Categories
LIST-Mindfulness Well-being

Mindfulness of the External World

Background: We carry with us our 5 senses – touch, taste, smell, hearing and sight – but we often register those sensations unconsciously. Using these tools, we can become aware, accepting and mindful of the external world. We can only see, smell, touch, taste and hear in the present.

  1. 5,4,3,2,1 Exercises

These are exercises in noticing what is around us:

A.  Sight: Look around you and name as you look at 5 different objects (variation: 5 blue/black/green objects), then do the same for 4 of those 5 objects, 3 of those 5 objects, etc
B.  Sight & Touch: Look at, name and touch 5 different objects, noticing their texture, temperature, mass and weight as you do so. Then do the same for 4 of those objects, 3 of those objects, etc
C.  Sight, Touch and Smell/Taste: Look at (in a garden or a kitchen), name, taste and smell 5 different objects, noticing their colours, texture, taste and aroma. Then do the same for 4 of those objects, 3, 2, 1.
D.  Hearing: Close your eyes and listen for 5 different sounds. Then 4,3,2,1.

  1. Other Exercises On The External World

A.  Mindfulness on washing the dishes
B.  Mindfulness on walking
C.  Mindfulness on sitting in the garden
D.  Mindfulness on driving a car through traffic

Notice physical sensations through the body – sights, smells, sounds, tastes, touch/sensations