THE BAMBI METHOD Mindfulness Practice

BREATHE

AWARENESS

MIND

BODY

I FEEL/I BELIEVE I CAN FEEL

Ideally practiced sitting in a quiet comfortable space. However can be practiced at anytime, anywhere.

Once you’re feeling comfortable, close your eyes or find a soft downward gaze.

BREATHE - Check in and simply notice your breath, how are you breathing? Is it fast, slow, smooth, choppy, long, or short?

There is no right or wrong, just notice.

With your mouth gently closed, breathe in through your nose, take a long, slow, full breath in through your nose, then exhale out through your mouth, smooth, long, slow. Repeat, this time exhale out through your nose. Close your mouth and continue to breathe long and slow, paying particular attention to breathing into the back of your lung’s and the lower lobes of your lungs.

AWARENESS  – Bring your attention to what you are aware of in this moment, if your eyes are closed, notice your internal landscape of the darkness, or even colours and shapes behind the veil of the eyes. If your eyes are softly open, perhaps notice the colours or shapes in the external world. Notice sounds around you, what’s the furthest sound that you can hear? What is the closest sound that you can hear? Now bring your awareness back to your breath, simply notice the sound and texture of your breathing.

MIND – Notice the mind, is it busy, distracted, is it focused on this task? Could you kindly, lovingly redirect your MIND’s AWARENESS back to the quality of your breathe.

BODY – Now notice your body in this very moment.  Does it feel hot, cold? Heavy, light? Are there parts of the body that feel open, or closed. Perhaps you are experiencing discomfort or tension? Whatever you happen to notice, I invite you to lengthen, and whilst maintaining length, can you soften. Breathe into your lungs, and then breathe slowly, MINDfully into your entire BODY, do this for at least for three more long, deep breathes.

I (feel) – You have made your way to the part of the practice where I ask you to check in with how you feel. Now in your mind saying to yourself

I FEEL…and then filling in the space with however you’re feeling. Perhaps you feel, calm, centred, safe, sleepy, energized. Again there is no right, or wrong. However if the feeling you have is not one that feels good in this moment, I invite you to add an additional step.

Saying in your mind, I believe I CAN feel…and then fill in the space with a word that describes how you WOULD LIKE to feel.

Repeat this step as many times as you wish, if it starts to feel true, then switch back to, I feel….filling in the blank with the new found positive feeling.

Sometimes this practice can land with ease and positivity. However remember you are human and not a machine, sometimes these practices don’t have an immediate, positive effect. That’s fine. Return another day, and try again.

I hope you enjoy this practice as much as I do.

AUDIO VERSION OF THE BAMBI METHOD AVAILABLE TO LISTEN.