1.Awareness vs automatic pilot: The aim is to increase awareness and respond with choice/mindfully rather than automatic reaction.  

To create foundation, look at any object without thinking. Perform mindful movement while watching body part in motion. Movements provide direct way of connecting with awareness. Walk, exercise, eat or do any one daily activity mindfully. Feeling simple movements of body throughout the day is living mindfully in the world.  It is as good as formal meditation. 

Eat raisins with awareness of touch, smell, sound and taste.  Practice body scan which helps in strengthening ability to draw attention at will.  Deliberately change focus of attention over and over.  Bringing awareness repeatedly back to sensation creates new neural pathways in the brain.  Like vipassana, sensation is the key-sensation of all senses and breath.

2. Living in the head/Understanding the nature of mind:  

Same event creates different reaction in different people.  Same person feels differently at different occasions.

Mind has different features when depressed, jealous, angry or sad just like different attributes of different national parks (death valley or yosemite) just notice, acknowledge and try to find the road map instead of redesigning. With curiosity say “OK, that’s the way things are right now”.

Set the intention to become aware of your experience in each moment.  Become interested/curious and have friendly awareness for the moment without wanting it other way (no more craving, no more aversion).  Remind yourself that resistance makes feelings stronger like finger trap.  Acknowledge the nature of mind “OK, it’s simply what minds do” and bring back to breath and body sensation.  Body scan gives opportunity to BE without judgement, blame or desire to fix. Stay away from ‘success’ or ‘failure’ of mindfulness.

3. Gathering scattered mind

Breath and body provide reliable way to come back to here and now.  Emotions are expressed in body without our awareness and awareness of body gives ability to look at our thoughts. So notice posture and small movements such as reaching, typing or sitting.  Practice mindful movement, stretch and breath, 3 minute breathing space 3x/day. steps:

A. awareness of thoughts, feelings or sensations. name the thoughts: feeling of sadness is arising or self-critical thoughts are here;

B. gathering by redirecting awareness to breathing say inhale 1-5 and exhale 1-5; feel the abdomen going up and down. Follow the breath all the way out. In case unpleasant sensation, thought or feeling, say- it is already here. let me feel it.

C. expanding to body as a whole, posture and facial expression.  Make a list of unpleasant thought, feeling, sensation immediately in words, image or precise body part.

4. Recognizing Aversion-the voice of depression  

difficult things are part of life but our reaction (automatic vs mindful) makes a difference.  we react by avoiding, wishing for more or wanting it to go away-Raag, dwesha, and upekshaa.  Awareness gives opportunity to respond rather than react.  just like high temperature is symptom of flu, recognizing the voice of depression allows us to step back. breath into sensation or thought and repeat compassionately जो भी है ठीक है, मुझे इसको स्वीकार करने की शक्ति चाहिये।

As soon as unpleasant thought/sensation arise, practice 3-minute breathing space. Practice mindful walking-7 and 10 paces for 10-15 minutes. Feet 4 to 6 inches apart, gaze straight and soft, bring awareness to the bottom of your feet and feel the ground. Bring the weight on the right foot, then on the left. Appreciate the complexity of movement.  Keep the gaze straight and soft. Also practice difficulty meditation. 

5. Allowing/letting it be/Turning toward the difficulty

Acceptance means skillfully changing but also recognizing that certain part of my life cannot be changed. Chose not to act or try to change. Serenity prayer= ask for grace to accept things that cannot be changed or courage to change things which can be changed and the wisdom to distinguish one from another. This wisdom and acceptance comes by moment to moment mindful awareness.

Approach painful experience with kindness. A. have gentle and friendly awareness of where mind is being repeatedly drawn: thought, feeling or sensation.  Note the sense of being pulled again and again to the same place.  B. notice the reaction liking or disliking with interest and curiosity. C. cultivate the willingness to experience with compassion instead of wanting some other way. repeat it is ok, it is here, let me experience it.  

6. Thoughts are not facts; they are mental events

thoughts are triggered automatically. watch them come and go, see the context, but don’t get caught up in the content.  No need to fight, judge or struggle- just chose not to follow.  By becoming aware and bringing back to breath over and over, it is possible to create distance.  Reminders: It is just a thought.  it is not me because identification causes losing in thoughts.  Ask several times-what are you thinking? Thoughts vanish upon inspection and writing down thoughts gives a pause.  Take gentle curiosity and interest in thoughts, feelings, behaviors, sensations when mood starts to drop.  When mood starts to drop, look out for external or internal, small as well as large triggers. Find top 10 habitual, unhelpful thinking pattern and tag negative thoughts- “here comes sadness”

make a list of early signal or warning signs-irritable, sleep, interest, not meeting deadlines.

Keep track of: what thoughts? what emotions? what happens in the body? what do you feel like doing? old habits (rumination, trying to suppress, struggling with it)?

7. How to take care of me?

make a list of things i do daily/weekly, monthly or yearly: mark nourishing, depleting activities, and recognize the aspects of life I simply cannot change.  I consciously choose to increase nourishing activities. Daily Mindful stretching, walk, yoga, 3-minutes breathing space,

when sad mood approaching, take a breathing space and try following as experiment or exploration or inquiry.

do something pleasurable-hot bath, nap, good food, chai, facial or massage

-engage in some activity-walk, exercise, shopping, watch something funny or motivational, read poem, listen to music

-Do something that gives sense of mastery, satisfaction, achievement or control such as clean house but break in small pieces-one drawer at a time or pay one bill.  congratulate at completion

-act mindfully put entire attention on what you are doing right now.  now i am walking, turning light on. be aware of breathing, contact of your feet.

Remember what helped before when you felt depressed. Keep a list of activities to best care for yourself at the time of trouble and make action plan. In addition to pleasant activity, listening to the mindfulness recording also helps.

The skillful response is becoming aware, seeing it as a thought without getting in the story and creating breathing space.

 Post class practice:

Set intention and check-in with yourself few times a day. Practice regular breathing space few times a day.

Upon waking up observe 5 mindful breaths

Notice changes in posture and movement of lying to sitting, to standing, to walking.

During the day really listen-phone ring, bird singing, car, wind, door. Use every sound as bell for mindfulness.

Throughout the day observe 5 mindful breaths

Whenever eat, take a breath and realize the connection of food to sunlight, rain, earth, farmer, trucker and cook.

Also see, smell and taste the food.  Experience chewing, swallowing sensations, affect on health.

Notice and feel your body standing, walking, contacting earth, air on the face, arms, legs.

Listen without liking, disliking, agreeing, disagreeing, or planning. Just say without over stating

If waiting, notice the contact with earth and abdomen movement

Find tension in body, breath, stretch and release with exhale.

Draw attention to daily activities, brushing teeth or hair, cooking, showering etc.

End day with 5 mindful breaths- try Madeline Klyne insight meditation.