Learning to Tune In

In this session, we talked about the program’s goal to help strengthen skills for well-being. Each week we will share practices and tools that can help us:

• Reduce stress
• Manage emotions
• Navigate challenging situations
• Build connections and compassion

The basis for these skills is learning to tune into ourselves, including our feelings, reactions, and experiences. We also reviewed key concepts including resilience, mindfulness, compassion, and self-compassion. Finally, we talked about the stress response as being a normal, physiological system that can send us into hyperarousal (i.e. fight or flight mode) or hypoarousal (i.e. freeze mode). You can review these in our 7-minute Stress Physiology Video.

Our stress response is our body’s way of alerting us to danger. But sometimes our body might be on high alert, keeping us in one of those states when it’s not helpful. In Be REAL, we focus on learning skills to respond instead of react automatically. Watch this 3-minute video for highlights on how mindfulness can help us learn to respond.

The breath can be an excellent anchor for awareness. Try our 5-minute guided practice Tuning into the Breath (Sintonizarme con la Respiración), which can help in learning to identify the breath’s patterns. You can also follow the cues below.

Deep listening is one way to practice mindfulness. When we provide our full attention to someone else, we let them know that they are important to us and what they say matters. Mindful listening is also an excellent way for us to stay grounded instead of being distracted by our own thoughts. Read this article on Mindful.org for additional background on mindful listening. 

Mindfulness is a foundation in all Yoga practices. We practiced a breath focused sequence that can release tension and reduce stress. The sequence was inspired by the teachings of Sir T.K.V. Desikachar, founder of Viniyoga. Below are a free resources from various traditions:

• A gentle 20-minute Viniyoga sequence to “Settle in for the evening” with Kate Holcomb.
• An active 20-minute “Fire up your full body” sequence with DJ Townsel.
• 31 Yoga & Self-Care Resources for Black Yogis by Monica Cadena.

Download the PDF of the yoga sequence from this week’s session. 

Remember, even a few gentle poses can make a significant difference in how you feel throughout the day.  See if you can find time to pause and do two poses between classes or meetings.  Another great time is taking 5-10 minutes for gentle movement before sleeping to help settle the mind.

Noticing Practices

• Your stress response. Can you identify times when you go into fight, flight or freeze mode? Can you identify triggers that caused that stress response? Watch the 7-minute Stress Physiology Video.
• How stress affects you. How does stress impact your body, mind, emotions, or attitude? 
• Intention.  What is your intention for this week?

Guided & Reflective Practices

• Tuning into the Breath | Sintonizarme con la Respiración (5 minutes)
• Yoga 1 Practice Video (22 minutes)
• Mindful Listening

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