Mostly Mindful for Teens and Tweens

Breaking up with a Friend hurts! Finding a group of people who you enjoy can be tricky.

Below is a link to Anxiety Canada's website on social anxiety.So many great tips!
https://www.anxietycanada.com/disorders/social-anxiety/#:~:text=Children%20and%20teens%20with%20social,will%20think%20badly%20of%20them.

Check out my website for my Teen online classes 
www.zenlibrarian.ca

If you like the music - Please Visit Moby's Website to download 4 hours of ambient music.
https://moby.com/la/

Begin again is a technique to help re-focus a wandering mind.  

Brain Push ups is performed when we notice we are stuck in the future or the past... the say " begin again" - breath in and start again in the present moment. Bring compassion to your wild mind. 
We call it a practice for a reason... you get better over time.  It take work.- Mindfulness is an investment in yourself. 
You are worth the investment! 

Lets go to sleep and get some zzzzs. 
I feel "wired and tired" often. I'm exhausted but my brain won't shut off! 
Enjoy! 

Do you struggle  to fall asleep and stay asleep? - Yeah, me too! Here are 5 things that can help:
1- Heart breath ( Not a belly breath- feel the difference)
2- Soft Sooth and Allow - Self Compassion
3- Darth Vader Breath - Ujjaiyi Breath
4- So Hum - ( So = I am ; Hum = That)
5- Common Humanity - Can't stress about sleep

Vagus Nerve Podcast on BBC Frontiers ( 2014)
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04pv6kq

I when big on this mediation... enjoy the music! Best of luck with your practice! 

We have spent 5 episodes practicing mindfulness. Remember this is a practice- We need to do many "brain push-ups" - Be gentile with yourself as you try a new skill.

Please note, we will be practicing with the uncertainty created by Covid-19. Some may find this episode to be triggering. 

We lean to to greet the anxiety differently in today's mediation. 

Our brains likes to time travel into the future and the past. Mindfulness helps us stay in the present moment - When we are anxious about tomorrow.... meet those feelings with compassion and with weeks strategy from Sharon Salzberg. 
"Don't know, Don't know, Don't know" 

In this mediation we practice looking at our anxious thoughts. Mindfulness helps us learn what is "story" or second arrow and what is the truth of your experience - First arrow. 

Second arrow is such a useful strategy for life! - If you have anxiety - try this mediation. This is what courage looks like! - You can do this!