MIIndful 10

During November we held our MIIndful 10 meditation challenge, this included providing 10-minute mindfulness meditations for members to join in as and when it fits in with their lives. The meditations were led by an experienced mindfulness practitioner, Jonathan Bates and ran over a 10-day period from Monday 16th November. The meditations are designed to give you a short burst of self-care in your busy day.

It aims to help you:
• become more self-aware
• feel calmer and less stressed
• feel more equipped to respond to your thoughts and feelings
• cope with difficult or unhelpful thoughts
• make you more focused and productive
• be kinder towards yourself

Many people find practising mindfulness helps them manage their day-to-day wellbeing, but it doesn't always work for everyone.

To find our MIIndful 10 mediations, please visit here. There is a schedule to assist each day, please see below.

How does mindfulness work?
The way we think (and what we think about) can affect how we feel and act. For example, if you think or worry a lot about upsetting past or future events, you might often feel sad or anxious. The theory behind mindfulness is that by using various techniques to bring your attention to the present (usually focusing on your body and your breathing), you can:
• Notice how thoughts come and go in your mind. You may learn that they don't have to define who you are, or your experience of the world, and you can let go of them.
• Notice what your body is telling you. For example, tension or anxiety can often be felt in your body (such as in a fast heartbeat, tense muscles or shallow breathing).
• Create space between you and your thoughts, so you can react more calmly.

Mindful meditation - how do we do this?
This involves sitting quietly and focusing on your breathing, your thoughts, sensations in your body and the things you can hear around you. Try to bring you focus back to the present if your mind starts to wander.