Family Mindfulness Practice

A Simple Mindfulness Practice to try with Family and Friends this Holiday Season

Who else feels like things are moving way too fast? We rush off to work, school, our after school activities and appointments and end up feeling like we never get to slow down. This feeling often gets amplified due to the demands of the holiday season.

The paradox is that just when we feel like we don’t have any time is actually the perfect time to create space with a mindfulness practice. Mindfulness is simply paying attention to the present moment with kindness and curiosity. Practicing mindfulness helps us slow down and notice the beauty of the world around us.

As I drove my 18 year old son, Charlie, to work, I was struck by how little time we get to just be together. I suggested we try a quick mindfulness practice (you will see the full practice below) to test if it could work in the car. Much to my surprise, even though Charlie groaned when I suggested my idea to him, he agreed to try it -“if it will really only take a few minutes!” We took a few slow breaths and then paused to reflect on some good things from our days. Even though I was a little nervous he would think it was silly, we ended up laughing together by the end. He got to hear a little bit about my experience teaching in the hospital and I got to hear about how much he is looking forward to seeing his girlfriend on Sunday. After we finished, I asked him what he thought about doing that with me and he said, “I liked it. Now let me nap for a minute.”

After that overwhelmingly positive review, I’m sure you can’t wait to try this, too. You can test this mindfulness practice for out for yourself with family or friends at dinner time, before bedtime, or even in the car as you head to your next event.

Try this mindfulness practice!

Start by Inviting everyone to take a moment to get comfortable and connect with a few slow breaths. You could have everyone try Fingertip Breathing as a way to take 3-5 slow breaths. Younger children might want to cuddle up with you for this part or hold a special stuffed animal. Let everyone know they could choose to close their eyes (unless you are driving) or keep their eyes open. Closing our eyes might make it easier to picture what we are thinking about during this practice. After everyone settles in with a few slow breaths, ask them to think about the following things:

Think of one thing that made you happy today. It could be something big – like spending time with someone special you haven’t seen in awhile or enjoying a really good meal. Or it might be something small – like laughing with a friend or family member or really anything at all that put a smile on your face today. Try to really picture this good thing in your mind – so you feel like you are experiencing it all over again.

(Pause for 30 seconds to a minute to let everyone picture this)

Now, think of something you are looking forward to in the coming days. Maybe it’s a special holiday tradition with family. Or getting time off from work or school. Again, really try to picture this in your mind, like it is already happening.

(Pause for 30 seconds to a minute to let everyone think about this)

Invite anyone who wants to share to describe what they thought about that made them happy today. Once everyone has a turn to answer, ask if anyone wants to share what they are looking forward to in the next few days.

After those who want to get a chance to share, ask how it felt to think about these good things. Then ask how it felt to hear each other’s good things.

You can keep the good feelings going by encouraging children to draw or write about these good things. If they create a picture or write a story about their good things, these can be helpful reminders to come back to if we are having a tough day or struggling to fall asleep at night.

Keep it going!

I enjoyed doing this mindfulness activity so much with Charlie, I tried it with Clare later on while sitting together on the sofa. Afterwards, she shared that she can’t wait to be dismissed from school on Friday at 1:30 pm for winter break, “because it’s going to feel amazing!” I then tried it with Matt over dinner. He ended up sharing that his hard workout earlier in the day was the good thing he thought about, “because I felt so strong and good.” What I realized from doing this with three of my family members is that when they shared their good things with me, I felt so happy. These practices actually ended up becoming my good things from the day!

You can also press play on this recorded practice and have everyone follow along!

Find other recorded REST breaks in our free resources.

We’d love to have you share the good things that come up when you try this practice with family and friends. Share in the comments below.