ACT Mindfulness

Welcome back to cadre's mindfulness series. Today we're going to be doing a guided meditation from a therapeutic intervention known as ACT. ACT stands for acceptance and commitment therapy. It's all about finding a healthy detachment from negative thoughts that automatically come up. ACT is all about noticing the thoughts and feelings coming in, being aware of them and knowing that you don't have to identify with them or attach to them. First, I invite you to find a comfortable position, perhaps a chair to sit upright or lay down in a position where you won't get too sleepy.

Just be sure it's comfortable. Go ahead and fix your eyes on a comfortable position or gently close them. Go ahead and notice the physical feelings that come from being in this place. You can lightly push your feet onto the floor, get a sense of the ground beneath you or just notice the other things you feel in this moment. Whether you are sitting or laying down, let your shoulders drop. Get a sense of the gravity flowing down your spine, anchoring you to the ground, to the floor beneath your feet or wherever else you feel.

Just take a moment to notice what you can see. Notice what you can hear. Notice how you're sitting. Notice what you're doing with your hands. Notice the sensations in your nose and mouth. Notice what you're feeling in your body. Now notice what you're thinking right now. Take a moment to recognize there's part of you in there that is able to notice or be aware of everything that you do, everything that you see, hear, touch, taste, smell, think and feel. For the sake of simplicity, let's call this part of you awareness.

Now I invite you now to close your eyes or keep them fixed on a spot whichever you prefer. And for the next few breaths, I'd like you to completely empty your lungs to push all the air out of them until there's no more left and then allow them to fill by themselves. And as you do that, I'd like you to observe your breathing as if you're curious scientist who has never encountered breathing before. Notice how the lungs are empty. They refill all by themselves. You can take a deep breath in if you want to, but see if you can notice how there's really no need.

It just happens by itself. Notice your breath flowing in and out. Notice your chest moving in and moving out. Notice your abdomen rising and falling. And now I'd like you to reflect on why you came here today. There's something that matters to you, something that's important deep in your heart that motivated you to come here. What is it? Is it about improving your life, your personal growth, learning new skills, building better relationships, being a better father, mother, friend, whatever role you play?

Is it about using your time on this planet more effectively to help others? Or to help yourself or both? Is it about work or family or friendship? Is it about your health, vitality, your well-being? Perhaps is it learning about how to look after yourself? How to treat yourself well? To regain something you've lost? Or come to terms with something painful? Just do a search inside your heart to clarify why you came here. And now take a moment to reflect on how you got here today. You didn't magically materialize out of thin air.

You had to take action. Perhaps it was open up your computer or your phone . Perhaps it was going to a quiet space or having to reschedule to give yourself enough time to do this. You even had to sign up for the app cadre. Why did you choose to do that? Why are you choosing to utilize the resources at your disposal? Recognize that right now you're taking action. You're sitting here in this chair lying on the ground. You're doing this exercise not knowing exactly what it involves. You probably have all sorts of thoughts whizzing through your head.

All sorts of feelings passing through your body. And yet here you are. Sitting or laying right here right now doing this exercise. And what is it that matters enough to bring you here today? To take this action right here right now when there are so many other things you could be doing instead. And now once again I'd like you to bring your awareness to your breathing. Notice your breath flowing in and out. Notice your chest moving in and out. Notice your abdomen rising and falling. Now I invite you to undertake a challenge for the next few minutes your challenge is to keep your attention on your breath.

Observing it as it flows in and out. This will be hard because your mind will try to distract you. It will tell you all sorts of stories. Try to grab your attention and pull you away from what you're doing. Your challenge is to see if you can let those thoughts come and go like passing cars. And keep your attention on the breath. Go ahead and let your mind chatter away as if it was a radio playing in the background. But keep your attention on the breath. Notice your breath flowing in and out. Notice your abdomen rising and falling.

From time to time your mind will succeed in distracting you. It will manage to get you interested in one of its stories and you will lose track of your breathing. This is quite normal. It happens to everyone and it will happen repeatedly. The moment you realize this has happened take a split second to acknowledge it and know what distracted you then gently refocus on your breathing. You're just noticing the breath letting thoughts come and go like passing cars or leaves rolling down the river and fall.

Again and again your mind will succeed in distracting you. This is normal. This is what minds do. So as soon as you realize it note the distraction and gently refocus to your breath. As this exercise continues the feelings and sensations in your body will change. There may be pleasant feelings and sensations showing up like relaxation, calm, mindfulness. And there may be unpleasant ones like boredom, frustration, anxiety, back ache. See if you can allow those feelings to be exactly as they are in this moment.

Don't try to control your feelings. Just let them be regardless of whether they are pleasant or unpleasant. And keep your attention on your breathing. This is not necessarily a relaxation technique. The aim is to allow yourself to feel whatever you're feeling without a struggle. So if there's an unpleasant feeling present and silently name it say to yourself here's a feeling of boredom or here's a feeling of anxiety, acknowledge it's there and keep your attention on your breathing. Again and again bring your awareness back to your breath.

And now expanding your awareness, noticing your breath in your body in the chair or on the ground with your legs, arms, head, neck, chest, tummy. Notice any feelings you have. Expanding your awareness even further. Just notice your breathing and your body in the chair on the ground with all the sounds around you and opening your eyes and looking around the room and noticing what can you see. And expanding your awareness even further, noticing also what you can feel, what you can taste, what you can sense in your nose and your mouth.

Now take a stretch and notice yourself stretching and how that feels. Notice what you're thinking right now. Notice whatever your mind is saying to you about this experience. And taking a moment to realize that there is a part of you that notices everything you do, everything you see, everything you hear and touch and taste and think and feel. And just checking for a moment, this part of you that can notice your thoughts, notice your feelings, notice your body. Is it good or bad or is it just there?

Well that brings our exercise to the end. Go ahead and have another stretch and I want you to think and reflect about how some of these techniques could be used throughout your day to remove some of your anxiety and racing thoughts and lift your mood even just a little. Have a good rest of your day.