7 Days of Mindfulness
Welcome to the 7 Days of Mindfulness Program !
In our fast-paced world, finding moments of calm and clarity can feel like an elusive dream. We juggle responsibilities, deadlines, and endless to-do lists, often neglecting the one thing that keeps us grounded: our mental well-being. If you've been longing for a way to slow down, reconnect with yourself, and create a sense of balance, you're in the right place.
The 7 Days of Mindfulness Program is designed to guide you through a week of intentional living. Over the next seven days, we’ll explore simple, practical mindfulness techniques that can easily fit into your daily routine. Whether you're new to mindfulness or looking to deepen your practice, this program will help you cultivate awareness, reduce stress, and build habits that last beyond the week.
Each day, you'll focus on a different mindfulness theme—like breathing, thoughts, or body awareness—accompanied by actionable steps, reflections, and short exercises. The goal isn’t perfection but progress: to create a toolkit of strategies to anchor yourself in the present moment, no matter what life throws your way.
Let’s take this journey together, one mindful moment at a time. Are you ready to transform your week—and perhaps your life? Let’s begin.
DAY 1
First step in mindfulness practice PAUSING to become PRESENT
We live a busy life sometimes overwhelming, we can easily lose connection with ourselves, and to what matters most to us. We are not here, in the present moment, in reality were everything happens.
Whether you are a parent, a therapist, a manager or a healer, you can be drawn to mindfulness training to make your life better
Maybe you want to enhance your mental clarity and performance, maybe you are looking for a way to feel more relaxed and balanced, or you might be trapped in hobbits that are nor serving your relationships at work or at home.
The way to change is by coming to the present moment with awareness.
Mindfulness helps us to be at home with ourselves and others, to be centered and focused.
Researchers have already established the fact that our mind is set to wonder, default mode network, most of the times our thoughts are not related to our actions, also research shows that we are most happy when we are present and connected with ourselves and those around us.
Mindfulness is mostly paying attention to what happens inside of us and outside of us, bringing presence to each and every moment in our live.
First door way into presence is PAUSING.
Learning to pause in difficult moments, or in the middle of the action, brings you back to what is actually happening, you are clearer about what you feel and think and about what is going on around you.
A pause helps you from not repeating old reactive pattern that no loner servs you, you can begin to sense and see with more clarity.
Today practice:
Find a comfortable way to sit up wright, stay alert but also relaxed, you may sit on a chair or on a floor, if you are on a chair is better to sit a little forward than leaning on your back, allow your hands to rest easily on your knees or your lap, let your eyes close gently or if you prefer let them open, with a soft receptive gaze. if you cannot sit, you may lie down arms and legs uncrossed, relaxed, you want to make sure you stay awake.
As you come into stillness, sense that you are pausing, arriving in presence, with a gentle attention, notice the state of your body right now. Take a full deep breath and release it slowly so that you cand feel the sensation of exhaling as the breath moves through your chest, your throat your nostrils.
Now allows your breath to resume its natural rhythm, and sense that you can relax, feeling gravity and how the earth is supporting you.
Notice without judgement the state of your body, just now, any sensations that may arise.
Notice the state of your mind and heart, just as it is, any thoughts or emotions arising, bring the light of presence into them. Be aware of the sensation of being sited, present in this moment.
Notice that you cand bring presence regardless of what is going on for you whether is pleasant or worry. notice whatever is present just now, in this very moment. Feel the benefit of simply being present, and know that you can access this state again and again.
We are now closing this mindfulness practice, let your intention be to carry this state of relaxation and presence to your daily activities.
DAY 2
Mindfulness of breath
In this session we will focus of the most common mindfulness practice, Breath
Your body is continuously breathing, connecting you with life and the pulse of the universe.
Becoming mindful of our breathing can calm and steady our attention, it can improve our ability to focus on whatever we are doing, strengthening our capacity to work, study and heal.
Breath practices are used throughout cultures for centuries, breathing increases our capacity to remain alert and present in the moment.
Focusing your attention on the breath will help us also to become mindful of our thoughts, feelings and sensations and interactions with others. This is opening us to the freedom of choice, instead of reacting on impulsivity or limiting beliefs, hopefully acting with awareness and clarity.
Mindfulness of breathing is not about controlling the breath the scope is developing awareness, you will allow the breath to simply be, and your task is to be aware of it.
Being aware of your breath is like learning a new skill, it takes time, patience and practice. Be aware of your breath and whenever you mind has wondered, just observe and return to your breath again.
Mindfulness of breath begins this simply but is a most useful tool in hand in mindfulness practice. If you use this practice daily, when you are distracted or spaced out, you will train your mind into attention and awareness.
Today’s practice
Find a comfortable way to sit up wright, stay alert but also relaxed, you may sit on a chair or on a floor, if you are on a chair is better to sit a little forward than leaning on your back, allow your hands to rest easily on your knees or your lap, let your eyes close gently or if you prefer let them open, with a soft receptive gaze. if you cannot sit, you may lie down arms and legs uncrossed, relaxed, you want to make sure you stay awake.
Notice the state of your body and bring a kind attention to it, notice any sensations, bring kindness and presence to all that you observe.
Now turn your attention on your breath. See that is always there. Take 2 deep relaxing breaths, and feel your body as you breath. Now, let the breath resume its natural rhythm, notice where it is in your body that you most easily sense the breath, notice the sensations in your nostrils or back of your throat, it may be the rise and fall of chest or belly or it may be the sensation of the whole-body breathing, where you most naturally feel your breath rhythm, rest your attention there. You can also put the palm of your hand on your belly and notice how it rises and falls with each breath.
Now let yourself feel the next 3 in and out breaths, and as you sense each breath, let the mind calm and the boy relax. Now try 3 more breaths. Continue with this relaxed and calming attention on the breath of another 3 minutes. If you notice that your attention has wondered form the breath, bring it back, no judgment, no frustration, just a kind return.
Now see if you can sense 6 breaths in a row while relaxing with calm mindfulness.
Now as you breath and the words calm and ease and feel the rhythm of your breath as it is now, in this moment, as you experience it. Let your attention deepen with each breath you take.
Practice this simple but efficient mindfulness practice during your day to connect to presence.
DAY 3
Manny of us live in a world of thoughts and emotions and have lost touch with our bodies.
As you practice shifting your attention on your body, what do you notice?
Are there any places to hold stress and vulnerability?
What brings joy to your body?
We will extend the mindfulness on the body, connecting to what happens inside of the body, to be aware of body sensations. Any emotions are arising with sensations of the body. Pleasant or unpleasant, all sensations felt in the body. With mindfulness. We can remain present and observe our emotions, letting them rise and pass, like the breath.
As we learn to stay present with sensations, we free ourselves from old patterns of reactivity, and receive the gifts of an embodied life. our body lives on the present moment, when we are in touch with the body we are here.
Today’s Practice
Please allow yourself to sit in a comfortable position, take a few full breaths, then allow your breath to be in its natural rhythm.
Relax with the inflow and the outflow of the breath, feeling the breath with a calm clear attention.
Now raise your hand up in the air and move it gently from left to right, give up on any idea of how the hand looks like and experience all sensations given by the movement of the hand, warmth, cool, tingle, hard, soft.
Now gently rest your hand down and bring attention to your other hand and sense both hands now as a field of aliveness, continue to receive any sensations feeling them form inside out. Your body is fill with awareness, now shift your attention to your feet any see you can feel your feet from inside out, move your awareness towards your pelvis, then your torso, your arms, your neck and head and face. Rest in mindful presence feeling your hole body. Bring your attention back to your breath feeling your breath from inside out.
To deepen mindfulness of the body, as you move through the day, you may periodically pause, feel your breath, and along with breathing sense your hands from inside out, this type of awareness can help you to be more present in any activity and better handle any situation that you find yourself facing.
DAY 4
Body scan
Mindfulness of the body helps you to become more present in your life because your body is always living in the present moment, here and now. When lost in thought we lose contact with what happens in our body, sensations, posture, mimics. Bringing body and mind at the same place in the same time, fills us with the satisfaction of being connected to the present moment and enjoying the fullness of live.
Being aware of the sensations in the body can also serve as an anchor to stay in the present moment, by keeping the attention focused on the body sensations you can also calm a wondering mind.
Today ‘s practice
Body scan is , a powerful mindfulness practice that can keep your mind focused collect your attention and open your awareness to the present moment.
Please allow yourself to sit in a comfortable position, take a few full breaths, then allow your breath to be in its natural rhythm, relaxing with the in and out, inviting yourself to be here, at home in your body.
With this relaxed awareness start by feeling the sensations in your top of your head, notice cool, warm, tingle, let your attention move on the back of the head on ether side of the head, to your ears, notice the sensations to your eyes and forehead, inside the nose, the cheeks, the jaw and mouth, take your time, giving full attention, you are not trying to change anything, just to perceive the full sensations in your body as it is.
As you continue you may feel that in some parts of the body you may fell no sensations or numbness, please know this is common, as your attention deepens, you will become aware of more subtle sensations. Now bring your attention to the area of your neck and throat notice without judgment any sensations that may arise and continue scanning being aware of the sensations in your shoulders form inside out, sense the length and volume of your arms, bring your attention to your hands, feel them in an easy effortless way, the fingers, the palms the back of the hands.
Now place your awareness inside your chest, gently receiving the sensations in the heart area, and now thought out the hole chest, move your awareness into your stomach, feel the sensations of your abdomen, bring your attention to your upper back, move to your lower back and to your spinal cord. move your awareness to your pelvic region, receive the sensations from your hips and genitals and fesieri, and moving down sense the length and volume of the legs, feel them from inside, feel your feet and toes. And open your attention to include your full body, the flow of energy, in very organ of your body, fell the vibration of your full body, this aliveness is you.
As you move through the day you may pause to relax your body and to bring your body and mind at the same time in the same place.
DAY 5
MINDFULNESS OF EMOTIONS
Emotions are like a river, flowing into our life, they are an unconscious response to an event, having a high emodiversity is key to well-being. Naming and bringing presence to what we feel, to our emotions, keeps us attuned to what happens into your body and mind. Awareness and presence are key to consciousness.
When we experience strong emotions, and the limbic brain take control, we lose up to 75% of our cognitive capacities, we might lose our state of presence and I order to recover it we might need to Stop, Breathe, Notice and Reflect. – on reacting
Awareness of emotions helps us bring a more balance and compassionate approach to difficult and highly triggering situations that may come across.
Today’s practice
Awareness of emotions. Please come into a siting posture that allows you to be relaxed and alert. Please notice the state of your body and mind. Bring attention to your breath and body. As you feel each breath let the mind calm and the body relax, and turn your attention to whatever feelings you are feeling right now. You are exploring the river of your emotions, as a witness, simply observing what is there. Sometimes several feelings can be present at once, sometimes you may notice only few feelings, simply acknowledge each feeling that arises, no need to judge or change them, just let them be. Noticing what feelings are present right in this moment and also notice as feelings are experienced as body sensations. Anxiety or joy, love or hate each emotion has patterns of energy and sensations in different parts of the body, see if you can feel, emotions and sensations in your body, bring a kind receptive attention to all that you notice exploring your current emotions and the sensations in your body. Moment to moment notice the emotions that flow thru you.
You might ask, what is happening inside me right now, can I stay with al that I sense ..
Let your emotions flow and just notice, the purpose is not to stop what you feel but to be aware and bring presence to your feelings, emotions and body sensations
Now, return you attention to your breath, stay centered in your body and let your emotions flow in the background, remain aware of your emotions and if a strong emotion captures your attention, bring presence to that emotion, reflet and then react. Let this practice guide your days.
DAY 6
One of the purposes of mindfulness practice is to awake from the circle of thoughts. Some thoughts are easier to be aware of other and we can easily get back to presence, some other times we can easily get lost in our thoughts, about your relationships, your child, job, financial worries, a strong argument with someone that triggered us. This kind of thoughts are usually driven by very strong emotions, and is becoming difficult to get back into presence.
Learning to deal with this kind of thoughts is a freeing process.
What is to be done when obsessive thoughts take over, when we are in the grip of a repetitive thinking pattern, charged with strong emotions? How we recenter in these difficult moments?
Is always good to remember that is possible to respond with patience, forgives and that thoughts are a natural part of life, they come and go, always remember that no matter how strong a storm may be, it has its own ending.
Obsessive thoughts are linked with emotions and sensations in the body, when you are in the middle this kind of torment you can address the situation like this:
1. Labeling thinking, become aware that you think “I am thinking obsessively”
2. Labeling obsessive thinking, on what is it about “I am obsessing about work/partner/child you can repeat this step 2, 3 or 5 times
3. Take a deep breath and connect to your body, sense was in your body you fell the strongest sensation about your thoughts.
4. You may find that you feel pressure, heat, pain, anger in your body. Keep your attention on that sensation, and breath gently into it, just witness the sensations while keeping yourself anchored into your breath. You may notice that after few minutes the intensity of you state might diminish and the grip of obsessive thinking is looser.
DAY 7
Mindfulness is a practice for presence and awareness. I hope you found your daily practice useful and that it brought you closer into stillness.
Today’s final lesson is about keeping the state of presence as much as possible during each day of your life.
It may be that you have the time and space to take some moments for meditation every day or other mindfulness practices or you might be very busy and think that you have no time for mindfulness.
Having a steady practice definitely helps but is important to remember that you do not need a special procedure or ahead preparation in order to bring presence into your life.
You might be in your car, just leaving home to work, triggered on a conversation with your partner.
Give yourself just 2 minutes before you start driving to work. Sited in your car chair take one deep breath, notice how you feel and what you think, it might be: “ I am obsessing about the fight” turn your attention into your body, connect your body sensations and be aware to what your body is communicating to you. Witness your sensations, with no judgment, see what is going on for you, breath into that sensation, gently. Bring spaciousness awareness into that moment, into that thought, into that sensation, stay with it for a while, name what you feel with no judgement.
Congratulations, you have meet your goal to create a special time of self reflection, everyday and you have completed 1 week of mindfulness program!
One last task:
Please reflect of what happens for you when you become still, present.
MAY YOU BE SAFE, MAY YOU BE HAPPY, MAY YOU BE HEALTHY, MAY YOU LIVE WITH EASE!
