Supporting action - facilitating connection

THOUGHT ON A THREAD Practices

(as taught to Woza Moya community carers in South Africa)

 

Thought on a thread is the red bead on the black thread.

Giving out these little bracelets; teaching the 3 exercises; and encouraging us all to practice them every day…..

SEEKS TO:

  • Help us to become more grounded and present – which increases well being and balance - helping us to manage stress, illness and difficulty.
  • Enable us to connect with those wearing identical threads in the North of the world (UK, Europe, Canada, America, Australia), who are thinking of us – and enabling us to connect with others, who are ill or having tough times wherever they are.

THE EXERCISES
the red bead reminds us to….

 

  • Contact with the ground…………….EXPLORING
  • Hand on the belly……………………..BREATHING
  • Touching the bead…………………..CONNECTING

 

Exercises in detail – for those teaching them to others

  1. Contact with the ground…………….EXPLORING

Putting the mind into feeling the feet on the ground and exploring all the detailed sensations in toes, and balls of the feet, and heels. Noticing texture, contact, pressure, pain (if there is any), ease, weight and so on.

Doing this for a few moments several times a day – maybe linking to doing it with a daily activity (such as just after getting up from bed, or when waiting  your turn at the water, or walking back from the forest with  wood)

If someone is ill – then asking them to do the same exercise by putting their mind into the contact of their body with the bed or floor – and exploring that contact. We can also do this when lying in bed at night – especially if we are troubled by anxious thoughts.

  1. Hand on the belly……………………..BREATHING

Placing the hand on the belly and inviting the mind to pay attention to the breath moving under the hand in the belly. Feeling how the belly moves and how the hand moves with the belly as we breathe in and breathe out.

Doing this for a little while several times a day and seeing if it is possible to notice when the mind wanders off to think about something else (which is quite normal) – and seeing if it is possible to gently come back to the breath and the belly and the hand. Learning to come gently back each time the mind wanders away.

This is very useful to do, especially whenever we are stressed, angry, sad, fearful or under pressure. Just stopping what we are doing and turning to the breath can help us to notice what is happening and allow us to choose what to do next.

  1. Touching the bead…………………..CONNECTING

Touching the red bead and linking into the heart - and opening to connect with others who are thinking about us kindly and wishing us well.

If we feel like it later – touching the bead and linking into the heart and thinking of others like us who are ill or having tough times and wishing them well with kindness wherever they are. 

 It is important to do this exercise for oneself first before moving on to doing it for others.

Practices