instructions

• The first minute is spent on answering the question “how am I doing right now?” while focusing on the feelings, thoughts, and sensations that arise, and trying to give these words and phrases.

• The second minute is spent on keeping awareness of the breath.The last minute is used for an expansion of attention outward from the breath, feeling the ways in which your breathing affects the rest of the body.Keeping a quiet mind can be rather challenging, and thoughts will often pop up.

• The idea is not to block them, but rather to let them come into your mind and then disappear again.

• Try to just observe them.All the exercises mentioned above can be used for the benefit of yourself, individual clients, and even in group settings.

• They are beneficial to all client groups; however, some will be better suited than others, so a method of open-minded trial and error can often be necessary.

• The most important part of mindfulness is to recognize that it is a training of the mind, and like any exercise will take some time to see the benefits.

• The trick is to persevere, approach the process with self-compassion, and allow for reflection, change, and flexibility between different techniques and interventions.