This document provides mindfulness exercises and prompts to help the reader incorporate mindfulness into their daily life. It encourages focusing on the present moment through senses-based activities like mindful eating, drinking, chores and more. Brief mindfulness practices like deep breathing and body scans are suggested. Locations for mindful experiences on campus are listed. The overall aim is to slow down, reduce autopilot thinking, and find peace amid noise through present moment awareness.
2. Pocketful of
Mindfulness
This book attempts to slow down time. In a world of
constant looking forward, I challenge you to stop
and focus on right now. The prompts in this book
detail various techniques you can use to ground you
in the present moment. Hopefully, by practicing
these techniques, you will achieve mindfulness that
you will then carry on into your daily life.
3. Mindfulness
(n.) a mental, emotional, and sometimes even
physical state when one is aware of the present
moment and focusing only on their thoughts,
feelings, sensations, and actions for that specific
moment ... freeing oneself from the constraints of
future thinking.
4. A Mindful Place
Everyone achieves mindfulness their own way, you
just have to discover which way works best for you.
An important part of this process is discovering
where you feel the most present. You’d be suprised
how many places on Miami’s campus you can have a
mindful experience, you just have to go out and find
them! Here is a list of places to get you started:
5. Central Quad
The Mindfulness Center (128McGuffeyHall)
“The Bluffs”
Art Quad (BehindShriver)
The Formal Gardens (BehindFarmer)
Oxford Memorial (Uptown) Park
The Band Stand (acrossthestreetfromTappanHall)
The Meditation Room in Armstrong
Amphitheater on Western (BehindPeabodyHall)
6. Mindfulness enables us to be more present in our
daily lives; helping us go from a state of mindless
autopilot, to becoming fully alive and awakened.
8. Tastefully Mindful
Grab a bite-sized food, preferably something with an
interesting texture, smell, or taste. Act as if you’ve
never seen it before. Focus on it. Give it your full
attention. What do you see? Explore every part of it.
Where does the light hit? Where are its shadows?
Are there any ridges, bumps or unique features?
How does it feel? Play with it between your fingers.
What is its texture? Weight? Focus on the sensation
of it touching your skin? Hold it beneath your nose.
9. Is anything happening in your mouth or stomach as a
result? Now place it on your tongue recognize the
sensations of having it in your mouth. Explore it with
your tongue. Bite down; what do you taste? Explore
the aftermath, has it changed? Do the same for a few
more bites. When you feel ready, swallow. Did you
first detect the intention to swallow before you did?
Can you follow its movement from your throat all the
way until it settles in your stomach?
10. 5 Senses Exercise
This is a prompt you can do anywhere, maybe try it
next time you are walking somewhere. Notice 5
things you can see. Choose things you don’t usually
notice, like a shadow or a small crack in the concrete.
Notice 4 things you can feel. Be aware of feelings like
the texture of your pants, the feeling of the breeze on
your skin, or the smooth surface of the table you rest
your hands on. Notice 3 things you can hear. Take a
moment to listen to the background noise. The chirp
11. of a bird, the hum an airconditioner, or the faint
sounds of nearby traffic. Notice 2 things you can
smell. Pay attention to the smells you usually filter
out, both pleasant and unpleasant. Is the breeze
carrying a scent? Food from a nearby cafe? Spilled
beer from the night before? Notice 1 thing you can
taste. Notice the lingering taste of toothpaste.
Underlying flavors of something you’re eating or
drinking. Is there a taste in your mouth? In the air?
12. A Sipping Experience
Let’s bring mindfulness to your everyday. All you
have to do is sip on something you usually drink
mindlessly. Grab a coffee. A tea. A can of Coke.
Hell, grab a beer! Choose any drink you want, but
drink it slowly. Sip on it ... Do you start to notice
yourself thinking about your drink? The taste of it?
How the cup feels? The temperature? Its weight?
13. Hold your cup with both hands. Feel its density. If
you squeezed, how would the drink react? Focus on
where your skin is in contact with the cup. Take a sip
but hold it in your mouth. How does if feel on your
tongue and on the roof of your mouth? Is there fizz
tickling your mouth? Is it hot? Is it so cold your teeth
hurt? Swallow and follow the liquid down your
throat? How does it feel? Is your throat warm or
cold? Is there an aftertaste? Can you feel it settle in
your stomach? Put it down; is there any lingering
sensation? Are your hands wet? Warm? Are your
fingers sore from clutching the glass? Repeat. Notice
how all the things you noticed before change with
each sip and as time passes.
14. A Clean Mind
You can do anything mindfully, even your most
hated chore! Select your least favorite chore; or at
least some chore to do mindfully. Focus your mind
on the task at hand. For example, doing the dishes ...
Focus on things like how the temperature of the
water feels on your hands and how that sensation
changes as time goes on. Feel the smoothness of the
plates of maybe the chip on the rim. Recognize the
smell of the soap and hear the sounds of the water
15. sloshing. Are there bubbles? Are they reflecting
rainbows? If your mind wanders from the task, gently
bring it back by noticing something new. Other tasks
you could do this with could be: taking out the trash,
putting away your laundry, wiping down the
bathroom, even cooking! Just be sure you focus all
your attention on the task you choose. What do you
feel? Is there a smell? What can you see? How is the
space changing as you progress through your chore?
16. When we practice mindfulness, the areas of our
brain associated with positivity, concentration, and
empathy become more activated, while areas
associated with stress and fear are inhibited.
17. A Mindful Pause
3–5 minutes.
Use these as a meditative pause in your busy day.
18. Finger Breathing
You can do this with eyes open or closed, and with
one of your hands or both. Start with your thumb
and index finger of the same hand. Place your thumb
on the point where your index finger meets your
palm. As you inhale, slowly slide your thumb toward
the tip of your index finger and squeeze. As you
exhale, slide your thumb back down to where the
finger connects to your palm. With your next breath,
move to the middle finger. Continue this all the way
to your pinky, then reverse and go back. Focus only
on the pressure of your fingers and your breathing.
19. Mindful Seeing
Awaken your imagination and find a new world in a
familiar place. All you have to do is look out a
window! Find a comfortable space in front of a
window that has some sort of view to look at. Try to
see this world you’re looking out on from the
perspective of someone completely unfamiliar with
these sights. Be observant, but not critical. Aware,
but not fixated. If you become distracted or your
mind starts to wander, gently pull yourself away from
20. those thoughts and notice a color or shape to put
you back in the right mind frame. Look out at all
there is to see. Avoid labeling or categorizing what
you see; instead of thinking “bird,” notice the colors,
the patterns, the textures. Notice the movements in
the breeze. Can you see the grass sway? Notice how
many different shapes are present in this small
segment of the world you can see. Same for colors.
Notice all the things you normally pay no mind to.
21. Pocketful of Change
Reach into your pocket or purse and select a single
coin. Take a minute to really get to know the coin as
well as you can. Now, put the coin back in your
pocket, purse, or pile of change in your hand. Let
your coin get lost in the mass and then one-by-one
go through the change and find which coin was
yours. How do you know that one is yours? Were
you surprised by how easily or difficulty you found
your coin? From now on, try seeing other things
more indepth and clearly that you often don’t pay
any mind to. Who knows what you’ll discover.
22. Listening to Noise
We often think that meditation requires silence, but
there is an art to finding peace within noise. Do this
when in a crowded coffee shop or in a city, really any
loud place. If you’re have trouble focusing, put in
headphones without music, to muffle the sound; or
with music and listen past it. Start by noticing your
posture:standing, sitting, or lying down? Tune into
your bodily sensations; any heaviness? lightness?
Pressure? Can you feel the vibrations of the noise?
23. Take a breath and relax. You have nothing to do but
to be fully present. Let go of your body sensations
and listen to the sounds. Tune into all the variations
of sounds: loud, quiet, sharp outburst, and constant
hums. Also recognize the silence between them;
notice their coming and going. Don’t define what the
sounds are or decipher what they mean. Just listen.
Now tune back out, notice your body sensations.
Take another breath, soften, and return to your day.
24. Just Breathe
Take 3 minutes to just breathe. Focus on your
breathing to keep a quiet and clear mind. Spend the
first minute answering the question: How am I doing
right now? Focus on the feelings, thoughts and
sensations that arise and try to sum them up with a
single word or phrase. Use the second minute to
keep awareness on the breath. Keep a comfortable
steady pace. For the last minute, expand your
attention from solely focusing on the breath to
feeling the ins and outs and how they affect the rest
of the body. Feel the air fill your lungs.
25. Like quicksand, the harder we struggle against the
reality of our struggling, the more misery we find
ourselves in. Mindfulness enables us to accept reality
as it is, rather than wish it away. This allows us to
make healthy choices and change our lives.
27. Take a Moment
for Mindfulness
Step out of “autopilot” for a moment. Go outdoors
and get comfortable. Lay in a quad, go sit against a
tree, do it at the beach! Go anywhere outside, get
comfortable, and close your eyes. Have a moment
for your soul. Bring awareness to what you’re doing,
thinking, and sensing in this moment. Notice the
thoughts that come to mind and acknowledge your
feelings, but then let them pass.
28. Have a moment of body. Take six deep breaths and
focus all your attention on breathing. How does your
body move with each breath? Feel the rising and
falling of your chest, your belly going in and out, and
your lungs expand and contract. Now move
outwards; notice the sensations you are experienc-
ing; any tightness, aches, or perhaps a lightness?
Notice all the different textures your skin is in contact
with? Now for a moment beyond. Open your eyes
slowly but don’t move. Extend your awareness out
further to your surroundings. See the colors, shapes,
patterns, and textures. Be completely present in this
moment; fully aware of your surroundings. How do
you fit within them? What is your place and purpose
in it all? When you are ready, allow yourself to slowly
be pulled out of this meditative state. Once you are
up, go about your day, trying to carry this
mindfulness with you.
29. A Flowing Release
Relax and feel your tension flow out of your body.
Start by taking off your shoes, wear loose clothing,
and getting comfortable. You can do this while sitting
or laying down and your eyes can be open or shut.
Take a few minutes to breathe deeply. When you are
ready, focus on your right foot. Take a moment to
notice how it feels, then slowly tense the muscles in
your right foot only and hold it. After about 10
30. seconds, relax your foot. Feel all the tension flow
away as your foot becomes limp. Take a deep breath.
Now shift your attention to your left foot and repeat
the process. Continue this repetition, following the
progression: Right foot, left foot, right calf, left calf,
right thigh, left thigh, buttocks, stomach, chest, back,
right arm, right hand, left arm, left hand, neck, and
finally face. Take one final deep breath and stand.
31. Pass on Mindfulness
After going through this book once, or maybe a few
times, you will begin to recognize which prompts
work best for you. You will begin to practice
mindfulness without a prompt. Once that happens,
you no longer need this book ... so pass it on to
someone who does! Bring others into the present.
