Connection Points

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“I invite you to take these first few moments to find a supported position for your body. And just take your first few breaths, really letting the body settle into this position. Making any adjustments you need to make here so that the physical body isn’t a distraction to you. When you’re ready, I invite you to start to just slowly look around the space that you’re in, and maybe name a few neutral objects to yourself. And then go ahead and bring your gaze about two or three feet in front of you, letting the eyelids become a little bit heavier and softer here. And then bring your gaze back to the center of your body, letting the eyelids become a little bit heavier and softer here. And just take a few breaths, gently allowing your focus to rest on that point about two or three feet in front of you. If you’re noticing that your eyes would like to close, go ahead and just let them. If you prefer to keep your eyes open in this meditation, That’s fine too. I just encourage you to keep the gaze on this focal point that you just found for yourself. Start to notice textures you feel against your skin, and temperature surrounding your body. You might observe that different parts of the body are experiencing different temperatures. Noticing sounds that you’re aware of without any strain at all. And I invite you to begin with the most distant sounds, allowing your sense of hearing to radiate outward. For a few breaths, Just searching out these distant sounds. Gradually bringing your awareness to closer sounds. And then I invite you to begin to attune to your breath. Take a nice full breath in on your inhale through the nose. And then just open up the mouth, Sigh the breath out as you release the exhale. Just take a few conscious breaths like that. And full breath in through our nose, Sighing the breath out through the mouth. And then just find a breath that feels comfortable for you here. There’s no right or wrong way to be breathing, Just breathing in a way that nourishes the body. When you’re ready, We’ll bring our awareness to the crown of the head, forehead, left eye, left eyelid, right eye, right eyelid. I invite you to bring purposeful tension here by scrunching the eyes up really tight so that there’s some wrinkles in the forehead and around the eyelids. Holding this purposeful tension while you’re breathing for five, four, three, two, one. Just allow that tension to melt away. Take a few breaths here observing. Moving awareness down through the face and to the left cheek, the right cheek, our mouth, chin and jaw. And we’ll invite purposeful tension here, Either scrunching your mouth up really tight or smiling as big as you can, Inviting the corners of the mouth out toward the ears. And then just find a breath that feels comfortable for you here. Just allowing that tension to melt away. Taking a few breaths and observing. Moving our awareness down through the chest and the shoulders, shoulder blades, upper arms, elbows, lower arms, wrists, palms, and all ten fingers. And I invite you to bring purposeful tension here either making fists with your palms or bringing your palms together in front of your chest in a prayer position and pressing them so hard that the elbows begin to lift. You might feel some trembling in the arms and chest. Finding this purposeful tension while you’re breathing for five, four, three, two, one. Allowing all that tension in the upper body to melt away. Taking a few breaths and observing. And slowly bringing our awareness down through the torso and the back of the body into our hips, the joints of the legs, backs of the legs, ankles, heels, soles of the feet, and all ten toes. And feeling this purposeful tension here either pointing your toes away from you or flexing the feet, pressing out through the heels and feeling the toes draw back toward the face. Finding this purposeful tension while we’re breathing for five, four, three, two, and one. Allowing that tension in the lower body to melt away. Taking a few breaths and observing. And lastly, we’ll invite tension back into the eyes, the mouth, the arms and upper body, legs and lower body. Holding this purposeful tension in the whole body while we’re breathing for five, four, three, two, and one. Feel all the tension in your body melt away. And I invite you to spend the next few breaths or however long it feels right for you to be here. Just taking this in and observing. Observing whatever arises into your 31 awareness with curiosity and compassion. This practice has been adapted from insighttimer.com’s Progressive Body Scan.”

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“Acknowledge 5 things that you can see, 4 things that you can touch, 3 things that you can hear, 2 things that you can smell, and 1 thing that you can taste. This practice is adapted from mondaycampaign.org’s The 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Technique.”

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“A) Close your eyes and slowly inhale – notice any sensations in the body (e.g. warm air passing through your nasal passages, tingling sensations in your nose) that are associated with the act of smelling,

B) Mindfully pause – take a moment and rest your awareness on the present-moment experience of smelling – describe in a few words how the smell affects your emotions, thoughts and body sensations,

C) Identify any memories it triggers – notice any pleasant and/or unpleasant memories and simply open up and accept these images without judgment, criticalness or passion,

D) Re-focus- bring your attention back to the act of smelling, open your eyes and continue with your day in a mindful way.”

This practice comes from attunepsychology.com’s Mindful Smelling

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“Sit in a quiet spot and place your hands on your belly or lap. Perhaps you have some form of water before you. As you inhale for a count of four through your nose, tighten the muscles in your throat and neck so you can hear the breath rushing to your lungs. Pause and exhale through your nose for a count of four. As you continue, envision clear, blue water climbing up your body when you inhale, dropping down as you exhale.

Inhale for a count of four, 2, 3, 4, exhale, 2, 3, 4, inhale, 2, 3, 4, exhale, 2, 3, 4.

Repeat this breathing for as long as you’d like.”

This practice is adapted from spiritualityhealth.com’s Energy Cleansing Water Meditations

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“1) You can do this exercise with your eyes open or your eyes closed, either in a seated position or lying down. Just choose a posture that’s most comfortable for you.

2) Take a couple of gentle, long breaths. Let your breath ground you in your body and in the present moment.

3) Notice yourself sitting or lying here. Notice the sensations that are on your skin. Notice what it’s like inside your body—any places of tension are holding, any emotions that might be present for you right now.

4) Now, imagine that you are lying in a vast, spacious field, looking up at the sky.
Imagine what it would feel like to lie here, letting yourself sink into the ground below. Bring your attention and your awareness to looking up at the sky, being present in the field, watching the clouds.

5) As you lie here, you may begin to notice that thoughts come into your awareness.
Each time you notice the thought, imagine placing it on one of the clouds, and letting it float on by in the sky. You can place your thoughts on these clouds, whether they’re positive thoughts or negative thoughts, pleasant thoughts or unpleasant thoughts. Your job is just to be aware of the sky, noticing the clouds.

6) If there is space between your thoughts, notice that space as you
would notice the space between the clouds, like the blue sky that lies behind it all.

7) You might have thoughts about doing this exercise. You might think something like This is boring or It’s not working or I don’t like this or When is it going to end? That’s normal, and you can place those thoughts on clouds as well, allowing them to pass on through.

8) If a thought gets stuck, you don’t have to force it to go away. You can allow it to be stuck there. Make space for it. Let it settle on its cloud. Let it hang around, for a little while. All you’re doing is just observing your experience. There’s no need to force the thought to go away.

9) If you notice some feelings like boredom or impatience, that’s okay. You can say to yourself, Here is a feeling of boredom. Here is a feeling of impatience. And you can pick it up and put it on a cloud as well.

10) It’s normal and natural to lose track during this exercise. When that happens, just catch yourself and bring yourself back to lying in this field, looking up at the sky and placing thoughts. You are becoming an observer of your own mind. You are not your thoughts. Thoughts are coming and going like the clouds in the sky. Some are slow. Some are fast. And you are observing it all. 1

1) Now, allow the image to begin to dissolve. Bring your awareness back into your body, feeling your breath inside your body. Notice sensations on your skin, the temperature of the air, your body touching the ground. Feel yourself fully present back in your body.

12) When you’re ready, open your eyes and you can bring yourself fully back into the room. Thank you for practicing with me. I hope that you can bring this practice into your day to day and that it’s helpful for you.”

This practice is from mindful.org’s Visualize Thoughts as Clouds in the Sky: 12 Minute Meditation

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“You can sit or stand and have your eyes open with a soft gaze or closed. Imagine that there is a tree in front of you and describe it. Walk towards the tree and imagine you can magically enter it.

Now experience being the tree. Feel all your different parts. Your neck, head and arms are the crown of the tree made up of branches and leaves. Feel your torso as the trunk of the tree and feel your legs and feet as the roots dividing as they reach downward into the earth.

As you inhale, pull the air in through your crown through the leaves and branches and into your trunk. As you exhale, imagine pushing the air down through your trunk into your legs, your roots. Now the inhale brings the air in from your roots up through your trunk and on the exhale up out of the crown.

Let your body reflect how you are feeling (Pause in speaking)…

Now find a word that represents how you feel…

Now feel your rootedness, your connection to the earth and repeat your word…(Pause)

When you are ready, step out of the tree and bring all the strength and grounding with you. Slowly open your eyes and come back into the environment.”

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“When you notice you’re under stress, take 2-3 deep, satisfying breaths.

Gently place your hand over your heart, feeling the gentle pressure and warmth of your hand.

If you wish, place both hands on your chest, noticing the difference between one and two hands.

Feel the touch of you hand on your chest.

If you wish, you could make small circles with your hand on your chest.

Feel the natural rising and falling of your chest as you breathe in and as you breathe out. Linger with the feeling for as long as you like.”

This practice is from self-compassion.org’s Hand-on-Heart

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“Settle into your chair and let your hands rest on your legs, palms up. Squeeze to make a fist – gentle or tight. Open and spread your fingers… expand. Again, close into a fist. Now, open wide. Do a few more.

Watch your hands or close your eyes. Really feel the opening and closing. When you’re finished, sense the back of your hands resting on your legs again.

Let your fingers gently curl. Maybe your eyes can close, or they can find a neutral spot to stare at. It’s up to you

Imagine a pond, a small pool, or a puddle. The surface is like glass, reflecting light and whatever subtle colors come to mind.

Now imagine in slow-motion or real-time, you toss a tiny pebble into the center. Without a sound, it gently breaks the surface. As patiently as you can, observe the effects. Once the initial splash at the center is complete, allow the ripples to expand.

Note the circular waves, moving out in all directions. Maybe their size diminishes as they expand, and maybe not. Let the rings move and change as your mind creates the effect of the pebble in the water. As the ripples expand, notice the feeling of your own attentional control expanding as well. When those rings are finished, or run out of space, just pause.

Notice what your mind wants to do next. Observe the glassy surface for a moment or toss another pebble. You decide. For another minute or so… This is your time to choose, your choice.

When you are finished, gradually spread your fingers again. Keep them energized and open.

Spread. Raise your arms, palms forward, and form a “V.” Reach, open. Inhale big. Float your arms down with your long exhale. Hands rest in your lap. Twist, bend or be still as your body chooses.

Your impact begins small. It begins with you, with your choices in each moment.”

This Pebble Practice reinforces the mindset of building an attitude of power, to create growth and change from the inside – one moment at a time, one pebble at a time.

Well done!

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“Stand with arms at your sides, inhale deeply through your nose as you raise your arms
overhead, and rise onto your toes. Hold for a count of four, then exhale as you lower your arms and feet. Repeat three times, filling your lungs with nature’s fresh air.”

This practice is from treesisters.org’s Mountain Pose and Breathe

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“Here are some gratitude prompts that one can either do by themselves or share with friends. It is normal to feel uncomfortable while giving yourself praise. But you are an amazing individual and getting better every day. You deserve to take this time for yourself. So join me as we work on a self-compassion and gratitude journey. I will ask a series of questions and give you some time to think of the answers. Be kind and gentle to yourself. Focus on these questions and try to keep your mind from wandering. Let’s begin.

What are three things you are grateful for, no matter how small? What is something you are grateful to have learned today?

What made you smile today?

Who are three friends in your life that you should thank?

What are three things you appreciate about nature?

In what ways have you grown as a person over the last year?

What do you appreciate about yourself?

Thank you for embarking on this exercise with me. Be sure to keep these questions in the back of your mind and remind yourself of all the things that are worth appreciating.”

This practice was adapted from dayoneapp.com’s 20 Gratitude Journaling Prompts to Inspire More Thankfulness

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“Here are some self-love affirmations to repeat to yourself out loud or in your head. You can also write down these affirmations. This may feel uncomfortable, but it is important to recognise our accomplishments and show ourselves love. I am embracing myself just as I am. I treat myself just as I do my loved ones. I am enough. I can conquer anything. I am stronger than I think. I learn something from every experience. I appreciate my body for it gives me life. I am grateful for the little things in life that give me joy. I am grateful to be uniquely me.”

This practice is adapted from mentalhealthcenterkids.com’s 120 Self-Love Affirmations for a Higher Self-Esteem

Shaded by a plethora of willow trees, this path takes you for a lovely stroll through the West end of campus. The walkway is conveniently located next to the Toa Tennis Center where spectators can watch some friendly (or competitive) matches!

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“Make yourself comfortable as you gently close your eyes. You’ll inhale through for a count of four, hold your breath for a count of seven, and exhale through your mouth for a count of eight. Don’t worry if you aren’t exact here, just do your best.

Inhale, 1, 2, 3, 4, hold, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and exhale 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.

Inhale, 1, 2, 3, 4, hold, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and exhale 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.

Inhale, 1, 2, 3, 4, hold, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and exhale 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.

Repeat this process for as long as you’d like, and when you’re ready, gently open your eyes.”

This practice is adapted from Hands-On Meditation’s 4-7-8 Calm Breathing Exercise

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“For this meditation practice, we will focus on identifying and experiencing our emotions. A lot of stress can accumulate when encountering frustration with your emotions. We will connect with our emotions today and practice understanding and acceptance.

To start, take a few deep breaths. The breaths out should be deeper and longer than the breaths in. If your mind is wandering from your breaths, remember that you are constantly trying and getting better, there is no way you can mess up with this mindfulness exercise. You are simply acknowledging your breath and space.

Now we will begin interacting with our emotions. Sit with your emotions for a minute, feel what is weighing on you. Imagine pulling that emotion out of your mouth, pulling it out from deep within your body.

What emotion is it?

What does it look like?

Where do you picture your emotion?

How do you imagine it manifesting?

Is it sitting on a table, in the corner of a room, crawling up the walls?

Is it an object, a character, a person, or something else?

There is no wrong answer here. Practice seeing this emotion and understanding where it is coming from. Remember, there is no such thing as a ‘bad’ emotion. Emotions are a part of you, and they are designed to help you. Do not push it away or suppress it. Just see it and sit with it. Now imagine pulling out another emotion from your body.

What is the emotion behind this first one?

What is driving these feelings?

What does it look like?

What does it sound like?

How do the emotions interact with each other?

Do they get along?

Is one in charge of the other?

How do you interact with these emotions?

Recognize these emotions and their relationship. Be gentle with yourself. It is very hard to sit with your emotions. Be proud of the work you have done so far. Now try letting these emotions go. Imagine holding them close, and watching them dissolve or walk away. You may notice that after sitting with your emotions, they begin to diminish. Emotions come in waves. At its peak, it is often hard to imagine the other side. Leaning into your emotions, acknowledging them, and seeing them, will help you get over that hump.

Thank you so much for your time today. Thank your body for taking the time to meditate. And thank yourself for completing the hard work of confronting your emotions. Feel free to come back to this audio whenever you need to center yourself”

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“The Words That Come Before All Else:

Today we have gathered and when we look upon the faces around us we see that the cycles of life continue. We have been given the duty to live in balance and harmony with each other and all living beings. So now, we bring our minds together as one as we give our greetings and our thanks to each other as People.

Everyone: Now our minds are one.

We are all thankful to our Mother, the Earth, for she gives us all that we need for life. She supports our feet as we walk about upon her. It gives us joy that she continues to care for us as she has from the beginning of Time. To our Mother, we send thanksgiving, love, and respect.

Everyone: Now our minds are one.

We give thanks to all the waters of the world for quenching our thirst, providing us with strength, and nurturing life for all beings. Water is life. We know its power in many forms — waterfalls and rain, mists and streams, rivers and oceans, snow and ice. We are grateful that the waters are still here and meeting their responsibility to bring life to all of Creation. With one mind, we send our greetings and our thanks to the spirit of Water.

Everyone: Now our minds are one.

We turn our minds to all of the Fish life in the water. They were instructed to cleanse and purify the water. We are grateful that they continue to do their duties, and that we can still find pure water. So we send to the Fish our greetings and our thanks.

Everyone: Now our minds are one.

Now we turn toward the vast fields of Plants. As far as the eye can see, the Plants grow, working many wonders. They sustain many life forms. With our minds gathered together, we give our thanks and look forward to seeing Plant life continue for many generations to come.

Everyone: Now our minds are one.

When we look about us, we see that the berries are still here, providing us with delicious foods. The leader of the berries is the strawberry, the first to ripen in the spring. Can we agree that we are grateful that the berries are with us in the world and send our thanksgiving, love, and respect
to the berries?

Everyone: Now our minds are one.

With one mind, we turn to honor and thank all the Food Plants we harvest from the garden who feed us with such abundance. Since the beginning of time, the grains, vegetables, beans and fruit have helped the people survive. Many other living beings draw strength from them as well. We gather together in our minds all the Plant Foods and send them our greetings and our thanks.

Everyone: Now our minds are one.

Now we turn to all the Medicine Plants of the world. From the beginning they were instructed to take away sickness. They are always waiting and ready to heal us. We are happy that there are still among us those special few who remember how to use these plants for healing. With one mind we send thanksgiving, love, and respect to the Medicines, and to the keepers of the Medicines.

Everyone: Now our minds are one.

We gather our minds together to send our greetings and our thanks to all the Animal life in the world, who walk about with us. They have many things to teach us as people. We are grateful that they continue to share their lives with us and pray that it will always be so. Let us put our minds together as one and send our thanks to the Animals.

Everyone: Now our minds are one.

We now turn our thoughts to the Trees. The Earth has many families of Trees who have their own instructions and uses. Some provide us with shelter and shade, others with fruit, beauty and other useful things. The Maple is the leader of the Trees, to recognize its gift of Sugar to the People when they need it most. Many people of the world use a Tree as a symbol of peace and strength. With one mind, we send our greetings and our thanks to the Tree life.

Everyone: Now our minds are one.

We put our minds together as one and thank all the Birds who move and fly about over our heads. The Creator gave them the gift of beautiful songs. Each day they remind us to enjoy and appreciate life. The Eagle was chosen to be their leader, and to watch over the world. To all the Birds — from the smallest to the largest — we send our joyful greetings and our thanks.

Everyone: Now our minds are one.

We are all thankful to the powers we know as the Four Winds. We hear their voices in the moving air as they refresh us and purify the air we breathe. They help us to bring the change of seasons. From the four directions they come, bringing us messages and giving us strength. With one mind, we send our greetings and our thanks to the Four Winds.

Everyone: Now our minds are one.

Now we turn to the west where our grandfathers, the Thunder Beings live. With lightning and thundering voices, they bring with them the water that renews life. We bring our minds together as one to send our greetings and our thanks to our Grandfathers, the Thunderers.

Everyone: Now our minds are one.

We now send our greetings and our thanks to our eldest Brother, the Sun. Each day without fail he travels the sky from east to west, bringing the light of a new day. He is the source of all the fires of life. With one mind, we send our greetings and our thanks to our Brother, the Sun.

Everyone: Now our minds are one.

We put our minds together to give thanks to our oldest Grandmother, the Moon, who lights the night‐time sky. She is the leader of woman all over the world, and she governs the movement of the ocean tides. By her changing face we measure time, and it is the Moon who watches over the arrival of children here on Earth. With one mind, we send our greetings and our thanks to our Grandmother, the Moon.

Everyone: Now our minds are one.

We give our thanks to the Stars who are spread across the sky like jewels. We see them at night, helping the Moon to light the darkness and bringing dew to the gardens and growing beings. When we travel at night, they guide us home. With our minds gathered together as one, we send our greetings and our thanks for the Stars.

Everyone: Now our minds are one.

We gather our minds together to greet and thank the enlightened Teachers who have come to help us throughout the ages. When we forget how to live in harmony, they remind us of the way we were instructed to live as people. With one mind, we send our greetings and our thanks to these caring Teachers.

Everyone: Now our minds are one.

Now we turn our thoughts to the Creator, the Great Spirit,* and send our greetings and our thanks for all the gifts of Creation. Everything we need to live a good life is here on Mother Earth. Let us pile up our thanks like a heap of flowers on a blanket. We will each take a corner and toss it high into the sky. So our thanks should be as rich as the gifts of the world that shower down upon us. For all the love that is around us, we gather our minds together as one and send our choicest words of greetings and thanks to the Creator.

Everyone: Now our minds are one.

We have now arrived at the place where we end our words. Of all the things we have named, it is not our intention to leave anything out. If something was forgotten, we leave it to each individual to send their greetings and their thanks in their own way.

Everyone: Now our minds are one.”

This practice is from the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving
Address.

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“So as you find yourself laying down, notice the floor below you. Notice your whole body laying there, let your shoulder become really heavy on the ground and your arms drop down. Your hands are dropped there, maybe relaxed. And little by little you can maybe sense your breath in your body.

Where can you feel your breathing?

Is this in your chest?

Is this in your nose?

Now, I want you to imagine a butterfly landing on your stomach. And as I name different parts of your body, you can allow that little butterfly to be right there. So now find your foot, let the little butterfly go just on top of your toes. It’s sniffing around. And allow that butterfly to go right on top of one of your knees, the right or the left. Maybe now that butterfly climbs up all the way to your hand. It’s on your palm. And you’re trying not to move, to not scare that little butterfly away.

Maybe now we move slowly toward your elbow. And your shoulder. And all the way to
the tip of your nose. Maybe on your forehead. And your chin. And slowly let your butterfly comeall the way to your chest. And feel the ride of your chest as well, going up and down. And finally the butterfly wants to go home because you had a long day on your body, a long journey.

Imagine yourself saying goodbye to your butterfly. And start to move your hands and your feet. And roll yourself up to your right or your left side. And come on up to the seat.”

This practice is adapted from insighttimer.com’s Butterfly Body Scan.