Mind Lab Activities
Work your way through the activities below and then write a reflection on your experience, what you
learned, and how you might apply this to your personal/professional life.
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Podcasts (Pick at least two from this list):
o Ten Percent Happier: Ways to End Bias That Will Also Make You Happier:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2fxNHumlbghQHw8RILzdV3?si=AvXa39_WT3itlQN
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o Building Resilience through Mindfulness Practice with Alex Peavey (VCU CLED alum!) –
School Counselor Focused https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/building-resiliencethrough-mindfulness-practice-alex/id1447045479?i=1000473077830
o Ten Percent Happier: The Science of Handling Uncertainty:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6gsu1D19tYvxpXkR6tt5GI?si=wVzsyrsuQJm0K_78K
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o Indigenous Mindfulness Rerooted Podcast: Discussion around Indigenous mindfulness,
anti-racism, and the neuroscience of healing through dance
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-40-indigenous-mindfulness-with-dr-michaelyellow-bird/id1460164109?i=1000495872591.
o Black Zen and Weekly Wellness – This is a recap episode of top 10 strategies, feel free to
listen to this one or peruse their other episodes (like the ones they discuss) for one that
interests you E124_Top 10 Podcasts Most Likely To Help You Grow by BLACKZEN.CO
(soundcloud.com)
o Dr. Nadine Burke discusses ACEs, trauma, prevention (it’s long, don’t worry about the
show notes part without Dr. Burke) - https://armchairexpertpod.com/pods/nadineburke-harris?rq=nadine%20burke

Videos (Pick at least two):
o Youtube Zen Den (Really any of the Zen Den’s – mindfulness and neuroscience for kids!):
https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8snGkhBF7ngDp1oJtx5VcjwatxZn8xLK
o How Mindfulness Empowers Us: An Animation Narrated by Sharon Salzberg:
https://youtu.be/vzKryaN44ss
o Why Mindfulness is a Superpower: An Animation Narrated by Dan Harris:
https://youtu.be/w6T02g5hnT4
o How to Defeat Negative Thinking: An Animation Narrated by Derrick Carpenter
https://youtu.be/_XLY_XXBQWE

Assessment:
o Take the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) which is saved in this folder!

Experience
o Exercise 1: Three Minutes of Mindfulness
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o
First minute: Sit in a comfortable position, close your eyes, and take a
couple of deep breaths to relax. During the first minute, try to simply
notice your thoughts and feelings. Imagine a "bubble of awareness" that is
only the size of your head and heart. What are you thinking about? What
are you feeling right now in this moment? Remember, nothing outside of
your frame of awareness matters right now. Give yourself permission to
focus on noticing your thoughts and feelings as they occur. Once you have
noticed them, do your best not to engage them, but to simply allow them
to move on and leave your "bubble of awareness" on their own. Continue
throughout the rest of this first minute by noticing whatever thought or
feeling arises next.
Second minute: During the second minute, expand your "bubble of
awareness" to include your physical sensations. As you do this, maintain
your awareness of thoughts and feelings. Add your physical self to your
frame of awareness and simply notice. What does it feel like to be in your
body right now? What sensations do you notice? Again, just note them
and then allow them to move on. Do your best to allow the sensations to
move on just as easily as they first arose.
Third minute: In the final minute, again expand your "bubble of
awareness," this time to include the space around you. As you do this,
maintain your awareness of thoughts and feelings as well as your physical
sensations. Notice the room or area around you. What do you hear? What
do you smell? What do you feel? What is it like to exist right here in this
space in this very moment? Notice the stimuli of your present space and
then allow them to move on from your focus. As the third minute comes to
a close, bring your attention back to your breath and slowly open your
eyes.