Invisible Mindfulness
I've been learning to use mindfulness a lot recently. Done properly, it eases physical and mental tension, calms the mind and is an important tool for relieving stress.
As you may know, it works best when you take time alone to do your mindfulness exercises, but the same busy day that means we need to use mindfulness often robs us of the chance to exercise mindfulness.
So, I came up with these short exercises that can be slipped quietly into your working day, sometimes only taking a few moments, sometimes being suitable to use as you go.
There is no specific order to these steps, just pick and choose the exercises that seem right to you in the moment. Some of the exercises focus on breathing - for all the others, try to breathe in slowly through your nose, and gently out through pursed lips.
As you may know, it works best when you take time alone to do your mindfulness exercises, but the same busy day that means we need to use mindfulness often robs us of the chance to exercise mindfulness.
So, I came up with these short exercises that can be slipped quietly into your working day, sometimes only taking a few moments, sometimes being suitable to use as you go.
There is no specific order to these steps, just pick and choose the exercises that seem right to you in the moment. Some of the exercises focus on breathing - for all the others, try to breathe in slowly through your nose, and gently out through pursed lips.
Moving Your Toes
This exercise can be done sitting or standing, but not while walking. It can be used to distract yourself from unhelpful thought patterns, and give you a few moments to slow an anxious heart.
With your foot flat on the floor, think about your toes. Spread them out, just a little, inside your shoe.
Now focus on your big toe, just your big toe, and slowly lift it. Feel how the movement changes the tension in your foot, your shin, and possibly your calf. It's OK if the next toe lifts a little, because that's your next focus - let your big toe drop slowly, and think about moving the rest of your toes in turn, a slow Mexican wave, moving a ripple of muscular tension across your shin. Feel your toes separate and touch again as the wave moves across your foot.
Repeat the same thing with your other foot.
Now reverse the movement, starting with your little torso, and finishing with your big toes.
It doesn't matter that you can't move one toe at a time, what's important is that you are aware of each toe, and its muscles, in turn.
With your foot flat on the floor, think about your toes. Spread them out, just a little, inside your shoe.
Now focus on your big toe, just your big toe, and slowly lift it. Feel how the movement changes the tension in your foot, your shin, and possibly your calf. It's OK if the next toe lifts a little, because that's your next focus - let your big toe drop slowly, and think about moving the rest of your toes in turn, a slow Mexican wave, moving a ripple of muscular tension across your shin. Feel your toes separate and touch again as the wave moves across your foot.
Repeat the same thing with your other foot.
Now reverse the movement, starting with your little torso, and finishing with your big toes.
It doesn't matter that you can't move one toe at a time, what's important is that you are aware of each toe, and its muscles, in turn.
Fingertips
Your fingers send a lot of information to your brain, often very quickly.
If you slow down that flow, and control it, you can calm a racing mind.
Let your hand hang loose at your side, or let a desk top take the weight of your arm. Gently touch together your thumb and index finger tips. Circle them, slowly, around each other. Use almost no pressure, and focus on what each digit feels. As they circle, the ridges of your fingertips will mesh and gently catch - focus on this sensation as you circle, once, twice, three times...
Move your thumb from fingertip to fingertip, repeating the circles, focusing on the sensation of touch.
When you reach your little finger, reverse the direction of the circling, and work your way back across from little finger to index.
Repeat the exercise with your other hand.
If you slow down that flow, and control it, you can calm a racing mind.
Let your hand hang loose at your side, or let a desk top take the weight of your arm. Gently touch together your thumb and index finger tips. Circle them, slowly, around each other. Use almost no pressure, and focus on what each digit feels. As they circle, the ridges of your fingertips will mesh and gently catch - focus on this sensation as you circle, once, twice, three times...
Move your thumb from fingertip to fingertip, repeating the circles, focusing on the sensation of touch.
When you reach your little finger, reverse the direction of the circling, and work your way back across from little finger to index.
Repeat the exercise with your other hand.
Brushing
Another fingertip exercise, but instead of stroking your fingertips, you use your fingertips to explore a tiny patch of something.
Whether it is the desk in front of you, the seam of your jacket or a single key of your computer, gently stroke and explore a patch of surface no bigger than a postage stamp.
Use only your sense of touch - do not look at the surface, focus only on your sense of touch - can you feel flecks of dust on the table? The fibres of your skirt? The lettering on the keyboard? The texture of your steering wheel?
Use just one finger at a time; does the same patch feel different to different fingers? Can you feel the temperature of the tiny patch change as you stroke it?
Whether it is the desk in front of you, the seam of your jacket or a single key of your computer, gently stroke and explore a patch of surface no bigger than a postage stamp.
Use only your sense of touch - do not look at the surface, focus only on your sense of touch - can you feel flecks of dust on the table? The fibres of your skirt? The lettering on the keyboard? The texture of your steering wheel?
Use just one finger at a time; does the same patch feel different to different fingers? Can you feel the temperature of the tiny patch change as you stroke it?
Breathing for Your Body
The tension you experience in your life may express itself as tension in your muscles.
This can cause headaches and excessive tiredness.
For this exercise (which can be done seated, standing or even walking), you need to think of the muscle tension as an invisible, heavy liquid - your muscles are full of it, and the weight causes tension.
Breathe slowly in through your nose, while focusing on the top of your scalp. Focus on that liquid in the muscles at the top of your head.
Now breathe out...
As you breathe out, imagine that liquid draining down from your scalp, leaving those muscles relaxed.
Keep breathing in and out slowly, and every time you breathe out, picture a little more of that liquid draining away, releasing the tension of the next muscles down neck, shoulders, down your arms, down your back & legs, until it all drains away through your feet.
(Be careful if you're doing this sitting down - as you get better at it, there's a real risk of you nodding off!)
This can cause headaches and excessive tiredness.
For this exercise (which can be done seated, standing or even walking), you need to think of the muscle tension as an invisible, heavy liquid - your muscles are full of it, and the weight causes tension.
Breathe slowly in through your nose, while focusing on the top of your scalp. Focus on that liquid in the muscles at the top of your head.
Now breathe out...
As you breathe out, imagine that liquid draining down from your scalp, leaving those muscles relaxed.
Keep breathing in and out slowly, and every time you breathe out, picture a little more of that liquid draining away, releasing the tension of the next muscles down neck, shoulders, down your arms, down your back & legs, until it all drains away through your feet.
(Be careful if you're doing this sitting down - as you get better at it, there's a real risk of you nodding off!)
Breathing for Your Mind
Sometimes you need to calm a whirling mind.
This fairly well-known exercise works best while sitting, but is still effective if you are standing.
The exercise is called 4-7-8
4: Breathe in through your nose, whilst counting to four, silently in your head.
7: Hold the breath for a silent count of 7 in your head.
8: Breathe out, with a little force, between pursed lips, for a silent count of 8
Repeat as required...
(I say "fairly well known", but my therapist hadn't heard of it...🤷♂️)
This fairly well-known exercise works best while sitting, but is still effective if you are standing.
The exercise is called 4-7-8
4: Breathe in through your nose, whilst counting to four, silently in your head.
7: Hold the breath for a silent count of 7 in your head.
8: Breathe out, with a little force, between pursed lips, for a silent count of 8
Repeat as required...
(I say "fairly well known", but my therapist hadn't heard of it...🤷♂️)
The Hips Don't Lie
This exercise is done whilst standing still.
Stand with your feet a comfortable distance apart, and spend a few moments thinking about the skin of your legs - are there areas of different temperature? Can you feel your clothing touching your skin?
As you stand, without moving your feet, very, very slowly shift your weight onto one foot. As you do, pay attention to changes in the sensations of your clothing on your skin - where does the fabric lift away? Where does the fabric touch anew? Does the fabric drag across your skin, maybe catching at hairs?
When you feel you've moved far enough, reverse the action, and very slowly shift your weight onto the other foot, and pay attention to the new changes.
Keep shifting your weight back and forth, paying close attention to the sensations, until you are ready to stop.
In theory, your movements should stay slow, but, heck, if your mood starts to lift enough, feel free to speed up the hip-shifts into your own private dance!
Stand with your feet a comfortable distance apart, and spend a few moments thinking about the skin of your legs - are there areas of different temperature? Can you feel your clothing touching your skin?
As you stand, without moving your feet, very, very slowly shift your weight onto one foot. As you do, pay attention to changes in the sensations of your clothing on your skin - where does the fabric lift away? Where does the fabric touch anew? Does the fabric drag across your skin, maybe catching at hairs?
When you feel you've moved far enough, reverse the action, and very slowly shift your weight onto the other foot, and pay attention to the new changes.
Keep shifting your weight back and forth, paying close attention to the sensations, until you are ready to stop.
In theory, your movements should stay slow, but, heck, if your mood starts to lift enough, feel free to speed up the hip-shifts into your own private dance!
Finally...
These exercises are only a small part of mindfulness, a tiny selection of self-care tools.
I encourage you to explore beyond this instructable, and try mindfulness properly.
The very best place to start is "Mindfulness: A practical guide to finding peace in a frantic world" by Prof Mark William's and Dr Danny Penman, available from all good bookshops.
Look after yourselves.
I encourage you to explore beyond this instructable, and try mindfulness properly.
The very best place to start is "Mindfulness: A practical guide to finding peace in a frantic world" by Prof Mark William's and Dr Danny Penman, available from all good bookshops.
Look after yourselves.