BOIL A KETTLE

This free mindfulness practice You may think you don’t have time to relax, but you can always find a couple of minutes to make a cup of tea – this can be calming in itself.  The key is paying full attention to your actions.

As you return the kettle to the work surface, pay close attention to your own movements.  Were you aware of those movements or did they just seem to ‘happen’?

Now, just listen as the kettle begins to heat.  What can you hear?  Close your eyes and drink in the sounds.  Try not to do anything else and let the kettle boil until it switches itself off.  See if you can notice the first stirrings of impatience.

• • Where in the body do they originate?
  • Do they feel like a force trying to break out and exert control?
  • Does your breathing become constricted?

As you lift the kettle to fill it, ask yourself:

• How heavy does it feel?
• Do you fill it via the spout or the lid?
• Pay full attention as the water falls out of the tap and into the kettle.
• Does it hiss and bubble?
• Does the water smell?