This is the start of an ongoing series, in which we describe simple exercises to incorporate moments of mindful awareness into your everyday activities. Some of the series’ exercises will offer opportunities to incorporate mindful moments at the barn, and they will be differentiated by the subheading, A Mindfulness Moment at the Barn. The exercises may feel similar to guided exercises you’ve encountered in other sources of mindfulness teachings. When applicable, we will identify excerpts from the book project, Sharing The Now: Mindfulness Exercises to Enhance the Connection With Your Horse. Besides text, we will also include audio recordings and videos to add further context to our Mindfulness Moments series.
You may notice that we start the exercise with a photographic image. This image is courtesy of Brad Stewart. We will often use images, paintings or other visuals to help anchor awareness into whatever is happening right now, since the blog facilitates visual engagement. When audio recordings or videos are employed, we may use other cues (besides the visual) to invite you to pay attention to the present moment. The language we use will be one of invitation, rather than command, and the tone and descriptions will also reflect the mindful attitudes by which we pay attention to each present moment, one after the next (Mindful Attitudes to be described in a later post).
Take a moment to look at this image. Allow your mind to become entirely focused and aware of this visual image. Imagine that your entire attention is now resting in visual awareness of this image from one moment to the next. Notice whatever you see as you look at this plant image, including the colours, fine details, texture or lighting. Words may arise in your mind to describe or label what you see. Allow those words to arise and note how your mind labels this image. Are there any particular thoughts or associations coming up for you? What about emotions? Take a moment to register the thoughts and emotions, just as they are, with curiosity. Try not to push anything away or hold on to any reflections as they arise. Notice your reflections with a sense of openness and acceptance. If there are no particular reflections, that is okay also, as that is your experience in this moment. Return focus back to noticing the visual image. Now complete the exercise by taking three deep breaths in and out and moving on to the rest of your day. You have just completed your first mindful awareness exercise, using the sensory awareness of vision to focus your mind.