A note from Sean
Try this today. Before you turn on the water, stand for one breath. Feel your hands on the knob. Then, for the first thirty seconds under the water, feel only the temperature on your skin. When your mind leaves for the day’s to-do list, come back to the water. That is the whole practice. Nothing to get right.
Keep going: Mindfulness of Doing the Dishes and Feeling Your Feet Throughout the Day.
This suits anyone who has finished a shower with no memory of it. Keep your footing steady on wet surfaces. If paying attention to your body is hard for you, keep it light and go gently. Stop when you need to.
Here’s a Sample of the “Mindful Bathing” Guided Meditation Script:
Showering and bathing are common times to check out. You let your mind wander, go completely into autopilot, or just shut down mentally. Instead, you can use this time to work on your mindfulness practice. Make your shower time a cleansing ritual for the body and the mind, using the prompts in this exercise. You can practice with any or all of your senses in the shower, but for this practice, you will focus primarily on the physical body. Begin your practice before turning on the water.
Stand for a moment and bring your awareness to the rising and falling of the breath in the chest. Feel the lungs expand and contract with each inhalation and exhalation.As you turn on the water, feel your hands on the knob, watch the water begin to flow, and hear the noise of the shower. Notice if heat or steam fills the room. Once you step into the shower, acknowledge what you are feeling. You may notice the temperature change, the sensation of water on the skin, and any response of the body to the water.
