Washing Your Face

A mindful skincare routine is a great way to practice self-care and to connect with yourself in a kind and nonjudgmental way. In this mindful face washing practice, We'll take our time here to be fully present and engaged while lathering our skin with soap and water, remembering to breathe and slowing down the movements of our hands. If at any moment you notice the mind has wandered, simply guide it back to the hands, back to the skin, and to the present moment, noticing any and all the scents, textures, and sensations. So let's take a moment to just arrive into the here and now, pausing for a moment before we do anything else and taking three grounding breaths. Breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth. Before we turn on the water or apply our soap, cleanser, whatever you use to wash your face, just setting an intention here to be fully present with this experience of washing your face. Even the most mundane activities can be made intentional. So as you begin to wash your face, pay gentle attention to the soap that you're using. Maybe it has a particular scent or texture. Notice what it feels like on the hands and then on the skin as you begin to lather and massage the face. Notice any particular thoughts that begin to arise or how often the mind can get distracted. And each and every time, just bringing it back to the task at hand. When we're washing our face, we're usually in transition or on our way to something or somewhere else. So see if you can be fully present while doing this activity. Maybe you can slow down the movement of the hands on the skin. Starting at the forehead, then the cheeks, chin, and nose. Going at a pace and rhythm that feels right for you. Noticing the temperature of the water, the texture of the soap and water combined together as you rinse your face. And even just noticing what your skin feels like after being cleansed. Once your face is dry, you can take this mindful awareness into the rest of your routine. It doesn't have to stop here. When washing your face or doing any activity, notice all the different sensations that you can start to pay attention to, scent, sight, touch, sound, and taste. Focusing in this way will help to cultivate more mindfulness into our everyday lives. Since these are things that we do repetitively, there's tons of opportunities to practice and strengthen the skill of mindfulness....