by Mariam Gates
Exhale your hands back down.
Repeat five times.
Volcano
On tiptoes, inhale your hands over your head.
Reach high and balance.
Breathe.
Extended Bend (Ski Jumper)
Bend your knees.
Extend your hands behind you, palms facing down.
Hold for five breaths.
Chair Pose
Keep your knees bent.
Extend your arms over your head.
Focus on one point.
Hold for five breaths.
Mountain Pose
Stand tall.
Press down through your feet and extend your spine.
Gently press palm to palm at your heart.
Repeat the Sun Breath through Mountain Pose sequence three times: one inhale, one exhale per movement.
Kindness Meditation (Steps 1 to 4)
Take a comfortable seat balancing effort and ease.
Notice the inhale and exhale of your breath.
The first part of the practice is for kindness toward
yourself.
Repeat silently to yourself:
May I be safe
May I be healthy
May I be happy
Say it three times slowly before moving on to a loved one.
Now think about someone you love. This should be someone who brings a positive feeling when you think of them. Picture this person clearly in your mind. Silently give them the same wish, repeated three times:
May you be safe
May you be healthy
May you be happy
If you want to build on the practice, bring to mind someone you know but don’t have a strong feeling about one way or another. Practice saying to them:
May you be safe
May you be healthy
May you be happy
Repeat this three times.
Here comes the final level of this exercise. Choose someone you have difficult feelings about. This could be someone you don’t like, or someone you are angry at. When you think of this person, you do not have a positive association. Here, you stay connected to your breath, and work slowly through the words three times, noticing what comes up. Keep breathing. This is advanced.
May you be safe
May you be healthy
May you be happy
Action Step: Body Scan (Lying down)
Read this through first, and then lie down to do the exercise. Keep the book next to you if you need to review. Once you’ve done this a couple of times, you won’t need the book.
You can lie down on your bed or the floor. (It can be helpful to choose a harder surface like the floor, but do what is comfortable.)
Close your eyes. Feel your breath as it comes in and out. Inhale. Exhale.
Bring your awareness to your feet. Notice the bottoms of your feet, the tops of your feet, your toes.
Now bring your awareness to your ankles. Notice any sensations as you shine your attention like a spotlight there.
Bring your attention to your legs. Notice where the backs of your legs are touching the bed or the floor. Notice the sensations there as if you have never paid attention or felt this before.
Feel your attention move to your hips.
Let it move to your torso, your stomach, your back.
Now shine that spotlight of attention onto your arms, and then all the way down to your hands. Be aware of each finger. Notice any sensations.
Choose now to shift your attention to your shoulders. This is often a place of tension and stress. Just notice anything you can here. You’re not trying to change anything right now—just noticing it.
Now bring your awareness to your neck. The back of the neck, the front, the throat.
Feel your attention move up to your face. Your jaw, your lips, your cheekbones, your nose, your eyes, your ears, your forehead, and the top of your head.
Now bring your attention back to your breath. Inhale. Exhale.
Congratulations! You have completed the Feeling Fantastic Inside and Out Five-Day Mindfulness Challenge!
PERSONAL VISION
DAY 1
Mountain Pose
Stand tall and roll your shoulders back.
Press down through your feet and lengthen your spine.
Gently press palm to palm at your heart.
Downward Dog
Press your palms down.
Bend your knees and walk your heels toward the floor side to side to loosen up through your legs.
Press your heels down toward the floor.
Hold for five breaths.
Forward Lunge
Bring your right foot forward into a lunge.
Balance with your back heel off the floor and extend your hands over your head.
Hold for five breaths.
Switch legs and repeat.
Hold for five breaths.
Labeling Meditation
Find a comfortable seat where you can feel the balance of effort and ease in your body.
Set your timer for five minutes.
Close your eyes and bring your attention to your breath. Feel your inhale and feel your exhale.
You may notice that you quickly head off into thinking, planning, worrying, doubting. You may find that you feel tired or hungry.
Whatever you feel, when you realize it, notice it, label it, and go back to paying attention to your inhale and your exhale.
Remember: Patience is key. You may only notice one thought the whole time.
Action Step: Goal-Setting
Choose a goal that you want to focus on this week. It can be as simple or challenging as you want: keeping your room clean, doing well on a math quiz, not fighting with your sister, getting a job for the summer, making it onto a team, etc.
Write it down as if it is already happening:
I am________.
I have________.
Post this goal somewhere you will see it daily. Read it aloud, then close your eyes and focus your attention on it. As clearly as you can, see yourself achieving the goal.
DAY 2
Mountain Pose
Stand tall and roll your shoulders back.
Press down through your feet and lengthen your spine.
Gently press palm to palm at your heart.
Downward Dog
Press your palms down.
Bend your knees and walk your heels side to side to loosen up through your legs.
Press your heels down toward the floor.
Hold for five breaths.
Forward Lunge
Bring your right foot forward into a lunge.
Balance with your back heel off the floor and extend your hands over your head.
Hold for five breaths.
Switch legs and repeat.
Hold for five breaths.
Downward Dog
Hold for five breaths.
Warrior II
Raise your right foot high and bring it forward into a lunge.
Flatten your left foot on the floor behind you.
Bend your right knee.
Raise your arms up over your head and open wide to the sides.
Focu
s your eyes on a point in front of you.
Hold for five breaths.
Downward Dog
Hold for five breaths.
Warrior II
Switch sides (left leg forward).
Hold for five breaths.
Downward Dog
Hold for five breaths.
Walk your feet toward your hands.
Roll up to standing.
Stand back in Mountain Pose.
Labeling Meditation
Find a comfortable seat where you can feel the balance of effort and ease in your body.
Set your timer for five minutes.
Close your eyes and bring your attention to your breath. Feel your inhale and feel your exhale.
You may notice that you quickly head off into thinking, planning, worrying, doubting. You may find that you feel tired or hungry.
Whatever you feel, when you realize it, notice it, label it, and go back to paying attention to your inhale and your exhale.
Action Step: Visualize
Read your goal to yourself. Pause and get still. Close your eyes and focus your attention on your goal. As clearly as you can, see yourself achieving that goal.
DAY 3
Mountain Pose
Stand tall and roll your shoulders back.
Press down through your feet and lengthen your spine.
Gently press palm to palm at your heart.
Downward Dog
Press your palms down.
Bend your knees and walk your heels side to side to loosen up through your legs.
Press your heels down toward the floor.
Hold for five breaths.
Forward Lunge
Bring your right foot forward into a lunge.
Balance with your back heel off the floor and extend your hands over your head.
Hold for five breaths.
Switch legs and repeat.
Hold for five breaths.
Downward Dog
Hold for five breaths.
Warrior II
Raise your right foot high and bring it forward into a lunge.
Flatten your left foot on the floor behind you.
Bend your right knee.
Raise your arms up over your head and open wide to the sides.
Focus your eyes on a point in front of you.
Hold for five breaths.
Downward Dog
Hold five breaths.
Warrior II
Switch sides (left leg forward).
Hold for five breaths.
Downward Dog
Hold five breaths.
Walk your feet toward your hands.
Roll up to standing.
Airplane Pose into Warrior III
Start in Mountain Pose.
Focus on one point.
Lift your right foot behind you and balance with your arms behind you, palms facing down.
Keep your chest lifting and your spine long.
Hold for three breaths. Then bring your arms out in front of you. Balance. Hold for two breaths.
Switch sides and repeat.
Labeling Meditation
Find a comfortable seat where you can feel the balance of effort and ease in your body.
Set your timer for seven minutes.
Close your eyes and bring your attention to your breath. Feel your inhale and feel your exhale.
You may notice that you quickly head off into thinking, planning, worrying, doubting. You may find that you feel tired or hungry.
Whatever you feel, when you realize it, notice it, label it, and go back to paying attention to your inhale and your exhale.
Action Step: Asking for Help
Choose someone who can help you with some aspect of your goal.
Make a commitment to ask that person for help.
Write down your plan: I will ask________ for/to________.
Do it!
DAY 4
Mountain Pose
Stand tall and roll your shoulders back.
Press down through your feet and lengthen your spine.
Gently press palm to palm at your heart.
Downward Dog
Press your palms down.
Bend your knees and walk your heels side to side to loosen up through your legs.
Press your heels down toward the floor.
Hold for five breaths.
Forward Lunge
Bring your right foot forward into a lunge.
Balance with your back heel off the floor and extend your hands over your head.
Hold for five breaths.
Switch legs and repeat.
Hold for five breaths.
Downward Dog
Hold for five breaths.
Warrior II
Raise your right foot high and bring it forward into a lunge.
Flatten your left foot on the floor behind you.
Bend your right knee.
Raise your arms up over your head and open wide to the sides.
Focus your eyes on a point in front of you.
Hold for five breaths.
Downward Dog
Hold five breaths.
Warrior II
Switch sides (left leg forward).
Hold for five breaths.
Downward Dog
Hold five breaths.
Walk your feet toward your hands.
Roll up to standing.
Airplane Pose into Warrior III
Start in Mountain Pose.
Focus on one point.
Lift your right foot behind you and balance with your arms behind you, palms facing down.
Keep your chest lifting and your spine long.
Hold for three breaths. Then bring your arms out in front of you. Balance. Hold for two breaths.
Switch sides and repeat.
Tree Pose
Lengthen through your spine.
Rest your left foot on your right ankle or above the knee.
Focus on one point and find your balance.
Lift your arms out to the sides and then up over your head.
Hold for five breaths.
Switch sides and repeat.
Labeling Meditation
Find a comfortable seat where you can feel the balance of effort and ease in your body.
Set your timer for ten minutes.
Close your eyes and bring your attention to your breath. Feel your inhale and feel your exhale.
You may notice that you quickly head off into thinking, planning, worrying, doubting. You may find that you feel tired or hungry.
Whatever you feel, when you realize it, notice it, label it, and go back to paying attention to your inhale and your exhale.
