To get the most out of your mindfulness practice it is important to be systematic and regular. Vidyamala suggests the following eight-week programme to become familiar with the different elements introduced in her book Living Well with Pain and Illness.

This is a simplified version of the Breathworks eight-week programme, for those wanting a general introduction to mindfulness practice.

Weeks 1 and 2

Breath Inquiry

Practice the long breath inquiry six days out of seven (Introduced as breath inquiry 3 in chapter 7) Book CD/audio download

Weeks 3 and 4

Body Scan

Practice the shorter or longer body scan six days out of seven (Introduced in chapter 13). The track on the CD to accompany the book is only a taster and we recommend you use the longer, fully led meditations available here Body Scan CD/downloads

Mindful Movement

Begin to practice some mindful movements each day as introduced in chapter 8

Weeks 5 and 6

Mindfulness of Breathing

Practice the shorter or longer mindfulness of breathing meditation six days out of seven (Introduced in chapter 14). The track on the CD to accompany the book is only a taster and we recommend you use the longer, fully led meditations available here Mindfulness of Breathing CD/downloads

Weeks 7 and 8

Kindly Awareness

Practice the shorter or longer kindly awareness meditation six days out of seven (Introduced in chapter 15) Kindly Awareness CD/downloads.

At some point over the eight weeks

Mindfulness in Daily Life

Introduce the mindfulness in daily life programme, keeping diaries and starting to use a timer if you find this helpful. Begin to practice three minute breathing spaces throughout your day.

Mindfulness in daily life is briefly introduced in chapter 17, but a fuller programme including diary templates is available here Mindfulness in Daily Life booklet and e-book