5 steps to mindful seeing

For some, the absence of visual stimuli can feel stifling. After all, a healthy imagination does not come naturally to everyone. The activity of Mindful Seeing may be helpful to anyone who identifies with this feeling.

This is a simple exercise, requiring only a window with some kind of a view.

Step 1: find a space at a window where there are sights to be seen outside.

Step 2: look at everything there is to see.  Avoid labelling and categorising what you see outside the window; instead of thinking “bird” or “stop sign”, try to notice the colours, the patterns, or the textures.

Step 3: pay attention to the movement of the grass or leaves in the breeze, notice the many different shapes present in this small segment of the world you can see.  Try to see the world outside the window from the perspective of someone unfamiliar with these sights.

Step 4: be observant, but not critical.  Be aware, but not fixated.

Step 5: if you become distracted, gently pull your mind away from those thoughts and notice a colour or shape again to put you back in the right frame of mind.

You can spend five minutes each day doing this and it will eventually become a habit. The beauty of following these five steps is you can do them wherever you are.