Delivered by Laura Brodie from Adventures in Albinism.
Following the success of our weekly Mindfulness sessions with Laura Brodie (as part of our Marvellous ME Monday programme) kindly supported by the National Lottery, we are offering a further series of monthly sessions
These sessions will compliment and encourage further exploration, following our first series of Mindfulness within our Marvelous Me Monday series. It offers accessible, guided mindfulness practices, reflection and practical tools to support emotional balance, self-awareness and resilience. Inclusive for blind and visually impaired participants.
Forthcoming Sessions
14th July
4th August
Mindfulness & Emotional Wellbeing: An Experiential Course for Eye Matter’s Tranquil Tuesdays monthly session – Building Resilience: Taking in the Good
“Resilience is not just for surviving the worst day of your life. It’s for thriving every day of your life.”
Dr Rick Hanson. Audio Book recommendation- Resilient (Audio Download): Rick Hanson, Rick Hanson, Penguin Audio: Amazon.co.uk: Books
Before embarking on our first meditation, Laura asked Eye Matter to consider what resilience means to us?
In acknowledging the existence of resilience within ourselves, Laura encouraged us to be aware of how our bodies are positioned. Initially taking three deep breaths at the start of our first meditation, to loosen around our eyes and feel a travelling sense of calm throughout our body. Encouraging us to feel the breath through our nose and giving gratitude to ourselves for existing. Working towards a sense of kindness to ourselves and those encountered throughout the day.
In This Session, Eye Matter explored the concept of resilience and how mindfulness can help us strengthen the inner resources that support us through life’s challenges. Learning that resilience does not mean avoiding difficulty, staying positive all the time, or never struggling. Rather, resilience is our ability to recover, adapt, and continue moving forward when life becomes difficult. Resilience, Laura explained, can be cultivated, grown and developed over time. It can encourage problem-solving skills, forgiveness (for ourselves and those around us) and help us to become adaptable.
Laura introduced Eye Matter to Dr Rick Hanson’s work on positive neuroplasticity and his observation that the brain is often like Velcro for negative experiences and Teflon for positive ones. Negative experiences tend to stay with us, while positive experiences often pass by before we have fully taken them in.
The encouraging news is that the brain can continue to change throughout our lives. Through awareness and practice, we can strengthen neural pathways associated with wellbeing, calm, confidence, connection, and resilience. In understanding the importance of resilience, Laura referred back to a previous quote;
“You cannot stop the waves, but you can learn to surf!”
When confronted by disappointment, uncertainties, or change, resilience helps us cope with it in that moment rather than avoiding the confrontation or remaining steeped in the sensation. Consequently, this helps lower stress, develop coping skills, improve relationships, and ultimately improve mental health. Laura referred back to the concept of the brain’s negativity bias – scanning the horizon for problems. Building upon this knowledge, Eye Matter explored Dr Hanson’s H.E.A.L. framework:
H – Have a beneficial experience
Noticing or creating a positive experience.
E – Enrich it
Allowing the experience to stay a little longer.
A – Absorb it
Letting the experience sink in and become part of us.
L – Link it
Allowing positive experiences to sit alongside challenges, helping us
Remember that both difficulties and resources can coexist.
During our guided meditation, we practised identifying supportive experiences and learning how to receive them more fully, helping them become lasting inner resources.
Within the final meditation, Laura suggested, as a way of acknowledging and appreciating our resilience, to place one hand over our heart or give a gentle smile, allowing the experience to remain. Eye Matter was further encouraged to explore the sensations evoked by allowing our acknowledgement of resilience through the softening of our muscles, steadiness, a sense of calmness, etc.
Openness asserts the experience as a real part of our being rather than something to constantly avoid. Identification of dual sensations, a small frustration, alongside a positive experience, encourages us to stop pretending life is easy. Ultimately, leading to awareness of our inner resources ready to soothe when necessary.
Reflections from Eye Matter included one person’s observation that this had been good as an ‘undoing meditation’. The concentration of breath, in recognising it as another portal for tension.
Another suggested how quickly good thoughts were replaced with horrible sensations. This stressed the importance of recognising good experiences and their part in establishing inner peace. Whereas one member appreciated having this specific time to explore these emotions within a small group, which Laura illustrated as “micro-moments”.
Another suggested that this opportunity developed an awareness to almost retrain the brain, which Laura suggested would involve consistency of meditation. The same person said how similarly this session was linked to a previous Eye Matter ‘Surviving to Thriving session they had attended recently with Jo Williams. Laura reflected on the importance of acknowledging thriving within ourselves.
Laura will return next month for another thought-provoking session.
Watch the video below to take part in a meditation session with Dr Rick: