Simple Mindfulness Exercises

Mindful Hand Awareness Exercise

Grasp your hands really tight and hold for a 5 to 10 seconds, then release and pay attention to how your hands feel. Keep your attention focused on the feeling for as long as you can.

Mental Focus Exercise

Stare at any object and try to remain focused on just that object for as long as possible. Keep a mental watch on when your mind starts to wander, then just bring it back to the object. The longer you can remain focused, the more your mindfulness will increase.

Tactile Exercise

Pinch your arm and pay close attention to how it feels and what your emotions begin doing.  Pay attention to the pain it causes, and how it radiates out from the site where you pinch.  This exercise can really tune you in to how your body deals with discomfort and what emotions rise.  Do you get angry when you feel pain?

Musical Stimuli Exercise

Listen to your favorite song and pay attention to how it makes you feel.  What emotions stir?  What memories come up, and how do those memories make you feel?  Engage the emotions and see where they lead.

Olfactory Sense Exercise

Smell something strong like coffee beans or perfume and pay close attention to what happens in your nose, and then what feelings these scents evoke.

Just as in step 5, but with taste instead of smell.