A simple one minute of mindfulness in the palm of your hand
Turn over one of your hands and look at your palm. For one minute, you’re going to study it like you’ve never seen it before and you are trying to find out everything you possibly can about the palm of your hand. If you think you have discovered everything, look again; how many things can you possibly notice about the palm of your hand? How many different colours, lines, shapes, mark, hairs. What happens when you move it? How does the skin move, fold, change shape, where are the bones, the muscles? Feel it with your other hand; where is soft hard, hot, cold, smooth, rough? If at any point your mind wanders or you become distracted, come back to your hand and begin studying it again until the minute is up. Check the time…you have one minute. Go!
Don't read on until you have finished!
Once your minute is up (and you are now very well acquainted with the palm of your hand! How much there is that you have never noticed before!?) ask yourself; did your mind wander off at all in that minute?
If the answer is no then you have found, used and strengthened your mindfulness tool.
If the answer is yes and you noticed your mind wandering and lassoed it back to the task in hand then you have also found, used and strengthened your mindfulness tool.
If the answer is yes and you didn’t notice your mind had wandered until the minute was up, then you have also found, used and strengthened your mindfulness tool by paying attention to the present moment at the beginning of the exercise. With continued practice you will be able to notice your mind wandering more and more and this will strengthen your ability to return back to the present moment.
