Mindfulness Breaks™

What is a Mindfulness Break?

If you work for a company, you possibly take a coffee break every hour. You most likely take a lunch break. You may even take a cigarette break (at least, you will breathe deeply during this).

What would happen if you could also take a mindfulness break?

What is mindfulness and what is a mindfulness break?

Mindfulness is bringing one’s complete attention to the present experience on a moment-to-moment basis.

Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction defines mindfulness as

“Paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally”

A mindfulness break is a period of mindfulness, a period of living life deeply in the present moment which can be practiced anywhere, any time from a moment, to a minute, to ten minutes, to a couple of hours, to a weekend, to a week, to several months or years.

Do you want to take a mindfulness break right now?

Ok. This will only take a minute or two.

If you have an office, please close the door.

Sit up straight in your chair in a comfortable position. Try to have your feet on the floor. Use headphones if you have them handy.

After you press the play button, close your eyes.

Bring your attention to your breathing.

When you are breathing in, know that you are breathing in.

When you are breathing out, know that you are breathing out.

When the bell rings, you mindfulness break is over.

That’s all!

You can return here whenever you want a one minute mindfulness break.

How did it go for you? Please write your comments below.

Now show this to your boss so that he can arrange a mindfulness break for your whole group that will last from 2 hours to a full weekend.

A Mindfulness Break in Your Home

OK. Now that you understand what a Mindfulness Break is, you can now experience it for yourself in your home or workplace.

Do you want to experience relaxation, healing, connection, well-being and deep  peace right in your own home or workplace?

Do you need help coping with the situation in the world today with the new administration in the United States, immigrants being rejected, elephants being slaughtered, climate change,  and more lies from the military/industrial complex?

Then you need to take a Mindfulness Break to take it all in and come up with your own way of handling the situation.

Whether you are a single mom or dad who works hard to keep your kids in school and getting good grades, a working family with two incomes, a senior citizen (like me) with time on your hands, or a single millennial with questions about your future, this guided meditation process is for you and your loved ones.

When you order a 30-45 minute Mindfulness Break in your home, you will be guided into a peaceful, restful state of mind and learn to return there whenever you wish. This Mindfulness Break will include instructions so that you can do it on your own. You will also receive an audio recording of your session.

During the session, you will learn to bring about the relaxation response to counteract any feelings of stress, anxiety or sorrow. The relaxation response was investigated by Harvard professor, Herbert Benson and it is just the opposite of the fight or flight response which is the result of anxiety, stress, tension, and all sorts of other conditions. Anytime you do a Mindfulness Break, you are activating neural connections in your brain and contributing to your own well being. You will be guided into a peaceful, restful state of mind and learn to return there whenever you wish. This Mindfulness Break will include instructions so that you can do it on your own. You will also receive an audio recording of your session.

During the session, you will learn to bring about the relaxation response to counteract any feelings of stress, anxiety or sorrow. The relaxation response was investigated by Harvard professor, Herbert Benson and it is just the opposite of the fight or flight response which is the result of anxiety, stress, tension, and all sorts of other conditions. Anytime you do a Mindfulness Break, you are activating neural connections in your brain and contributing to your own neuroplasticity..

Questions You May Have

Instructions: click on the topic + sign to see more…

What will I learn in a Mindfulness Break?
In a Mindfulness Break session, you will learn

  • How to breathe deeply from your abdomen.
  • How to bring your attention into your breath, body and feelings.
  • How to create a relaxing scene for you to return to at will.
  • How to scan your body to achieve a state of total relaxation.
  • How to set goals and visualize them so that you can achieve them.
  • The four keys to successful Mindfulness Break.
How will you support me?

Mindfulness Breaks offers five different ways you can get support before, during and after you sign up for a Mindfulness Break in your home or workplace. While these are not listed in a specific order, you’ll discover one or more of these will help you to make the most of your session(s).

  • Email: You can use the contact form from the top menu to ask a question by email.
  • Facebook: Once you have signed up for a Mindfulness Break, you will be invited to join a private Facebook group for interfacing with  me and other clients.
  • Mindfulness In Healing: I founded the Mindfulness In Healing meditation group in the summer of 2009. You are welcome to drop in any time. We meet on Wednesday evenings from 7:00PM to 8:30PM at the Pine Street Clinic, 124 Pine Street, San Anselmo, CA. You will receive a link to the Mindfulness in Healing flyer when you sign up for a Mindfulness Break.
  • Monthly Q&A: After you have been practicing your Mindfulness Break for a while, you will be invited to attend live Q&A conference calls where you can ask questions, share your experience, and get the most value for your efforts.
  • Mindfulness Breaks – The Book: You will be granted access to the PDF version of the Mindfulness Breaks: Your Path to Awakening book.
  • Meditation Practices: Once you sign up, you will find articles, teachings and videos about mindfulness practices arriving in your email with links to over 1300 blog posts to enhance your Mindfulness Breaks.
What is involved in a Mindfulness Break session?

A Mindfulness Break session consists of the following segments:

  1. Stretching and relaxing large muscle groups
  2. Taking several deep, relaxing breaths
  3. Imagining a relaxing scene (beach, mountain, forest, meadow, etc. – your choice)
  4. Relaxing each part of your body
  5. Counting down to a deeper level of the mind
  6. Looking deeply into your goals or another aspect of your life
  7. Instructing you on how to induce a Mindfulness Break on your own
  8. Completing the session
  9. Talking about the session
How much does a Mindfulness Break session cost?

The basic cost of a Mindfulness Break session is $157.

What if I am part of a group?

If you are part of a group we can make special arrangements for you and your group. Please use the contact form to set up a telephone call about your group.

Group sizes can vary from three or four to about twenty men, women and children (see below). They can last from a single session to  half a day to a whole weekend, depending on the needs of your group.

How have Mindfulness Breaks helped you?

I would like to mention three instances in my life where Mindfulness Breaks really helped me. You can actually read more about these on Meditation Practices and Mindfulness In Healing (websites).

In 1973, just after my training at a retreat center in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, I used a Mindfulness Break to get a teaching job at the College of Marin, just north of San Francisco. I had been teaching data processing at Oakton Community College in Morton Grove, IL (near Chicago). I wanted to be in California, where my son was and all the action.

In May, 1976, my seven-year-old son presented with a kidney cancer which had metastasized to his lungs. When I learned that he was in the hospital, I cancelled my trip to Esalen with Gabrielle Roth and went right to the hospital. As soon as possible, I did a Mindfulness Break with my son (which became known as a Mind Story for little ones) and continued to do so until I hired Dr. Sheldon Ruderman to take over the imagery work with Micah. Every other night in the month long hospital stay, my girl friend at the time and I did a couple Mindfulness Break in his room.

On Super Bowl Sunday in 1997, I presented with bladder cancer and opted for a bladder sparing protocol. Mindfulness Breaks, exercise, and other meditation practices got me through this first episode. I have now completed treatment of six additional episodes and I continue to use Mindfulness Breaks to look deeply into myself for the appropriate treatment and recovery.

What do people say about Mindfulness Breaks?

Spending time with Jerome on a mindfulness break was equivalent to  a full day at a spa. I felt rejuvenated and relaxed and ready to take on the rest of the day. How wonderful it was to stop what I was doing, quiet my mind and go on a magical journey with the guidance of Jerome! I was much more productive for the rest of the day, my energy did not slump in the afternoon and I slept very well that night. I highly recommend Jerome and his expertise with years of meditation. This kind of daily practice guided by Jerome and his  teachings is a must to create a calm sense of peace, joy and space in ones life. Jerome knows how to guide you to quiet your mind and rejuvenate your energy in a short period of time. It is nothing short of the best gift you can give yourself

Today!

-Julie S.

“My 30 minute guided meditation with Jerome was amazing!   I have a little experience with guided meditation, and I’m always open to new experiences.  Jerome is an experienced guide in meditation and I wanted to share this particular experience. My partner and I sat on a automated reclining couch as we started.  Jerome explained, with much expertise, how we would proceed with our session.  I was so so comfortable with him; he’s been a meditation guru for a half century.  We had no music, only external sounds from our world.  The most profound part of the session was that I felt my limbs feeling heavy, grounded to where I was reclining.  I experienced complete relaxation; he really put each and every sense of my self in a space I can’t get to on my own.  I would suggest trying a session with Jerome, because each and every experience with a different master in this realm is a new and amazing experience.”

-Carolin H.

“Jerome Freedman’s, website, videos and especially the daily meditation process helped me to open up my intuition to realize my feelings and be sensitive to new directions in life. I just cannot get enough of these meditations. I use my iphone to listen when I am on the road. Just love the process.”

-Mary D.

“It’s just like having this wonder force field around me. It was fascinating… It was very wonderful… I was really, really grateful… What was extremely powerful for me was the customizing especially for me… It was a very deep kind of gift… I am so excited about revisiting it! It was amazing. My whole body felt it… “

-Carolyn D.. LCSW

What do people say about my books?

“Dr. Freedman speaks from experience, both as a cancer survivor himself, and the father of a Radical Remission cancer survivor. His book, “Healing Cancer with Your Mind” gives readers a nurturing, helping hand throughout the entire cancer journey, especially with regard to developing a meditation practice.”

-Kelly Turner, PhD, Author of the NYTimes Bestseller “Radical Remission: Surviving Cancer Against All Odds”

“Jerome is not a medical doctor, but a doctor of computer science – he’s a very smart man. He’s also an ordained practitioner in a Buddhist tradition and a compassionate listener and observer of the human condition. He has helped many friends and acquaintances navigate their way through cancer diagnosis, treatment, and often, recovery.”

Martin Rossman, MD, from the foreword, author of The Worry Solution and Fighting Cancer from Within

“Healing Cancer with Your Mind” is a valuable guide to navigating the complex terrain of cancer diagnosis and treatment. Blending his direct experience with cancer and a deep practice in mindfulness and guided imagery, Dr. Jerome Freedman offers a unique and valuable perspective with mindful healing approaches.

-Leslie Davenport, Author of Healing and Transformation Through Self Guided Imagery

Ready? Lets begin…

About Mindfulness Breaks

About Mindfulness Breaks

Mindfulness Breaks was founded by Dr. Jerome Freedman in 2014, originally as an offshoot of Meditation Practices. Now the inspiration comes from the motivation to help you increase your happiness and reduce your suffering. Meditation Practices has many articles and mindfulness exercises to help you increase happiness. These practices include gratitude, generosity, forgiveness, kindness and compassion.

Read more in my book, Mindfulness Breaks: Your Path to Awakening now available. The book is based on the notes I took while on retreat with Father Eli back in 1973 and 1974. These notes are hand written and occupy two three-inch binders. As I read through them and transcribed them into a computer document, I realized that Father Eli was teaching the same things as Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. Father Eli focused on relaxing emotions, gratitude, and steps leading to liberation. Sound familiar?

About Jerome Freedman, Ph. D.

Dr. Jerome Freedman is an author, healthcare advocate, Certified Radical Remission Health Coach, Certified Mindfulness Meditation Teacher, Certified Mindfulness Mentor, Certified Enneagram Teacher and a Certified Trauma-Sensitive Practitioner. He is a bladder cancer survivor since 1997. He is a long-time practitioner in the tradition of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh in which he is an ordained member of the Order of Interbeing and serves on several committees.

Jerome currently teaches Mindfulness in Healing at the Pine Street Clinic in San Anselmo, California (now on zoom) and writes daily on his blog, Meditation Practices. He is a contributing author of I Am With You: Love Letters to Cancer Patients, Nancy Novak, PhD, and Barbara K. Richardson.

Dr. Freedman served on the Board of Directors of the Marin AIDS Project and the Advisory Council of the Institute for Health and Healing between 2007 and 2010. In 2019 and 2020, he served as a patient advocate for the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) and a presenter at the 2022 Bladder Cancer Summit. He is now a contributor to the Earth Holder Sangha – the Plum Village climate response community – as an activist promoting earth protection. He is a former technical advisor for Operation Diana, an NGO dedicated to the survival of elephants in Africa.

Dr. Freedman holds a Ph. D. in computer science, along with two master’s degrees in physics and a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering. He interviewed Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson on cosmology and Buddhist thought in 2011. He was interviewed on the Artfully Mindful Podcast by Don Thompson which you can watch here.

Click here to send an email to Dr. Freedman or call 415-488-6476 to learn how you and your child can be supported.

Also by Dr. Freedman

How to Use Mindfulness to Be Happy!
Mindfulness Breaks: Your Path to Awakening
Stop Cancer in its Tracks: Your Path to Mindfulness in Healing Yourself
Healing Cancer with Your Mind: 7 Strategies to Help YOU Survive
Seven Steps to Stop Interruptions in Meditation: How to Concentrate and Focus on Your Meditation and Deal with Distractions
Cosmology and Buddhist Thought: A Conversation with Dr. Neil deGrasse Tysonexcerpted by Lion’s Roar Buddhist Magazine
The Enneagram: Know Your Type! Awaken Your Potential!
Contributing author to I Am With You: Love Letters to Cancer Patients published February, 2015.

Mindfulness Recordings

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Money Matters

The Law of Reciprocity

The law of reciprocity states that giving and receiving are mutual acts of kindness. It means to return in kind what is given or even to give something else in return. You’ve heard the expression, “I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine.” The law of reciprocity simply explains that that when someone gives you something you feel an obligation to give back and this is true in EVERY culture on the face of the earth.

The most common method of reciprocity in the Western world is giving money for goods and services rendered.

When I first began teaching this method , I charged $5, and this was back in 1973. I taught these mindfulness breaks in my home in San Francisco to several hundred people and gave 10% to my mentor. He has long passed, but I still intend to donate 10% to organizations which preserve and improve the lives of people, animals and plants.

Money Matters

The basic fee for a mindfulness break session is $157.

If you live outside of the San Francisco North Bay Area, using Skype / FaceTime / WhatsApp is recommended.

Sign Me Up!

To apply for a Mindfulness Break, please fill out the following form and watch for instructions in your email. The basic cost for a Mindfulness Break session is $157.

Special Bonuses for the next ten subscribers: You will receive a signed copy of Mindfulness Breaks: Your Path to Awakening as well as all six Mindfulness Breaks recordings described in the book (see below).

In the following form, you will be able to choose your service option from one of these:

  1. Undecided: This means you haven’t decided which of the following three options you want
  2. Your Home or Workplace: This means you would like me to come to your home or workplace to offer a Mindfulness Break. This option is limited to people within 15 miles of my office in Greenbrae, CA, which can be waived in some situations. Your address will be checked to make sure your home or office is in range.
  3. Visit to My Office: You plan to have your Mindfulness Break at my office. Directions will be sent to you once you have made a payment.
  4. Skype / FaceTime / WhatsApp: This means that you want to have your Mindfulness Break through some form of internet connection. We will work this out once you have made a payment.
  5. Just Ask a Question or Make a Comment: Be sure to enter you question or comment in the Special Requirements or Comments section of the form. We will get back to you ASAP, usually within 24 hours.

Enter your name, email address and postal address to receive your instructions. After we process your application, you will be able to pay for your Mindfulness Break.














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