All posts by Amanda Vaughan

Addiction, Breathwork, Mindfulness, Stress Management

Mindfulness in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

We are presently facilitating a mindfulness group at Grounded for Peace. The group’s purpose is to supplement clients receiving Acceptance and Commitment therapy. The group is also useful to those who want an introduction to ACT. (A good description of ACT can be found on Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapy-types/acceptance-and-commitment-therapy. )

ACT stems from traditional Cognitive Behavior Therapy but differs in a few ways. One of the main differences that stands out to me is that it is less judgemental. Many models of CBT label thoughts as “positive” and “negative”, which many will interpret as good or bad. Many people receiving therapy will then take it a step further and say “I am having a negative thought therefore I am negative.” CBT would then challenge and rewrite this thought of “I am a negative person”. However, ACT will bypass this all together by not labeling a thought or feeling as “positive” or “negative” but will ask is this thought/feeling moving you towards your values or away?

This brings us to the mindfulness part. In order to not get “hooked” or “fused” with the thought or feeling, ACT teaches to take a step back and observe the thought or feeling as something one is observing and not as something that they is their identity or as something intrinsically a part of them. This sounds like an easy task but if it were easy most of us would not feel the need to seek out therapy. Mindfulness practices/training teaches us how to take a step back so we don’t fuse/get hooked by a thought.

The word “practice” is used many times in reference to Mindfulness skills b/c it really does take practice. The following practice illustrates not only how to do a particular mindfulness practice, but it also illustrates how to use the practice for a purpose of helping a person to not fuse with an experience, or in other terms, help a person get through a difficult feeling, sensation, or thought and move past it.

Choose one of the following to do:

Part one:

1.Stand on one leg.

2.Focus on a point on a wall in front of you

3.Hold your arm out in front of you.

Part two:

Breath in through your nose, imagining a wave coming on to the shore.

Breath out through your nose, imagining a wave rolling back into the ocean.

Continue with smooth and method inhales and exhales like the ones described above.

Part three:

When the sensation develops where you want to stop standing on one leg, place your arm down or stop looking at the spot on the wall, try to continue the breathing till you move past the sensation a bit more. The idea is not to hurt yourself so we don’t plan to do this too long but just enough to remind ourselves that we can do hard things.

Additional Thoughts:

Finding practices that hold the space to be in a difficult sensation help us hold the space when we are faced with a difficult experience. By staying with the difficult experience we are able to look at it more clearly so we can decide what we want to do about it. A normal response to something difficult is to avoid it or stop it right away. This is not always healthy. Take for example anxiety before a test. If I don’t like the anxiety and try to distract myself with a video game or doom scrolling, I waste time and end up not getting in the studying I might need to do to pass the test. If I were to practice this breathing skill, I hold the space for the anxiety and look at what the anxiety is telling me to do, which is to prepare. When I face it and see it for what it is ,a message, I then see it as not something to avoid but as something to get my attention and take action. Once you get the message of a difficult feeling many times it will start to dissolve.

For a guided recording of the practice above subscribe to our bonus content.

If you would like to join the mindfulness group, please contact us through our contact page.

Breathwork, Meditation, Mindfulness, Stress Management

10 Minute Evening Breath Practice

(Ideal for beginners or those building their practice.)

How to Practice:

  1. Settle In (1 min)

Sit back in your chair or lie down on a mat.

Let your eyes close or soften your gaze.

  1. Body Scan with Breath Awareness (2 min)

Inhale gently through the nose, noticing the rise of the chest or belly.

Exhale slowly, feeling your body relax.

Mentally scan from head to toe, softening any tension you notice.

  1. Box Breathing (4-4-4-4) (4 min)

Inhale through the nose for a count of 4.

Hold for 4.

Exhale through the nose for 4.

Hold for 4.

Repeat for 6–8 rounds.

  • Cooling Breath (Shitali or Sitali) (2 min)

Curl your tongue into a tube (or keep lips in an “O” shape if that’s easier).

Inhale through the mouth, feeling a cool sensation.

Exhale through the nose.

Repeat for 8–10 breaths.

  1. Closing Gratitude (1 min)

Rest hands in your lap, palms facing upward.

Think of one thing you’re grateful for today.

End with a long, slow exhale.

For a guided audio version of this exercise and other extra content, please subscribe to our bonus content site.

Breathwork, Meditation, Mindfulness, Stress Management

10 Minute Morning Breathing Practice

(Good for beginners or those who are building a practice.)

Purpose: Stimulates energy, clears morning fog, and prepares you for the day.

How to Practice

  1. Find Your Seat (1 min)

Sit comfortably with your spine tall, either on the edge of your bed, on a cushion or in a chair.

Rest your hands on your thighs, palms facing down.

  1. Gentle Centering (2 min)

Close your eyes.

Take 6 deep breaths in through the nose and sigh out through the mouth.

  1. 3-Part Breath (Dirga Pranayama) (3 min)

Inhale first into the belly, then the ribs, then the chest (like filling a glass of water from bottom to top).

Exhale in reverse: chest, ribs, belly.

Keep the breath smooth and steady.

Practice 4 breath-cycles/rounds

  1. Alternate Nostril Breath (Nadi Shodhana) (2 min)

Using your right hand, close your right nostril with your thumb. Inhale through the left.

Close the left nostril with your ring finger, exhale through the right.

Inhale right, close, exhale left. That’s one round.

Continue slowly, 6–8 rounds.

  1. Closing (2 min)

Place both hands over the heart.

Take 6 deep breaths and set a gentle intention for your day.

For a guided audio version, subscribe to our bonus content site.

Stress Management, Uncategorized, Wellness topic, Yoga

September Focus – Anxiety Relief

“Pose” of the Week – Cat/Cow Flow

How to Do It:

  • Come to hands and knees with shoulders over wrists and hips over knees.
  • Inhale: arch your back, lifting your chest and tailbone (Cow).
  • Exhale: round your spine, tucking chin and tailbone (Cat).
  • Continue flowing with your breath.

Why It Helps:
This gentle movement synchronizes breath and body, helping to release physical tension while calming the nervous system.

Time: 1–2 minutes

Want to go deeper? Subscribe to my Grounded Path Membership for bonus content, including exclusive guides and practices.

Practice updates, Yoga

Fall Update 2025

There’s lots of new things happening for Grounded for Peace this fall. We have a new intern that has started with us. I will have her introduce herself in the next week or so. She will be providing individual sessions and facilitating a group or 2 during her time. She also will be providing some fresh eyes for our practice and our online presence. Another wonderful benefit to our practice is that she’ll be able to take on clients at a sliding fee scale so if you have someone that struggles to afford therapy we may have some room to take on a few more clients. Please click on our contact page to send us a message if you would like more information.

We also are increasing our yoga therapy services with another group starting in October. Once the details are firmed up, we will be providing more information. If you are interested in individual or group Yoga Therapy, feel free to also reach out via our contact page.