MBSR @ WORK - PARTICIPANT WORKBOOK

MBSR @ WORK - PARTICIPANT WORKBOOK Home Practice Guidelines / Suggestions

Setting Intentions for Practice It is important to establish intentions for what you can and want to include in your daily mindfulness practice – and then observe what you actually do, with non-judging awareness and a sense of friendly curiosity. If you find you are not following your initial intention, you may like to set a new intention that is realistic, so that you will experience mastery of your practice, no matter how much or how little you do. Practicing awareness of breathing, body scanning, mindful yoga and meditation are the foundations of the mindfulness program. Informal practices can also be very beneficial (and sometimes more immediately helpful), and attitudinal/affective practices will take your practice deeper into your relationships with yourself and others.

Suggested Practice during the MBSR Program includes: • Formal practice: total of 20” – 45” each day, 5 to 6 days/week; these will change and build on each other, week by week • Informal practices: periodically during each day (1” – 3”); • Cultivating Attitudinal and Affective practices as you can; and • Reading is entirely optional 

Home Practice after Class #1 Complete the MBSR Commitment Form (pdf format) (for your own use) • • •

Body Scan with audio 5-6x/week (choose between 15, 20, 30, and 45-minute audio tracks for body scanning) Practice Awareness of Judging (to train for cultivating Non-Judging Awareness) 3 Conscious Breaths (~1”), 3x per day

Home Practice after Class #2 • • • •

Body Scan with CD/audio 6x/week Stopping (with conscious breathing and present moment awareness) ~ 5x/day Don’t-Know Mind: with driving (Don’t know, maybe that person___), and with a stressful situation (Stating a worry or fear or irritation/anger belief: then telling yourself “don’t know”) Informal mindfulness w/ any of these: red lights, cell phones, showering, washing dishes, shopping, eating, brushing teeth, meetings, email, etc.

Home Practice after Class #3 • • • • • •

Alternate Body Scan CD/audio with Lying Down Yoga daily Stopping Sitting Meditation 5–10”/day Practice Non-Striving and Letting GO/ Letting BE (with something that requires effort…doing your best without white knuckles, using yoga approach as a metaphor for anything requiring effort) Mindfulness of “automatic pilot” Continue informal practice


Alternate Body Scan CD/audio with Standing Yoga, or some of each daily Sitting Meditation 10 –15” /day Stopping Fill out Pleasant & Unpleasant Events Calendars daily Practice non-judging, don’t know mind, non-striving Continue informal practice (as above)


Daily Practice: 15”- 30+” Sitting Meditation w/ CD/audio, alternate (or combine) with Yoga Walking meditation: one regular place you walk to/from each day Stopping Practice R.A.I.N. (Mindful Acceptance Practice) Bring awareness to mindfulness in communication especially when stressed in communicating Continue informal practice

Home Practice after Class #6 • • • • •

Daily Practice: 15”- 30” Sitting Meditation CD/audio, with 10 – 15” Yoga or Body Scan Stopping Practice Mindful Patience and R.A.I.N. Continue informal practice Add brief Loving Kindness practice to formal practice, or practice informally once a day 

Guidelines for Ongoing Practice If you would like to continue deepening your practice and benefiting from the mindfulness practices you’ve learned, here’s how: • • • • • • •

Continue establishing daily practices you can live with Maintain a habit of daily practice Bring some LovingKindness practice into each day – eg. end your formal practice with a brief lovingkindness practice Find a friend or group to practice with, ideally at least once a week Attend a retreat whenever you can, ideally at least yearly Read as desired; re-read favorite passages from books on mindfulness – your understanding will deepen over time Listen to/watch CDs/DVDs of practice (see resource collection)