Mindfulness & Yoga Practices for Social Workers

Transcription

1 Mindfulness & Yoga Practices for Social Workers MASSW Annual Conference October 2105 Jen Rapanos, LMSW, SSW, RYT-200 llbeankidsyoga.com

2 Objectives Differentiate between what mindfulness is, and what it is not. Define where mindfulness originated? Identify how mindfulness is being used as an evidence-based practice in other settings. Become familiar with and practice three mindfulness exercises. Demonstrate knowledge of current research on mindfulness and yoga practices with children. Identify how mindfulness may be used as tool for reducing stress. Learn and identify 3-5 mindfulness exercises that can be used with children. Select mindfulness and yoga practices that can be implemented personally. Select mindfulness and yoga practices that can be implemented professionally.

3 Inspiration & Research Jon Kabat-Zinn Daniel J. Siegel Thich Nhat Hanh Jack Kornfield Christine Freeman Bruce Perry Bonnie Badenoch Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction MindUp Conscious Discipline Insight Meditation Society MBSR Research The Science of Mindfulness

4 What s the Buzz?

5 Where did mindfulness begin? History Vipassana, 2,500 year old tradition; cultivating the capacity to pay attention. Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD. MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction) in University of Mass. Medical School. Brought a secular practice of Mindfulness to American mainstream.

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7 Mindfulness Paying attention in a particular way; on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally. -Jon Kabat-Zinn

8 Mindfulness Switching from auto-pilot to awareness. Being present with whatever is going on (thoughts, body, emotions) inside and outside experiences. Cultivating wisdom. Clearly see our reactions, triggers, habitual patterns, mind/body disconnect Not something you have to get. It is innate within everyone. A basic human quality. Not the answer to life s problems. Rather, life s problems can be seen more clearly through the lens of a clear mind

9 Neurologist, physiatrist and Holocaust survivor

10 Are You STRESSED?

11 How do you relate to stress? Throughout history, humans have sought ways to decrease suffering and alleviate it. Mindfulness is a way of relating to all experience that can reduce suffering. Mindfulness teaches how to pay attention to our stress reactions. From this place of awareness we can choose how we relate to stressful and challenging situations, how to relate to life more skillfully.

12 MINDFULNESS PRACTICE Mindfulness PRACTICE teaches us how to pay attention to the present moment. From this space we can choose HOW to relate to our experiences. WHAT DID YOU NOTICE?

13 Techniques for children: Awareness vs. Auto Pilot Mindful eating activities clementines Breath meditation Bell meditation Body Scan

14 Mindfulness Practice FORMAL Meditation Body Scan Yoga Walking Meditation INFORMAL Bringing mindful awareness to daily living and experiences: brushing your teeth eating cooking reading to your child greeting your partner walking into work checking in with your body or breath throughout the day noticing how you feel during a social interaction

15 The Brain The Brain (Hand Model) Amygdala (Limbic System Prefrontal Cortex Autonomic Nervous System Sympathetic (fight, flight, freeze) Parasympathetic

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17 Stress & the Brain Our watch dog can t differentiate between a real or perceived threat. Brain does not distinguish between psychological or physiological danger, activating the same physiological response in either case. Emotions and thoughts can cause the same physiological response as if threatened by a woolly mammoth. Anything that threatens our sense of well being can trigger the survival reaction of the amygdala to some degree.

18 Mindful Awareness & the Brain Mindful awareness teaches us to notice when our parasympathetic nervous system has been activated. From this awareness we can then learn how to calm our bodies and minds so that they are better able to access the PFC which helps manage emotions and solve problems more skillfully. Mindfulness practice strengthens areas of the brain related to self-regulation, decision making, focus and attention. Neuroplasticity the latest brain research indicates that we can change the way the brain functions. The ability to change our neural connections in response to our experiences. Dr. Daniel Siegel (2007) The Science of Mindfulness: Dr. Dan Siegel, MD

19 Techniques for children: brain education MindUP Curriculum Getting to Know and Love Your Brain Poster: MindUP /pdfs/mindup_3-5_sample_poster.pdf Well-Bean BLOG: Meet Wise Owl and Watch Dog The Mind Jar Well-Bean BLOG: The Mind Jar Meditation

20 Awareness of Thoughts

21 Awareness of Thoughts Our minds are constantly thinking about the past, projecting into the future, worrying about things that may never happen, blaming ourselves for things that couldn t be helped and otherwise remaining stuck in a mental state that is unrelated to the truth of the present moment Little Flower Yoga for Kids We are so immersed in our thoughts and non-stop chatter that we are hardly aware that they are there. Monkey Mind! We tend to take our own thoughts as gospel truth, as fact. With our minds we make a big deal out of ourselves, out of our pain and out of our problems. We create images of who we are.

22 Unskillful Thinking Patterns Non-Stop Chatter What is the quality of your thoughts? Self-Talk Catastrophizing Mind Reading The should Overgeneralizing or worrying Rehearsing and Rehashing

23 There are certain thoughts and feelings and situations that the mind seems to want to hold on to. If pleasant we try to prolong thoughts, feelings and experiences. Stretch them out, wish for more, conjure them up again and again. CLINGING

24 We often let our thinking and beliefs about what we know prevent us from seeing things as they really are. We strive for an outcome or attach to how things should be. We resist thoughts, feelings and experiences that we view as unpleasant and try to get rid of or prevent them RESIST

25 In the beginner s mind there are many possibilities, in the expert s mind there are few. What if we learned to observe as an impartial witness? What if we learned to let go of judging thoughts. How refreshing to see things through the lens of a beginner s mind

26 Mindful Awareness & Thoughts Being aware of the mind that thinks it knows all the time is a major step toward learning to see through your opinions and perceive things as they actually are. -Jon Kabat-Zinn Full Catastrophe Living Mindfulness allows us to see our own experiences and thinking patterns more clearly We become more aware of what may be causing us stress and suffering. When we become aware of our stress reactions and thinking, we can choose to respond more skillfully.

27 ARE YOU SURE?

28 Mindfulness Practice Seated mindfulness breathing exercise; using breath as an anchor.

29 Techniques for children: Curiosity & Beginner s Mind Uses senses Mindful eating Mindful smelling Listening activities BLOG: Mindful Lessons With an Avocado /mindful-lessons-with-an-avocado

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31 Body Awareness We spend a lot of time living outside of our bodies preoccupied with thought. We often ignore, discount or are just unconscious to what our bodies communicate to us, though the body has its own wisdom. We often suppress or repress feelings. We are out of touch with what feelings really feel like in the body.

32 The left brain is western civilization s favorite tool when analyzing an issue. While helpful on one level, it neglects the often untapped wisdom found in the right brain, the center of intuition, instinct and emotion. Logical Integration Emotional

33 Emotions Emotions are transient. Last in consciousness in not reinforced with thought for about 90 seconds. Awareness and acknowledgement often helps dissipate emotions. Gives us insight into triggers and patterns.

34 Felt Sense

35 IMPERMANENCE When dealing with difficult emotions or situations it s important to remember the principle of Impermanence that is everything changes and is in constant motion. This is the nature of our existence. However, we are constantly scrambling for certainty, predictability and for things to go as we think they should go or as planned. URGE SURFING Arises then passes

36 R.A.I.N Recognize: an emotion or experience that needs our attention. Allow: or acknowledge. (Doesn t mean you have to like it). Labeling it can be helpful. Investigate: the body, emotions, thoughts. Be curious. What is my energy like? Attention to the physical side of an emotion helps avoid getting caught up in a story with the mind. Non-Identify: you are larger than whatever emotion is blowing through you. Grant you freedom to look at the situation differently and choose a response.

37 Mindfulness of the Body Tuning in to the body takes us away from our thinking mind. Being more mindful and in tune with our bodies allows us to be with an experience. It allows us to see how we are responding to experiences, we then have more clarity to respond more skillfully. Body Scan, Walking Meditation, Yoga Practices

38 Mindfulness of the Breath Scientific research has proven that slowing and deepening the breath can activate the parasympathetic nervous system triggering a relaxation response. When our bodies are calm we can access our PFC and deal with life more skillfully. You can use the breath a an anchor for meditation, strengthening your capacity for sustained presence by returning your attention to it again and again. The breath is always present and can be accessed at anytime.

39 Techniques for teaching children: body awareness Tree Freeze Adults can have fun too! Yoga Guided meditations Walking Meditation

40 Techniques for teaching children: breath awareness Use props (consider age) Guided meditations Well-Bean BLOG: Teaching Children to calm their bodies with their breath just-breathe-teaching-preschoolersto-calm-their-bodies-with-their-breath Well-Bean BLOG: The Breathing Ball e-breathing-ball

41 Techniques for children: feelings & emotions Mindful Listening (various genres of music) Impermanence with Buddha Board (construction paper, water, paint brushes) Weather Report Activity Sitting Still Like a Frog: Mindfulness Exercises for Kids (and Their Parents) by Eline Snel Connect and Redirect The Whole Brain Child by Daniel Siegel & Tina Payne Bryson

42 Mindfulness is being aware of what is happening RIGHT NOW without wishing it was different. ENJOYING the pleasant without holding on when it changes. BEING with the unpleasant without fearing it will always be this way

43 Self-Compassion vs. Self-Esteem 3 Components of Self-Compassion (Dr. Kristin Neff) Self-kindness treat self the way you would a friend. Takes the perspective of an other towards ourselves. No longer totally identify with role of sufferer. Part of the human experience. Interconnectedness to suffer with. Not self-pity. Part of the human experience. Mindful of the suffering. Willing to be moved by it, to go there. Aware of the present moment. Don t avoid or over identify with it.

44 Self-Compassion The work of mindfulness is first to recognize the suffering and second to embrace it. A mother taking care of a crying baby naturally will take the child into her arms without suppressing, judging it, or ignoring the crying. Mindfulness is like that mother, recognizing and embracing suffering without judgment. So the practice is not to fight or suppress the feeling, but rather to cradle it with a lot of tenderness. Thich Nhat Hahn No Mud, No Lotus (pp ).

45 Techniques for children: compassion Interconnectedness. Perspectivetaking activities METTA Loving Kindness meditation Don t fix feelings, instead acknowledge & name to tame The Whole-Brain Child Games to connect Mirror Game: Pg

46 Mindful listening Most people do not listen with the intent to understand, they listen with the intent to reply.

47 The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. When mindfulness embraces those we care about, they will bloom like flowers. -Thich Nhat Hanh

48 Techniques for children: mindful listening Meditation Bell or other Mindful listening to various sounds Listening in a group

49 Yoga The Yoga Sutras Patanjali Eight-Limbed Path Yamas-moral, ethical and societal guidelines relating to the external world. Niyamas-ways to foster inner peace and harmony. Self-study. Asana-comfortable seated position. Postures. Pranayama-breathing practices. Pratyahara-inward focus by withdrawing the five senses. Dharana-concentration. Dhyana meditation. Samadhi-union with a universal energy. Inner peace.

50 Yoga Mindfulness is a fundamental part of the yoga path. If yoga isn t mindful, it isn t really yoga at all. Yoga is an instrument for becoming more familiar in the body and with the workings of the mind and emotions. Yoga is the discipline of creating connection revealing the deep connection that is already there. Yoga is not about getting something out of the practice you re opening to where you actually are, in this moment. The time is now.

51 Yoga "The yoga practice is rooted in a philosophical tradition that sees human suffering as the result of our own minds constantly thinking about the past, projecting in the the future, worrying about things that may never happen, blaming ourselves for things that couldn't be helped, and otherwise remaining stuck in a mental state that is unrelated to the truth of the present moment. Yoga is designed to be a path toward a place of integration where your mind, your heart, and your body are healthy, connected to each other, and tuned in to the world around you. It's designed to be a path toward the very best version of yourself. Little Flower Yoga for Kids by Jennifer Cohen Harper

52 Yoga Practice

53 Techniques for children: yoga Consider the setting Yoga Cards Use Books Use as a tool to connect with the body Make it fun!

54 Being Mindful at Work How do you start your day? Half-smile before getting out of bed Thich Nhat Hanh Check in. Set an intention. Be aware of your inner state throughout the day. check-in moments where is my attention? do I feel tension in my body? how is my breathing? Use breath to calm body and mind.

55 Being Mindful at Work Be mindful of your interactions with others. The Mirror Neuron system doesn t just create the human capacity to imitate behavior, it allows for simulation of another s internal state. (Interpersonal Neurobiology) Calm Connect Teach When children are in a state of calm and feel connected they are most available to learn a new skill and create new neuropathways. Look at your students Safe touch Be emotionally present. Attunement. Empathy. Compassion.

56 Being Mindful at Work Incorporate attitudes of Mindfulness Beginner s Mind Curiosity Letting- Go Impermanence Incorporate informal daily mindfulness practices throughout your day. Incorporate formal daily mindfulness practices into your day (even 3-10 minutes)

57 4 Ways I can relate differently to stress by incorporate Mindfulness & Yoga Practices into my life.