Three Mindfulness Exercises - Self-development

Mindfulness is the innate ability of a person to be aware of what he is feeling and what he is thinking at a given moment, and to explore it with benevolence, acceptance and curiosity. This skill helps you find healthier ways to self-regulate and deal with experiences such as anxiety, anger, sadness, or feeling empty and desperate. You can start with small exercises that take 10-15 minutes a day.

1. Scan

The condition resulting from the MBSR course may be familiar to people who have practiced yoga, tai chi, or martial arts. One of the basic exercises offered to course participants is body scans. Try to lie flat on your back, feel the contact of the entire back surface of your body with the floor, and hear your breathing. After that, you need to walk with an inner gaze throughout your body, starting from your toes and ending with the crown of your head, examining in as much detail as possible how every centimeter of your body feels.

You can say to yourself: "What is happening in my knees now?" or “Now I’m shifting my attention to how I feel my stomach,” etc. This exercise develops the skill of concentrating and holding attention and being receptive to my own physical sensations. It can be done at the end of the day to relax muscles and improve sleep quality.

2. "Zest"

It will require a zest or any other food. Imagine that you have arrived from another planet where there is no such food. But now that you have the zest in your hand, you can start exploring it with all your senses. Look at this object as if you have never seen anything like it. Rotate with your fingers to watch the play of color, texture, shape. In the process, notice what thoughts arise: "Why am I doing this?", Or "How can this help me at all," or "I hate raisins!" - and try to let these thoughts just be present, and then return your attention to the investigation of the object. Try it by touch. Listen to if the zest makes a sound when brought to your ear and squeezed with your fingers. Does she smell? Now watch how the hand brings the zest to the mouth: how does the hand know which direction to move?

When the food is in your mouth, track the speed at which the jaw begins to move, the movement of the tongue, the texture of the raisins on the teeth. When it's time to swallow, first acknowledge your intention to swallow and see if you can resist giving in to this reflex right away. Feel which muscles are involved in swallowing and what happens to the body after. Then take a moment to congratulate yourself and thank yourself for taking the time to explore your awareness, even in such a familiar little thing as eating food.

3. "Good habit"

One of the goals of formal meditation exercises is to train skills that can be applied in real life. Therefore, one of the important components of MBSR training is the development of mindfulness as a habit. Pick a task that you usually do daily, like brushing your teeth, washing dishes, or tying your shoelaces. Try to keep your attention on it for the entire time while you are doing this task. Involve all your senses in this process.

If you brush your teeth, remind yourself that this is exactly what you are doing now, and feel the sensations that are caused by the contact of the bristles with the gums and teeth, explore the subtleties of the taste of toothpaste. If you are washing dishes, acknowledge the fact that you are washing dishes, feel the temperature of the water and listen to how it makes a sound, how it smells like cleaning agent. Maybe it will be possible to notice what shades of color the soap bubbles are shimmering … Try it yourself - and see what happens.