Mindfulness Audios Download: Doing the Dishes

Daily Mindfulness Practice: Free Audio Download

by Monica A. Frank, Ph.D.

The following is part of a series of audios to teach how to practice mindfulness. Developing your ability to focus on the present moment can reduce distress and improve well-being.

Doing the Dishes

Index for Mindfulness Audios

Additional reading:

Some tips for using these audios:

Start with the Understanding Mindfulness audios to learn about mindfulness.
These short practice exercises are to help train your brain to be more mindful when engaged in daily activities.
The audio format is just for convenience to help learn the material. You can also read the transcript. When you practice, however, you should engage in the behavior mindfully without listening to the audio.
The best way to train your brain to be more mindful is to practice in short sessions throughout the day while engaged in your normal activities.
The descriptions are an artificial way to help you get started. Eventually, the practice of mindfulness is being aware of what is described without using an inner verbal description.
This exercise focuses on making an everyday task a mindful exercise. The task for this audio is washing dishes. The audio helps coach your attention to the different aspects of your experience.
For this exercise, try other simple everyday tasks using the same type of attention focusing. Just allow yourself to focus completely on the task in which you are engaged.

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Transcript of Audio: Doing the Dishes

Prepare to do the dishes by running water into the sink. Notice the sound of the running water. Notice how it splashes into the water in the sink. Notice the patterns that are made by the water. Squirt some dish-washing soap into your hand. Notice the feel of the soap. Smell it. Put your hand under the running water and notice how the water mixes with the soap in your hand. As it splashes into the sink of water notice the suds that are created. Notice the different patterns and sizes of the suds. As you put dishes into the sink, notice the feel and weight of each dish. Notice how it changes the suds and how the suds cling to the dish. Hear how the dishes sound as they tap against one another in the sink. As you wipe off each dish notice what it feels like in your hands. Notice the feel of your muscles with the movement of cleaning the dish. Notice what the water feels like as it flows over the dish and your hands. Notice the water removing the suds and the different feel of the dish as all the suds flow away. Notice the water dripping off the dish as you hold it above the water. As you dry the dish notice how it dries. Does it dry evenly or do you still see wet spots on the dish? What does it sound like as you dry the dish? Notice the sound as you set it down on the counter or put it in a cabinet. Do this with each dish. When you are finished, let the water drain out of the sink. What does the water look like as it drains? Notice what it sounds like. Notice the suds on the edges of the sink as it drains. As you rinse the suds off the sink, pay attention to how the suds blend with the water and disappear.