Prepared by: Joelle Navarro
Student Success
Tools and Learning
Strategies
CIFS 100 Fresh Start Strategies
Week 3
Practicing Mindfulness
Mindfulness for BISOC (Black, Indigienous,
Students of Colour)
Informal Mindfulness
Formal Mindfulness
Brain Dump (Lists)
Centering
Incorporating Mindfulness in Everyday Tasks
Mindful Wake up
Mindfulness Meditation
Week 3
Practicing Mindfulness
Formal Mindfulness Continued...
Mindfulness Visualizations
Setting Mindful Intentions
Breathing Regularity: Square Breathing
Technique
TorontoMU Mental Health Resources
Practicing Mindfulness Resources
Mindfulness for Sleep
Thriving in Action Mindfulness Resources
What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is the energy of being aware and awake to the present moment. It is the continuous
practice of touching life deeply in every moment of daily life. To be mindful is to be truly alive, present
and at one with those around you and with what you are doing (Plum Village)
Mindfulness is paying attention in a particular way:
on purpose, in the present moment, and Non-
judgmentally (Jon Kabat-Zinn)
Mindfulness is becoming an observer of your
thoughts without judgment.
Acknowledging your thoughts, accepting them,
and letting them pass.
Not fighting your thoughts.
Mindfulness for BIPOC/BISOC
“Coach Katara McCarty writes that, for Black, Indigenous, Women of Color, the mindful act of
pausing and noticing trauma—as well as resilience—is key to the journey of healing and thriving.”
(Link to Article)
Resilience: Mindfulness practice is an opportunity to rest. Resting with mindfulness allows us to give ourselves the opportunity to grow and
be more resilient.
Relationships: Mindfulness allows us to get reacquainted with the truest, most authentic version of ourselves and know who we are today.
We are empowered to know what is and is not good for us and we can recognize if and when a relationship is no longer healthy or if we
need to set additional boundaries.
Self-Regard: Mindfulness is the chance to give ourselves respect, love, and compassion. Forgiving all those things we don’t like to see
about ourselves allows us to regard ourselves in a higher light, and to radiate that light and confidence.
Rationale: Practicing mindfulness allows our roots to grow as we become surer of ourselves and of our needs. Getting in touch with those
deep roots of who we are, what we want, and what we hope our future will look like makes us an unshakeable force.
Robust: Mindfulness is physical and embodied. Just as racial trauma negatively impacts mental and emotional health for BIWOC, our
physical health suffers as a byproduct. Capitalistic culture, too, encourages us to work hard and keep pushing. When we never stop to rest,
we become sick. Grinding away, especially when it’s almost always in service of someone else’s goals, is stressful and hard on our emotions
and body. When we practice mindfulness, we grow to see how our emotional and physical well-being are tied together.
Informal Mindfulness: Awareness of Everyday
Noticing our experience from moment to moment and bringing our attention to one thing as
many times as we can throughout the day. Being aware of your daily experiences through your
5-senses.
Examples of Informal Mindfulness:
Breathing
Driving
Listening
Movement
Noticing nature
Parenting
Self-Compassion
Showering
Washing dishes
Formal Mindfulness
Mindfulness Meditation: Involves carving out one or more minutes to pay attention to the present
moment on purpose to strengthen awareness and our ability to recognize we have choices
available in each moment.
Sitting Meditation: Sitting (or standing) upright with your
heart open in a strong but relaxed way for several minutes,
just “being” and experiencing stillness
Awareness of Breath: Gently guiding your focus solely to
your breath as you naturally breathe in and out—allowing
your breath and your awareness to be expansive
Walking Meditation: Experiencing your feet, making
contact with the earth with each step that you take and
noticing the sensations in your body
Eating meditation: Focusing mindfully on a piece of food
you are eating, and fully experiencing the smell, texture,
taste and other sensations of the food as you eat it very
slowly.
Formal Mindfulness (Pt.2)
Mindfulness Meditation: Involves carving out one or more minutes to pay attention to the present
moment on purpose to strengthen awareness and our ability to recognize we have choices
available in each moment.
Pleasant/Unpleasant: Noticing with interest, openness and
curiosity the physical and emotional sensations around you.
Sensory-guided meditation: Paying attention very
intentionally to what you’re hearing, touching, smelling,
tasting and/or seeing in an open, non-judgmental and
expansive way.
Body Scans: Slowly and intentionally scanning your body
with your mind focusing from the top of your head to the tips
of your toes and radiating out from your heart space.
Yoga: The integration of mind, body and spirit through
breath, poses, flow, movement and mindfulness
Formal Mindfulness: Brain Dump!
The Brain Dump Technique allows you to declutter your mind of all the different elements in your
brain! This helps your mind to seek clarity on the task at hand, rather than dividing its attention on
multiple different things.
Step 1: Find yourself in a comfortable position with a pen
and paper or any device that works best for this activity
(phone, tablet, paper etc.)
Step 2: Create categories such as; procrastinations, fear,
anger, discouragements etc. OR feel free to free write
sentences even if it does not make sense
The purpose: allow your mind to declutter from all the
different thoughts. This allows you to focus better on the
task at hand rather than dividing your attention
Formal Mindfulness: Centering!
The Centering Technique allows you to focus on the 5 different senses - it brings your immediate
attention to your surroundings and it allows your brain to center your body in the particular place you
are located. This centers your mind and body in the same area.
Step 1: Stand with your feet about shoulder-width and
relax your knees, don’t lock them
Step 2: Bring your attention to a point in your
abdomen about two inches below your navel and
about an inch into your body
Step 3: Spend a few minutes focusing on this point
and feeling gravity connecting your body to the Earth
Mindfulness: One Mindfulness Priority a Day!
Choose one daily activity during work, or at
school, you commit to doing with mindful
awareness.
For example, when eating lunch or drinking
coffee, focus on the experience of eating or
drinking, actually tasting each bite or sip, and
not studying, working, or using any electronic
device while doing so.
Mindfulness Wake Up!
Start with a Purpose! This practise is best done first thing in the morning, before checking
phones or email.
Step 1: On waking, sit in your bed or a chair in a relaxed posture:
Close your eyes and connect with the sensations of your seated
body. Make sure your spine is straight, but not rigid
Step 2: Take three long, deep, nourishing breaths: Breathing in
through your nose and out through your mouth
Step 3: Ask yourself: “What is my intention for today?”
Step 4: Set your intention for the day. Throughout the day, check-
in with yourself: Pause, take a breath, and revisit your intention
Mindfulness Meditation Technique
Step 1: Find a comfortable place to sit, and a posture that is both alert and relaxed at the same time.
See if you can make the spine erect, without being too rigid.
Step 2: Close your eyes (or leave them slightly open if you prefer), and take a few slow breaths. Take
a few moments to loosen your body from your head to your toes, and take a few more deep breaths.
Step 3: Stop to notice the sensations throughout your body — the warmth, the coolness or any
discomfort. Be aware of them, but try not to fidget too much.
Step 4: Pick one sensation — such as the feeling of your breath going in and out — and devote your
attention to it. Just focus on that.
Step 5: When your mind wanders, bring your attention back to the breath. After a few moments, your
mind may wander again. Once again, notice that and simply return your attention back to the present
moment.
Step 6: When you’re ready — after one minute, 10 minutes or 30 minutes — open your eyes. Though
your formal meditation practice may have ended, your mindful awareness can continue throughout the
day.
Mindfulness: Quick Visualizations and
Set Intentions
Setting intentions by visualizing peace, calmness, and appreciation.
Step 1: Close your eyes and visualize a calm and peaceful moment
Example: perhaps a peaceful place is by the water, toes in the sand,
eyes closed, listening to the waves crashing and wind whistling, what do
your 5 senses feel
Step 2: Slowly inhale deeply, exhale fully, and open your eyes
Step 3: Set intentions in a word or a sentence
Step 4: Your intention might be to acknowledge thoughts and feelings
throughout the day, as a way of being self-compassionate and ensuring
difficult emotions do not negatively affect your interactions
Mindfulness: Focus on Breath Work
When you take time to slow down and purposefully breathe deeply and slowly, you tell your brain that
everything is OK. Your brain communicates to your body that it's safe to relax. The fight or flight
response decreases, and your body can begin to function normally again.
Success Strategies and Learning Tools
(Activities)
Guided Meditation:
The Honest Guys - Meditations - Relaxation. (2014). 5 minute calming meditation (with
guiding voice)
Goodful. (2019). 5-minute meditation you can do anywhere.
Binaural Beats (Listen with Headphones or Earbuds):
Magnetic Minds. (2018). 10.5Hz
Meditative Mind. (2018). 432Hz
PowerThoughts Meditation Club. (2019). 528Hz
ZenLifeRelax. (2018). Healing Meditation Music @ 432Hz
Relaxing Music:
Relax Music. (2015). 3 hours "zen garden"
Success Strategies and Learning Tools
(Activities)
Practicing Mindfulness
Mindful Staff. (2018). How to practice mindfulness.
Gelles, D. (2016). How to meditate. The New York Times.
Tzeses, J. (2020). Why self-compassion is more important than self-esteem.
Mindfulness for Sleep
Mindful. (2021) The Ultimate Guide to Mindfulness for Sleep
Jason Stephenson. (2019). Guided sleep meditation
Thriving in Action Resources
Cultivate Your Happiness: A ThriveRU Weekly Workbook.
Cultivate Your Happiness: The Four Seasons ThriveRU Weekly Workbook.
10 Tips for Resilience
