Mindful Student Workshop – Tips and Resources Suggestions for mindful studying and living Practice – remember that this is a practice, and you just have to show up by setting an intention every day to bring more mindful awareness to your actions, thoughts and feelings. It’s not about perfection; it’s about practicing every day. Mindful Awareness of a Daily Action – Pick a task you do every day and commit to completing that task mindfully. It’s not about staying focused the entire time. It’s about bringing your attention back to the task in the present moment again and again. You can pick the same task every day or a different task each day. For example mindfully drive, do the dishes, brush your teeth, take a shower, walk your dog, walk to and from a parking lot, eat, drink a cup of tea, wash your hands. Mindful Study – Practice bringing mindful awareness to your studies and schoolwork. •
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Set a time for 15 minutes and set your intention to mindfully do homework. Just do your homework task, nothing else. When the timer goes off, rest for a moment and then set the timer again. Non-‐judgmental Awareness – when you discover your mind has wandered (or you checking your text messages!) simple bring awareness to that and then return your attention to the study task before you.
Breathing Meditation-‐ Practice a breathing meditation daily. You can begin with sitting and meditating for just 5 minutes a day. As you practice you can extend this to 10 or 20 minutes. Also, experiment with brief meditations throughout your day: • • • • •
Before or after class Book-‐end your study sessions with a meditation In your car before you head into class Before an exam or presentation During class breaks
Resources Web – http://marc.ucla.edu/body.cfm?id=22 UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center site-‐ Free guided meditations that you can play or download to your device. Additional resources on this site, along with a mindfulness bell you can download to your computer. http://www.mindful.org/ http://www.helpguide.org/harvard/benefits-‐of-‐mindfulness.htm
Recommended Books and Authors Any books written by the authors listed here are wonderful and worth reading. The ones listed here are particularly useful for those just beginning to explore mindfulness practice. Bhante Gunaratana, Mindfulness in Plain English, Wisdom Publications, 2011 Thich Nhat Hanh, Peace is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everday Life, Bantam Books, 1992 Thich Nhat Hanh, You are Here: Discovering the Magic of the Present Moment, Shambhala Publications, 2009 (English Translation) Jon Kabot-‐Zinn, Mindfulness for Beginners: Reclaiming the Present Moment – and Your Life, Sounds True, 2012 Jack Kornfield, Bringing Home the Dharma: Awakening Right Where You Are, Shambhala Publications, 2011 Sharon Salzberg, Real Happiness: the Power of Meditation – a 28-‐day Program, Workman Publishing Co., 2011 Daniel Siegel, MD, The Mindful Brain, WW Norton Co., 2007
sally sharbaugh/Mindful Student Tips Resources/ Feb 2015