Brush Your Teeth!

Instructions for "Brush Your Teeth!":

1. Stand in front of the bathroom sink.
2. Look at yourself in the mirror and take a slow, deep, belly breath and let out a sigh as you exhale.
3. Pick up your toothbrush, pay attention to how it feels in your hand. Is it hard, squishy, warm, cold, smooth or textured?
4. Now put the toothbrush under the tap and turn on the water.
5. As the water starts to run in the sink, pay attention to it for a moment. What does it look like? Is it a steady stream? Is it frothy? Is it rushing out or dribbling? Is it flowing into the drain or filling the sink?
6. Place your toothbrush under the water and notice how your hands feel as the water flows over the toothbrush. Did your hand get wet? 
7. Pick up the toothpaste tube. Notice it's weight. Is it warm, cold, sticky, rough, smooth? Is it hard or is it flexible?
8. Open the tube and smell the toothpaste. What do you notice about the scent, is it minty, or does it have another smell?
9. Notice how your hand feels on the tube as you put some toothpaste on the brush. Does the paste come out smoothly, or in blobs? 
10. Notice how your mouth feels as you put the toothbrush in your mouth and begin brushing. Is there a tingling sensation from the toothpaste? Is it frothing in your mouth? Can you feel the bristles on your teeth? Or on your gums or tongue?
11. Now notice how your mouth feels as you rinse it out with water. Run your tongue around your teeth. Do they feel clean, smooth, sharp, jagged, bumpy, or slippery?
12. Pay attention to how your brush looks as you rinse it with water.
13. Notice your hands as they put the toothbrush and toothpaste away.
14. Look at yourself in the mirror.
15. Take a deep cleansing breath and give yourself a big smile!

- (Adapted from Debra E Burdick's Mindfulness during daily activity.)

Before I did this exercise I thought brushing my teeth was a single action—I did it, and it was done. After doing this exercise I was amazed at how much was actually going on while I brushed my teeth! There are so many sensations to be felt, smells to notice, images to see, all of which I had never really paid any attention to before.
Doing this task made me wonder how many other things in life were passing me by because I was not really paying attention to them - life is often richer and fuller than we think!
It's also worth noting that the time I spend paying attention to brushing my teeth, is time I am not worrying about the day to come, or mulling over what happened yesterday. 

- Print the instructions below and stick them on your bathroom mirror to help you remember.

brush_your_teeth__-_print.pdf
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"Practicing mindfulness while engaged in daily activities helps with concentration (and therefore, memory), efficiency, and stress." - Debra E Burdick

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