Resource Page for Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction
Thursdays from 6:30-9pm ET/ 3:30-6pm PT September 29-November 17
Saturday November 5 from 10am-5pm ET/7am-2pm PT

Zoom link: https://actorsfund-org.zoom.us/j/84529718617
Meeting ID: 845 2971 8617

(This will be the link to use each Thursday evening)

Class 1 Resources

Home Practice

  • Practice the Body Scan meditation every day. Don’t expect to feel any certain thing in particular from listening to the audio. Releasing all expectations and letting your experience be your experience is advised.

  • Eat a whole meal or part of one as a mindfulness exercise daily. Or you may choose to eat the first 5 minutes of every meal as a mindfulness exercise

  • Read the additional materials.

  • Explore the Nine Dots Exercise for the next class.

Class 2 Resources

Home Practice

  • Body Scan recording 6 times this week.

  • Focused Attention meditation: 10-15 minutes per day (not necessarily before or after the Body Scan) with a primary “anchor” that is familiar, easy, accessible, simple, and with a neutral tone. There is no recording for this practice. The invitation is to experiment with returning to your chosen object (aka as the anchor) when you notice the mind has wandered. Guiding oneself through this practice.

  • Fill out the Pleasant Events Calendar for the week – one entry per day. Note: If no pleasant event is perceived on a given day, there is no need to fill out the calendar for that day

  • Choose one daily activity to bring full awareness to for the week: Brushing teeth, taking out the garbage, taking a shower, feeding a pet, etc.

(Optional) Continue practicing mindful eating, perhaps a full meal if there is time, maybe just a snack, maybe just that first bite

Class 3 Resources

Home Practice

  • Alternate your practice between the Body Scan and Yoga.  One day the body scan and the next day the yoga or vice versa.

  • Sitting meditation: Focused Attention. Up to 20 minutes per day, no recording. The invitation is to practice the ability to know when attention has wandered, to recognize where attention has gone and to then return to the chosen object of focus as an anchor for your practice. Guiding oneself for your chosen period of time

  • Complete the Unpleasant Events Calendar.

  • Become aware of the moment at random times during the day. Notice if you are on automatic-pilot or are you disturbed by something. Do you notice that there are things you would rather avoid?

  • Read additional materials.

Sharing the Window of Tolerance Diagram here if helpful: LINK

Class 4 Resources

Home Practice

  • Practice a body scan and mindful yoga on alternate days

  • Meditation up to 20 minutes per day beginning with the chosen anchor and moving to awareness of the whole body, with the possibility of investigating sensations, thoughts or emotions that might be challenging

  • Be aware of automatic habitual stress reactions (physical, behavioral, mental and emotional) during the day without trying to change them.

  • Be aware of feeling stuck, blocking, numbing, and shutting off to the moment when it happens this week. 

  • Read additional materials about stress in this handout

Class 5 Resources

Home Practice

  • Alternate Sitting Meditation with Standing Yoga and either Body Scan or Lying Down Yoga (for example: One day practice sitting meditation, the next, practice standing yoga, the third day practice sitting meditation, the fourth day, practice the body scan, etc.). 

  • Fill out Difficult Communications Calendar

  • Accessing awareness in moments of reacting and exploring options for responding with greater mindfulness, spaciousness, and creativity in formal meditation practice and in everyday life. Experimenting with using one’s anchor to ground or center oneself  - if only for a moment - or perhaps an awareness that there may be nothing to do  - if there is a habit to “fill the space”.

  • S.T.O.P. Handout

  • Check calendars and make space for All-Day, which we will discuss at length in our next class - Nov 5 from 10am-5pm Eastern

Class 6 Resources

Home Practice

  • Continue alternating the sitting practice class recording with a body practice recording

  • Prepare for the all-day class

  • Bring awareness to moments of communication and interpersonal relating. What are you learning from personal practice that can be included in the interpersonal sphere?

  • Pay attention to what you take in: physically in the form of food and drink, but also what you take in through the senses: media, tv, internet, etc. In all these arenas notice the effects of what you take in—and consider the result. Is it what you want? Apply what you’re learning through practice to one of these “inputs” and notice what happens.

“All-Day” Resources

Zoom link for our All Day:

https://actorsfund-org.zoom.us/j/87868609852
there will be a waiting room to protect privacy

Class 7 Resources

Home Practice

  • With or without recordings this week, practice formal sitting, yoga, walking and/or the body scan on your own, every day for 30-45 minutes.  10-15 minutes of each or 30-45 minutes of one to your own satisfaction. You can also feel free to alternate the recordings and self guidance every other day.

  • Practice informally when you are not doing the above formal practice by being as aware and awake as possible throughout the day.

Class 8 Resources

To Come