Five mindfulness exercises to start your day: count ten slow breaths, scan your body from feet to head, stretch slowly, do one morning task with your full attention, and set one intention. All five take about ten minutes. Do them before you pick up your phone.
The short answer
What it is: a few minutes of paying attention on purpose, to your breath, your body or one task.
How long: about ten minutes for all five.
When: first thing, before you check your phone.
The goal: noticing, not doing it perfectly.
What is a mindfulness exercise?
A mindfulness exercise is a short practice that keeps your attention on what is happening right now: your breath, the feel of your body, or one simple task. When your mind wanders, you notice and come back. That noticing is the skill, and like any skill it tends to get easier with practice.
1. Count ten breaths
Sit on the edge of the bed with your feet flat on the floor. Breathe in through your nose, then breathe out slowly, a little longer than the breath in. Count each exhale, from one to ten.
If you lose count, start again at one. Noticing that you drifted is the exercise, not a failure.
Breath matters on the massage table, too. In the Zen Flow™ method, the house method behind every body massage at Serenity Zen, pressure deepens as you breathe out, because slow pressure on an exhale tends to meet less guarding. Ten slow breaths in the morning are practice for the same letting go.
2. Scan from feet to head
Stay seated or lie back down. Move your attention slowly upward: feet, calves, knees, thighs, hips, belly, chest, hands, arms, shoulders, neck, jaw, face.
Do not try to fix anything; just notice. Where you find tightness, let it soften as you breathe out. The jaw and shoulders are common places for it, for reasons explained in how stress shows up in your muscles.
3. Stretch slowly
Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Reach both arms up as you breathe in and lower them as you breathe out, five times.
Roll your shoulders back five times. Tilt one ear toward your shoulder and hold for three breaths, then switch sides.
Move only as far as feels easy, and notice what each stretch feels like rather than how far it goes. If you have a neck or back injury, check with your doctor first.
4. Do one task with full attention
Choose something you do each morning anyway: brushing your teeth, making coffee, washing your face. Do it a little slower than usual, and keep your mind on it.
Notice the temperature of the water, the sound, the smell. When your mind jumps to the day's list, bring it back to the task. This one takes no extra time, which is why it tends to last.
5. Set one intention
Before you leave the house, choose one sentence for the day, such as "I will stop for lunch" or "I will pause before I reply." Say it once, or write it down.
Keep it small and specific. Check in with it once at midday.
From Dr. Nick
Breathing is one of the few parts of the stress response you can steer on purpose. A slow exhale is where I would start, in the morning and on the massage table.
Common questions
How long do these take?
About ten minutes for all five. On a rushed morning, the ten breaths alone take about two minutes and are worth keeping.
What if my mind keeps wandering?
That is normal. Each time you notice and come back, you have done the exercise.
Is mindfulness the same as meditation?
Close. Meditation usually means a set time of sitting practice. Mindfulness can be brought into anything you do, from brushing your teeth to lying on a massage table.
Do I need to sit on the floor?
No. The edge of the bed, a cushion or standing all work. What matters is being comfortable enough to stay put for a few minutes.
Book your massage
A massage is a longer version of the same practice: slow breathing and letting go, while someone else does the work. Serenity Zen has studios in West Covina and Diamond Bar. Open daily, 10 AM to 9 PM.