Sport Program Manual

This contains information about Smiling Mind, its relevance in the context of sport, as well as the program structure, content and synopses for each meditation.

This manual is what coaches/facilitators or individuals will use when implementing the program.

6.2. On the Field: Getting Rid Of Tension

Bring the Tensing and Relaxing exercise On the Field by using it while you train or play. This exercise encourages you to pay close attention to where you hold tension in your body, and experiment with letting it go—either by breathing into it and releasing tension on the outbreath, or tensing that part even more and relaxing when you breath out.

6.2. On the Field: Getting Rid Of Tension

Bring the Tensing and Relaxing exercise On the Field by using it while you train or play. This exercise encourages you to pay close attention to where you hold tension in your body, and experiment with letting it go—either by breathing into it and releasing tension on the outbreath, or tensing that part even more and relaxing when you breath out.

5.2. On the Field: Mindful Walking

This exercise helps bring mindful walking and mindful movement into your life. Whether you are at training or simply walking to the shop, start to become present to the experience of walking.

5.1. Training Session: Mindful Walking

This short exercise is simply about bringing mindful awareness to walking, as a means of increasing body awareness. Before you begin, make sure you have enough space to stand up and walk about 3 or 4 metres. If in a group, stand in a circle with all participants facing the same direction, ready to walk together in a circle.

4.2. On the Field: Sharpening Your Concentration

This exercise asks you to bring a sharp focus to tasks or exercises while training or during a match or competition. It encourages curiosity about all the ways that you can really focus on what you are doing. Remember that you can focus your attention on anything you like—anything you are experiencing through your senses, and anything that is happening in your mind.

4.1. Training Session: Sharpening Your Concentration

Mindfulness is about using the senses to keep your attention in the present, while remaining open to whatever is happening in each moment. Your ability to manage your concentration and have your attention on the right things at the right time is critical to your performance in all aspects of your game.

This short exercise uses the breath to help you sharpen the focus of your attention like a laser beam, so you can start doing this when you need to on the field.

3.2. On the Field: Mindful Movement

This exercise looks at getting in touch with your body the next time you are at training, using the techniques in the Mindful Movement Training Session. Starting with a simple movement like throwing a ball with a partner and complete the movements deliberately, observing how you do each movement.

3.1. Training Session: Mindful Movement

This exercise will take you through some simple stretches and movements, beginning slowly so you notice what it’s like to actually do them. The aim is to tune in to your body, and become aware of new things such as areas of tension and inefficient movement. This will help you notice how you are moving during training and matches, so you can make minor adjustments and maximise your performance.

2.2. On the Field: Working Mindfully with Emotions

This On the Field exercise teaches you to use your breathing to be with your emotions. The key here is curiosity. When you bring curiosity to your emotions—that is, when you are really interested in how they actually feel (in their different sensory qualities)—you are really being with them.

Use this exercise as much as you like or need. Simply check in with yourself throughout the day, noticing what emotions are around, and noticing where you can feel your emotions in your body. Really feel them—drop the story, and be with them from moment to moment, breath to breath.

2.1. Training Session: Working Mindfully with Emotions

This short exercise will teach you how to use mindfulness to simply let negative emotions be present, without getting overwhelmed or getting into a tug of war with them.

This is particularly useful in the lead up to and during a performance. You may have noticed that your emotions get even stronger when you try to suppress them, or when you indulge them.

This exercise teaches how to simply let them be—come and go—and keep yourself centred in the present using your body and breath.

1.2. On the Field: Tuning In to Your Surroundings

This On the Field exercise is a little longer and asks you to use your senses to ground you throughout the day. Notice what you can hear, see or feel in each moment. It can be very useful to practise this exercise throughout the day or night, so you can draw upon it when you need it. Try practising it on the bus on the way to a game or when you are playing; use it as a tool to stay alert rather than getting caught up in what is going through your mind.

It is also perfect to incorporate into your performance routine to keep you at your best, and to stay connected with the present.

Daily Mindfulness Guide (7 minutes +)

Initially, this reflection focuses attention on the breath, then it takes participants through a process scanning the body for sensations. Participants will explore every body part from the tips of the toes to the top of the head. This activity encourages participants to notice both obvious and more subtle sensations, eventually expanding their attention to include the whole body.

Daily Mindfulness Guide (6 minutes)

This reflection brings attention to the feeling of breath moving in and out of the body. Participants are encouraged to use the breath as a way of bringing the mind into the present moment. This guide also instructs participants to listen to their body, noticing sounds and expanding their attention to include the whole sound landscape.

Daily Mindfulness Guide (5 minutes +)

This daily guide asks participants to observe and count their breaths. Acknowledging that the mind may wander throughout, the guide encourages participants to look at thoughts as if they were clouds in the sky, passing by.

Additional Sport Meditation: Exploring Emotion

Session 6 observes that moods and emotions are present in every moment of every day, similar to breathing. The session explains that emotions come and go just like thoughts—we don’t always need to react to them.

Additional Sport Meditation: Exploring Thoughts

This meditation observes how the mind loves to wander and sometimes feels like it has a life of its own. Listeners are shown that rather than getting attached to thoughts, they can simply be observed and watched as they pass.

Facilitators’ Manual Adult Program

This contains information about Smiling Mind, the research and science behind it, as well as the program structure, content and synopses for each meditation.

This manual is what teachers/facilitators will use/ follow when implementing the program.

Teachers’ Manual 7-11 Years Program

This contains information about Smiling Mind, the research and science behind it, as well as the program structure, content and synopses for each meditation.

This manual is what teachers/facilitators will use/ follow when implementing the program.

Teachers’ Manual 16-22 Years Program

This contains information about Smiling Mind, the research and science behind it, as well as the program structure, content and synopses for each meditation.

This manual is what teachers/facilitators will use/ follow when implementing the program.

Teachers’ Manual 12-15 Years Program

This contains information about Smiling Mind, the research and science behind it, as well as the program structure, content and synopses for each meditation.

This manual is what teachers/facilitators will use/ follow when implementing the program.

Daily Mindfulness Guide (10 minutes +)

This meditation cultivates mindfulness by bringing participants attention to different parts of their body through a body scan. It encourages curious exploration of sensations throughout this process.

Daily Mindfulness Guide (7 minutes +)

 

This meditation takes participants through a body scan, asking them to pay attention to different parts of their body. A glowing bubble is used to visualise this process.

Daily Mindfulness Guide (7 minutes)

This daily guide asks participants to observe and count their breaths. Acknowledging that the mind may wander throughout, the guide encourages participants to look at thoughts as if they were clouds in the sky, passing by.

Take Home Activity 10: Bonus Practice

 

This activity encourages mindfulness by exploring how the breath changes throughout the day, and observes the fact that everyone is breathing in the same air.

Take Home Activity 9: Choosing To Do Things Mindfully

Listen to a list of 50 activities that you can do mindfully each day! The activities are as simple as noticing your breath while waiting in line, or listening to a song you love.

Take Home Activity 8: Finding Your Inner Master

This activity asks participants to imagine their role model or ‘master’ who imparts advice onto them. They are then reminded that this master and their advice is always within them.

Take Home Activity 7: A Legal Alien

 

This activity helps participants to step back from their thoughts and observe them from a distance, by asking them to pretend they are a friendly and curious alien scientist invited to examine the human mind.

Take Home Activity 6: Feeling Emotions in Your Body

When we are caught up in an emotion, it can be difficult to bring mindfulness to the experience. This activity provides a tool to practise bringing mindfulness into experiencing emotions.

Take Home Activity 5: A Mindful Athlete

 

This guided imagery looks at bringing mindful awareness into a sport or game, and uses running as an example.

 

Introductory Session 5: Short Mindfulness Practice

Mindfulness is not only about taking five to ten minutes a day to sit and meditate. The awareness and attention that it cultivates is useful in everyday moments. This short exercise places a comma in throughout the day by taking a moment to become aware of the body and breath, thoughts and sounds, smells and sights.

Take Home Activity 4: One Minute Body Scan

 

Takes participants through a one minute body scan and encourages tuning into the body twice a day to repeat the scan and cultivate mindfulness.

Introductory Session 4: Breath and Emotions

This meditation practise is dedicated to bringing awareness to emotions and emotional experiences, allowing participants to observe them non-judgmentally. Reactions can increase the effect of negative emotions and experiences. This exercise helps build resilience to intense emotions and teaches the skill of observing the experience instead of reacting to it.

Take Home Activity 3: Where Did My Food Come From?

This session explores mindfulness through the tongue and taste sensations, prompting participants to look, feel, hear and taste food in new and mindful ways. Participants will also be asked to observe how the body responds to food and taste.

Set up: For today’s exercise, participants will need a piece of fruit, chocolate or raisins which they will be asked to eat slowly, savouring the sensations associated. Participants need to be in a seated position, either on a cushion on the floor or sitting in a chair.

Note: If using fruit, choose a fruit where no rind or peel needs to be removed before eating.

Introductory Session 3: Breath and Thoughts

Minds are thought machines that roam wild when left to their own devices; sometimes leading us into ideas or memories that cause anger, sadness, craving or self-pity. Paying attention to the present moment and bringing awareness to thoughts decreases the effect that they can have.

Take Home Activity 2: Are You Really Listening?

Listening attentively is a great way of being present and aware of each moment. It also helps in our relationships with other people. This activity guides you through mindfully listening to someone else.

Introductory Session 2: Breath and Sounds

Mindfulness is about bringing curious attention to things that are present right now, such as the body, breath and sounds. By bringing curiosity, acceptance and attention to these things, the present moment awareness is cultivated and the attentional muscle is trained.

Take Home Activity 1: Are You Still Breathing?

 

This simple activity reminds you to check in with your breath a few times a day by asking, “Am I Still Breathing?”

 

Introductory Session 1: Body Scan

This meditation is aimed at bringing awareness to the different parts of the body, from the tips of the toes to the top of the head.

Set Up: The best way to practise this meditation is to lie flat on your back on the floor, or be comfortably seated in a quiet room.

Daily Mindfulness Guide (7 minutes +)

Initially, this reflection focuses attention on the breath, then it takes participants through a process scanning the body for sensations. Participants will explore every body part from the tips of the toes to the top of the head. This activity encourages participants to notice both obvious and more subtle sensations, eventually expanding their attention to include the whole body.

Daily Mindfulness Guide (6 minutes )

This reflection brings attention to the feeling of breath moving in and out of the body. Participants are encouraged to use the breath as a way of bringing the mind into the present moment. This guide also instructs participants to listen to their body, noticing sounds and expanding their attention to include the whole sound landscape.

Daily Mindfulness Guide (5 minutes +)

This daily guide asks participants to observe and count their breaths. Acknowledging that the mind may wander throughout, the guide encourages participants to look at thoughts as if they were clouds in the sky, passing by.

Take Home Activity 10: Bonus Practice

 

This activity encourages mindfulness by exploring how the breath changes throughout the day, and observes the fact that everyone is breathing in the same air.

Introductory Session 10: My Smiling Mind Challenge

This session takes participants through the process of setting a challenge for the future, leading to the development of routines and rituals to facilitate desired behaviours or habits. Participants will also be taken through a final meditation combining various aspects of the Introductory Sessions.

Take Home Activity 9: C-ing Things Clearly

This activity explores situations in which there is an impulse to do something that is likely to have negative consequences. Participants are encouraged to navigate through these impulsive “about to” moments by bringing to mind the three Cs: calm, clear and content.

Introductory Session 9: I Wish For You

 

Session 9 encourages participants to send wishes to other people, helping to calm and focus the mind, and improve happiness and wellbeing.

Take Home Activity 8: Finding Your Inner Master

This activity asks participants to imagine their role model or ‘master’ who imparts advice onto them. They are then reminded that this master and their advice is always within them.

Introductory Session 8: I Wish For Me

This session explores the importance of making time for ourselves, rather than spending so much time thinking about other people. Participants are encouraged to let go of self-judgement by sending wishes; anything they want to wish for themselves.

Take Home Activity 7: A Legal Alien

This activity helps participants to step back from their thoughts and observe them from a distance, by asking them to pretend they are a friendly and curious alien scientist invited to examine the human mind.

Introductory Session 7: Exploring Thoughts

Session 7 observes how the “Monkey Mind” loves to wander and sometimes feels like it has a life of its own. Participants are shown that rather than getting attached to thoughts, they can simply be observed and watched as they pass.

Take Home Activity 6: Where Do I Feel My Emotions?

This activity explores how being caught up in moments of emotion make it difficult to bring mindfulness to the experience. Participants are given a tool to help them practise bringing mindfulness into emotional experiences.

Introductory Session 6: Exploring Emotions

Session 6 observes that moods and emotions are present in every moment of every day, similar to breathing. The session explains that emotions come and go just like thoughts—we don’t always need to react to them.

Take Home Activity 5: A Mindful Athlete

 

This guided imagery looks at bringing mindful awareness into a sport or game, and uses running as an example.

 

Introductory Session 5: Exploring Movement

Session 5 observes that mindfulness is not only about sitting down meditating. Participants are guided through a walking meditation, drawing attention to the different feelings of standing, lifting the leg and walking.

Set up: Participants will need to pick a spot where they can take a few steps without having to manoeuver past objects. They will need to stand up straight and close their eyes before beginning the audio recording.

Take Home Activity 4: One Minute Body Scan

 

Takes participants through a one minute body scan and encourages tuning into the body twice a day to repeat the scan, a practice that will help to cultivate mindfulness.

Introductory Session 4: Exploring the Body

Session 4 explores the wide variety of sensations that can occur in the body, and encourages participants to pay open and curious attention to all of the different sensations they experience. This may include itching, tension and feelings of comfort.

Take Home Activity 3: Where Did My Food Come From?

This activity observes that we don’t often stop to think about what was involved in getting food on our plates and ready to eat.

This exercise encourages mindfulness and gratitude whilst eating.

Introductory Session 3: Exploring Tastes

This session expands on the idea that bringing full attention to how something sounds, smells or feels, allows the mind to forget about worries and concerns about the past and the future. Participants are asked to explore this further through the sensation of taste. Savouring taste provides an opportunity to heighten awareness of pleasure and deliberately attempts to make the taste sensation last longer, subsequently boosting positive emotions.

Set up: For today’s exercise, participants will need a piece of fruit, chocolate or raisins which they will be asked to eat slowly, savouring the sensations associated. Participants need to be in a seated position, either on a cushion on the floor or sitting in a chair.

Note: If using fruit, choose a fruit where no rind or peel needs to be removed before eating.

Take Home Activity 2: Play Your Favourite Song

This week’s activity observes that ears and sound are great “sense-doors” into the present moment, and encourages participants to listen to something attentively and curiously, and potentially discover new sounds.

Introductory Session 2: Exploring Sounds

A common misconception about meditation is that complete silence is needed to do it.

This session guides participants through the mindful process of using sounds as objects for their meditation.

Take Home Activity 1: Are You Still Breathing?

 

This activity asks participants to check in with their breath a few times a day by asking themselves, “Am I still breathing?”

 

Introductory Session 1: Exploring the Breath

 

This session gives an introduction to Smiling Mind and explores the most basic way of cultivating Mindfulness; bringing awareness and attention to the breath.

Daily Mindfulness Guide (7 minutes +)

This guide takes participants through a body scan, asking them to imagine breathing in a warm, glowing bubble. Participants then visualise the bubble moving throughout the body with each breath, relaxing the entire body. This reflection encourages participants to use the breath as an anchor, to bring a wandering mind back into the present moment.

Daily Mindfulness Guide (5 minutes +)

This reflection asks participants to observe and count their breaths; to feel the breath move in and out of their body, creating calmness.

This activity acknowledges that the mind may wander throughout, and encourages participants to focus their attention by counting breaths.

Take Home Activity 10: Bonus Practice

This exercise encourages participants to explore how breath changes throughout the day, and asks them to observe that everyone else is breathing too.

Introductory Session 10: My Smiling Mind Challenge

This week’s session asks participants to set a challenge for the future, to help develop routines and rituals that will foster the growth of desired behaviours or habits. Participants will also be taken through a final meditation combining various aspects of the Introductory Sessions.

Take Home Activity 9: Choosing to do Things Mindfully

 

This exercise provides a list of 41 activities that participants can do mindfully each day.

 

Introductory Session 9: I Wish for You

 

This week’s session encourages the process of sending ‘wishes’ to other people, helping to calm and focus the mind, and improve happiness and wellbeing.

 

Take Home Activity 8: Am I C-ing Things Clearly

This exercise asks participants to consider how mindfulness and the three Cs—being calm, clear and content—can take the heat out of impulsive moments or situations.

Introductory Session 8: I Wish For Me

This session explores the importance of making time for ourselves, rather than spending so much time thinking about other people.

Participants are encouraged to let go of self-judgement by making ‘wishes’; anything they want to wish for themselves.

Take Home Activity 7: Like Clouds in the Sky

In this exercise, the mind is likened to the sky and thoughts to clouds. This exercise explains how some clouds pass over quickly, and others stay longer; participants are reminded that no matter how many clouds are in the sky, a clear blue sky will eventually reappear.

Introductory Session 7: Exploring Thoughts

This session observes how the “Monkey Mind” loves to wander, and sometimes feels like it has a life of its own.

Participants will be asked to observe their thoughts and watch them pass, rather than getting attached to them.

Take Home Activity 6: Where Are My Emotions?

 

This exercise encourages participants to explore the different places in the body that they may feel emotions, and looks at associating emotions with colours as a way of understanding them.

Introductory Session 6: Exploring Emotions

This session explains the idea of separating the self from one’s emotions; participants are encouraged to observe emotions in the same way the breath or sensations can be observed. This activity tells a short story about a fleeing couple being chased, and uses the emotions evoked by the story to demonstrate how mindfulness can be used to calm the body.

Take Home Activity 5: What I Feel When I Walk

This exercise encourages participants to observe what they feel when they walk, explaining that it’s not necessary to do mindfulness practices slowly, only mindfully. Participants will be asked to observe feelings and sensations whilst walking, which stops the mind getting lost in thought and helps it be more present.

Introductory Session 5: Exploring Movement

This week’s session observes that mindfulness is not only about sitting down meditating. Participants will be guided through a walking meditation, asking them to walk slowly and gently, as though walking on eggshells. This draws attention to the different feelings of standing, lifting the leg and walking, and encourages trusting the body.

Set up: Participants will need to pick a spot where they can take a few steps without having to manoeuver past objects. They will need to stand up straight and close their eyes before beginning the audio recording.

Take Home Activity 4: Head, Shoulders, Knees, Toes

 

This exercise encourages participants to check in with their body a few times a day by doing a body scan of their head, shoulders knees and toes.

 

Introductory Session 4: Exploring the Body

 

This session explores the variety sensations that can occur in the body. Participants will be asked to imagine breathing in a warm, relaxing and glowing bubble, which grows and fills up the belly. The bubble travels throughout the body, relaxing and warming each body part. This activity finishes by thanking each body part.

Take Home Activity 3: Where Did My Food Come From?

This exercise encourages participants to bring mindful awareness and gratitude to eating. They will be asked to imagine what it took to get the food from its source into their hand or onto their plate. How does this awareness change taste sensations whilst eating?

Introductory Session 3: Exploring Tastes

This session explores mindfulness through the tongue and taste sensations, prompting participants to look, feel, hear and taste food in new and mindful ways. Participants will also be asked to observe how the body responds to food and taste.

Set up: For today’s exercise, participants will need a piece of fruit, chocolate or raisins which they will be asked to eat slowly, savouring the sensations associated. Participants need to be in a seated position, either on a cushion on the floor or sitting in a chair.

Note: If using fruit, choose a fruit where no rind or peel needs to be removed before eating.

Take Home Activity 2: Play Your Favourite Song

This exercise observes that the sense of hearing is a great way to connect with the present moment.

Participants are encouraged to listen to a song attentively and curiously, and try to discover new sounds and notice things they like about it.

Introductory Session 2: Exploring Sounds

In session 2, participants travel to the Land of Mindfulness by listening to the sounds around them.

This session encourages participants to expand their attention to explore different types of sounds.

Take Home Activity 1: Are You Still Breathing?

 

This exercise asks participants to check in with their breath a few times a day by asking themselves, “Am I still breathing?”

 

Introductory Session 1: Exploring the Breath

This session gives an introduction to Smiling Mind and the Land of Mindfulness.

Participants will explore a simple way of being Mindful: bringing awareness and attention to the breath.

Daily Mindfulness Guide (10 minutes +)

Takes participants through a body scan, asking them to imagine breathing in a warm, glowing bubble. Participants then visualise moving the bubble throughout the body with each breath, relaxing the entire body. Guides participants through counting their breaths, then prompts them to try it unassisted.

Daily Mindfulness Guide (5 minutes +)

Asks participants to observe and count their breaths, feeling the breath move in and out of the body. They are then asked to imagine breathing in a warm and glowing bubble, taking participants through a body scan as the bubble travels through the body, relaxing each part.

Facilitators’ Manual Bite Size Program

This contains information about Smiling Mind, the research and science behind it, as well as the program structure, content and synopses for each meditation.

This manual is what teachers/facilitators will use/ follow when implementing the program.

Bite Size Meditation 9: Daily Mindfulness Guide (four minutes)

 

This session combines different elements of Mindfulness Meditation: using a glowing bubble to take participants through a body scan, asking them to count their breaths, and then become aware of the sounds around them.

Bite Size Meditation 8: Body Scan (three minutes)

 

This meditation takes participants through a longer body scan, using a glowing bubble to assist in bringing awareness to each part of the body.

 

Bite Size Meditation 7: Exploring Thoughts (three minutes)

This session observes how the mind loves to wander, and explains how instead of getting lost in thoughts, they can be used as part a meditation.

Participants will be asked to observe their thoughts and watch them pass, rather than getting attached to them.

Bite Size Meditation 6: Daily Mindfulness Guide (two minutes)

 

This reflection asks participants to observe their breath, and then bring attention to different parts of the body through a body scan.

 

Bite Size Meditation 5: Internal Weather (two minutes)

This meditation asks participants to pay attention to how they feel inside, referring to these feelings as ‘internal weather.’

It explains that like the weather, feelings change, and provides a method by which participants can relax and check-in with their internal weather.

Bite Size Meditation 4: Exploring Sounds (two minutes)

A common misconception about meditation is that complete silence is needed to do it. This session guides participants through the mindful process of using sounds as objects for their meditation.

Set up: An environment with background noises is perfect for this meditation.

Bite Size Meditation 3: Body Scan (one minute)

 

This activity explores how the body is a great object for meditation because it’s always there. It takes participant through a body scan, bringing awareness to each part of the body.

 

Bite Size Meditation 2: Exploring the Breath (one minute)

 

This session explores the most basic way of cultivating Mindfulness; bringing awareness and attention to the breath.