Practicing mindful exercises can have multiple benefits for both your mental and physical health. Engagement in these exercises below can reduce stress, improve focus, enhance emotional regulation, increase self-awareness, boost resiliency, and improve your physical health. Give each of the below mindful exercises below a chance and see which one, or how many, work for you. Try and make time at least once a day for one of these exercises.
Mindful Breathing
- Find a comfortable position, sitting or lying down, with your eyes open or closed. Make sure you are comfortable, with minimal distractions.
- Take a few deep breaths… in through your nose and out through your mouth. Notice the sensation of air moving in and out of your lungs.
- If your mind begins to wander to thoughts, gently bring your attention back to your breathing and what you are feeling in your body.
- Continue this for about 5-10 minutes. If you are setting a timer, make sure the alarm sound is not jarring and is rather soothing. When the time is up, slowly open your eyes and become readjusted to your surroundings. Slowly sit up or stand up and notice the differences you feel before and after.
- Repeat this when needed, but also try to make time for this at least once every day.
Body Scan
- Find a comfortable position, lying down or sitting, this time with your eyes closed.
- Start with the mindful breathing exercise – breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth, bringing your thoughts back to your breathing if they wander.
- Beginning with the lower half of your body and while maintaining your breathing, shift your attention to your toes. What do they feel like right now? Are they tense? Are they squished together in your socks or shoes? Are they cold or hot and sweaty?
- Once you have shifted awareness to your toes, tense your toes as hard as you can without causing pain. Hold this tenseness for 10 seconds, noticing what it feels like. After 10 seconds, relax your toes. Notice how they feel this time. Are there any differences?
- Take a moment to take a few more deep breaths, and then repeat the last two bullet points, but shifting focus to your calves, then your thighs, to your stomach, to your hands, then your arms, your neck, and finishing with your face. You are working through large muscle groups throughout your body, bottom to top.
- When you get to the top of your body, completing every large muscle group, take a few deep breaths before opening your eyes. Become readjusted to your surroundings. Slowly sit up or stand up and notice the differences you feel before and after.
Mindful Eating
- Choose a small piece of food, like a small bite size of chocolate.
- Hold the food in your hand and notice its texture, shape, and weight.
- Bring the food up to your nose and smell it, noticing any aromas.
- Place the food in your mouth and let it rest on your tongue for a moment, without chewing.
- Notice the taste and texture of the food, the way it feels in your mouth.
- Slowly begin to chew the food, noticing each sensation as you do.
- When you’re ready, swallow the food and notice any aftertaste or lingering sensations.
- Repeat this with other bites you may have and notice any differences after mindful eating, such as feeling more full or satisfied.
Review
Overall, practicing mindfulness exercises can help you cultivate greater awareness, clarity, and calm in your life. Finding which one works best for you is key to creating this as a habit and adding it into your daily routine. What is your favorite exercise and why?
About Therapist Bethany Winter, MA, LPC Barnum Counseling
(2022, October 11). Can mindfulness exercises help me?. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/in-depth/mindfulness-exercises/art-20046356#:~:text=Mindfulness%20is%20a%20type%20of,mind%20and%20help%20reduce%20stress
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