Hi, and welcome to the eighth week of the Mindfulness Program!

The first seven weeks of the program has helped you taste this practice, but Week Eight is as important as them all.

The task now is to weave the practices into a routine that is sustainable for you in the long term.

All exercises and meditations are from the book Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Finding Peace in a Frantic World by professor Mark Williams and journalist Danny Penman.

Let's begin!

Overview: Week 8 Mindfulness

Week 8 helps you to weave mindfulness into your daily life, so that it's always there when you need it the most.

Main idea: Weaving your own parachute

Mindfulness can serve as an emergency parachute. It needs weaving every day, so that it’s ready and waiting should you encounter an emergency. Here are some tips.

Start the day with mindfulness. When you open your eyes, gently pause before taking five deliberate breaths. This is your chance to reconnect with your body.

If you feel tired, anxious, unhappy or in any way distressed, see these feelings and thoughts as mental events condensing and dissolving in the space of awareness.

If your body aches, recognise these sensation as sensations. See if you can accept all of your thoughts, feelings and sensations in a gentle and compassionate way. There is no need to try and change them. Accept them since they are already here.

Having stepped out of automatic pilot in this way, you might choose to scan the body for a minute or two, or focus on the breath, or do some gentle stretches before getting out of bed.

Use breathing spaces to punctuate your day. Using breathing spaces at preset times helps you to re-establish your focus to the here and now, so that you can respond with wisdom and compassion to thoughts, feelings and bodily sensations as you move through the day.

Maintain your mindfulness practice. As best you can, continue with your formal meditation practice. They are the practices that support your breathing spaces and help you to maintain mindfulness throughout as much of your daily life as possible.

Befriend your feelings. Whatever you feel, as best you can, see if you can bring an open and kind-hearted awareness to all of your feelings.

Remember to roll out the welcome mat to even your most painful thoughts, such as fatigue, fear, frustration, loss, guilt or sadness. This will defuse your automatic reactions and transform cascade reactions into a series of choices.

When you feel tired, frustrated, anxious, angry or any other powerful emotion, take a breathing space. This will ground your thoughts, defuse your negative emotions and reconnect you with your bodily sensations. You will then be in a better position to make skilful decisions. For example, if you feel tired you may choose to do some stretches to reawaken and re-energise your body.

Mindful activities. Whatever you do, see if you can remain mindful through as much of the day as possible. For example, when you are washing dishes, notice the water and the fluctuating sensations in your hands.

When you are outside, look around and observe the sites, sounds and smells of the world around you. Can you feel the pavement through your shoes? Can you taste or smell the air? Can you feel it moving through your hair and caressing your skin?

Increase your level of exercise. Walking, cycling, gardening, going to the gym -- anything physical can be used to help with your parachute.

See if you can bring a mindful and curious attitude to your body as you exercise. Notice the thoughts and feelings as they arise. Pay close attention if you feel the need to "grit your teeth" or you start to feel the first stirrings of aversion or other negative thoughts or sensations. See if you can gently observe the sensations that unfold. Breathe with, and into their intensity. Gently increase the length and intensity of your exercises, but always trying to remain mindful.

Remember the breath. The breath is always there for you. It anchors you in the present. It is like a good friend. It reminds you that you are OK just as you are.

Week 8: Meditations

Making the choice

It is time for you to decide which combination of practices you think is sustainable for you in the long term.

You should be realistic and remember that your choice is not set in stone. You can change it from day to day, from week to week and from year to year, to match the demands being made up on you and what it is you want to explore through your practice.

Sometimes, you may feel the need for reconnecting with the body in a Body Scan, while at other times you might choose deliberately to bring a worry or problem into the centre of your practice, using the Exploring Difficulty meditation from Week Five.

Also, ask yourself why cultivating this meditation practice is important for you. You may find several answers to this question. Perhaps for your parents, your children, to safeguard your happiness, to remain calm and energised, to remain freer from anger, bitterness, and cynicism.

Outro

Whichever practices you decide upon, I've found that making time in my day for the Breathing Space is a great blessing. It's always there for me in moments of stress and unhappiness. It's a great way to check in with myself during the day.

In many ways, the main meditation practice that you eventually decide upon is there to support your Breathing Spaces. It's your parachute.

Which meditations have resonated the most with you in this program? How does your parachute look like? Hit reply and let me know, I'd love to hear about it.

Have a great week! Remember to breathe.

Cheers,
Olle

​