1. Mindfulness Lesson: Mindfulness Method: Informal Lecture
Length: 30 minutes (Lecture); 15 minutes (Activity)
References:
Brown KW & Ryan RM. (2003). The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology. 84, 822–848.
Harris, R. (2011). The Happiness Trap: A guide to ACT. Shambhala Publications.
Davidson, R. J., Kabat-Zinn, J., Schumacher, J., Rosenkranz, M., Muller, D., Santorelli, S. F., Urbanowaki, F., Harrington, A., Bonus, K., & Sheridan, J. F. (2003). Alterations in brain and immune function produced by mindfulness meditation. Psychosomatic Medicine, 65: 564–70.
Aids/Handouts:
PowerPoint Presentation
RTA/FTAC Participant Guide
Lesson Strategy:
Begin the lesson by providing an overview of the topics (see next slide). Ensure students understand that this lesson is designed to help them learn what Mindfulness is and adopt strategies for times Mindfulness is needed. You may choose to share a personal example about a time that you had a Mindful moment to help facilitate the lesson.

2. Overview Goal/When Core Content Student Activity Skill Review
Mindfulness Defined
Benefits of Mindfulness
Mindfulness Strategies
Informal
Formal
During stressful times
Student Activity
Skill Review
OVERVIEW
MRT Instructions:
Provide a brief preview of the main points for this lesson. Try not to read each item as if you’re reading a laundry list.
Mindfulness can help us stay focused in the moment, be more open to experiences, and stay engaged.
Mindfulness is also helpful when you are facing stress and adversity. Sometimes we experience negative events that we can’t control. Rather than avoiding any negative thoughts, mindfulness can help you acknowledge the discomfort so you can focus on taking purposeful action.

3. Goal/When
Goal
To strengthen awareness and openness, allowing you to refocus on aspects where you have control and take purposeful action
When
On a regular basis
When you feel overwhelmed
In moments of stress to counter negative beliefs
MRT Instructions:
MP 1: Goal/When
Goal
To strengthen awareness and openness, allowing you to refocus on aspects where you have control and take purposeful action
When
On a regular basis
When you feel overwhelmed
In moments of stress to counter negative beliefs

4. Core Content Mindfulness Defined
A mental state of awareness, openness, and purposeful focus
Being non-judgmental of your thoughts and present in the moment
MRT Instructions:
MP 2: Core Content- Mindfulness Defined
The purpose of this slide is to introduce the students to the definition of Mindfulness:
A mental state of awareness, openness, and purposeful focus
Being non-judgmental of your thoughts and present in the moment

5. Core Content Benefits Discuss MP 3: Core Content-Benefits
Optimism
More positive relationships
Confidence
Satisfaction and well-being
Physical Health benefits
Discuss MP 3: Core Content-Benefits
Mindfulness and its applications in health and disease have been a subject of increasing study and discovery over the past thirty years. Mindfulness has been shown to be highly effective in reducing stress and even stress related medical problems as well as anxiety, panic, and depression. These are just a few of the many findings reported in the scientific literature:
Discuss some of the benefits of Mindfulness with the students:
Optimism
Feeling confident and self sufficient
Life satisfaction
Positive social relationships
2. Explain to the class that Mindful people are less likely to:
Be depressed
Be sick
Replay thoughts
Transition: Explain that every individual will have to practice and find the right Mindfulness Strategy that works for them. Now, let’s take a look at some possible strategies that may work for you!

6. Core Content Mindfulness Strategies (Informal)
Informal strategies
Focus on being present in the moment
Savor moments
Discuss MP 4: Core Content-Mindfulness Strategies (Informal)
There are several very easy informal mindfulness strategies that you can use to promote positive outcomes.
1. First, focus on being present:
Often we are so focused on the future—things will be better, calmer, less stressful sometime in the future.
Or, we focus on the past—things were easier or better.
We often forget to stay in the present (and we are easily distracted by electronic devices that pull us away from the moment).
2. Savoring is the act of mindfully attending to the experience of pleasure. Savoring is actively trying to prolong and/or intensify a pleasurable event, by ruminating over it in anticipation of, during, or in reminiscence of all of the most enjoyable details.Explain to the class that it is important to savor moments the following ways:
Share our positive feelings- Research in this area indicates that people who share their feelings with others have greater happiness than those who do not share.
Take Mental photographs- Capture moments and images cognitively that are special to you
Eating- Enjoy the excitement prior to the food arriving. Take time to smell it and take in its aroma. Eat slowly and mindfully while noticing the tastes and textures.
Transition: Explain that every individual will have to practice and find the right Mindfulness strategy that works for them. Now, let’s take a look at some possible strategies that may work for you!

7. Core Content Mindfulness Strategies (Formal)
Take 5-10 minutes each day for mindfulness/meditation:
Do focused breathing
Notice what is around you: see, taste, smell, hear, feel
Discuss MP 4: Core Content-Mindfulness Strategies (formal)
1. There are more formal ways to practice Mindfulness each day. These may require a little more time, but are well worth it. Try to set aside 5-10 min each day. This doesn’t have to be an intensive meditation practice. Even if you set aside 2, 5, or 10 minutes aside for focus breathing, you are likely to see a return on the practice.
Do focused breathing
Or notice what is going on around you. What are three things you can see, taste, smell, hear or feel in that moment.
Transition: Now, that we have discussed Formal and Informal practices, lets briefly looks at other mindfulness activities

8. Core Content Mindfulness Practices (Formal)
Visual script
Gratitude
Muscle relaxation
Discuss MP 4: Core Content-Mindfulness Strategies (Other Formal Methods
1. There are many other Mindfulness activities and scripts available online. It’s important to find the right fit for your mindfulness practice (this will often be related to your learning style). Auditory learners may benefit from listening or guided imagery. People who learn by “doing” tend to benefit more from Yoga or walking mindfully. Take a look at some of the other mindfulness strategies:
Progressive Muscle relaxation
Visualization scripts
Listening to music mindfully
Prayer
Cultivating gratitude
f) Yoga/exercise/walking mindfully
Transition: Now, that we have discussed Formal and Informal practices, lets briefly looks at other mindfulness activities
Harris, 2011

9. Student Activity Formal
Script
Notice Three Things
See, hear, and feel in contact with your body
Anchor Yourself
Release muscle tension in your body, starting at your feet, and moving up in your body
Take deep breaths
MRT Instructions:
RTC /Wingman Day Student Activity-Mindfulness Strategies
Turn to your Participant guide:
We are going to practice some formal mindfulness exercises. In the first exercise, we’ll use breathing to anchor our practice. We are going to start by noticing three things in the room that we can see, hear, and feel. Then, we are going to focus on anchoring ourselves physically and do some deep breathing for another two minutes.
Activity:
1. Notice Three Things
Script:
We are going to start by focusing on things around us.
First, notice three things you can see in your environment
Next, notice what you hear around you.
Finally, notice three things that you can feel in contact with your body.
Anchor Yourself
Now, if it is comfortable for you, please close your eyes.
Take a few deep breaths. Notice how the breath flows in and out.
Plant your feet firmly on the floor. Push them down and notice the floor beneath you.
Notice the tension in your leg muscles as you push your feet down. Notice the feeling of gravity anchoring you to the ground and flowing down through your body.
Notice the feeling in your entire body. Release the tension starting at your feet and move up your body, releasing any tension you may be feeling from your toes all the way to the top of your head.
Take a deep breath, breathing in and out slowly. Stay here, focus on your breathing for another two minutes.
Debrief
What was challenging about the mindfulness exercise?
Were there some parts of the meditation you liked better than others? Did you prefer the first part (Notice Three Things) to the second (Anchoring)?
FTAC: How did you maintain Mindfulness while dealing with BMT/Tech School

10. Core Content Mindfulness and Acceptance
Often, the more we try to avoid thinking about something, the more we obsess about it
Rather than avoid, acknowledge and accept
Use mindfulness to take purposeful action
MRT Instructions:
Research has shown that the more we try to avoid thinking about something, the more likely we are to obsess over it.
Rather than avoid your thoughts, a more effective strategy is to acknowledge and accept those thoughts, then focus on taking purposeful action action.
In our other resilience lessons, we’ve talked about looking at our underlying thoughts to see how they might be inhibiting our performance. When possible, we try to act on beliefs that will help us be productive. This is a very helpful strategy, but there are times that we are unable to change our negative beliefs, or we encounter very difficult situations that test our resilience and coping skills. We can’t remove hardships, pain, loss, or grief completely from our lives. Sometimes, you may need to accept those thoughts, even if it is uncomfortable.
Acceptance isn’t about allowing yourself to feel defeated—it is an opportunity to accept the challenges in our life, make meaning of them, and grow.
Acceptance is also not about just getting over the bad event and never thinking about it again.
Instead, acceptance helps you determine what you can control, what matters, and helps you take purposeful action.
Mindfulness is an acceptance-based strategy that can help you accept those uncomfortable feelings, and then take action.

11. Core Content Mindfulness during stressful times
Mindfulness can provide some clarity when you feel overwhelmed
What aspects can I change?
Ask: what’s most important right now?
Reconnect to your values: what do you want to stand for?
Take purposeful action
If you feel overwhelmed by emotions (or thoughts), mindfulness can help you refocus so you can take purposeful action.
Here are the steps:
Step 1: Pause. Think about what aspects of the situation can I change.
Step 2: Ask: What is most important right now?
Step 3: Reconnect with your values: What do you want to stand for now?
Step 4: Accept what you cannot change and take purposeful action on what you can. What action can you take?
You can also incorporate other mindfulness practices that will help calm you so you can focus on these questions. For example, try deep breathing or a 1-2 minute meditation.
MRT Note: It may be helpful to provide an example of a time you felt overwhelmed (for example, a family member is very late coming home, you received some bad news, someone is confronting you about a problem, etc). Avoid major trauma and adversity
(c) TechWerks 2015

12. Student Activity Mindfulness during stressful times
Think about a time you felt anxious, stressed, or overwhelmed.
What aspects could you change?
Ask: What was most important?
Reconnect with your values. What do you want to stand for?
Accept what you cannot change and take purposeful action on what you can. What action can you take?
MRT Instructions:
MP 3: Student Activity
Turn to your Participant Guide:
Think about a time you felt anxious, stressed, or overwhelmed. Once you’ve identified the negative thoughts and emotions, even if they are difficult, focus on finding a feasible course of action that connects to your values.
Step 1: What aspects of the situation did you have control over?
Step 2: Ask: What was most important?
Step 3: Reconnect with your values. What do you want to stand for?
Step 4: Accept what you cannot change and take purposeful action on what you can. What action can you take?
(c) TechWerks 2015

13. Skill Review Goal, When, How
Mindfulness
Goal:
To strengthen awareness and openness, allowing you to refocus on aspects where you have control and take purposeful action.
When:
Set aside time on a regular basis
In moments of stress to counter negative thoughts
You feel overwhelmed
How:
Regular practice of informal or formal mindfulness activities
Being present and savoring
Meditation or other formal practice
During stressful times
What can I change?
What is most important now?
What values can motivate purposeful action?
What action can I take?

14. Mindfulness