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Today I'm sharing a simple mindfulness practice that you can easily work into your life, 2 minutes, twice a day, during an activity you are ALREADY doing.
(Formerly Swimming & Singing) Conversations and practices for returning to your true self.
Hello friends and welcome to Swimming & Singing. I’m Sarah Nelsen, I’m a yoga therapist in Portland, Oregon, and I specialize in working with people dealing with chronic pain, anxiety and overwhelm, using the tools of yoga to create more ease and joy and less suffering. If that sparks your interest, head to my website to find a free guided meditation for overcoming overwhelm. The name of my podcast comes from a beloved poem written by Gregory Orr and is a reminder that some days it’s all we can do to tread water and then other days there is room for joy. This podcast aims to share practices for both types of days.
This podcast is for inspiration and information and does not replace medical care or advice. I am not a licensed health care professional or mental health therapist. Not all practices discussed on this podcast will be suitable or accessible to every body, but I hope that you find something that resonates and can bring a bit more ease and joy into your life.
Let’s get to it!
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Last week I shared a story about my own journey away from multi-tasking and 3 ways you can increase mindfulness in your life by decreasing multitasking. Today I want to invite you to try a mono-tasking activity. This activity is something you are already doing every day, probably twice a day. It takes only about two minutes, but the chances are great that you are multitasking while you do it. Maybe you’re listening to a podcast or music, lost in thought or doing one of the activities folks sometimes recommend you pair with it like: squats, rolling your feet, or even tree pose. That activity, of course, is brushing your teeth.
I’m going to share some tips on how to go about brushing your teeth with mindfulness, but first: why mindfully brush your teeth when you could be doing a 2 for 1 activity like pairing it with chair pose or tree pose? Here’s why: anytime we practice choosing what to focus our attention on, whether that is your breath, your body sensations, or an activity like brushing your teeth, we are strengthening the connections in our brains that make it easier to choose the focus of our attention. That means that when you go to bed at night, instead of being distracted and kept awake by worries and thoughts, you can choose to focus on going to sleep. Or when life feels overwhelming and your anxiety is high, you can choose where to focus your mind. Practicing mindfulness makes your life better because you feel less like a passenger on a roller coaster and a little more like a conductor of an orchestra.
So here’s the practice for the next time you brush your teeth. Turn off any distractions including TVs and phones. Close the bathroom door and allow yourself these two minutes of solitude.
Take a moment to find stability under your feet, to feel that connection to the earth. Stretch your toes and let each toe rest on the floor. Balance your weight evenly between both feet.
Before you even grab your toothbrush, notice how your mouth feels. The tastes in your mouth. The textures on your teeth. Pay attention to your tongue.
With awareness, reach for your toothbrush and toothpaste. Notice the weight of the toothbrush, the squishiness of the toothpaste tube. Squeeze out the toothpaste and watch as it lands on your toothbrush. Notice the color and consistency of the toothpaste.
With awareness, bring your toothbrush to your mouth and begin brushing. Notice the explosion of taste as the toothpaste hits your tongue. Relax your shoulders as you brush. Relax the muscles of your face. You might close your eyes and just be aware of the bristles of your toothbrush making contact with teeth, gums, lips, tongue. Notice the sounds of brushing your teeth.
Be aware of sensitive areas in your mouth and gums and areas that feel massaged by the toothbrush.
Finish brushing your teeth with as much awareness as possible. Your mind will wonder, and you’ll just return your attention to the task at hand. Brushing your teeth.
When you’ve finished brushing, rinse your mouth and toothbrush, set the toothbrush to the side and take one last moment here to notice how your mouth feels. How your teeth feel. Any change in the tastes in your mouth, the textures on your teeth. Feel your connection to the earth through your feet, and then go on with your day.
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Thank you so much for listening to Swimming & Singing. Links and contact information for me and my guests can be found in the show notes and on my website, where you can also find that free guided meditation, Overcoming Overwhelm. If you like what you’ve heard, please share this podcast. If you have thoughts or comments you’d like to share with me, please reach out, I’d love to hear from you. Until next time, keep swimming and keep singing!