Exercise: Mindfulness and awareness games

Play as many of these mindfulness and awareness games, as you can. Learn to bring yourself to the here and now. In the long term, they will help you gain a better perception of your body and of the environment, which is very important for a calm and pleasant life.

🦷 When brushing your teeth

Try this game with your eyes closed for a few minutes. Feel the contact and the overall sense of the toothbrush hair on your teeth and gums. Feel the toothpaste foam bubbles that burst in your mouth. Focus just on a single sense at a time.

🚿 In the shower

Allow your mind to have a short break by focusing on the sensation on your body. Pay mindful attention to the water drops which fall on your head and your skin. Also, listen to the sound of the water which falls on the shower floor.

🏃🏽‍♂️ On the treadmill

Switch off the iPod and close your eyes (hold the side handles if possible and make sure you are safe). Listen to the sound of the equipment, your breath or the other sounds around you. Try to focus on the feeling of the particular muscles exercised. Let time pass without thinking anything. Just feel how your body responds.

🍕 When eating

Switch off the TV and your mobile phone. Avoid to do anything else in parallel. Just focus in all the details you can detect about your food.

Chew slowly, for at least 30-40 times each mouthful. Initially, you may need to count but after a while, it becomes a habit. Pay full attention to your plate. Observe the colors, shapes and smells. Feel the taste, temperature and texture of food as it changes.

Do it for a few times so you can enjoy the experience. Then you decide for how long more you want to continue.

✍🏽 When touching an object or a person

Try to do it in an active manner, with cognizance. Feel the sensation of the touch. Check the pressure on your fingers or your body. Feel the temperature (heat or coolness) that emits, the hardness, the moisture, the energy. Sense all the feelings this touch generates.

🪑 While seated

Feel your weight on the chair. Recognize the contact points. Scan your body. What are the angles of your arms, legs and pelvis? At which points do you detect some tension? What points feel totally relaxed?

Lean forward or shift your body slightly at some direction. Is it better now or worse? Do some tests and gain as much awareness as you can.

🧍🏽‍♂️ While you wait

Look around you. Observe the people and the objects you see. Try to pay mindful attention to every detail you can identify. If there no other objects to observe, turn your attention to yourself. Focus on your breath. How does it feel? Shallow and short? Deep and relaxed?

What feelings can you detect? Anxiety and impatience? Peacefulness and boredom? Whatever you feel is temporary and it is ok. Remember that you gain control this way.

💉 When in pain

Locate the pain point. Its size. What “color” is it? How much space does it take? What is its exact shape and intensity? What is its composition and temperature? Is it stable? Does it move, throb or thump? Is it acute and piercing? Is it sharp?

Finally, recognize, embrace and approve the pain!

Exercise: More mindfulness and awareness games

Try to level up your mindfulness by devising your own awareness and mindfulness games!

If you are interested in modern art, check the Active Paintings concept, paintings which change their colours offering an alternative way of relaxing and emptying the mind.

See also: Use the Wheel of Emotions to enrich your emotional vocabulary!