Today’s Excerpt:

What are three things you haven’t noticed before about where you are right now?

Mindfulness is being aware of and present to what is happening in the here and now. Practicing being mindful as a family creates the potential to connect and be together in a new way.

Try this simple mindfulness activity with another family member, or gather the entire family together.

See Hear Feel

Depending on how many family members are participating, you can take turns doing every step, or assign one or two steps to each person.

Settle in and take 4 breaths together to be present as a family.

Name 3 things you can see. Try to notice things in the environment you weren’t aware of before. (Older kids can sit with eyes closed and name what they “see” in the form of images that arise in the mind.)

Name 2 things you can hear. Sounds can be close or far away. (Older kids can also name what they “hear” in the form of thoughts.)

Name 1 thing you feel. This could be an internal feeling or emotion, or something external, like a fabric or carpet.

Meditation teacher Shinzen Young says that see, hear, feel are components of a mindfulness technique called noting. When we practice noting what we see, hear, and feel in each moment, we live with more presence.