MHScot mindfulness / meditation practice for Level 3 MH First

Aid Course
Module 3 Identifying mental health
Mindful breathing practice to help you feel grounded and relaxed.

OPENING
Find a comfortable seat with your back supported, maybe rotate your shoulders, turn your heads
right and left slowly a couple of times, maybe lengthen your spine a litte, when you are ready,
come to stillness, make sure your spine is lengthened with your crown reaching to the sky, your
posture should be alert yet relaxed. Gently close your eyes, but if you prefer to keep your eyes
open, soften and lower your graze.

Now take a few deep breaths and spend the next few moments inviting your mind and body to
soften and relax.

Mindful breathing
We are going to practice mindful breathing - inhale for 5 counts, exhale for 5 counts. For now,
just allow your breath to be nature - it doesn’t matter if it is deep or shallow, long or short - just
notice and breath naturally.

Wherever you are in your breathing cycle, just exhale fully. And now inhale 2,3,4,5 exhale
2,3,4,5 ...
Continue counting quietly in your mind, inhale 2,3,4,5, exhale 2,3,4,5...

If you mind wanders, just gently bring it back to your breath.

ENDING

As the practice comes to an end, gently bring your awareness back to your body, feel the softness
in your eyes, your jaw, your shoulders, feel your sitbone on the chair or cushion, feel the weight
of your hands, feel your feet touching the ground…
As you enjoy the stillness and space you’ve created with this practice, I invite you to put a smile
on your face or in your heart, be grateful for this precious moment.
Take your time, when you are ready, gently open your eyes, let yourself slowly come back to the
room.

******************************************************************************
********************
Module 5 Stress
A breathing technique to quickly calm your nervous system.
OPENING
Find a comfortable seat with your back supported, maybe rotate your shoulders, turn your heads
right and left slowly a couple of times, maybe lengthen your spine a little, when you are ready,
come to stillness, Gently close your eyes.

Now take a few deep breaths and spend the next few moments inviting your mind and body to
soften and relax.

3-3-6 breathing technique

We are going to practice technique called 3-3-6 where you inhale for 3 counts, hold your breath
for 3 counts, and exhale for 6 counts, as you lengthen your exhale, your nervous system naturally
calms down. For now, just allow your breath to be nature - it doesn’t matter if it is deep or
shallow, long or short - just notice and breath naturally.
We are going to practice 12 rounds of 3-3-6, all you have to do is relax and follow my
instructions.

Wherever you are in your breathing cycle, just exhale fully. And now inhale 2,3, hold, 2,3,
exhale 5,4,3,2,1

ENDING

As the practice comes to an end, gently bring your awareness back to your body, feel the softness
in your eyes, your jaw, your shoulders, feel your sitbone on the chair or cushion, feel the weight
of your hands, feel your feet touching the ground…
As you enjoy the stillness and space you’ve created with this practice, I invite you to put a smile
on your face or in your heart, be grateful for this precious moment.
Take your time, when you are ready, gently open your eyes, let yourself slowly come back to the
room.

******************************************************************************
***********************
Module 7 First Aid action plan
Gratitude meditation helps you become more aware of the good things in life.

Gratitude meditation
We are now moving into gratitude meditation. Acknowledging gratitude is a very important life
blessing.
You may feel grateful for something you have. Bring into your mind the objects you are grateful
for. Breathe deeply into your thoughts as you imagine these things. As you exhale, whisper to
yourself, “thank you.”
Express gratitude for those you know, bring into your mind a person or people you are grateful
for. Breathe deeply into your thoughts as you imagine these people. As you exhale, whisper to
yourself, “thank you.”
Become grateful for yourself, your health, your wisdom, your kindness. Be grateful for those
times you stood up for yourself, or for someone else. Be grateful for your ability to love others.
Breathe in deeply, imagining that you can give yourself a big hug and whisper, “thank you.”
Expand your feeling of gratitude to nature; the sky, the sea, the earth, the plants, the animals. Be
grateful to mother earth. Breathe in deeply as you feel the connection to nature. As you exhale,
whisper to yourself, “thank you.”
Enjoy this feeling of gratitude as your body sinks deeper into relaxation.
Now notice, how the feeling of gratitude is expressed in your body? Maybe you can feel warmth
in your heart? Perhaps in your abdomen. Wherever you feel these sensations, study their quality,
and again let your body sinks deeper into relaxation.

******************************************************************************
*********************
Module 10 Depression
Meditation with affirmations for hope helps you connect to positivity

Find a comfortable seat with your back supported, ,

Now take a few deep breaths
Gently close your eyes.
Let your mind and body soften and relax.

Hope meditation
Now let your breath return to the natural rhythm. Bring your full attention to where you feel your
breath most clearly, maybe you can feel it on your chest or abdomen, just notice the movement
of the breath. Let your awareness settle on the rising and falling of your chest or abdomen.

Now, hear yourself saying these positive affirmations about hope, accepting any of them that feel
good to you:
• I know I can achieve anything
• Nothing will stand in my way of succeeding
• Great things are coming my way
• I am happy about the future
• I am filled with strength and courage
• I choose to find the positive in any situation
• I progress in the right direction and pattern
• The past is gone, I choose to focus the life ahead
• Abundance flows to me.
• There is always a way for me
• I set my heart towards possibilities

Just sit with these positive affirmations in silence for a moment, and see if you can feel them in
your body. Before we end this practice, I invite you to put a smile in your heart
******************************************************************************
********************
Module 12 Self-harm
Loving-kindness meditation helps us expand our compassion to oneself and others.

Loving-kindness meditation
All compassion starts with self-compassion, therefore loving-kindness meditation starts with us,
and we will slowly widening this circle.

Repeat the words to yourself in silence with full awareness.

May I be happy,’ ‘May I be safe,’ ‘ May I be healthy,’ ‘May I be at peace.’

1. Now bring to mind someone in your life you deeply care about, a family member, a
friend. Picture him or her in your mind and repeat these words in silence.

May you be happy,’ ‘May you be safe,’ ‘ May you be healthy,’ ‘May you be at peace.’

2. Now bring to mind someone you don’t know well, maybe someone you see in the shop
today, maybe a stranger you walked passed on the street. See if you can connect emotionally,
you really do want this person to be happy and well. Repeat the words in silence.

May you be happy,’ ‘May you be safe,’ ‘ May you be healthy,’ ‘May you be at peace.’

3. Now bring to mind someone you don’t like, maybe someone you have conflict with or
someone you have a difficult relationship. Just notice that this person also deserve to be well and
happy. Repeat these words in silence.

May you be happy,’ ‘May you be safe,’ ‘ May you be healthy,’ ‘May you be at peace.’

4. Now expand your circle of loving-kindness to everyone, animals, plants and the universe.
Open your hearts, remembering that we are all in this together and repeat these words in silence.

May we be happy,’ ‘May we be safe,’ ‘ May we be healthy,’ ‘May we be at peace.’

Dalai Lama said ‘Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them,
humanity cannot survive.’

******************************************************************************
*********************
Module 14 Eating disorder
Body scan meditation helps you bring your awareness to the present moment through your
bodily sensations and therefore calm your mind.

Body scan meditation

Let your breath return to its natural rhythm. We are going to expand our awareness beyond the
breath.

Bring your awareness to the top of your head, see if you notice any physical sensations. Any
warmth or coolness, tingling, or maybe nothing.
And then, slowly moving your awareness down the forehead. Just, feeling any sensations in the
forehead.

Let your focus now move to your eyes. Noticing any small eye movements, feel the muscles
around your eyes and let them soften.

Now moving your awareness down the nose, feel the slight sensations of the air moving in and
out with your breath. Then feeling the cheek bone for a moment. Now relax your jaw, relax your
chin and relax your throat. Move your awareness to the back of your neck and feel the back of
your head, noticing any sensations.

And now spreading your awareness out into both shoulders, feeling both the right shoulder, and
then the left shoulder. Releasing any tension.

Slowly run your awareness down your right arm, right elbow, right wrist, right palm, all the way
to the finger tips. Let any tension release through your finger tips.

Moving your attention back up the right arm and over to the left shoulder. Run your awareness
down your left arm, left elbow, left wrist, left palm, all the way to the finger tips. Let any
negative energy release through your finger tips.

Moving your attention back up the left arm to the back of your neck. Run your awareness down
your spine and the muscle around it. Feel your upper back, middle back and lower back relaxing.
Let go any tension.

Bring your attention now to the center of the chest. What sensations do you notice here?
maybe you can feel your heart beating strongly. Relax your heart, noticing how good it feels to
do so.

Experience the sensations in your lungs. Feel the lungs gently expanding and contracting with
your breath, delivering oxygen to your body.

And moving down into the abdomen. Feeling the gentle rise, and fall as you inhale and exhale.

Moving your awareness down to your hips through the pelvis, and first moving down through the
right leg, feeling the right thigh, the right knee, the right lower leg. Bring it down into the right
ankle, and resting your awareness in the sole of the right foot.
And, moving your attention back up to the top of the left leg. Moving down to the left thigh, the
left knee, the left lower leg through the left ankle, and then resting your attention again in the
sole of the left foot.
Now, bring your attention back to the entire body, feeling your whole body sitting where you
are. Your entire body is relaxed and all the tension melts away.

******************************************************************************
**********************
Module 16 Bipolar Disorder
Grounding practice helps us feel connected and stay present.

Grounding to mother earth

Let your breath return to its natural rhythm, and bring all of your attention to the soles of your
feet.
Imagine that this is what connects you to mother earth.

Each step you take has made a difference in your life and moved you through hard times as well
as achievements.

Breathe in deeply and send your feet love and respect for everywhere they have taken you…
Once again, breathe in deeply and your love to your feet.

Now imagine the earth below you supporting your every move…

The ground is your place of connection with mother earth, giving you an instant feeling of
security

Imagine your feet are like roots of a tree growing into the soil beneath you, providing a solid
foundation…you are feeling strong and resilient.

We came from the earth and we are always connected to it.

Now let this feeling of connection and security travel from your feet, up your legs, through your
body, to your heart, and then through your neck, all the way to the top of your head.

Just sit with this feeling in silence for a moment, and let your body sinks deeper into relaxation.