Mindfulness is a bit of a buzzword these days. Everywhere you turn there seems to be
an article stressing the importance of mindfulness - -but how exactly can we be mindful in this distracting world? Here’s a fun mindfulness exercise that can help you slow down and enjoy the moment at hand.
The Raisin Exercise is a great introductory mindfulness exercise for those looking to start practicing mindfulness. You don’t have to use a raisin, but you should try to pick a food with an interesting texture, smell, and taste. Here’s what to do…
Pretend for a moment that this is the first time you’ve ever seen a raisin. Keeping that in
mind, take a closer look at the following characteristics:
• The way the raisin looks
• How it feels
• How your skin responds to the texture
• The smell of the raisin
• Its taste
Focusing on the raisin can help bring your attention to the present. The raisin allows you
to focus on something that is right in front of you…right here, right now. This is probably not the
first time you’ve seen or tasted a raisin but think about the last time you really analyzed a raisin.
The goal of this exercise is to help gain your attention and focus so you can stop worrying
about everything else and just focus on the raisin. When you follow these instructions and take
notice, it is much easier to focus on what is in front of you.
Even when the raisin is gone, you can use this exercise whenever you feel overwhelmed and need to 'hit pause'. If your mind does wander, gently guide it back to the present moment and think of this exercise.
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