I’ve always been interested in mindfulness, but until I began studying it formally and reading about it in more detail, I often found myself not knowing ‘how’ to practice it when I had some time to myself. Here are five of my favourite mindfulness exercises, that are particularly good if you are new to mindfulness.
The body scan. This is a great exercise for beginners who are new to mindfulness.
Start by sitting in a comfortable position, and bring awareness to your breath, focusing on where your body meets the ground and where you’re sitting. Then starting at your head, shine a ‘spotlight’ of attention on each area of your body noticing the sensations in it. Move all the way down your body to your feet, focusing on each area of your body and noticing how it feels, gently guiding your mind back to the breath when your attention wanders.
It can be a good idea to do a guided body scan initially – I like this one.
Bringing mindfulness to your daily routine. For days when you’re too busy to sit down and go through a mindfulness meditation, bringing mindfulness to something you do every day is a great way of tuning in to your senses and being present in the moment. This could be cleaning your teeth, making your bed, maybe eating your breakfast. So you might want to pay attention to the way the toothpaste tube feels, the smell of the toothpaste as you squeeze it on to your toothbrush, the feel of the bristles in your mouth. The important thing is that you observe the steps of something you do automatically in a more mindful way.
A 4321 mindfulness exercise outdoors. This can be anywhere – out in the wild, or in your back garden. Find a comfortable place to sit, either on the ground or on a seat. Close your eyes, and connect with your breath.
Then notice four things that you see, taking time to observe them one at a time. From there, move on to three things that you can hear, focusing intently on the sound. Follow on from that by observing two things that you can feel – perhaps the breeze on your face, or the feel of the grass underneath your feet. Finally, notice one thing that you can smell or touch – maybe the flowers in your garden, the scent of the sea, or the bark of a tree you’re sitting near. Take time to observe all of these things fully is a great way to ground yourself, especially if you are feeling worried or anxious, and to stop negative thoughts spinning out of control.
Setting an intention for the day. Choose a positive intention that you are going to keep in your mind and work towards during the day.
Maybe you’ll decide that you’re going to spend today feeling gratitude for the things you’d ordinarily take for granted – a warm house, family who love you, food in your fridge, strong legs to get you out of bed in the morning, if these are things you are lucky enough to have in your life.
Maybe you’ll focus on self care with your intention, promising yourself you’ll eat well and that everything you put in your body will be nourishing, clean food.
You can write the intention down, or just hold it in your mind throughout the day. Make time to check in with yourself during the day and revisit your intention, calling it to the centre of your mind.
Mindful eating. How often do we shovel down our food, hardly tasting it and missing out on all of the enjoyment a good meal brings, loading up the next forkful as soon as we’ve put the food in our mouths?
Try slowing down when you’re eating instead. Take time to sit down with your plate in front of you and appreciate what you’re about to eat. Notice the different colours and textures of your food, the smell, and finally, the taste. Focus on chewing every mouthful and finishing it before getting your fork or spoon ready with the next one. Notice the texture and flavour as you breathe slowly and enjoy the meal in front of you.