Mindfulness Audios Download: Feeling Heat

Daily Mindfulness Practice: Free Audio Download

by Monica A. Frank, Ph.D.

The following is part of a series of audios to teach how to practice mindfulness. Developing your ability to focus on the present moment can reduce distress and improve well-being.

Feeling Heat

Index for Mindfulness Audios

Additional reading:

Why Are Meditative Relaxation and Mindfulness Important?

A Brief Primer on the Biology of Stress and How CBT Can Help

PsychNotes: Mindfulness and Relaxation Methods

Some tips for using these audios:

Start with the Understanding Mindfulness audios to learn about mindfulness.

These short practice exercises are to help train your brain to be more mindful when engaged in daily activities.

The audio format is just for convenience to help learn the material. You can also read the transcript. When you practice, however, you should engage in the behavior mindfully without listening to the audio.

The best way to train your brain to be more mindful is to practice in short sessions throughout the day while engaged in your normal activities.

The descriptions are an artificial way to help you get started. Eventually, the practice of mindfulness is being aware of what is described without using an inner verbal description.

Although mindfulness can be relaxing, it is really about being present with your immediate experience even if it is not entirely pleasant.

For this exercise, try to focus fully on the experience of feeling heat and noticing the sensations by sitting in the sun or near a fire. Your experience of this exercise will vary depending upon the heat source and intensity.

Next Exercise

Listen

Transcript of Audio: Feeling Heat

Let yourself feel heat. Whether you do this by sitting in the sun or by sitting next to a fire, just let yourself fully experience the heat. What does it feel like on your skin? Does the skin closer to the heat feel different than the skin farther away? Can you feel the difference in your hair follicles or in your sweat glands? Do you feel the moistening of your skin as you perspire? What do your clothes feel like against your skin? Let yourself fully experience this heat. As you feel the heat, instead of focusing on the discomfort, let yourself just notice the different sensations. Let yourself be detached from the sensations and be aware of what it feels like without any judgment. As you move away from the heat such as by moving out of the direct sun notice the different sensations. Notice how your body feels as the sensation of heat reduces. Do you feel your skin cooling and drying? Continue to let yourself experience this sensation without demand for it to change. As you do, do the sensations vary in intensity? Let yourself just “be” with this experience.

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