Exercises:
HANDS EXERCISE
Stare at your palms. Allow your mind and your eyes to rest on them, observing them kindly and curiously, as if you’ve never seen them before. Allow your mind and eyes to continue to sweetly rest on your hands as you bring them together and feel the sensation of them touching and moving against one another. Do this for 5-10 breaths. When you’re finished, put both hands on your heart and take a deep breath in and out. Notice the rise and fall of the chest under the hands. Finish by saying something kind to yourself with your hands on your heart.

5-4-3-2-1 Exercise
Take a moment to check in with each of your senses using a kind and curious attention. Allow your mind to sweetly rest for a moment on what you notice as you go through each of the five senses, noting kindly:
5 things you can see
4 things you can touch
3 things you can hear
2 things you can smell
1 thing you can taste.

Note: This activity can be adapted for as many of the senses that are accessible. The exercise is intended to bring one out of the thinking mind into the sensory experience and is particularly useful for anxiety.

SAVOR
When you notice a moment that’s sweet, calm, or good, try dwelling on it. Take a few breaths while noticing it. You can act as if you were taking a picture of it, or describing it to someone else, to bring yourself into the sensory details. Try and stay with it for 20-30 seconds, or start with 5.

Note: This practice of savoring when we are in a calm state (i.e. a ventral vagal moment) helps train our nervous system to come back more easily to that state.

BREATHE
Take a moment to take three long breaths in and bigger breaths out. If it would feel good to let out an audible sigh, or hmm, or a slow “birthday candle” exhale, go for it.

by Meghan Cliffel, Writer | Mindfulness Teacher