5-4-3-2-1 Mindfulness Grounding Exercise So we can do this practice standing up,
But it might also be helpful for this practice to sit down,
Or if possible,
You can even lie down on your back with a bed or a mattress beneath you,
And keeping your eyes open for this practice,
And as we start,
Taking a few deep breaths,
Noticing the in-breath and noticing the out-breath,
So that breathing in,
We're aware,
We're breathing in,
And breathing out,
We're aware,
We're breathing out,
And maybe noticing how it feels to breathe out,
So turning our focus towards the out-breath,
And now starting to tune into each of the five senses,
So starting by noticing,
Acknowledging five things that we see around you,
Maybe what colours and shapes you see,
What textures or objects you notice in your environment,
Maybe reflections of light you see,
Or maybe naming furniture or items around you,
Like the bookshelf,
Or a picture on a wall,
So focusing on each of these items in turn,
And now acknowledging four things that you can sense or touch,
This could be,
For example,
The sensation of contact between your feet and the socks,
Or the ground beneath you,
Maybe the sensation of touch of a ring on one of your fingers,
Or the seat beneath you,
Maybe feeling the texture of your clothes,
Or the sensation of the clothes against the skin,
Or maybe touching a desk in front of you,
Or the keys,
And now acknowledging,
Noticing three things that you can hear,
Maybe sounds close to you,
Like a clock ticking,
The humming of a fridge,
Or the computer fan,
Maybe far away sounds,
Like the sound of traffic,
Or birds outside,
Or children playing,
Tuning in to the sounds one by one,
Recognising them as they are,
Now noticing,
Acknowledging two things that you can smell around you,
Maybe the smell of food,
Cooking,
Or coffee,
Maybe a particular fragrance in your surroundings,
And if you can't smell anything,
Maybe tuning in to the very subtle fragrances around you,
So for example,
The scent of your own skin,
Or the clothes,
And now noticing,
Acknowledging one thing that you can taste,
So maybe noticing if there's any taste in your mouth right now,
On your tongue,
So what taste do you notice in your mouth right now,
And it might be helpful for example,
To have a sweet or a gum to put in your mouth when doing this practice,
And now gently starting to end the exercise,
By taking some deep breaths from the belly,
Maybe putting your hand on the abdomen,
And noticing how it feels to breathe out,
Maybe noticing any sensations,
Or any tendency for the body maybe to relax,
To soften on the out-breath,
And before ending the practice,
Gently notice how you feel right now,
And then gently,
On the sound of the bell,
Gently ending the practice.
