Exercise 2 – Mindful Senses

Take a moment to sit, stand, or lie in one place for 5 minutes or more. Out your phone on airplane mode so you won’t have any distractions. Pay attention to the things you can see happening around you.

Often, we are focused on the next thing we are going to do, and miss many of these things. If you’re sitting in a park, notice the trees. Are some leaves moving in the wind more than others? Notice the ground. What is beneath your feet? How long has it been there?

Notice people. Everyone is there for a reason – what do you think some of these reasons are?

Mindful Listening

This is similar to the Mindful Observation activity, but using your ears instead of your eyes. If you live in a city, there are lots of noises you likely have started to ignore. For 5 minutes, just listen to the things around you. If you like, make a list of all the sounds with a pen and paper.