Grounding Meditation: 5,4,3,2,1

This is a quick centering meditation designed to bring you back into the present moment, reduce stress and anxiety, and support mental health. It can be done anywhere at anytime, with your eyes open or closed. Once you get the hang of it, you no longer need the guided meditation but can use it on your own in any moment.

Transcript

Hello, My name is Reverend Chris Alexander and this is the 5-4-3-2-1 meditation. This is a fantastic meditation to use if you have just a few minutes and you are looking to recenter yourself, Feel like you need some grounding, If you're feeling very high stress or anxious, Or if you just want to take a few minutes to return to the present moment. You don't need anything to do this meditation. In fact, You can do it wherever you are, And once you get the hang of it, You don't even need to be guided through the process. So, Let's begin. Take a couple of deep breaths. Begin by looking around you, Noticing your surroundings, And call your attention to five things that you can see. Once you find something that your attention lands on, Go ahead and take a moment to just fully take in what it is that you are seeing. Do this five times with five different objects. Take another deep breath, And if you are comfortable, You are welcome to close your eyes at this point, Or you can leave them open, Or simply soften your gaze. Now, Notice four things that you can touch. Feel how they feel under your fingertips, Anything that is nearby in your surroundings, And if you are somewhere where you cannot reach out and touch things, You can do this with the items on your own person, Perhaps your hair, Your skin, Your clothing, The grounds beneath you, And take a moment with each object to simply notice how it feels, What the experience of this object is. Do this four times. Take a deep breath. Bring your awareness to the sounds around you. Pick out three distinct sounds that you can hear right now. You'll probably notice the ones that are at the forefront first, Maybe even the sound of my voice, And then notice how you become more attuned to the sounds that are in the backgrounds that you hadn't yet noticed. Take a moment to notice each sound, Perhaps identify it, And see how it is a part of your experience in this moment, And take a deep breath. Now notice two things that you can smell. Similarly to sound, There's probably a smell that is at the forefront, But notice if there is another smell underlying that one, Or perhaps different notes to that same fragrance that you can smell. If you're somewhere that you often are, Perhaps you didn't even notice there was a smell until you became aware of it in this moment. Take just a moment to notice the smells, And take a deep breath. And finally, What can you taste? What is the one thing that you are tasting in this moment? Perhaps you just finished eating and you can still taste that final bite that you ate. Perhaps you have gum or a mint in your mouth, Or perhaps your mouth just tastes like it always does, Kind of neutral, Not something that you've noticed before. Take a moment to become aware of the taste in your mouth, And take a final deep breath. You may notice that you are calmer after this exercise, Perhaps more grounded or centered into your body, Or into this present moment in the experience that you are currently having. I now invite you to open your eyes if they were closed and continue through your day, Feeling just a little more present, A little more embodied, And a little more whole.