Five Senses Exercise

Five Senses Exercise

by | Dec 10, 2021 | Mindfulness, Sleep

This “Five Senses” exercise is a quick and relatively easy exercise to bring you to a mindful state quickly. It can be applied to almost any situation and conducted anywhere. The goal is to shift your attention to your body and away from your thoughts and environment.

Five Senses Exercise

Follow the below guidelines to practice the exercise:

Notice five things that you can see. Look around and bring your attention to five things that you can see. Pick something that you don’t normally notice, like a small crack in the wall or a fallen leaf in the yard. 

Notice four things that you can feel. Bring awareness to four things you are currently feeling, like the texture of your clothing, the feeling of the breeze on your skin, or the smooth surface of a table you are resting your hands on.

Notice three things you can hear. Take a moment to listen. Note three things that you hear in the background. Again, try to find things you don’t normally notice like the chirp of one specific bird, the faint sounds of nearby traffic, or the silent hum of an appliance in the next room.

Notice two things you can smell. Bring your awareness to smells that you usually filter out, whether they’re pleasant or unpleasant. This may be the smell of pine trees if you’re in nature, grease from a fast-food restaurant across the street, or body odor from a person sitting next to you on a train. 

Notice one thing you can taste. Focus on one thing that you can taste at this moment. Sip a drink sitting in front of you, chew a piece of gum, or observe the taste left in your mouth from your last meal. You might eve try opening your mouth to taste the air.

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is our ability to focus on the present moment with curiosity and without judgement. Practicing mindfulness has several benefits, including increased empathy and compassion, improved immune functioning, improved sleep, greater focus and concentration, and reduced anxiety and stress.

Mindfulness resources

For additional resources, check out our:

  • library of books on Mindfulness, all hand picked by our Sustainable Wellness team and clients
  • library of Grounding Tools with a variety of grounding and relaxation videos, skills, and exercises
  • blog posts about Mindfulness
Gentle Stretch Sequence for Sleep

Gentle Stretch Sequence for Sleep

by | Dec 10, 2021 | Guided Meditations, Mindfulness, Sleep

This is a gentle stretching routine that can enhance sleep. Please adapt this sequence as you see fit. Do not force any movement through injury or against advice of your medical team. 

 

Gentle Stretch Exercise

Begin by sitting comfortably. Sit up tall and allow your eyes to close.

Take a few deep breaths. Breathe in and out through your nose. 

Set your intention. Let go of the day. Practice releasing and relaxing your muscles on command. Give yourself permission to sleep.

Allow your eyes to open and interlace your fingers. Turn the palms of your hands away from you and reach your arms up over your head. Then, release. 

Interlace your fingers the other way. Place your other hand on top and press your palms toward the ceiling. With your arms stretched, pause and take a moment. Close your eyes and deepen your breathing. 

Open your eyes and release your hands.  Allow yourself to come into a gentle side lean. Rock forward or backward if it’s comfortable. Notice any tension releasing from your body. 

Return to a seated position. Lean to the other side and stop when you find the stretch, or a tight spot. Breathe into the tension and focus on releasing it from your body.

Return to center in your sitting position. If they’re not already, extend your legs in front of you. Put one leg over the other and take a gentle seated twist.

Inhale and stretch your spine tall into the breath. Exhale and twist your upper body the opposite way of your crossed leg. Notice what parts of your body can soften. Let go of any tension. 

Take one more breath. Slowly and mindfully release your stretch and return to the neutral position. 

Flow into the twist on the other side. Cross your opposite leg and exhale while twisting your upper body the opposite way of your crossed leg. Notice what parts of your body can soften. Let go of any tension. 

Release the twist and return to center. Take a few deep breaths and notice any tension that released from your body before lying down to sleep.

 

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is our ability to focus on the present moment with curiosity and without judgement. Practicing mindfulness has several benefits, including increased empathy and compassion, improved immune functioning, improved sleep, greater focus and concentration, and reduced anxiety and stress.

Mindfulness resources

For additional resources, check out our:

  • library of books on Mindfulness, all hand picked by our Sustainable Wellness team and clients
  • library of Grounding Tools with a variety of grounding and relaxation videos, skills, and exercises
  • blog posts about Mindfulness