Welcome.
Today we're going to practice an exercise called 5,
4,
3,
2,
1.
This is a grounding exercise that can help bring you back to your body if you're feeling anxious or panicky.
It can also help reorient you to your present surroundings if you're numbing out or feeling sad.
And if you're not feeling any of those feelings,
Please keep on listening because it's always a treat for our nervous system when we tune in to the present moment.
So as the name 5,
4,
3,
2,
1 suggests,
We're going to name a number of different things as a way to tune into your senses.
Traditionally this is done in the following way.
Five things you can see,
Four things you can touch,
Three things you can hear,
Two things you can smell,
One thing you can taste.
As you practice this exercise,
You may find you'd prefer to adjust which sense applies to which number,
So feel free to play around with it and do what works best for you.
If you live with a disability and do not have access to all these five senses,
Please engage in the way that you can.
So wherever you are,
Start to find your comfortable position.
Whether you're sitting up,
Standing or lying down,
Start to get settled.
And once you're comfy,
Start to bring your awareness to your breath here.
Feel your breath coming in,
Feel your breath coming out.
First,
We'll start with naming five things you can see.
I invite you to look around your space and name in your head or out loud any five objects you can see.
It could be your own body,
Your pet,
Your phone,
A tree out the window,
Any five things that you can see.
I'll give you a moment to notice five things you can see now.
Next,
We'll name four things you can touch or feel with your body.
So tune in to how your body is connected to the world.
Maybe you can feel the air on your skin or your feet touching the ground.
You could also name things you can touch with your hands.
If you'd like,
You could even touch those things now.
And you could touch some of the five things you named in step one.
There's no wrong way to do this.
I'll give you a moment to notice four things you can touch or feel now.
Next,
We'll name three things you can hear.
Maybe it's the sound of my voice,
The sound of your breath,
The wind rustling in the trees,
A dog barking,
Or the hum of your AC unit.
You might also hear the absence of sound.
I'll give you a moment to notice three sounds you can hear now.
Next,
We'll name two things you can smell.
So I invite you to take a deep breath in and explore what you can smell.
Maybe there's a pleasant smell of flowers,
A candle,
Yummy food.
Perhaps you can smell something that you don't really care for.
Just notice what information your nose is bringing you.
And maybe you can't smell anything at all.
I'll give you a moment to notice two smells now.
Lastly,
We'll name one thing you can taste.
Maybe there's a taste lingering from the last thing you ate or drank.
Maybe you can't taste anything at all.
I invite you to bring awareness to how your tongue feels in your mouth.
You could also imagine a taste that you find pleasant.
I'll give you a moment to notice what you taste now.
So thank you for taking a moment to ground yourself with this 5,
4,
3,
2,
1 exercise.
Take a moment to notice how you're feeling now.
And I invite you to stay in this space you've created for yourself for as long as you need.
