Decide what you think that you can do in this list and see if you are disciplined enough to do it.   If not, why not.

Micro Practices

• Repeat the exercises throughout the day.

• Just do it for a short period of time.  1 or 2 minutes is enough.

• Find a trigger.  For example

  • every time you see a stranger

  • every time you go through a portal.

  • Before or after a stressful situation

Formal Practice

The best time to do it is in the morning because it is less likely you will be tired or feel overwhelmed. If you start out with 5 minutes you can just wake up 5 minutes earlier.

Decide what you think that you can do in this list and see if you are disciplined enough to do it.   If not, why not.

Extra Credit 

• Load Insight Timer on your smartphone   Click Here from your Smartphone

• Once your Insight Time is on your smartphone

  • From Pain to Peace by Bethany Auriel-Hagan – Click Here

  • Yoga Nidra for Deep Relaxation & Sleep – Casey Conerly – Click Here

Micro Practices

•  Repeat the exercises throughout the day.

•  Just do it for a short period of time.  1 or 2 minutes is enough.

  •  Find a trigger.  For example

    • Every time you see a stranger

    • Every time you go through a portal.

    • Before or after a stressful situation

Formal Practices

The best time to do it is in the morning because it is less likely you will be tired or feel overwhelmed. If you start out with 5 minutes you can just wake up 5 minutes earlier.

Decide what you think that you can do in this list and see if you are disciplined enough to do it.   If not, why not.

Extra Credit 

• Load Insight Timer on your smartphone   Click Here from your Smartphone

• Once your Insight Time is on your smartphone

  • From Pain to Peace by Bethany Auriel-Hagan – Click Here

  • Yoga Nidra for Deep Relaxation & Sleep – Casey Conerly – Click Here

Micro Practices

•  Repeat the exercises throughout the day.

•  Just do it for a short period of time.  1 or 2 minutes is enough.

  •  Find a trigger.  For example

    • Every time you see a stranger

    • Every time you go through a portal.

    • Before or after a stressful situation

Formal Practices

The best time to do it is in the morning because it is less likely you will be tired or feel overwhelmed. If you start out with 5 minutes you can just wake up 5 minutes earlier.

Decide what you think that you can do in this list and see if you are disciplined enough to do it.   If not, why not.

Day 5 –

Day 6 and 7 –

Micro Practices

•  Repeat the exercises throughout the day.

•  Just do it for a short period of time.  1 or 2 minutes is enough.

  •  Find a trigger.  For example

    • Every time you see a stranger

    • Every time you go through a portal.

    • Before or after a stressful situation

Formal Practices

The best time to do it is in the morning because it is less likely you will be tired or feel overwhelmed. If you start out with 5 minutes you can just wake up 5 minutes earlier.

Overview

• It may be difficult to find extended time to do a daily meditation but it might be possible to do several 1 or 2 minute micro meditations throughout the day.

• It might be helpful to identify triggers to remind you to do the micro practice.   Examples of triggers might be going through a portal, starting or stopping an activity, before or after each meal.   Use these daily events to trigger a reminder to do a daily micro practice. 

• The affirmations are just suggestions. Please choose the wording of the affirmations that inspires you.

• It can also be helpful if you try to take several mindful bites at each and every meal.

Do one of these two Micro practices throughout the day:

Gratitude

• Affirmation – Smile and say to yourself: Thank you, Thank you, thank you. Think of all of the things you feel grateful for.

Pause

• Just take a moment to do a long slow breath.   If you prefer you can add counting while you are breathing

These are other micro practices that you might like to try:

Self-Compassion

• Affirmation – Smile and say to yourself: May I find happiness and peace contentment and joy

Compassion

• Affirmation – Look at someone and think to yourself: May you find happiness, peace, contentment and joy and may all of your problems dissolve away

Letting Go

• Affirmation – Smile and say to yourself: God grant me the serenity to accept the things that I can not change, the courage to change the things that I can and the wisdom to know the difference.

Grit

• Affirmation – Smile and say to yourself: May I find the resources to set realistic and supportive goals and the determination and grit to continually learn and grow and progress.

Confidence

• Affirmation – Smile and say to yourself: May I be grateful for all of the people who nurtured and supported me and all that I have accomplished in life. May I always find optimism in spite of the inevitable challenges of life.

Recommendations

• Progress not perfection.   Meditation is a practice.  

• Commit to one long slow breath a day.     

• Meditate the same time each day. Preferably in the morning.

• Goal is NOT stopping thoughts but being aware of them.

• Goal is to cultivate a kind attention.

• The obstacles such as being tired, bored and or lazy are opportunities to practice kindness, dedication, persistence, confidence and acceptance.

• Every meditation is a good meditation.

• Doing the practices regularly helps strengthen your practice. It is like a truck going up the hill. If you keep doing it every day you develop momentum.

• Be curious. Have a beginner’s mind. Really be curious about your breathing..

• Do as many informal exercises as you can

Overview

It can be helpful to have a daily meditation practice.   Below are 3 guided meditations.   You can try all 3 and see which one you like the best.   You can also pick the meditation you prefer based on the amount of time that you have to meditate

Counting the breath – 7 minutes

Purpose: This technique of breathing while counting can be used as a formal meditation practice or can be used throughout the day as a micro practice to help calm you before or after stressful events or to provide relaxation while you are waiting for a light or you are stuck in traffic. This type of meditation is labeled “training wheels” because it is much easier and is recommended for beginners. This technique can be used before other formal meditation techniques to allow you to calm down and get focused.

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Body Scan – 12 minutes

Purpose: This meditation is particularly helpful in helping you go to sleep after a stressful day. If you want to go to sleep, do this mediation while lying flat in bed and try to not move. It can also be done as a formal meditation practice while sitting on the floor or in a chair. It will slow down your heart rate and allow you to relax and calm down. This can also be done during the day before or after any stressful situation or when you are waiting in line, at a traffic light or there is any pause during the day.

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Compassion – 17 minutes

Purpose: This meditation is helpful with human relationships.    When you do this guided meditation it can open you up to a sense of compassion and loving kindness for others as well as yourself.

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Insight Vipassana – 19 minutes

This meditation is particularly helpful at cultivating the focus, concentration and equanimity that is so important for mindfulness. If you are beginning it might be best to keep your eyes closed but at some point, you might want to try this with your eyes open so that you will further strengthen your ability to stand mindful throughout the day.

• When I suffer is it because of my mistaken mind?

  • Unrealistic expectations?

  • Comparing myself to others?

  • Wishing the world was different than it is?

• Consciousness

  • Are my thoughts helpful?

  • Are my thoughts true?

• Confidence – Grit

  • Do I feel helpless?

  • Am I being constructive and pro-active?

  • Am I being patient and persistent?

  • Am I living my life by my values?

• Compassion

  • Am I being compassionate to myself? To others?

  • Am I truly listening when others are speaking?

  • Did you have a chance to praise someone today?

• Letting Go

  • Am I fighting a reality that I cannot change?

• Gratitude

  • What do I have to be thankful for that happened in the last 24 hours? In my life?

  • Do I savor the good things that happen in my life?

• Grit

  • Did I make find time to meditate?

  • Did I make time to do a micro practice? Am I being patient and persistent?

        Personalizing your daily Practice – Optional sections

Create a practice that is most comfortable and meaningful for you.

As long or short as you prefer.
Just choose the sections that are most supportive of you.
Below are some different things that you might want to include.
Feel free to combine any other meditations, quotes or techniques that you prefer. 

Opening Aspiration 

An Example:
May I find peace, calmness and contentment.
May I be kind to myself and others.
May I have realistic expectations of myself and others
May I find the wisdom to respond constructively to difficult situations.

Calming the body

An Example:
Soft Belly Breathing:
Breathe in long slow and deep.   Breathe in through the nostrils.   Breathe out through your mouth.
Completely fill your abdomen on the inbreath.    Completely empty your abdomen on the outbreath.
Focus your full attention on the sensations in the nostrils on the inbreath.
Focus your full attention on the sensations on your lips as your breathe out on the outbreath. 

Mantras

Kirtan Kriya Instructions -How to do Kirtan Kriya Yoga

Kirtan Kriya – 12 Minute Kirtan Kriya  YogaYoga

Quotes and Prayers

Click Here For Quotes and Prayers on this website   

Body Scan 

Body Scan – This guided mediation can help you sleep at night

Focused Meditation

Open Awareness

Compassion

Compassion Meditation

Closing – Gratitude

Smile.
Think of all of the things you are grateful for.   It could be:

Loved ones
A Higher Power
Spiritual Being
Mentors
Physical well-being
Educational and Professional opportunities

Informal Practices

• Eight Essentials of Forgiveness – Greater Good – Click Here
• Active Listening – Greater Good – Click Here
• Finding Silver Linings – Greater Good   – Click Here
• Mantra – Kirtan Kriya Yoga – Recommended by the Alzheimer’s society
  • Kirtan Kriya Instructions -How to do Kirtan Kriya Yoga
  • Kirtan Kriya – 12 Minute Kirtan Kriya  YogaYoga
• For Pain – Click Here
• For Sleep – Click Here

Helpful Websites

These web sites have a wide variety of guided meditations and informal practices
Greater Good
Chris Germer
Kristin Neff
Dharma Seed