I find self compassion to be one of the tools I use more and more to help me get grounded and have a feeling of inner safety in the world. For many of us who are wired a little differently than the typical mainstream, keeping up with the world can feel overwhelming, and sometimes a little unsafe. By unsafe, I mean that we might feel a little (or a lot- depending on the day and the situation) of inner anxiety or fight, flight, freeze response inside the body. We often mask to keep up in the world and it feels exhausting when we stop and notice that we have been neglecting our true selves inside. This is very true for so many neurodivergent adults. If we can pause a few times in the day to love ourselves inside- and offer some moments of feeling safe inside, it can help reduce that anxiety. It takes practice, and there are lots of different practices we can do. This is just one - bringing to mind a person who helps us feel safe. May you all have moments of feeling safe inside. May you all have moments of pausing and feeling love for yourself. May you all foster a place of feeling “at home” in the body. …. I offer mindfulness groups for autistic adults and caregivers for free (for Canadian/Ontario for some groups) at the CAMH Azrieli Adult Neurodevelopmental Centre. I also offer individual virtual sessions more broadly on a sliding scale. For more information: https://www.suehuttonmindfulness.com/

This neurodiversity-informed guided meditation helps us increase focus by concentrating on two sense objects (anchors for our attention) at the same time: vision and breath. We focus on an external, or exteroceptive anchor (vision) and an internal or interoceptive anchor (feelings of the breath) together. By using our senses to fully engage in the present moment, we are wiring our brains toward better mental health. Neuroscientist Norman Farb and Zindel Segal have been exploring the benefits to the brain and our well-being by concentrating on the senses available to us. I like the term they use, which describes these practices well: sense foraging. To make this further accessible for neurodivergent minds, I offer combining the interoceptive and exteroceptive senses at once. Many meditators with ADHD who participate in groups I lead benefit from having this dual focus. Trauma professionals also use a dual awareness to help bring people into the present moment by noting what is in the here and now, right in front ot us. Vision and breath are two senses that we are able to automate. We can deepen breath, and sharpen or soften our gaze with our vision. If these senses are available to you, I suggest trying this for brief moments through the day, in a way that works for you. Soften the gaze, take note of new things you may not have noticed before with your sight. Get curious and really engage in the sense of vision, and take note of what it feels like to breathe at the same time. Be gentle and compassionate with yourself. A deep sense of acceptance is at the heart of all the mindfulness work we do. For more meditations that support our neurodiverse world, please visit my site for other free streaming options, and to learn about any upcoming group offerings. Thank you for exploring different ways to help us all meditate in a way that works for our unique minds. Here is my site for more practices like this: https://www.suehuttonmindfulness.com/

Neurodiversity informed mindfulness. I'm a white woman with multi-coloured hair and a blue jacket speaking to the camera. This is a short video where I introduce my approach to mindfulness on my website: https://www.suehuttonmindfulness.com/

Self-Compassion is super important for our well-being. We need to practice it to feel it easily. The nice thing is, it’s like a muscle that we can build with regular practice. There are different ways to get the benefits of this meditation tool: we can feel, imagine or repeat phrases. To break this down and make it a little more accessible, I decided to divide it into three different ways we can focus on it - with SENSATION, IMAGE, or PHRASES. SIP! Many neurodiverse meditators have told me they don’t “see” images in meditation and trying to picture a person before them doesn’t work. Others have told me they don’t feel sensations easily in the body. Lots of people have told me they have difficulty remembering the words of the phrases. So - let’s see which of these tools your brain finds easiest to connect with. You’re perfect as you are- so why not practice strengthening the way you really get the benefits. Try this practice and see if you can notice which one of those ways of feeling the compassion works best for you. All three of these tools can also blend together, and many people blend them all. Have fun! Be kind to yourself, you deserve it. For more practices like this, visit my website: https://www.suehuttonmindfulness.com

A 15 minute body awareness guided mindful meditation for developmental services staff. Recorded live during our February 9 virtual group: Mindfulness for Developmental Services Staff. Offered through CAMH Azrieli Adult Neurodevelopmental Centre.

This guided meditation was offered during a virtual group in November 2020. The group was focusing on the theme of body awareness and I offered this practice focusing in on difficult emotions. The group present for that session were caregivers and helping professionals working in neurodevelopmental services. Be gentle with yourself if you are going through a rough time right now. Remember that although mindfulness practices are very therapeutic and are known to increase well-being, they are not considered "therapy". Techniques like the one offered here can be a helpful companion to therapy, and can assist in working through difficult emotions. Remember, sometimes we need a guide for our mindfulness practices, so reach out to a therapist or teacher in your area if you need further assistance. If you have any kind of overwhelming feelings while practicing, please remember you can turn to a more soothing technique - such as a compassion pause. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5GMLoqobAg&t=1s For more tips on dealing with emotions you can also check the webpage- https://www.suehuttonmindfulness.com

This guided breath meditation can be done in a number of ways: -Read the captions, and then close your eyes during the 10 breath long pause to try the technique without reading captions. Then open your eyes again to read the next set of instructions, and close your eyes if you choose during the next pause to try the technique. Because we are all wired differently, there are three different ways of sharpening our concentration on our breath here. For more guided meditation techniques in a range of accessible tools, and for information on upcoming groups for a wide diversity of people, please visit https://www.suehuttonmindfulness.com/ Best of luck in your personal meditation journey! Sue

This breathing meditation was recorded (with my iPhone, no less) with a group of meditators who came together virtually every Friday night to steady our hearts the first 3 months of the pandemic. This was recorded the second week of Covid-19 social isolation in Toronto, Friday March 20. Soothing music was created and added afterwards by composer, musician, guitar teacher Kevin Laliberte. http://www.kevinlaliberte.com For more guided meditations like this and information on free groups, visit https://www.suehuttonmindfulness.com Sue Hutton, MSW, RSW is a disability rights social worker and Mindfulness teacher specializing in making mindfulness accessible. Sue leads mindfulness groups with the CAMH Azrieli Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disabilities. Research groups for parents and caregivers and neurodivergent adults are offered regularly. Please check Sue's website for upcoming groups.