Mindfulness

Mindfulness is when you purposely bring your attention to experiences occurring in the present moment without any sense of judgment.

Practicing mindfulness can help increase our ability to regulate emotions, decrease stress, anxiety, and depression. It also helps to look inward to our thoughts and feelings.

A gif of a green circle that tells you to breathe in for 4 seconds, followed by an orange circle saying hold it for 7 seconds, followed by a red circle saying breathe out for 8 seconds

Focus on your breath

Did you know that something as simple as focusing on your breathing can help with your mindfulness practice? 

4 - 7 - 8 method


Some helpful tips: the exhale is the relaxing part of the breath, which is why it is longer. When breathing, it's important to breathe from your diaphragm and not your chest. Remember, this and mindfulness, takes practice, so don't expect to master it the first time.

Journaling prompts

Journaling can be a great tool to use to help guide your mindfulness practice. Below are 4 journaling prompts you can print out or use in your own journal. If you'd like to save or print the prompts, you have the ability to download and save them to your device, by right clicking on the image and opening it in a new tab.

"For your journal" writing prompt: Reflect on the people in your life, who do you feel grateful for and why?
"For your journal" writing prompt: sit quietly and focus on your breath. As you repeat this mindful breathing activity, what do you notice happening to your body?
"For your journal" writing prompt: Sit quietly and let your mind wander. As your thoughts and feelings come and go, don't judge them... just acknowledge them. What does your observation tell you about your thoughts?
"For your journal" writing prompt: Visualize an outcome you want to achieve and the specific steps you will take to reach that specific outcome. What did you come up with?

Coloring

You heard us right, coloring can help reduce stress and anxiety. It has the ability to help relax your brain and to improve your motor skills and vision. Unplugging from technology while you color also helps to focus on achieving mindfulness while you're in the zone being creative.


Educational Opportunities: Mindfulness


WHAT Podcast Offerings on Mindfulness

In this week's episode, Julie talks about whether or not the gloomy winter weather actually affects our mood and emotions. She also discusses the importance of practicing mindfulness, where she also helps guide a meditation session that focuses on breathing and self-esteem. 

This week Grace and Whitney talk about the benefits of positive affirmations and the realities of self talk.  We remind each other how important it is to be kind to ourselves and be mindful of our own self talk. 

Listen to Julie and Miranda discuss developing boundaries for school, work, and life; share tips on time management; and recommend final exam and studying best practices. 

Join the WHATsters in a conversation about mindfulness and relaxation.

Join Sessy, Tina, and Simeen in this episode in a conversation about the joys and challenges of engaging in a lifestyle with healthy movement. Listen in as they share their thoughts, experiences, and insights on physical well-being and body image, providing a real and unfiltered take on these important aspects of life. 

Mindful Meanderings: Campus Rec Podcast Offerings on Mindfulness

For our third episode we will focus on making and finding joy in our lives. Starting with our breathing we will scan our bodies for joy. Through this exploration we will work to notice internal and external experiences of joy, and focus on how we can carry it throughout our daily lives. 

In this episode, we will combine the power of music and mindfulness to elicit thoughts, feelings, visualizations, and sensations that give you the strength and energy to end the winter season on a high note. 

On today’s walk we will explore ways to come back to the present, reducing stress, and setting our intention for the new year. 

Meditation Offerings

We partnered with the PSU Learning Gardens Lab to create this nature oriented meditation. 

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Our body's natural response to anxiety-provoking thoughts and situations is to tense our muscles and when we focus on relaxing our muscles, we help block the anxiety and stress out.

Dive into meditation this Spring, go inward to focus on what feels good in mind and body. Want to have a good body? Tend to the mind. This 10 min practice is a simple meditation that will create the foundation for transformational practice. Compliment your yoga asana practice with this 10 Min Meditation For Inner Peace. 

Meditation helps to train our attention and awareness to achieve a mentally and emotionally stable state. You can find even more guided meditations at freemeditation.org

An effective and impactful guided meditation designed for you to practice in 8 minutes. This can be done in any space you feel safe and comfortable in. You can do it on your mat, in a chair, on your bed, or out on a walk, while traveling, or out at the park. You can even do it in your car. (not while driving) 

Take time to check in with your breath and invite balance to your nervous system. Bookmark this session to find it quickly and share with a friend! This practice is designed for all levels and created with love to help you feel safe, energized and peaceful as we combat the intense stress of life.