TRANSCRIPTION OF THE EPISODE:

Hello and welcome to the OACCUs Meditation course. 

The OACCUs project is a project co-financed by the European Union aimed at promoting healthy lifestyles among young cancer survivors. This course is designed primarily for young cancer survivors (YCSs) but also for the OACCUs ambassadors—individuals trained to promote healthy lifestyles for young cancer survivors within their social circles, including family and friends and professionals working with YCSs. 

Allow me to introduce myself briefly. I am Ennio Iannitto, a psychologist and psychotherapist working for LILT Palermo, along with two other Italian partners of the OACCUs project, CEIPES and UNIPA, who are providing this podcast.

This podcast is divided into five episodes, with this being Episode #0—an introduction where I explain the structure of the podcast and provide information about the practice of meditation, its purpose, and how to engage with it. 

In the subsequent four episodes, we'll explore different meditation practices, each divided into two tracks. The first track serves as an introduction to the practice and its purpose, while the second track guides you through the actual meditation. If you're already familiar with meditation, you can skip to the second track of each episode. 

Our suggestion is to follow each episode sequentially and practice each meditation for one week before moving on to the next. This approach allows you to gain a variety of experiences and preferences in meditation, which you can then continue independently after completing the course.

Now, let's delve into the meditation part. First, let's clarify that the term "meditation" is a bit inaccurate because meditation refers to a state of consciousness, typically achieved through deep concentration. What we're engaging in here are concentration practices, but we use the term "meditation" for simplicity. 

When approaching a meditation practice, we'll simply choose an object ofc oncentration—such as the breath or a physical sensation—and focus our awareness solely on that object for a predetermined period. Any distractions, thoughts, emotions, or memories that arise should be acknowledged but not dwelled upon. We gently bring our attention back to the chosen object whenever we notice it wandering.

Let's consider this in a more concrete way. We start by sitting comfortably and focusing on our breath. After a few seconds, distractions may arise—thoughts about the future, discomfort in our posture, and so on. This is normal. What's important is that we notice when our attention drifts and kindly bring it back to the breath. We should repeat this process each time our attention wanders, without force or control, but with gentle kindness towards ourselves.

The purpose of this practice is not merely to concentrate but to develop awareness and cultivate kindness towards our experiences, including distractions. It's about learning to accept our limits and approach our experiences with gentleness and kindness. While it may not work perfectly every time, the practice itself is a lesson in self-awareness and self-compassion.

Moving on to contraindications, it's important to note that this practice may not be suitable for everyone. While most people find it relaxing, some may find it distressing to focus on their own experiences. If you feel uncomfortable or distressed during the practice, it's perfectly okay to skip it. Specifically, these practices are not recommended for individuals with psychotic experiences or those who feel intense discomfort to maintain focus on their own experiences. Always listen to and respect your own limits.

Another contraindication is engaging in this practice under the influence of psychotropic drugs. These substances can alter our body's natural balance and affect our ability to concentrate effectively.

In conclusion, remember to maintain your daily practice and spend at least one week on each meditation before moving on to the next. Focus on cultivating kindness towards yourself and accepting your own experiences. 

We'll see you in the next episode. 

Good practice.

TRANSCRIPTION OF THE EPISODE:

 Hello and welcome to the OACCUs Meditation Course, Episode 1: Mindful Eating.

 In this episode, we will explore our sensory awareness. We will focus on one sense at a time: sight, touch, hearing, smell, and taste. We'll do this through the act of eating something healthy. I suggest you choose a seasonal fruit. For example, it's springtime here, so I've chosen a strawberry. But feel free to select any food item available to you.

Choose your food item, and we will explore it one sense at a time. Ultimately, we will eat it, so I recommend selecting something healthy that you enjoy.

The purpose of this practice is to understand what awareness truly means. Awareness entails being in direct contact with our sensory experiences—to be connected with what we are feeling in the present moment.

To prepare for this practice, ensure you have your chosen food item ready for consumption. If it requires peeling or any preparation, do so in advance. In this way you can be ready for the practice.

Remember to eliminate distractions by finding a comfortable environment and silencing your phone or any other potential disturbances. This is a concentration practice, so endeavor to stay focused on your sensory experience with the chosen food item.

If your thoughts wander or you find yourself focusing on something else, that's perfectly normal. Simply acknowledge that experience and gently bring your focus back to the object of concentration—the fruit or food item.

Before we begin the practice, I have some homework for you this week. I encourage you to choose a daily activity—one that you perform regularly, such as eating a meal, brushing your teeth, taking a shower, or dressing up. Approach this activity mindfully, just as we will during this practice. Take your time and pay close attention to your sensory experiences during that activity. Choose only one activity and focus on performing it mindfully at least once a day.

Now, let's begin the practice. 

Good practice.

 

 

TRANSCRIPTION OF THE EPISODE:

Hello and welcome to the OACCUs Meditation Course, Episode 1: Mindful Eating.

 Get ready for the practice. Choose a fruit or food item that you want to experience and be prepared. After the gong, we will begin.

GONG!

We will explore the fruit using one sense at a time, starting with sight. 

Look at your fruit and explore it. Notice its shape, form, and colors. Is it shiny or dull? Take your time to observe it closely and bring it closer to your eyes to notice any details or imperfections. When you're satisfied with this exploration, let go of the sight of the fruit and gently close your eyes.

Now, explore the touch. 

Feel the fruit with your hands. Notice its weight, texture, and explore the different parts of it. Be curious and take your time with this exploration. 

When you're satisfied, let go of the touch sensation and focus on the sound. 

Bring the fruit close to your ears and maybe give it a gentle squeeze. Listen to how it sounds. Again, take your time with this experience.

Next, bring the fruit close to your nose and smell it. 

If your mind wanders or you start thinking about something else, gently bring your focus back to the smell of the fruit. 

When you're satisfied with this exploration, let go of the smell sensation and prepare to taste it.

Before putting it in your mouth, rub it against your lips to get a sense of its flavor. Then, when you're ready, place it in your mouth without biting it yet. Let it rest on your tongue and move it around to feel its texture. Test its consistency with your teeth, and when you're ready, take one or two bites. Pause for a moment before fully consuming it.

As you chew, notice the flavor and how it changes in different parts of your mouth. Take your time to savor the experience. 

When you're ready, you can freely eat the rest of the fruit as you prefer. Take your time to complete the experience and notice the lingering flavor in your mouth.

When you feel ready to let go of this experience, you can blink a few times if your eyes are still closed and slowly open them. Prepare to return to your daily life.

Remember, if you want to practice more exercises like this, we suggest practicing for one week with a daily routine activity, such as showering or dressing up, but do it with this kind attention and awareness. 

Bring this mindfulness into your daily life. 

Enjoy your day.

GONG!

 
 

TRANSCRIPTION OF THE EPISODE:

 Hello and welcome to the OACCUs Meditation Course, Episode 2: Body Scan.

This is our first structured practice. In this exercise, I will name various body parts, and your task is to simply move your awareness from one to the next as I direct. I won't spend a lot of time on each body part, so you should just pay attention to how each part is feeling without trying to calm them down or make any changes. For instance, you can feel how your neck feels if I ask you to concentrate on it for a moment: whether it's warm, cold, relaxed, or tense. So, check what is happening at that precise moment.

Since this is the first structured practice, I'll give you some pointers on how to approach it. Choose a comfortable room first, preferably one where you won't be bothered much. Turn off the notifications on your phone, then get ready for practice. You can carry out this exercise while lying down supine, so with your back on the floor, in any comfortable sitting position you are familiar with, or just sitting on a chair.

I advise sitting on a chair if you are inexperienced because lying down makes it possible to fall asleep, whereas sitting up makes it simpler to stay awake and aware. Additionally, if you are on a chair, you do not need to lean back against it. The only important aspect of posture is to maintain a straight back and find a relaxed posture that you can keep for 12 to 15 minutes, that is how long the practice will last.

This exercise will help us become more aware of how we are feeling right now, which will enable us to connect with the present moment and learn to recognize the information and sensations your body and you are experiencing. For example, you'll be able to tell if your posture is uncomfortable or if something is making you feel tense. You will eventually learn how to manage these circumstances and these feelings.

As homework, I recommend practicing this same exercise once a day for a week. This will give you the opportunity to get accustomed to this type of practice, but also to connect with your physical sensations and behavior.

Okay, now it’s time to get into the practice.

Good practice.

 
 

TRANSCRIPTION OF THE EPISODE:

OACCUs meditation course, Episode 2: Body Scan.

Get ready for the practice. Find a comfortable place. You can sit on a chair. Remember to keep your back straight and relaxed. Your eyes can be closed or slightly open, as you prefer.

We will start the practice after the gong.

GONG!

Let's take a moment to observe our posture. Our feet are well placed on the floor. The buttocks are rooted in the chair. The back is straight and relaxed. The neck is in line with the spine and the head rests softly on the neck. Shoulders and arms are relaxed. Hands are placed on the legs or in any comfortable position.

Before starting the body scan let's do 3 deep breath at our own pace. 

When ready, prepare to rotate your awareness towards the different body parts as I name them.

We start feeling our feet and our toes. Feeling the ankles, the calves, the knees, and the tights. The hips, the basing, the pelvic area and genitals, and the buttocks.

We moved our awareness now towards the lower part of the back and the belly. The middle part of the back and chest. The upper part of the back, the shoulders and the chest. Let's take a few moments to feel the breath that moves in our chest and in our belly. We now move our awareness to our shoulders, arms, elbows, wrists, hands and fingers. Let's now move our awareness to our neck, our head as a whole, our face.

Our forehead, eyes and highbrows, cheekbones and cheeks. Ears, nose, lips, mouth, tongue, and our chin.

Let's start now to get awareness of wider parts of our body.

So we feel now our face and our head as a whole, together with the neck, shoulders, arms and both hands with the fingers.

With the chest, the back, and the belly.

We take awareness of the whole upper part of the body.

Now we take awareness of our hips, and the basin, With the legs, knees, feet and toes.

The whole lower part of the body.

Now we take awareness of our body as a whole, from the feet and toes, rising up to the knees, the basin, the back, belly and chest, arms, hands and fingers, neck and head. We take awareness of our body as a whole.

 And we take awareness of the breath moving in our body.

Slowly, we let the awareness of our body get into the background of our consciousness, and we focus on the breath. The breath that is moving spontaneously. We just check how it moves: is it shallow? Is it deep? Is it in the chest? Or in the belly?

We don't need to change anything. Just being aware of our breath.

It may happen to get distracted, to think about something else, or to feel something that is not the breath. That's perfectly normal. Gently, I let go of this experience And I kindly  move back my awareness to my breath.

Slowly I let the awareness of the breath go in the background of my consciousness, and I bring back attention to the body as a whole. From the tip of the toes going up till the top of the head, passing through the shoulders, elbows, hands and fingers. The whole body.

We can take a few moments to thank for this short experience. We can thank our body, we can thank ourself for spending this few minutes just listening to ourselves.

We can also take a moment to thank and show gratitude. Just a thought of gratitude, towards our relatives, our fellow beings, those who are closer to us, and those that we care about.

Lastly, we can take a moment to share our gratitude and our wishes to anything or anyone that we want and that is important to us.

And slowly, whenever we are ready, we can get awareness of our whole body. Our body that is sitting on a chair or in any other pose. We can get awareness of where we are, inside the room maybe? We get awareness of what we were doing before starting our practice.

And slowly, moving slightly our hands, our feet, and our body, and blinking few times our eyes, whenever we are ready, we can end this practice and start again with our daily life.

GONG!

 
 

TRANSCRIPTION OF THE EPISODE:

Hello and welcome to the OACCUs Meditation Course, Episode 3: Awareness of Body Sensations. 

Today, we will start by becoming aware of our body, then take three deep breaths, and afterward, we will focus on our body sensations as they arise in our awareness. 

This means we should allow the flow of sensations to arise and fade in our awareness without getting fixated on any particular sensation. For example, we might notice an itch on our back and then warmth in our hands, and so on. Just keep the flow of sensations open at all times. This will be the main part of our practice, and we will also focus a little on our breath. As always with this practice, if you get distracted at some point, that's perfectly normal. The important thing is to notice when you're distracted and gently bring your awareness back to the exercise, in this case, to your body sensations.

PERFORM DEEP BREATHS

Now, let's take a moment to understand how to perform a deep breath. It's important to do this on an empty stomach. The process involves starting by exhaling completely, squeezing your belly to release all the air, then inhaling slowly, starting from the belly, then the chest and ribs, pausing briefly, and then exhaling again completely, squeezing your belly to release all the air. You can repeat this process for 2-3 deep breaths. Deep breaths can also help regulate your mood, especially if you're feeling agitated or stuck in certain thoughts or experiences. However, it's important not to do too many deep breaths as it could make you dizzy.

Now, let's return to our practice. The first step is to ensure you have proper posture. If you're practicing seated in a chair, place both feet firmly on the ground, feeling the support of the chair holding your weight. It's important to have your back straight and relaxed, with your neck aligned with your spine and your head resting gently on your neck. Your hands can be in any comfortable position, resting on your thighs. Your eyes can be open or closed as you prefer. If your eyes are open, you can lower your gaze to a 45-degree angle downward for a relaxed posture.

The benefits of this practice include increased awareness, becoming more attuned to our body and emotions, and directly experiencing sensations throughout our body. This exercise can also help with relaxation and managing chronic pains or recurring sensations. Of course, if any sensation or feeling is too emotionally disturbing to focus on, you can simply skip it. It's important not to stress yourself, and to maintain a gentle and relaxing attitude during this exercise. If there's something you don't want to do, feel free to skip it. You can adjust the practice according to your comfort level. 

As all the other structured practices, this one is a long-term practice. We invite you to try it daily for one week and then pass to the next episode. Anyway if you feel comfortable with it, you can use this one as your long term daily practice. 

Okay, that's it. Now, let's return to our practice and start. 

Good practice.

 
 

TRANSCRIPTION OF THE EPISODE:

 OACCUs Meditation Course Episode 3: Awareness of Body Sensations. 

Take a moment to find a place to practice. Sit on a chair or find a comfortable position. Ensure that your back is straight and relaxed, with your eyes closed or gently open. Prepare for this practice. We will start the practice after the sound of the gong. 

GONG! 

Let's take a moment to observe our posture. Ensure your feet are comfortably rooted on the ground. Observe your posture: your feet are relaxed and rooted on the floor, legs relaxed. If you're sitting on a chair, feel your weight on the chair and the support it provides. Your back is straight and relaxed, shoulders soft, arms and hands in a comfortable position, neck aligned with your spine, throat relaxed, and your head, eyes, cheeks, ears, and face relaxed. 

Before beginning the practice, take three deep breaths at your own pace. 

After these three breaths, allow your breath to become more spontaneous, and gently expand your awareness from your breath to the whole of your body, starting from the chest, abdomen, and parts involved in your breath. Then expand your breath to your shoulders, arms, hands, neck, head, face, buttocks, pelvis area, legs, knees, ankles, and feet. 

Keep the awareness of your body engaged with physical sensations. Notice any sensations—tension or pleasant sensations—and stay curious. 

Keep your awareness within your body and let it freely move from one sensation to another. If you notice tension, gently try to relax it without forcing. Let your gentle awareness relax that part if it's the appropriate time for relaxation. Then let the sensation recede into the background of your awareness and notice if any other sensations arise. If your experience and attention wander away from your body, gently bring it back to your body sensations. 

Ensure your awareness keeps moving and stays within the sensations of the body, flowing freely from one sensation to another. Bring gentle awareness to each sensation, allowing experiences and feelings to arise. 

When ready, let the awareness move and focus on your breath for a couple of minutes, noticing the sensations involved—whether the breath is smooth, deep, shallow, rigid, or relaxed. 

Slowly let the awareness of your breath recede into the background of your awareness, bringing the focus back to the body and its sensations in your awareness. Take a moment to thank yourself for being aware of how you feel and what's going on in this moment. It's a good moment to express gratitude to anyone or anything you wish to thank and make any desired wishes, including a wish for good health for yourself and loved ones.

When ready, bring awareness back to your body and the space you're in, slowly moving your body, hands, feet, and blinking your eyes a few times, return to full awareness after the sound of the gong and conclude this practice.

GONG!

TRANSCRIPTION OF THE EPISODE:

Hello and welcome to the OACCUs Meditation Course, Episode 4: How Do I Feel Now?

Today, we will begin by becoming aware of our body. We'll take three deep breaths and then follow our spontaneous breath flow. Gradually, we'll shift our attention to specific aspects of our experience:
 We'll start with physical sensations, then move to emotions—what kind of emotions are passing through us right now? Following that, we'll explore our thoughts—what types of thoughts are present, their quality, speed, and emotional charge. Lastly, we'll focus on our intentions—what we feel inclined to do or where we'd like to direct our energy.

As always, a few words about posture. We'll assume you're sitting on a chair, but feel free to choose any posture you desire. Ensure your back is straight, maintaining stability for approximately 15 minutes, the duration of this practice. If seated, ensure your feet are firmly planted on the floor, feeling the support and strength of the chair holding your weight. Your back should be straight and relaxed, shoulders relaxed, neck aligned with your spine, and head delicately balanced.

Regarding the benefits of this practice, firstly, it enhances awareness—becoming conscious of various experiences involving physical sensations, emotions, intentions, and thoughts. This practice also aids in relaxation by bringing awareness to sensations and potentially reducing tension. 

An important aspect of this practice is its flexibility—you can complete it in as little as 30 seconds or one minute, once you've grasped the structure. You can quickly move through physical sensations, emotions, thoughts, and intentions to gain a brief understanding of how you're feeling and proceed accordingly.

Regarding what to do with this practice, if you're following this course, you can perform this practice daily for one week. 

It's important to aim for daily practice, so find a time slot that suits you best and commit to it. 

Since this is the final practice of this course, after this week, you can choose among the four practices presented which one you prefer. With more experience, you can also combine practices, selecting elements that resonate with you to create your own customized practice.

Very good. So, this is our last episode, and I really hope you enjoyed this course and gained something helpful from it. Once again, I suggest you try to keep practicing daily. This is a small but very important routine that can help you in your daily life.

That's it for today. Now, let's get into the practice. 

Good practice. 

TRANSCRIPTION OF THE EPISODE:

Hello and welcome to the OACCUs Meditation Course Episode 4: How Do I Feel Now? 

Let's take a few moments to focus on our posture, and we will start this practice after the sound of the gong.

GONG!

Sitting in a comfortable posture, let's take a moment to check our alignment. Our feet are well-rooted on the floor, legs relaxed. Our buttocks are firmly stable on the chair where we're sitting, and our back is straight and relaxed. Hands are relaxed, shoulders are relaxed, and so are our arms and hands, with our fingers placed in any comfortable gesture we desire. Our neck is in line with our spine, and our head is softly balanced on our neck, with our face and eyes relaxed. If our eyes are open, they're slightly looking downwards for a relaxed position.

Before getting into the practice, let's do 3 deep breaths, starting and concluding exhaling. After these three deep breaths, and when ready, let your breath slowly return to a natural, spontaneous rhythm, staying with your breath flow for a moment.

Slowly, extend your awareness from your breath to the whole of your body, beginning with your chest, belly, and back, then shoulders, arms, hands, fingers, neck, throat, head, and face, buttocks, pelvic area, legs, feet, and toes. 

Hold your awareness on the sensations passing through your body without focusing on any specific one. Let your awareness freely move and rotate from one sensation to another, checking in with how you're feeling right now. Notice any tension or relaxation, warmth or coldness, or any other feelings. Just observe what's going on.

When you're ready, let the awareness of body sensations fade into the background of your experience, and shift your attention to your emotions. Notice any emotions moving through you—are they intense, neutral, or somewhere in between? Where are they located in your body, and how do they feel? Spend a few moments exploring your emotional landscape.

Slowly, let the experience of these emotions fade into the background of your awareness, and focus on your thoughts. What are you feeling and thinking right now? Are your thoughts heavy and sticky, quick and fleeting, or steady and slow? Pay attention to the quality of your thoughts and linger with this part of your experience for a moment.

Finally, when you're ready, let the experience of your thoughts fade into the background of your awareness, and shift your attention to your intentions. What do you feel inclined to do right now, or where would you like to direct your energy? Notice any desires or impulses without acting on them. Simply be aware of them for a few moments.

Slowly, let the awareness of your intentions fade into the background of your experience, and bring your attention back to the breath, noticing its natural flow for a little while. 

Then, gradually let your awareness of the breath fade into the background of your experience, and expand your awareness to the whole of your body, the chair or place where you're seated, and the room or environment around you.

Finally, slowly move your body, your hands, your feet, and blink a few times before concluding this practice and returning to your activities.

GONG!