Mindfulness Life Coach Certification: Accredited

HERO or GUIDE

In this video we discuss the hero/guide framework - now we are most interested in your thoughts on the topic! 

Do you agree with the description provided or would you offer a different perspective? 

• If you agree with our the description . . . why do you agree?

• If you have another perspective . . . please explain.

Your insights are important and valued!

*To post your responses click the Q&A tab - Ask a new question and title your response "Hero or Guide"

Mindful Self-Discovery

If you've taken any of my courses in the past, you know that I feel compelled to offer my students interventions or tools that you can use immediately.

Sentence completion begins with an incomplete sentence "the stem", and then you add 3-4 different endings to that sentence with the only condition being that each ending  grammatically completes the stem.

For example this is a sentence stem. "If I were 10% more mindfully aware today. . .

Mindful Sentence Completion and Self-Discovery Workbook (for Student and Client Use - Customization of this Workbook for Use in Your Own Practice is Permitted)

Awareness

Attention

The attached workbook contains two separate coach training assignments. The completion of these assignments is required for certification.

Important Note:

Udemy recently fixed the issue with posting reflections in the course. As of November 2019 students will no longer post formal assignments to the Q&A section of the course. Instead, there are separate "assignment lectures" for your responses. Udemy's system will automatically prompt you to complete each assignment.

The workbook is best used for reflection and note-taking and can aid you in your growth and development.

Mindful Intentions

Personalized self-directed intentions, when approached mindfully, can manifest into very practical things. For example, setting the intention to Find Balance Throughout Your Day can lead to lower stress levels and decreased anxiety. Setting the intention to live authentically can manifest into closer and more intimate personal relationship. Setting the intention to laugh at yourself and to laugh at your human flaws... can ultimately make you a more attractive person to be around.

Although we've attempted to organize the interventions within this challenge, you should engage with the exercise in the order that feels right to you!

On certain days you'll notice that there are two interventions listed, on others there is only one. However, you should feel free to practice any number of interventions during any day within the challenge .

During this 12 day challenge you'll find that there are exercise we refer to as "re-occurring interventions" .  These re-occurring interventions are meant to be practiced on multiple days throughout the challenge.  

Below is an index of the re-occurring interventions and the days that they are meant to be practiced.

Days 1-12  Remember to set a Mindful Intention on each of the twelve days (see lectures 14 & 25 in section #4)

Days 1-5 Mindfully Journal for seven (7) minutes per-day (see lecture 18 Mindful Journaling)

Days 2-12  Beginning on day two carry a Gratitude Stone (the stone does not need to be fancy, just something that will remind you to pause throughout the day)

Days 2-12 Beginning on day two practice one Meditation per-day (Body Scan, Loving Kindness, Mindful Breath , Six Minute meditation for Anxiety, or Contemplative Self Inquiry. For your convenience, all meditations can be downloaded from the "All course handouts in one place" lecture)

Days 6-12 Begin a Three Good Things Journal and each day write down three things that went well that day

Create presence in the moment and in your space - draws you back into your space

Five things you can see

Four things you are feeling

Three things hearing

Two things you smell

One thing you can taste

Using a Gratitude Stone for the Psychological Priming of positive emotions and mindfulness

CONTEXT:

Urge surfing is a mindful practice often associated with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.

As you are probably well aware, fighting your cravings and urges, especially if they're part of a long-held habitual pattern can be a futile endeavor. Urge surfing is a mindful psychological and emotional conditioning technique that will enable you to gain greater control over your behaviors.

MAIN IDEA:

A craving has similarities to an ocean wave in that it grows steadily bigger and bigger, peaks and then finally breaks.

Instead of fighting or giving into a unhealthy urge, with urge surfing you accept and mindfully observe that urge. Notice how like a wave, the intensity of your craving rises and then falls back down. Your objective is to ride the wave until it crests and breaks.

ACTING ON URGES INTENSIFIES FUTURE URGES:

It may feel like your urge will last indefinitely if you don't just give in. But, by acting on your "undesirable urges" you teach your brain that the way to get rid of the uncomfortable feeling is to engage in the behavior. However, research indicates that most urges dissipate after 20-30 minutes, so by learning to ride the wave you'll get through it quickly while teaching your brain a new way to deal with the situation.

KEY COMPONENTS FOR RIDING-OUT THE CRAVING (URGE SURFING)

Identify the Craving

Become mindful of the urge you are experiencing and of the uncomfortable sensations caused by this urge.

Observe the Craving

Notice what you are feeling and thinking - become attuned to your urge . . . don't give in to it or try to mask it, just notice.

Avoid fighting or judging the urge or the thoughts you have about the urge.

Put your feelings into words. For example; "this urge is causing me to feel ____________, but I don't need to give in, I can just ride it out."

Identify the Triggers that Set the Urge in Motion

Identify the mental, physical and emotional triggers that set the crave into motion. I.e. This urge was triggered by _________________

Accept the Fluid Nature of Urges

Remind yourself that everything is impermanent, fluid and changing. Like any other intense feeling this urge will pass.

Assure Yourself

Recite an affirmation to help yourself through. I.e. "I am in control of my actions and have everything it takes to ride this one out" or, "This too shall pass".

Practice

Your urge surfing skills will get better the more you practice - with patience and self-kindness!

NOTES ON YOUR PRACTICE

After trying it, what thoughts do you have about this practice?

How long did it take for your urge to fade?

First time you practiced _____________

Second time you practiced _____________

Third time you practiced _____________

Lessons learned

Next time you practice what will you do;

More of _________________________________________

Less of _________________________________________

Differently _______________________________________

Emotional Wellbeing Self-Inquiry Meditation

Connection Provides Direction

So right off the bat let's begin guiding clients, or yourself in the use of the interventions for living more mindfully. For having more connection and thereby direction, provided by the inner- self.

The terrific thing about self-inquiry, and asking yourself a specific set of question, questions that we'll discuss here in this video, is that by asking these questions and trusting that your inner wisdom already knows the answers, is that when the answers are revealed you then have a choice regarding which path to go down. Choice is opened up when more avenues become visible.

So let's assume that perhaps your client is feeling resistance or internal conflict in a specific area of life. Maybe there is some internal resistance related to a love relationship. Or resistance having to do with work, family or career path? Maybe the resistance is related to their own self-image.

Regardless of the specific resistance or internal conflict, Emotional Wellbeing Meditation also referred to as self-inquiry meditation is a contemplative practice to help the client gain an understanding of their emotional conflict, and then put them in a position to release it.

This emotional wellbeing practice is structured in three parts.

The first step is to guide your clients in Contemplative inquiry of the following questions;

What is this resistance or conflict trying to tell me? Why is this resistance here with me right now . . . what's its purpose or intention? The client will want to stay in this line of self-inquiry until they gain clarity regarding those questions.

Once they have degree of clarity regarding their conflict or resistance, have the client contemplate the following self-inquiry questions "What would happen if I decided to let go of this conflict". and the second thing to self-inquire is "Am I willing to let this go, am I willing to let this go even if it is just for a moment?

These first two steps help the client gain tremendous insights into their internal state, and they also help the client develop perspective regarding whether the conflict or resistance is something they are ready to deal with. Often times, the perspective gained from this type of specific self-inquiry leads to a natural resolution. Other times the client will determine that they are in fact not ready to "give this up" and that's fine as well...at least now whatever it is that they were really conflicted about, or whatever resistance they experience, is no longer covered up and invisible, now it is visible and ready to deal with when the timing is right.

If the client is ready and willing to let it go, often times the letting go will happen immediately as they're engaged in the contemplative self inquiry. Once they do let go it can be beneficial as a coach to help your client identify , if practical, what they will choose to fill that space, that space that was occupied by conflict and resistance, what they will choose to fill that space with.

This type of contemplative practice can take as little as seven to ten minutes, so it is something a client could do during a coaching session.

Let's do this. Lets have you identify a sources of resistance or conflict in your own life. Try this mindful practice out and do it in a ten minute time-window. If your mind starts to wander gently redirect your attention back to the questions to contemplate.

Bonus Candle Gazing Meditation