Module 4 Healthy Mind, Healthy Mother

Mindfulness

Being mindful takes patience and some practice. It’s a lifelong capacity that we’re all in the process of developing.

Tips for practising mindfulness:

  • Five minutes of mindfulness is a good starting dose, twice a day before meals and seated.
  • Remove any restrictive clothing and glasses
  • You may wish to have a clock within view to help reduce anxiety about time
  • Sit balanced in the chair
  • Let your eyes gently close
  • Focus on the real world around you without joining it for a few minutes. Just being, rather than doing…
  • You might concentrate on your breath or by listening to the sounds in your environment or be conscious of the whole body, then start to scan each individual component (body scan).
  • The duration of practice can be built up to 10, then 15, 20 or even 30 minutes depending on your time availability, motivation, needs and commitment.

In addition, you may wish to practice short pauses of mindfulness through the day—after you’ve just finished doing one thing and preparing to start something else give yourself a little bit of space, it might be 15 or 30 or 60 seconds, and practice being mindful.

Entry last updated 10 February, 2020