Mindfulness Exercises

In today’s post I’ll be introducing mindfulness practices you can easily incorporate into your daily life. Mindfulness is a state of awareness of the present moment in a manner that is non-judgmental and accepting. Practicing mindfulness allows us to notice our thoughts and feelings as they occur. The benefits of mindfulness include reduction of anxiety symptoms, improved concentration, greater cognitive flexibility, and better emotion regulation skills. As with most things in life, adopting a mindful mindset requires daily practice. It is recommended to engage in mindfulness at least 20 minutes a day to experience the most benefits. Below are some of my favorite mindfulness exercises that I often use myself or with my patients! There may be some exercises that strongly resonate with you and others you can’t stand—and that’s ok! It’s all about finding what works best for you and being willing to try. I’ve included some scripts that you can read along with and links to videos that will lead you in the exercise! So, let’s get started!

Breathing Awareness:

Start by finding a comfortable position, with your hands resting on your lap, and legs gently pressing the ground. Begin by taking a deep breath in and slowly releasing your breath. Notice how your breath feels in your nose, your throat, your mouth. Feel the warmth of the exhale. The coolness of the inhale. If a thought comes up, simply acknowledge it, and return to your breath. Don't judge the thought, just allow it to come and float by. Focus on your breath. Feel the rise and fall of your belly. Inhale, exhale slowly. Continue breathing in this way.

Here are links to breathing awareness exercises you can listen to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YgP8Nk-IoY & https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cp7pnHCY94U

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Progressive Muscle Relaxation or PMR is an exercise that allows you to experience relaxation by tensing your muscles (without straining them) and then releasing them! In doing so you slowly become more and more relaxed. Here’s the link to a script: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86HUcX8ZtAk

Five Senses

This exercise is great to use in the moment to help ground you using all your senses! What are five things that you see? What are four things you can touch? What are three things you can hear? What are two things you can smell? What is one thing you can taste? Did you notice things that you never noticed before? How do you feel now?

Leaves on a Stream

Visual imagery exercises goes beyond simply focusing on your breath by using an imaginative component in which you think of a certain scenario. In this case, a gently flowing stream. You can find this exercise here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1C8hwj5LXw

Square Breathing

Visualize a square in your mind or use your finger to trace a square on your thigh. Trace across one side, breathe in through your nose for 4 seconds. Trace another side, hold your breath for 4 seconds. Trace another side, exhale through your mouth for 4 seconds. Trace the last side, rest for 4 seconds. So, inhale, hold, exhale, rest, and repeat.

Eating Mindfulness

Check out this great mindful eating script! Since practicing eating mindfully, I’ve been able to better enjoy my food using all my senses. Here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CCr5w3ox_4

I hope you found at least one practice that worked for you! This is just the start to building your toolbox of coping strategies that will help you better manage stress or anxiety! Remember, it takes patience and practice!