Three Minutes

Set a timer for three minutes and place it somewhere that you can easily see it. You have three minutes to expand your frame of awareness from your inner self to the space around you. Each minute will progressively expand your focus. To get started, sit in a comfortable position and take a couple of deep breaths to relax. Start the timer and use each minute as outlined below.

Minute One: During the first minute, imagine a space around you that only encloses your head and heart. Try to notice your thoughts and feelings. What are you thinking about? What are you feeling right now in this moment? Remember that nothing outside of your current frame of awareness matters right now. Give yourself permission to focus on noticing your thoughts and feelings as they occur. Ignore everything else. Once you have noticed them, do your best not to engage them, but to simply allow them to move on and leave your space on their own.

Minute Two: During the second minute, continue to notice thoughts and feelings, but add your physical self to your frame of awareness. Expand your awareness to include your entire body and your physical sensations. What does it feel like to be in your body right now? What sensations do you notice? Again, just note them and then allow them to move on without engaging them. Remember, for this minute, nothing matters except for your thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations.

Minute Three: In the final minute, again expand your frame of awareness. This time, include the space around you. As you do this, maintain your awareness of thoughts and feelings as well as your physical sensations. Notice the room or area around you. What do you hear? What do you smell? What do you notice? What is it like to exist right here in this space in this moment? Notice the stimuli of your present space and then allow them to move on.

When the timer ends, take a couple of deep breaths before moving to your next activity.