Mind
Leaves on a Stream
“This exercise will walk you through the skill of distancing yourself from your thoughts by stepping back from them and observing them, rather than getting lost in them. It is important to note that this exercise is not designed to get rid of your thoughts or to make you think positive and calming thoughts. The aim of this exercise is to help you to relate to your thoughts differently, whatever your thoughts might be.” - Inner Melbourne Clinical Psychology
Container Exercise
“This container imagery meditation is designed to help develop the skill of holding difficult emotional material in a way that we can choose when to delve into it and when to put it away for another time. ” - Natalie Masson, PsyD
Body
Yoga Nidra
Yoga Nidra is the practice of psychic sleep. It’s not a posture, but a state of being that has been described as “wakeful sleep.” During the practice, it is suggested that an intention be set that will then permeate into the subconscious, bringing health and serenity. Please note that this practice is part of a spiritual tradition. For a secular practice that is similar to Yoga Nidra, please see Body Scan Meditations below.
Yoga Nidra for Beginners - Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati leads beginners in a traditional Yoga Nidra (yogic sleep) meditation. You can expect to be guided into a state of physical relaxation, where individuals become systematically and increasingly aware of the inner world by following a set of verbal instructions.
I AM Yoga Nidra - Amrit Desai guides participants in a full practice of his specific style of Yoga Nidra.
Body Scan Meditation
Body Scan Meditations are often used to assist individuals in cultivating mindful awareness to physical sensations in the body. Many find body scan meditations to be relaxing, though the primary goal is to be an observer to whatever sensations might arise.
Autogenic Training
Autogenic training is a desensitization-relaxation technique developed by the German psychiatrist Johannes Heinrich Schultz by which a psychophysiologically determined relaxation response is obtained.
Trauma Center Trauma-Sensitive Yoga
TCTSY is an evidence-based adjunctive treatment for complex, developmental trauma or chronic, treatment-resistant PTSD.
Breath
Box Breathing
Also referred to as square, breathing, box breathing helps individuals to slow the breath, calm the nervous system, and decrease stress in the body by using visualization and counting as distractions.
Box Breathing for Adults - This video includes audio and visual cues to assist in the practice.
Box Breathing for Kids - Follow a puffer fish as he traces the outline of a square and helps children to slow their breath and relax their bodies.
Alternate Nostril Breathing
Nadi Shodhana - Alternate Nostril Breathing - Kriplau Yoga Center provides a brief education into the benefits of alternate nostril breathing, and then offers a detailed guide into practice.
Diaphragmatic Breathing (“Belly Breathing”)
Diaphragmatic breathing helps to engage the diaphragm fully, and increasing lung capacity. It has been shown to assist slowing the breath rate, lowering blood pressure, and promoting relaxation.
Sleep
Sleep Music
Sleep Music (with Bilateral Stimulation)
Helpful Apps
Insight Timer is a FREE meditation app that offers thousands of guided meditations that can be filtered by practice type, time, and issue (i.e anxiety, chronic pain, etc.). Other offerings include meditation courses, yoga, playlists, and sleep programs for all ages.
Breathe2Relax is a diaphragmatic breathing pacer. You can set the pacer to a rhythm that feels most comfortable for you, though it is recommended that exhales be extended longer than inhales to encourage relaxation, stabilize mood, and manage anxiety.