Emotional Inf lexibility 121
you do regularly, such as checking your e-mail. You will notice that
it gets easier with practice and that you will feel more grounded in
the present moment.
Counting Steps
Count your steps as you walk. This works best in places such
as grocery stores or when you are going for long walks. You will
notice that your counting is much quicker during walking than
during breathing , but still try to keep your attention engrossed in
your steps. Again, depending on your own preference, you may
find it helpful to count sequentially or in repeated blocks for thirty
seconds.
Some forms of mindfulness encourage people to encoun-
ter an object with curiosity, lovingness, and appreciation. If
you have given counting meditation a chance, then you may
like to complement it with the following spin- off, called
hand appreciation. Because your hands are such familiar and
common parts of your body, they are an excellent object for
meditative focus.
Exercise 5.2: Give Yourself a Helping Hand Visually
explore your hand with a sense of novelty and curiosity. Pretend you
have never seen a hand before, trying to forget all of your precon-
ceptions of what a hand is for. Spend fifteen seconds on each hand.
Explore your hand’s crevices and follow them as they intersect with
other lines. Note the patterns and contemplate them without judg-
ment, without reference to the fact that these are familiar objects,
and without reaction. By fostering a genuine, rather than pretended,
curiosity about something as commonplace as your hands, you
are training yourself to focus on the present moment even when