Mindfulness Based
Stress Reduction

Mindfulness based stress reduction is simple, portable and effective.

Since this technique is based in your relationship with your own mind,
or breath, there are no gadgets to buy and it takes up no space in your house. If you are at all awake, it is available to you, 24/7.

What Are You Really?

Most people identify so strongly with their minds and thoughts they think they are their minds and thoughts.

This strong belief does not correspond with reality. Just because many people believe something does not make it true. (For thousands of years people thought the earth was flat and that belief did not correspond with reality either.)

We Are The Field of Awareness
In Which Thoughts Occur

How do we know we are not our thoughts?

Our thoughts and feelings are changing constantly. They seem to go on, automatically, by themselves, whether we want them to, or not.

If you were really your thoughts, you could change
them, or stop them at will.
You could tell them to "go away" and they would.....but they don't.

Who is it that wishes the thought would stop?
Or change in quality?
Or become more peaceful and less stressful?
Who is it that notices thinking is going on?

That which is noticing the constant changing of the thoughts is what we are.

Watch the Mind

Mindfulness based stress reduction means watching the mind to learn the truth about who we really are.

And thus, we become less involved with the mind’s pain.

• Watch the mind
• without judgments,
• without “shoulds,”
• with no effort to control.

Watch the mind as it changes, as it plays its games and runs its conditioned patterns.

The thoughts and patterns go on, almost by themselves. They go on without any help from you. They are not what you are.

• Believing that I am my thoughts is a source of immense unnecessary pain.
• Thoughts keep changing; but some aspect of me is not changing.
• What is that non-changing aspect of me?
• Thought is a phenomenon that I experience. But it is not what I really am.
• By experiencing this truth I can be more peaceful.

Or, Watch the Breath

Some people prefer to practice mindfulness based stress reduction by innocently watching their breath.

The breathing body is not what we are either. But by watching the breath we again become more aware of that which is watching:

Simply allow the attention to gently notice the

inhale.....and exhale...

and inhale .....and exhale...

and inhale ...........and exhale......

The Simple Beauty of Mindfulness Based
Stress Reduction -

It quiets the mind.

When I remember to do this mindfulness meditation,
I feel more grounded….....now.

I feel secure in the gift of life.
I become more aware.

The details of life become
less troublesome.

And I feel more at peace
with my own existence.


Many ordinary simple activities can be transformed into peaceful mindfulness exercises. Mindfulness meditation and activities are one type of stress relief technique.

Another stress relief technique you may find helpful to know and use is Labyrinth meditation

Or,You may wish to explore additional powerful
stress relief techniques.

To see an overview of many natural stress relief tips visit
Gentle Stress Relief home page.