WEEK 8: HANDOUT 3                                                          

Tips for keeping formal practice going:

• Aim to engage in a period of formal practice every day – even if you are having a “bad” day or very busy day.
  
  
• If sitting practice is your primary mindfulness practice, aim to sit for at least 20 minutes, and preferably for 30 or 40 minutes every day.
  
  
• If the body scan is your preferred primary practice, aim to do it every day for at least 20 minutes and preferably 30 – 40 minutes. Try also some sitting practice for at least 5-10 minutes each day.
  
  
• If the day is running away from you, try to sit for three minutes, or even for one minute. Allow that minute to be a concentrated period of non-doing, using the breath for calmness and stability.
  
  
• If possible, try to sit in the morning, even setting the alarm clock a little earlier before everyone else in the house has got up. Alternatively, try sitting when you come in from work, before lunch at home or in the office, last thing at night before you go to bed, or at any time at all.
  
  
• Practice some form of mindful movement a few times each week, taking care that you are practicing with awareness and resting between postures. If this is your primary practice of mindfulness, aim to practice for at least 30 minutes at a time.
  
  
  Adapted from “Full Catastrophe Living”, Jon Kabat-Zinn