This 3-Part Exercise Is Like A Mindfulness Pushup — Here's How To Do It

When our attention isn't focused, and our mind is wandering, we're not truly present. While training the brain to become more mindful takes practice, according to neuroscientist and professor of psychology Amishi Jha, Ph.D., there's a simple, three-part exercise that can help.

The "flashlight" step of this three-part exercise might sound familiar if you've ever engaged in a mindfulness practice, Jha says. It's essentially mindful breathing, and to get started, you'll want to sit comfortably with good posture and close your eyes.

The object of this practice, she says, is to pick a target for your attention and then keep your attention focused there. "The reason I call it the 'find your flashlight practice' is because we're going to think of our attention like a flashlight and direct it willfully toward something," she adds.

The target in question will be breath-related sensations. "Maybe it's your chest or abdomen moving up and down [...] or the coolness of air on your nostrils," Jha says, adding, "Whatever it is, clue into what is prominent and then really set the intention to have the flashlight of your attention be right there."

The second part of this practice is called "the floodlight," and it refers to noticing where your mind is in a broader way. Jha says it's the opposite of the flashlight—it's a way of checking in with where your mind is at any given moment.

"This is the capacity of attention," she explains, adding, "One way we pay attention is by focusing, but another way we pay attention is through this floodlight metaphor, which is paying attention in a broad and receptive stance, just like a floodlight."

As Jha explains, "the juggler" refers to our executive functions. In business, she adds, the executive's job is to oversee tasks, which is what "the juggler" does here. "We can think of this as sort of the goal maintenance system of the mind," she says.