This worksheet outlines the 3-Step Mindfulness Exercise, a useful activity when formal mindfulness practice might not be practical. It is designed to be versatile, so you can practice these three steps throughout the day to bring your awareness to the present moment.
Use this guide to cultivate a mindful state that you can carry with you throughout the day
1. Step Out of Autopilot
In this moment, try to bring your awareness to what you are doing, thinking, and sensing.
Pause. Take a comfortable, relaxed, but upright posture. And breathe. What thoughts come up in your mind? What feelings?
Give them your attention and acknowledge these natural experiences. Then, let them pass. Attune yourself to who you are and your current state.
2. Become Aware of your Breath
Right now, your only goal is become aware of your breath.
How does your body move with each breath in and out? How does your chest rise and fall as you let air in? Feel how your belly pushes in and out, how your lungs expand and contract.
Find the pattern of your breath and anchor yourself to the present with this awareness for six breaths or up to a minute
3. Expand your awareness outward
Let your awareness spread outward. First to your body, then to your surroundings.
What physical sensations are you experiencing? Note feelings like tightness, aches, or lightness, then, let go of them. Keep in mind your body as a whole, as a vessel for your inner self.
Expand your awareness outward to your surroundings. Bring your attention to what is in front of you. What colors, shapes, and textures can you notice? Be present in this moment, in your awareness of your surroundings.
