breathing

May’s Mindfulness Exercise

~ JB ~ Leave a comment

Mindfulness involves observing and accepting the things around and within us in the present moment, without judgment.  In therapy, Johanna may involve mindfulness skills to build awareness of various issues and to develop coping strategies to reach optimal wellness.   The exercise below is not individualized to your needs as it may be in therapy, but is rather intended as a general exercise that you may find useful.

May’s Mindfulness Exercise:

This month, we are going to engage in expanded breathing. Begin by sitting or standing comfortably, and bring your awareness to your breath. Inhale and notice the feeling of your lungs expanding; exhale and notice the feeling of release. Pay attention to the feeling of air passing through either your nose or your mouth.

After taking several breaths without moving, begin to expand your awareness of breathing by engaging in physical movement. You can start by stretching your fingers out as you inhale, and relaxing them as you exhale. Take several breaths to do repeat this, at your regular breathing rate. Next expand your inhale by lifting your arms, and on an exhale release them. Take several breaths to engage in this practice also. You can continue to engage in this expansion or stretch and release with different parts of the body. After doing so, come back to a still position and return your awareness just to your breath as you inhale and exhale.

What do you notice about your physical self as you engage in this practice? What do you notice about your breathing?

NOTE: This is not intended to replace therapy.  Please contact Johanna at (585)406-3012 if you are interested in engaging in counseling for optimal wellness.

March’s Mindfulness Exercise

~ JB ~ Leave a comment

Mindfulness involves observing and accepting the things around and within us in the present moment, without judgment.  In therapy, Johanna may involve mindfulness skills to build awareness of various issues and to develop coping strategies to reach optimal wellness.   The exercise below is not individualized to your needs as it may be in therapy, but is rather intended as a general exercise that you may find useful.

March’s Mindfulness Exercise:

This month, we are going to use our mindfulness exercise to explore the idea of acceptance. I nearly wrote the word “discomfort” there. We think of acceptance of warm and fuzzy, but a lot of times acceptance is really, really uncomfortable. Today we will do a short breathing exercise while practicing a non-judgmental, accepting attitude.

Take a breath in, and exhale at your regular breathing pace. Without changing it or judging it, notice the pace of your breathing. Pay attention to the feeling of air passing through either your nose or your mouth. Is it warm or cool? Are you breathing into your chest or deeper into your belly? Keep in mind the statement that “as long as you are breathing, there’s more that’s right with you than wrong with you.” Notice what thoughts come up for you. Are you judging your breath? If so, just notice that too. Notice what emotions you are holding. Notice how you feel physically, and where you might be holding tension.

What is it like to accept your breath? Without trying to change or judge it?

What would it be like to accept other things in your life in this way?

It may not be warm and fuzzy.

It might be healthy.

Take one more minute to notice how you feel after completing this exercise, and what (if anything) you might like to do differently as you go about the rest of your day.

 

NOTE: This is not intended to replace therapy.  Please contact Johanna at (585)406-3012 if you are interested in engaging in counseling for optimal wellness.

December’s Mindfulness Exercise

~ JB ~ Leave a comment

Mindfulness involves observing and accepting the things around and within us in the present moment, without judgment.  In therapy, Johanna may involve mindfulness skills to build awareness of various issues and to develop coping strategies to reach optimal wellness.   The exercise below is not individualized to your needs as it may be in therapy, but is rather intended as a general exercise that you may find useful.

December’s Mindfulness Exercise:

The holidays are here. This can mean more family gatherings, parties, and other get-togethers outside the norm of our usual day-to-day. It also can mean more stress.

With stress and social interactions in mind, this month’s mindfulness exercise is focused on interpersonal interactions.

Over the course of the next week, pick several different social situations (such as at a party, at home, or at work) to try the following exercise:

In conversation, notice how your emotions fluctuate. Throughout the course of a conversation, check in with yourself. Beginning with the very first “hello,” notice what you are feeling emotionally and your overall level of distress. Before you respond to the other person (or people) in the conversation, wait for one breath – or even a half a breath – to notice what you are experiencing emotionally. When the conversation is ending, take a few deep breaths to notice what you are feeling and your overall level of distress.

How do your emotions fluctuate in conversation? Does this change based on the context, the time of day, or the person with whom you are talking?

Notice what you experience and your overall observances. If you are an active client, please feel free to share your experience of this exercise in your next session.

NOTE: This is not intended to replace therapy.  Please contact Johanna at (585)406-3012 if you are interested in engaging in counseling for optimal wellness.

New tools for therapy!

~ JB ~ Leave a comment

Johanna attended the New York Mental Health Counselors Association conference this past weekend in Albany, and is excited to share new techniques and approaches with you in your counseling sessions! Feel free to ask her about treating issues using aspects of narrative therapy and metaphor, breathing techniques taken from yoga practice, resources for transgender individuals, spirituality and mental health, use of therapeutic letter-writing, and the use of biofeedback tools she will be adding to her practice.