being discontinued!

Of course use common sense with any such programme -  "buyer beware".... but with just a little common sense you should be able to spot the decent ones!

Learn to reduce stress, manage anger and modify perception

The new meditation classes starting in September in Edinburgh will provide a range of skills to student learners.

- Manage stress through regular relaxation: learn self hypnosis techniques and autogenics techniques as well as a range of meditation styles

- learn to modify reactions to stress or anger triggers. Morita psychology teaches us that we do not choose the emotions we feel, but we can choose our reactions to them. Learn perception and breathing methods to do this.

- mindfulness techniques to ground you, reduce tension, reduce obsessive thinking and encourage a calm state of mind perfect for wellbeing, creativity and simply feeling good.

- benefit from a range of Naikan and mindfulness exercises to practice between sessions, using them to greatly increase the effect of the weekly meeting.

- Join in a like minded group, and find mutual support to get positive new habits ingrained and automatic. It is much easier with a supportive group.

- Changing the automatic reactions we tend to have to triggers in the environment gives us back personal control, instead of being like pre-programmed automatons reacting without thinking. We are free to choose the outcomes and reactions that work best for us, instead of simply repeating what we have done before.

-Naikan exercises enable us to reanalyse the interactions we have with others and start to see the overall day and week in a more balanced way. We tend to remember the negatives far easier than the positives, and Naikan helps us to put the balance back. This enables a greater sense of wellbeing, as well as encouraging us to seek out new positive opportunities each day.

Sessions will start on September 15th (Thursday) 17.45- 18.45 and will run for 14 weeks. £7 per week or £90 for the full 14 weeks.

Handouts and learning aids will be emailed to save paper and natural resources to be sure to bring the email details along. The Venue is The Healthy Life Centre, Bread Street, Edinburgh EH3 9AL

Meditation classes for stress, anger, anxiety and general relaxation

From Thursday 15th of September 17.45-18.45 I will be running regular meditation classes for 14 weeks at the Healthy Life Centre in Bread Street, Edinburgh.

I will be presenting a range of meditation methods, from the many I have personally studied since I first began meditating back in the mid 80's (which really dates me and indicated my age!).

I will be combining visualisation, meditation, mindfulness and other such techniques with exercises for the students to do during the course of the week, drawing on mindfulness, self hypnosis and Naikan techiques, possibly some Morita too.

Denise will also be taking part and will help with the crystal meditation method, and possibly some other Chakra and colour methods, time permitting.

The cost of the sessions will be £7 per weekly session if paid on the day, or £90 up front for the full 14 weeks.

The methods should help with general relaxation, but also are suitable for people with issues such as depression, anxiety, bipolar, anger issues or general stress.

People should contact me in the first instance, either via fb (Stuart Scotlandtherapy) or via email stuart@scotlandtherapy.co.uk

Open Day at The Healthy Life Centre the programme June 19th

Self-defence for women 10-3.30pm			Find out about Shiatsu training
10.30	Self-defence for women 10-3.30pm		Yoga with Isabel		Find out about Shiatsu training
11.15	Self-defence for women 10-3.30pm		Chi Gung with Frank		Seated Shiatsu taster class and information about training
12pm	Self-defence for women 10-3.30pm		Belly dance with Iraya		11.45 Shiatsu hand massage with Gabi
1pm	Self-defence for women 10-3.30pm		Pilates with Emilia 1-2.30pm		12.30 Shiatsu foot massage with Gabi
1.30	Self-defence for women 10-3.30pm		Pilates with Emilia 1-2.30pm		10 min 1:2:1 sessions with Stuart Morgan- Ayrs
2.45	Self-defence for women 10-3.30pm		Meditation techniques with Stuart		Find out about Shiatsu training
3.30	3.45 Nia experiential dance with Lin		Hypnotherapy techniques with Stuart		Seated Shiatsu taster class and information about training
4.15	4.30 Laughter yoga with Jo		Visualisation with Stuart		Find out about Shiatsu training
5pm		Movement meditation with Lin		Seated Shiatsu taster class and information about training
PLUS	Free Shiatsu taster sessions all day		11-12 HypnoBirthing		1-3pm Acupuncture and Oriental Herb