Basic Meditation Instructions
(taken and modified from Matthew Flickstein)

You are sitting or standing comfortably with your eyes closed.

You are breathing comfortably through your nose.

Feel the sensation of your breath as it flows in and out of your nostrils at the tip of your nose. Some people feel the sensation more strongly within the nostrils, while others feel it more on the upper lip.

To help you locate where you feel the touch sensation of the breath most distinctly, inhale deeply and force the air out through your nostrils. Wherever you feel the sensation most clearly and precisely is the place to focus your attention for the balance of the meditation period. If you can’t stay with this small target, shift to feeling the rise and fall of your abdomen or chest.

Feel the beginning, the middle, and the end of every in-breath, and the beginning, the middle, and the end of every out-breath and be present with the pauses in between.

Sometimes the breath will be short—there is no need to make it longer. Sometimes the breath will be long—there is no need to make it shorter. Sometimes the breath will be erratic—there is no need to make it even or smooth.

Just become aware of the breath as it goes in and out of the nostrils at the tip of the nose.

Let the breath breathe itself.

Every time your attention moves away from the breath and shifts to another physical sensation, sound, smell or thought, gently but firmly bring your attention back to the touch sensation of your breath. Do this over and over again, resisting the urge to judge or be critical of yourself. Be content to start over as many times as you need to. Each time you catch the awareness drifting is an opportunity to strengthen the skill of mindful observation, a time to strengthen your mental discipline. It is not a “bad” thing, it’s just what the undisciplined mind does.

Continue practicing in this manner until the end of the time you set aside for this period of mindfulness practice.

Three Minute Breathing Space
From Segal, Williams and Teasdale (2002).

1.    Awareness

Bring yourself into the present moment by deliberately adopting an erect and dignified posture If possible, close your eyes. Then ask:

“What is my experience right now… in thoughts… in feeling… and in bodily sensations?”

Acknowledge and register your experience, even if it is unwanted.

2.    Gathering

Then, gently redirect full attention to breathing, to each in-breath and to each out-breath as they follow, one after the other.

Your breath can function as an anchor to bring you into the present and help you tune into a state of awareness and stillness.

3.    Expanding

Expand the field of your awareness around your breathing, so that it includes a sense of the body as a whole, your posture, and facial expression.

Concentration Practice
(From Morgan and Morgan in: Mindfulness and Psychotherapy (2005))

 1.    Find a comfortable posture. Close your eyes. Allow your body to be held, supported by the chair. Notice directly the sensation of your body in contact with the chair.

2.    Notice that your breath is already moving on its own.

3.    Narrow your attention to the flow of the breath at the tip of your nose, as it contacts the nostrils.

4.    Whenever your attention wanders, and you notice that it has wondered, return your attention to the flow of the breath at the tip of your nose.

5.    Allow yourself a few more breaths before slowly opening your eyes.

 

 Mindfulness Practice
(From Morgan and Morgan in: Mindfulness and Psychotherapy (2005))

1.    Find a comfortable posture. Close your eyes. Allow your body to be held, supported by the chair. Notice directly the sensation of your body in contact with the chair.

2.    Allow whatever arises in your field of experience - visual images, sounds, physical sensations, feelings, thought formations - to come and go, to move freely.

3.     Next bring attention to whatever becomes predominant in the field of experience. Mentally notice and give a word label to the type of thoughts that may arise, such as analyzing, planning, remembering, hearing, and so on.

4.     Take a few more breaths before slowly opening your eyes.