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Have you ever washed your hands? I mean, have you ever washed your hands and been fully aware that you were washing your hands? Today’s episode is all about mindfulness in daily life, and I’m going to teach you how to wash your hands.

Meditation is a helpful tool for stress management, but to fully realize the benefits of your practice, you need to bring mindfulness out of meditation and into your daily life.

Here’s how I suggest you begin:

Start with small, simple activities

As with meditation practice, it’s good to begin slowly. Choose one activity that takes only a few minutes to complete (see below for some suggestions). Make sure that activity doesn’t evoke a stress response or any strong emotions. This makes it easier to focus your attention without being distracted by thoughts and feelings.

It also good to start with something that doesn’t have built-in distractions. Watching TV, listening to music, surfing the web, gaming, etc. are not great first choices, because these activities are intended to capture our attention away from the present moment.

Add more activities slowly over time

Starting small allows you to be successful right away. Once you feel confident in your ability to apply mindfulness to one activity, you can add another, and then another. But don’t rush it! The key to building a successful practice is to move slowly. Very slowly.

Start by setting an intention

Whatever the activity you decide to focus on, start by setting an intention to do it mindfully. This doesn’t have to take more than a few seconds. Just say to yourself, “I am going to do mindfully.”

Engage all of your senses

The more senses you engage, the more mindful you will become. As you proceed with your chosen activity, notice how all the tactile sensations you feel, notice what you see, and smell, and hear. Immerse yourself totally in the experience.

Take a breath before you move on to the next activity

When your activity is done, move away from it slowly. Perhaps take one long deep breath before doing the next thing. You might even want to try bringing the mindfulness into that next activity, sustaining it as long as you can.

How to wash your hands

This is one of my favourite mindful activities. Next time you wash your hands, begin by telling yourself, “I intend to bring all my attention to washing my hands.” Look at the tap and the sink. Notice the contrasting colours and textures. As you turn on the faucet, notice how the metal or plastic feels against your hand. Notice your hand as it moves. Hear the sound of the water running. Feel the water caressing your hands. Notice the temperature of the water and of the soap. Feel your hands massage one another as you lather up the soap. Can you smell the soap? Any other smells? Notice how the soap bubbles feel on your skin. Now, pay full attention to the feelings and sounds of the water as you rinse your hands.

Don’t stop here. Continue to focus as you turn off the tap and dry your hands. Feel the tap again. Notice the muscles in your hands moving. Notice the texture of the towel, and perhaps the sounds the towel makes. Notice the temperature of your hands and how it changes as they go from wet to dry. When you are done, take a few seconds to take a full, relaxing breath.

Did you have any idea just how rich an experience this could be?

Some ideas for other mindful activities

You can apply mindfulness to any activity, but here are some you might like to try:

Anything involving water is nice - washing dishes, showering, bathing an infant…

Walking to and from meetings or classes, or just going for a walk around the block

Waiting for the bus,