New Year Practice

We entered 2021… I imagine that for many, it was not the beginning of the year that we expected. We still live one of the most difficult situations in the history of mankind, a pandemic that took many things from us: the freedom to be able to find and embrace those we love, to be able to move freely, even to be able to work sometimes, and that also took the life of Many. Although science has advanced in the fight against the pandemic, we still have a lot of ground to walk before we see the end of it. This reality scares, saddens, but it is our reality at that moment. Thinking about it, and looking for the intention and strength inherent in all of us to move forward, I developed a practice that I would like to share with you today.

For those who are not familiar with Mindfulness practices, at the beginning I give some guidance on which position to adopt. You can practice in whatever way makes the most sense to you: reading and mentalizing what is written, or recording an audio of yourself reading the practice and then listening to it. Anyway, everyone can find their own way of practicing. Below I present the practice roadmap, I hope it will be useful.

Screenplay :

Place yourself sitting or lying down with a comfortable and attentive posture, with your legs and arms uncrossed and your spine straight. Close your eyes as a way to connect more with this practice. To begin, I invite you to take two very deep and attentive breaths, drawing in the air well, filling your lungs, and letting the air out of your body slowly through the exhalation ... and again.

Realize that this body that is here, breathing at that moment, is the same body that has been here during the past year and throughout its life. Take a moment to connect with this.

Now I invite you to visualize, through the eyes of your mind, the things and people important to you in the year 2021. Without judgment, just realizing that things and people appear in your experience when you think about the important things for you in 2021.

Note if there are judgments such as: "I will not succeed", "if it has not worked so far, why would it work now?", "I do not deserve it", or others. These are just productions of your mind in an attempt to protect you, but we don't need to listen to everything that our mind tells us. See if it is possible to note these judgments and, kindly, let them pass and reconnect with the important things.

Now that you have spent some time with these values for 2021, reconnect with your breath, with the air entering and leaving your body. Inhaling… exhaling, in this continuous movement of the breath. Realize that this body that is breathing here, the same body that has accompanied you throughout your life, has already gone through many things, happy things, sad things, easy things and more difficult things. And he survived all of this and is here today, together with you, ready for this new journey.

Now we are heading towards the end of this practice, so I invite you again to take two very deep and very attentive breaths. Gradually, connect with where you are and you can open your eyes to end this practice.

Author: Mariana Sanseverino Dillenburg - CRP 07/27708

Psychologist graduated from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS). Master's student in the Research and Evaluation Group in Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapy (GAAPCC) coordinated by Professor Margareth da Silva Oliveira at PUCRS. Ongoing specialization in Contextual Behavioral Therapies by CEFI / CIPCO. She is trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) by CEFI. Experience with clinical, home care, care for bereaved people and skills training group. She has been a member of the CEFI Contextus team since 2018. She works in a private practice.