Activity 2.1 Welcome back and mindfulness/centering

Objectives:

• To promote connection and group cohesion through the use of a mindfulness exercise;
• To support participants in focusing on the present moment, and
• To support participants in getting in touch with their values

Participation Format:

• Participants sit in a large horseshoe; co-facilitators sit across from each other at the open-end of the horseshoe.

Number of Facilitators:

• 1

Time Required:

• 30 minutes
  • 10 minutes to welcome participants back and announcements;
  • 10 minutes for mindfulness exercise and
  • 10 minutes for debriefing.

Activities & Instructions

Instructions for participants

Facilitator #1 welcomes participant back to the second session and completes announcements and other housekeeping items.

Faciliator#1 then invites participants to take part in a centring exercise by providing the instructions below in a gentle calming voice:

• “Welcome back, everyone. We will begin today’s session with a mindfulness exercise to bring us to the present and to become centered.
• Sit on your chair; find a comfortable position; keep your body upright and sit slightly away from the back of the chair.
• Close your eyes gently. Rest your hands on your lap; keep your feet slightly apart and rest them firmly on the floor.
• Notice the sensation of your body where it touches the chair. (Pause 15 seconds.)
• Now focus on your breathing. Breathing in, notice the sensation at your nostrils and in the small area above your upper lips, breathing out, notice the sensation in the same area. (Pause 30 seconds.)
• Breathing in, and breathing out – effortlessly – notice the sensation of your belly as you breathe in and out. (Pause 30 seconds)
• You may notice other things that pull your attention away from your breath; it might be sounds or another sensation. So for a moment, notice the sounds, inside or outside this room, just notice these sounds without being caught up in a story about what these sounds are about. (Pause 30 seconds)
• It could also be a sound of silence. (Pause 1 minute.)
• Now, let go of the listening and return to your bodily sensations. Notice which sensation calls out to you; just notice these sensations in your body, pleasant or unpleasant, just notice them without judgment or rejection. Just notice them. (Pause 1-2 minutes.)
• You may notice thoughts coming in and out of your mind. Acknowledge them as thoughts – without judgment, just notice that ‘Ah, I have a thought’ and go back to noticing your breath – in and out – effortlessly. (Pause 1-2 minutes.)
• Now, see if you can allow yourself to get in touch with your values. What is important to you about being here? What is the meaning to you about becoming a Mental Health Ambassador? (Pause 1 minute)
• Breathing in – you are aware of the present; breathing out – you feel grounded. (Pause 10 seconds.) Now bring your focus back to this room (Pause 10 seconds); to the sounds (Pause 10 seconds); to the awareness of sitting in a circle with others in this room (Pause 10 seconds) and that each of us are bringing with us our values, while sharing some collective values and goals (Pause 10 seconds). As in every sphere of your life, you are not on your own in isolation, and see if you can get in contact with the part of yourself that is also inherently connected with others – your interdependent self (Pause 10 seconds). When you feel ready, slowly open your eyes.”

Facilitator #1 spends 5-10 minutes exploring with participants their experience in doing this exercise: “What was it like for you in doing this exercise?”

References & Sources

• UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Centre (n.d.) Free guided meditations. Available at http://marc.ucla.edu/body.cfm?id=22
• Fung, K. (2015). Acceptance and commitment therapy: Western adoption of Buddhist tenets?. Transcultural Psychiatry, 52(4), 561-576.