3 Easy Mindfulness Exercises to Start Today for a Calm, Focused and Healthy Mind

There are easy mindfulness exercises available to everyone. Mindfulness is a way to bring your focus to the present.

In this post, I will share three easy mindfulness exercises you can start today. They are the ones I loved practising as a complete beginner.
In these 5 minute mindfulness activities, we’ll bring focus to an object, food, or simply our own breath. They teach us to recognise when our thoughts are straying and to gently guide them back to the present moment, helping us to develop practical mindfulness skills.
Oh, and mindfulness is known to improve our wellbeing by relieving chronic pain, reducing stress, and easing the suffering of illness. It’s also the first step in getting in touch with our emotions. There’s no reason not to be mindful!

This post is all about 3 easy mindfulness exercises you can start today, even as a complete beginner.

Introduction

Are Your Thoughts Dictating Your Life?

According to researchers at Queen’s University, we have more than 6,000 thoughts each day (some say we have more!). That’s more than 8 thoughts every minute. If we are not careful, we can allow our thoughts to bring us into a downward spiral. But it doesn’t have to be that way. With the right approach to mindfulness and meditation, we can train ourselves to focus on the present.

You are not your thoughts, and thoughts are not facts. Thankfully, there are easy mindfulness exercises available to everyone. Sometimes, things like mindfulness and meditation are so simple that we overlook them or doubt they’ll work. However, practising these quick mindfulness activities for adults & children can help us acknowledge our thoughts without getting pulled into them. This has been proven to benefit our health in every area, both mentally and physically.

Daily Training for Your Mind

These three quick mindfulness activities for adults & children are simple to practise daily. Set a reminder that works for you—whether that’s a sticky note on the fridge, a phone alert, or something else that’s easy to see. Make time for your well-being by starting with just 5 to 10 minutes each day. According to mindfulness teacher and author Vidyamala Burch, mindfulness and meditation exercises are training sessions for the mind to stay focused in the present. By practising every day, you can gradually improve your mindfulness skills.

In some exercises, I prompt you to write things down in a notebook. Journaling your experiences can make these easy mindfulness exercises even more impactful. Let’s start.

3 Easy Mindfulness Exercises

1. Observing an Object [5 Minutes]

This 5 minute mindfulness activity can be attempted by anyone with any kind of small object, making it a great introduction to easy mindfulness exercises for beginners.

Find a small object. Look around; it can be anything –fruit, teacup, toy, plant, book, etc. But, be careful not to choose something that strongly reminds you of a situation that made you feel angry, sad or any other significant emotions. Choose an object that’s “emotionally neutral” to you.

For today’s exercise, let’s say you’ve chosen a leaf from the garden.

Easy Mindful Exercise -Observing an Object-

Step 1:
Have a leaf of your choice, a pen and a notepad (or piece of paper) ready
Find a comfortable and quiet place where you won’t get disturbed for 5 – 10 minutes
Breathe slowly a few times (this helps muscles release tension and make you feel relaxed)

Step 2:
Hold the leaf in your hand and observe it with all of your senses for 5 minutes. You can set a timer if you like.
Ask yourself questions such as;

Is it light?
How does it look? What are the patterns? Does it have a hole or a tear?
How does the texture feel on your fingertips? Is it smooth, prickly or even hairy?
Are there edges, or is it round?
How do you describe its size? Tiny, small, medium, large, huge etc?
What are the colours on it?
Is it shiny?
Does it have a smell?

It’s normal for your mind to start wandering while doing this. For example, you might start thinking about what happened yesterday or plans for today. You may also feel different feelings, such as tiredness or boredom if you are a beginner.
All of this is okay. Acknowledge and accept any thoughts, emotions or physical sensations you may have.
And then, without judgement, gently turn your attention back to the object and continue observing it until your 5 minutes is up.

Step 3:
Open your notepad and write down the following;

Date
Name of object
Look, feel, texture, size, smell & other things noticed
Thoughts, emotions or physical experiences that occurred during the exercise

2. Mindful Eating [4 Minutes]

Very much like the “Observing an Object” exercise, this one can also be attempted by anyone with any kind of food. So, it’s another excellent introductory mindfulness activity for beginners.
Although oranges, chocolate and raisins seem to be the popular choice, something else with an interesting or unusual texture, smell, or taste would be also ideal. By focusing on a single piece of food, you bring your mind to the present –to what is right in front of you.

Think of all the food we see and eat every day, and the fact most of us do not actually take the time to notice them. This mindful exercise is also a way to appreciate the food we eat.

Here’s how to practise mindful eating. I’ll use a segment of orange as an example.

Easy Mindful Exercise -Mindful Eating-

Step 1:
Have a segment of orange, a pen and a notepad (or piece of paper) ready
Find a comfortable and quiet place where you won’t get disturbed for 4 minutes
Breathe slowly a few times (this helps muscles release tension and make you feel relaxed)

Step 2:
Take a segment of orange in your hand. Pretend you have never seen a segment of orange before. Pay close attention to it and ask;

How does it look?
How does it feel?
Squeeze it, and how does it feel now?
How does it smell?
What else do I notice?
You can peel the skin that’s holding all the pulps and observe them if you like. Again;
How does it look?
How does it feel?
What else do I notice?

Now, move on to eating. But, not in our usual way. Eat it slowly and with great attention. Ask yourself;

What is the texture against your tongue, teeth and walls of your mouth?
How does it taste?
How does the texture and taste change as you chew it?

When you are doing mindful eating, you are spending less time, energy and attention on ruminating or worrying about what’s happening in other parts of your life.
Be kind to yourself and know that it’s normal for your mind to wander during the exercise. When you notice this, simply guide your mind back to the exercise.

Step 3:
Lastly, write down the following in your notepad;

Date
Name of food
Look, feel, smell, taste, texture & other things noticed
Thoughts, emotions or physical experiences that occurred during the exercise

With regular practice, mindful eating can become one of your go-to quick mindfulness activities for adults & children.

3. Breathing Anchor Meditation [8 Minutes]

In this section, I would like to recommend using a meditation audio “Breathing Anchor Meditation” guided by Vidyamala Burch.
Click here to go to the page where you can access the free guided meditation audio.
This meditation is perfect for beginners to start practising mindfulness and meditation because it;

Demonstrates the basic technique
Takes only 8 minutes
Requires no special equipment

It’s one of the best quick mindfulness activities to cope with stress. It will leave you profoundly relaxed.

Easy Mindful Exercise -Breathing Anchor Meditation-

Step 1:
Have your audio ready to play
Find a comfortable and quiet place where you won’t get disturbed for 8 minutes

Step 2:
Follow the instructions of the guided meditation audio

This was my very first mindfulness and meditation exercise, and it is still one of my favourites. I often fell asleep while listening to this audio as a beginner. But, because of that, I intentionally used it to help me go to sleep at one stage… I believe that’s allowed, too!
The voice of Vidyamala is profoundly soothing and compassionate yet strong. This guided meditation carries such calm and powerful energy that fills me with pure gratitude.

Wrap-up

In those moments when you catch your thoughts drifting —whether in a warm bath or during a morning stroll— know that you are succeeding in the mindfulness practice. Because noticing your thoughts is the first crucial step in building your mindfulness muscle. This awareness is the opportunity to make a simple but powerful choice: to give yourself a deep breath and bring your thoughts back to the present.

In this post, we’ve explored three easy mindfulness exercises designed to help you relax and bring focus to the present. They are quick mindfulness activities for adults and children: Observing an Object, Mindful Eating, and Breathing Anchor Meditation.
They are super simple to practise and can easily fit into your day. The key is to set reminders and be consistent.

Remember? It’s training, so when you practise the skills, you get good at it.

By practising just one of these 5 minute mindfulness activities, you’re giving your mind a gentle nudge toward peaceful mind, calmness and focus.
Every moment you spend practising mindfulness and meditation brings you closer to a healthier version of you.
So start small, stay curious, and enjoy the journey of mindfulness.

This post was all about 3 easy mindfulness exercises you can start today, even as a complete beginner.