Unlearning Reactivity

Mindfulness Sessions & Podcasts - A podcast by Oxford Mindfulness Foundation

Ancient wisdom and contemporary psychological science identify habitual reactivity as the source of much of the suffering, stress and distress in which it’s so easy to become entangled midst life’s ups and downs. Although our immediate reactions may arise from self-protective instincts, they often obscure our clear seeing of situations, amplifying and prolonging difficulty through over-thinking, re-living and pre-living. Mindfulness offers priceless, practical ways to unlearn these habits and so to cultivate greater resilience and well-being in the midst of our lives as they are. In this session we explore a particular way of bringing mindfulness and compassion to difficult emotions, moods and thought-patterns through the practice of ‘G.R.A.I.N’: ‘Grounding, Recognising, Allowing, Investigating, Non-selfing’. Practising in this way can significantly reduce reactivity and enable a greater sense of agency, wise responsiveness and flourishing in the midst of the ever-changing circumstances of our lives. This session is intended to be appropriate for everyone, whether you have an established mindfulness practice or not.