15.04.2024 Josephin Hartmann 50559

5-Senses Mindfulness Exercise: Consciously Start the Day

The 5-senses mindfulness exercise helps you to reconnect with yourself before your mind goes crazy. Release fear and stress from your consciousness!

What are the benefits of the 5 senses mindfulness exercise?

When we are accompanied by hectic and negative thoughts, we lose our connection to ourselves and allow ourselves to be guided by the outside world. We forget to be aware of our breathing and our five senses. But they are the anchor that grounds us when we are entangled in thoughts and feelings. Becoming aware of this fact is the first step towards more mindfulness. In this way, we can also find our way back to ourselves in everyday life.

5 senses mindfulness exercise: get started!

Listen to your inner voice that tells you to return to your breathing and your five senses.

Take a few moments and sit down comfortably. Find a position in which you can breathe in a relaxed manner and close your eyes. First concentrate on your breathing, stop the carousel of thoughts and arrive in this position.

1. observe your breath

Pay attention to how you breathe. Are your breaths short or long, shallow or deep? Don't influence your breathing, just notice it. If you lack the necessary calm at the beginning and your thoughts drift off, count your breaths. This will help you to concentrate.

2. listening

Now shift your awareness from breathing to listening. Pay attention to the sounds around you. What exactly do you hear?

First start listening to the sounds in your room. Does the ticking of the clock reach your ears or the humming of the fridge? Now concentrate on the things outside your room. What sounds are coming from outside? You may be surprised by the rustling of leaves or the singing of birds.

Finally, listen to yourself again. What do you perceive?

3. smelling

We use our nose to focus on smells. Breathe in and out consciously. Name the things you can smell. Is it the smell of fresh coffee or your perfume that spreads around the room? If you can't smell anything, it's not a problem. The main thing is to become aware of your sense of smell.

4. taste

Now connect with your sense of taste. Feel your mouth first. Is your jaw tense or are you clenching your teeth? First loosen any tension and swallow consciously.

Then concentrate on the taste. Does the aftertaste come from the chocolate you indulged in beforehand?

5. feel

The next step is to feel your body. How does it feel at the moment? What do you feel? To do this, carry out a body check and start at the bottom.

Pay attention to your feet first. Can you feel the floor? Mentally move on to your legs. Are they firmly on the floor? What about your buttocks? Are you sitting comfortably? Become aware of your posture and let your senses climb up along your spine. Are you sitting slouched or straight? Where are your arms? Let them hang loosely, or rest your palms on your stomach or legs.

Finally, you reach your head. This is where your thoughts come together again.

6. see

Finally, we will focus on the fifth sense, vision. You can keep your eyes open or closed as you wish. Open your eyes, focus on a point in front of you and take a close look at this area and its surroundings. What do you see?

Describe things in your mind. If you prefer to keep your eyes closed, that's no problem either. Exciting images may emerge in your mind's eye.

Return to the day with more serenity

End the exercise with a final conscious inhalation and exhalation. You have now taken an intensive inventory of your body. You have been mindful of yourself and your senses. Can you feel the calmness in your body? Does your breathing seem more relaxed than at the beginning of the exercise?

Always remember that there is no right or wrong with mindfulness exercises. You don't have to perform, but simply reconnect with your senses. Open your eyes and start the day with renewed energy.

And now: Have fun practicing and relaxing!