Renée Burgard LCSW / Mindfulness & Health

Mindfulness is "paying attention, on purpose, from moment to moment, with non-judging awareness." Jon Kabat-Zinn

When we learn to notice what we are paying attention to in any given moment - feeling our breathing & body sensations (then noticing thoughts and emotions) - we can begin to develop a new awareness of what the body feels.

Awareness of the sensations of breathing and the body anchors our attention and allows us to rest, with a deepening ability to accept the realities of our lives as they are. We can then observe our thoughts and emotions more effectively, with clarity and full intelligence.

Healing can begin when we learn how to go about accepting ourselves as we are, developing compassion for the parts we have rejected, befriending ourselves, with the help of mindfulness.

This acceptance allows us to do the work of changing with a sense of kindness, without forcing or needing to be violent with ourselves.

This is also a basis for peace....peace in ourselves, and peace in the world.

• Mindfulness-based Psychotherapy for people with stress-related physical and psychological conditions;
• Stress Reduction training for individuals and small groups;
• Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR)Classes and Workshops for schools, corporations, and nonprofit organizations;
• Mentoring and Supervision for new and experienced therapists and MBSR instructors.

Specializing in challenging stress-related conditions, including pain, seizure disorders, chronic GI, skin, respiratory, and heart conditions; anxiety, panic, PTSD, grief, and depression.

A Practice for Today

Closing your eyes, checking your posture, and bringing attention to the feeling of breathing as you breathe in and breathe out (where do you feel it?)....

Saying silently to yourself:

"Breathing in, I calm my body / breathing out I smile ...

Breathing in, I'm breathing a (long or short) in-breath / breathing out, I'm breathing a (long or short) out-breath ...

Breathing in, I'm noticing some body sensations / breathing out I invite my body and mind to come to rest...."

(with gratitude to Thich Nhat Hanh for this practice)