STAND-ALONE version [3/21/18]
Week 1 - Simple Awareness
Introduction to the Body Scan

Now that you've experienced the Introduction and completed the Getting Started Worksheet (see Getting Started), you are ready to begin. Welcome!

NOTE: The links to all the materials described below are given in the colored section at the bottom of the page. Although there are five videos to watch this week, once you start one, the others will automatically follow. Some of the videos have ads at the beginning. Revenue from these ads go to the original creators of the videos, not to Palouse Mindfulness.

Videos
The videos for this week begin with The Power of Mindfulness, in which Shauna Shapiro emphasizes the importance, not of just paying attention to our inner experience, but paying attention with kindness. In Don't Try to be Mindful, Daron Larson addresses a common misunderstanding about mindfulness practice, that if our meditation is not peaceful and free of thoughts, then we must be doing something wrong. In Befriending Our Bodies, Jon Kabat-Zinn talks about the importance of our relationship with our body in this course. The last video guides you through a Raisin Meditation using two ordinary raisins. To get the most benefit out of this video, have two raisins and a glass of water with you so you can experience on your own what is described in the video.

Readings
Each week, there are readings which are an important part of the program. This week, the main reading is about the Body Scan Meditation you will be doing for your 30 minutes of daily practice this week. 7 Myths of Meditation, and Why We Find It So Hard to Meditate address common misunderstandings, including the idea that one must have a quiet mind to meditate successfully. Mouthfuls of Mindfulness describes a way of eating that is "not directed by charts, tables, pyramids, or scales".

Daily Practices
This week begins your 30-minute daily Formal Practice, which is the Body Scan Meditation. The audio guidance is available through the menu just to the left of this text under "Guided Practices". Below, you can see the link to the Formal Practice sheet, where you will be making brief notes about your practice. [NOTE: If you will be completing this by hand, print the PDF file, but if you'd like to complete it on your computer, download the WORD file.]

For the Informal Practice this week, it is suggested that you bring mindful awareness to some otherwise routine activity such as washing the dishes and/or eating a meal. At the end of each day, using the Informal Practice sheet you will be printing or downloading for this week (see below), take just five minutes or so to see if you can recall a daily activity which you brought awareness to that day.

Supplementary reading
In addition, each week will indicate some supplementary reading or viewing materials. Listed there are suggestions for background reading or viewing if you'd like to know more about a given week's topic. If weight-loss and healthy eating are of interest, see Introduction to Mindful Eating by Michelle DuVal, and The Mindfulness-Based Eating Solution by Lynn Rossy. Managing Anxiety with Mindfulness by Rachel Green specifically addresses test anxiety.

OK, let's get started! Below are your materials for this week:

Videos   [with most browsers, once you start the first video, the others will follow automatically]
       The Power of Mindfulness - Shauna Shapiro [13 min]
       Don't Try to be Mindful - Daron Larson [12 min]
       Befriending Our Bodies - Jon Kabat-Zinn [4 min]
       Raisin Meditation - Dave Potter [12 min]

Reading    [print these for your manual or read them online]
        The Body Scan Meditation - Jon Kabat-Zinn
       7 Myths of Meditation - Deepak Choprah
       Why We Find It So Hard to Meditate - Mindful Staff
       Mouthfuls of Mindfulness - Jan Chozen Bays

Practice Sheets   [print PDF file or download WORD file to record your daily practices ]
      Formal Practice [PDF] [or WORD format] - Body Scan
       Informal Practice [PDF] [or WORD format] - Simple Awareness and/or Mindful Eating

Supplementary materials related to this week's topic   [optional materials]
       Introduction to Mindful Eating video by Michelle DuVal [10 min]
       The Mindfulness-Based Eating Solution book by Lynn Rossy
       What Would It Take for You to Be Still? - article by Catherine Price
       An Apple as Past, Present and Future video by Susan Kaiser Greenland [2 min]
       Managing Anxiety with Mindfulness video by Rachel Green [15 min]

NOTE: If you are compiling a manual based on the suggestions in MBSR Manual, you would print a copy of this page as well as the Readings and Practice Sheets given above. For a version of this page which has been reformatted for your manual go to the printer-ready version of this page.