Mindfulness
Mindfulness is the quality of being present — the experience of being open and aware in the
moment, without judgment or criticism, focusing your mind on the here and now rather than
wandering.
5-Senses. Identify your surroundings through your five senses. Ask yourself what you currently
see, hear, physically feel, smell and taste. Name and describe as many things as you can.
Find your center. Sit upright in a comfortable position and take several deep breaths. On the
next exhale lean as far to the right as you can without falling over. Inhale and return to
center. Then exhale and learn far to the left. Inhale to the center. Slowly start to repeat,
leaning less and less every time. When you finally reach the middle, your center, take several
deep breaths and notice what it feels like to be in balance.
Watch your own movie. Imagine you are watching a movie and have to describe to someone
everything that is happening. You have to pay special attention and be clear, so the other
person can understand what’s going on. That’s precisely the purpose of this exercise. The only
thing is that the movie is your life (a current moment in your life) and you are telling the
story to yourself, not to someone else. When you’re ready, start by focusing on what you are
doing — describe everything that is going on. Be specific, detailed-oriented, and clear. You are
trying to increase awareness of how you are doing what you are doing. Most of the time, we
are living on autopilot. This exercise will help you increase awareness of your behavior, no
matter how insignificant or not the task you’re performing is.
Observe other people. We usually see reality, but we don’t honestly pay attention. Increase
your focus by becoming a better observer. Focus on one person and observe what that they
are doing. Look at the appearance, body language, the way they’re dressed. Then, move to
another person. You’re not trying to guess or interpret what they’re doing or why. Just watch
and become aware of what’s going on. We usually don’t pay attention to what happens right
in front of our eyes, and if we do, we pass judgment. When we judge people by their looks or
actions, we stop seeing. Becoming more mindful requires seeing things as they are, not
through the lens of our feelings.
Body Scan. Physical sensation is a signal – where do you feel it and why? Your body registers
everything that happens to you. When we have tension in our body it’s because our mind is
full of tensions too. Take a deep breath and scan your body from the top of your head, down
to your toes. Notice where you feel anything – any tightness, tension, pain, pressure,
blockage, or numbness. Anything at all as you go from your head, face, neck, shoulders,
chest, all the way down your arms to the tips of your fingers, and down through the core of
your body. Your chest, back, stomach, pelvis and hips, legs, down to your toes. Focus your
breath on the area where you feel sensation. The oxygen provides calmness and relaxation.
Chair grounding. Notice your feet on the floor. They are literally grounded, connected to the
floor. Wiggle your toes inside your shoes. Dig your heels gently into the floor to ground
yourself even more. Now, touch your chair. Describe it. What material is it made of? How does
it feel? Now, touch the table. What material is it made of? Is it warmer or colder than the
chair? Now, find an object near you. Pick it up and hold it, and say everything you can about
it: what it’s made of, how heavy it is, whether it’s cold or warm, what color it is.
Observe with your eyes closed. Our eyes are our primary source of distraction — we jump
from one thing to another and stop paying attention. Sometimes, the best way to remove a
distraction is to stop seeing it. In any space, close your eyes, take a deep breath and focus on
what’s going on around you. First, pay attention to the sounds that are closer to you. Little by
little, start focusing on the sounds that are farther away. What do you hear? Can you hear
voices? What are they saying? Repeat the routine with the more distant noises. Remember
that you’re trying to understand, not analyze, what’s happening. Pay attention — learn to
observe what’s going on without seeing.