Coming Back to Balance

This week our session focused on emotion regulation, including how to understand our emotions and support ourselves when it feels like strong emotions take over. We also practiced Yoga and Tuning into the Senses as ways to strengthen the mind-body connection. Below is a summary of skills we discussed as well as links to guided practices.

Feelings aren’t good or bad. They tell us what we need to tend to. Acknowledging our feelings – with kindness – can help us process them.

Looking for resources to help build your emotional awareness?

• Watch our 6-minute Emotion Regulation video.
• This CCFW Emotional Literacy handout includes synonyms for feelings, physical sensations, and sources of stress.
• This article on Mindful.org highlights research behind naming our emotions.

+2 Breathing

Exhaling longer than you inhale can slow down the heart rate and turn on the relaxation response. Our audio file +2 Breathing (Respiración Extendida) can help you practice. Note: If exhaling 2 counts longer doesn’t feel comfortable, try 1 count or a brief pause. The breath changes day-to-day so find what you need.

3 – 2 – 1: A Practice for the Senses

This practice helps engage the cognitive functions of your brain, which can be helpful when strong emotions surface. Take two slow breaths. Then softly or silently name 3 things you can see, 2 things you could touch, and 1 thing you can hear. Take another two breaths.

Holding a Stone & Investigate Your Emotions

Emotion regulation is like holding a stone – we don’t want to hold on too tightly to the emotion because that makes it hurt more, but we also don’t want to ignore it all together.  We want to practice holding it with awareness – observing it.  This is what mindfulness is – paying attention to what is happening in our bodies with awareness.  Investigate your emotions is learning to observe our emotions.  One strategy for this is taking a curious attitude towards them.  

Willing Hands

With Willing Hands, we are opening our hands and ourselves to feel compassion and to connect with what is best in a situation. As you close your hands, notice what you feel and pause for five seconds. Then, open your hands and notice how that feels.

This week we practiced another yoga sequence for releasing muscular tension. You can download a PDF of the practice.

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

The activity “How would you treat a friend” provides a foundation to self-compassion. It is common to be kinder to others than it is to ourselves. However, extending that same kindness, support and compassion towards ourselves is important because it helps us handle our emotions and difficult situations. Instead of denying our experiences or emotions, self- compassion allows us to accept our emotions and identify what we need to tend to our experiences. Visit the Self-Compassion.org website for the script to do this activity again. 

Being mindful of our senses can help us connect more with our experiences. When we bring awareness to our senses, we can become fully immersed in the moment. Try our 7 minute practice Tuning into the Senses (Atención Plena en los Sentidos).

Noticing Practices

• Emotional Responses: What types of emotions do you notice the most? How do you experience those emotions? Watch the 6-minute Emotion Regulation video. 
• Your Inner Voice. How do you talk to yourself? Is it the same as how you would talk with a friend?
• Intention.  What is your intention for this week?

Guided & Reflective Practices

• Name It to Tame It
• +2 Breathing | Respiración Extendida 
• 3 – 2 – 1: A Practice for the Senses
• Willing Hands
• Investigate Your Emotions
• Mindful Movement / Yoga 2 Practice Video (14 minutes)
• Tuning into the Senses | Atención Plena en los Sentidos

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