Stress To Success

On this page are the podcasts to support you throughout the Stress to Success programs – and throughout your life.

Refer to each weekly theme for more on how & when to use each exercise.

Use each exercise separately or combine 1 – 4 to create a recommended 35 minute (per day) Stress to Success practice.

1. Centering & Intention (8 minutes)
2. Body Scan (10 minutes)
3. 5 min Walking Meditation (6 minutes)
4. Integration (11 minutes)
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5. 20 Second Awareness Break (2 minutes)
6. 1 Minute Mindfulness (2 minutes)
7. Heart-to-Heart Exercise (6 minutes)
8. Purpose-In-Action Process (15 minutes)
9. Week 1: Physical Body (30 minute practice + 20 min share)
10. Sample Week 2: Thoughts & Emotions (10 minutes)
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11. More podcasts & vodcast resources…

More!  Download Soleil’s 1 hour Mindfulness Meditation & Movement CD for free, when you purchase the Stress to Success course book.

1)  Centering & Intention:

(~8 minutes)

• About Centering:
  This is a “Self-Presencing” exercise used to shift your focus from what’s happening outside of you to what’s happening inside.

  It may be done at the beginning of a specific activity (like yoga class) or it may be used simply at the beginning of your day.

• About Intention:
  Setting Intention focuses your energy towards a specific purpose for the activity or day ahead of you.

  Once you are present to your self,  you are asked to consider what it is you most desire in your life in this moment.

  Intentions may sound like this:  “I want to be happy” or “I want to relax” or  ”I want to explore what’s holding me back.”

2) Standing Body Scan:

(~10 minutes)

• About Body Scan:
  This Standing (or sitting) Body Scan is a way of bringing attention to your physical body and using the information from your body as a tool for tuning into your life.
• A surprise in this Audio file!
  There’s a little imperfection in this file, and rather then editing it out, I chose to keep it in as a way of noticing what happens for you when the outside world comes in to your inside world.

3)  5 Minute Walking Meditation:

(~6 minutes)

• About Walking:
  Walking becomes a meditation when you bring careful and present attention to each step you take.  When you walk.  Just Walk.
• Suggestion:  Walk @ Work – A 5 minute Stress Relief break
  Consider taking 5 minutes before lunch to simply Walk.  Why?  Allowing you some time to tune in to your body may give you a moment to pause and notice what you choose to put into your body.

4)  The Integration Process:

(~11 minutes, format: .mp3)

• About Integration:
  This process is useful when going through a stressful event or period in your life.  Noticing the significant awarenesses about this period and how it connects into your life, work and relationships, allows you to find guidance and take action on the insights gained.
• About The Integration Process
  It is this process which sets Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy as unique in the yoga &  Mind-Body therapy worlds.  The ability to take what you learn ‘on the mat’ into action ‘off the mat’  and into our lives is a powerful tool.

5)  20 Second Awareness Break:

(~2 minutes, format: .mp3)

It only takes 20 Seconds to Manage your Stress.  Try it!

• About Awareness (as in Week 1 & 2):
  Building awareness  is like building a muscle.  Practice on a regular basis builds the muscle of awareness.

  Learning to stop (even for 20 seconds) throughout the day to notice what is happening to you and around you will build the necessary skill to be aware in moments of peak stress.

• About Acceptance (Week 3):
  After you are aware for 20 seconds, being able to ACCEPT what you find is the next step.
• Suggestion:
  When you stop, if your tendency is to look inward, try opening your eyes and look around you.  If you tend to look outward, try closing your eyes to look inside of you.

6)  1 Minute Mindfulness:

(2 minutes, format: .mp3)

• About Awareness (week 1 & 2) and Acceptance (week3):
  When in high stress, having the capacity to pause and NOTICE what’s happening for you allows you the space to Accept.
• About CHOICE (week 4):
  The 1 Minute Mindfulness practice is similar to the 20 second Awareness Break but is longer in order to add the final step of CHOOSING an action or way of being.

7)  Heart-To-Heart Exercise:

(~6 minutes, format: .mp3)

• About Heart-To-Heart
  This exercise guides an experience of acceptance to the “perfect imperfection” that is a part of being human.  Use this when it’s difficult to accept your self or others around you.
  
  
• With a Partner or on your own
  You may choose to do this on your own, or sit ‘knee-to-knee’ with a partner (whether spouse, friend, or relative).

  Adjust the wording in part 2 – where you ‘imagine’ another, simply place your hand on the person with whom you are sitting and take in the words as if you are speaking directly to them.
  Be intentional upon completion.  Speak or journal as needed.

• Origin of Heart To Heart in the Phoenix Rising Approach
  This particular exercise is adapted from the Stress to Success course book, Turn Stress Into Bliss pg 136.
  Soleil wishes to thank her teacher and the author, Michael Lee, for creating  this traditional meditation (called “metta” or “loving kindness”) in a more open & acceptance-guided approach.

9)  Full Week 1 Practice on Befriending the Body

This is the first call from the 4 week Stress To Success TeleClass:
“Unplug to Plug-in Clarity for Technology Overload”.

Included is a 30 minute practice on the Week 1 Theme: The Physical Body + 30 minutes of guided open sharing from the participants.

10)  Sample Week 2 – Emotions & Thoughts

A short 10 minute guided practice from the 4 week Stress To Success TeleClass:  “Unplug to Plug-in Clarity for Technology Overload”.

Note:  This is edited from the full call and includes a 7 minute practice +3 minute integration.

11)  Other resources

• Working at a desk for too long?  Watch these videos for easy exercises to do in a chair.