Activity Title: Five Senses Meditation

Sources:
Bradley, C. (2021, November 25). A Meditation for Exploring Your Senses. Mindful.

https://www.mindful.org/a-meditation-for-exploring-your-senses/

Center, U. M. (2017, December 12). Mindful Monday: Try the “Five Senses” Mindfulness

Exercise. UVM Medical Center Blog.

https://medcenterblog.uvmhealth.org/wellness/physical/mindfulness-mindful-monday-

exercise/

Equipment Needed: pencil, paper, computer

Activity Description:
• First, I will have students gather a pencil and paper for this activity
• Next, I will explain the purpose of our senses in meditation and the purpose of the
activity
• I will then give students about 3 minutes to write down 5 things they see, 4 things they
feel, 3 things they hear, 2 things they smell, and 1 thing they taste in their environment.
• I will then show them a video on YouTube of a different environment that they can try to
immerse themselves in
• While watching this video, they will use their imagination to write 5 things they see, 4
things they feel, 3 things they hear, 2 things they smell, and 1 thing they taste in this
external environment.
• We will then reflect on how thinking about and reflecting on our senses can help us to
ground ourselves in our environment and be in the present.
Primary Social Interaction Patterns:
This activity is extraindividual or can be done as interindividual. The participant does
their own individual mediation and in the case of my activity it is done as extraindividual
because they are interacting with the piece of paper and pencil that they use to record their
thoughts. This activity overall can be performed interindividually if the participant does this
activity just in their mind or in their daily lives thinking about the senses they are experiencing.
Adaptations:
I will consider this activity in terms of an individual with severe anxiety. This activity can be
helpful to allow them to focus in on their situation instead of being trapped in their thoughts to
help ground them. There are not exactly adaptations needed in this activity for those with
anxiety, but it may need to be slowed down or repeated to get the desired effects. By focusing on
the senses and observations of one’s environment it allows them to focus on the present moment
and not be so caught up in anxious thoughts and worrying about the future.
Activities form:
Activity: __The Five Senses Meditation________________

PHYSICAL ASPECTS:
1. What is the primary body position required?
____lying down __x__sitting ____ other: ___________________
____kneeling ____standing
2. What body parts are required?
__x__arms ____feet ____upper torso
__x__hands ____neck ____lower torso
____legs ____head
3. What types of movements does the activity require?
____bending ____punching ____reaching
____stretching ____catching __x__grasping
____standing ____throwing ____skipping/hopping
____walking ____hitting ____running
4. What are the primary senses required for the activity?
__x__touch __x__sight __x__smell
__x__taste _x__hearing
5. What is the amount of coordination and movement between body parts required
by the activity?
Much 1 2 3 4 5 Little
6. What is the degree of hand-eye coordination needed for the activity?
Much 1 2 3 4 5 Little
7. What is the degree of strength needed for the activity?
Much 1 2 3 4 5 Little
8. What is the degree of speed needed for the activity?
Much 1 2 3 4 5 Little
 9. What is the degree of endurance needed for the activity?
Much 1 2 3 4 5 Little
10. What is the degree of flexibility needed for the activity?
Much 1 2 3 4 5 Little

SOCIAL ASPECTS
1. What is the primary social interaction pattern required in the activity?
__x__intraindividual (action taking place within the mind or action involving the mind
and a part of the body; requires no contact with another person or external object)
__x__Extraindividual (action directed by a person towards an object; requires no contact
with another person)
____Aggregate (action directed by a person toward an object while in the company of
other persons who also are directing actions toward objects; action is not directed toward
each other; no interaction required among participants)
____Interindividual (action of a competitive nature directed by one person toward
another)
____unilateral (action of a competitive nature among three or more persons, one of whom
is an antagonist; interaction is in simultaneous competitive relationship)
____Multilateral (action of a competitive nature by two or more persons with no one
person as an antagonist)
____Intragroup (action of a cooperative nature by two or more persons intent upon
reaching mutual goal; action requires positive verbal or nonverbal interaction)
____Intergroup (action of a competitive nature between two or more intragroup)
2. What is the minimum (fewest) and maximum (greatest) number of people
required for the activity?
__1__minimum number __1__maximum number
3. What clothing is needed to be socially appropriate?
a. Any casual clothing, does not require special clothing
4. How much physical proximity is required by the activity?
Close 1 2 3 4 5 Distant
5. How much physical contact is required by the activity?
Much 1 2 3 4 5 Little
6. What degree of communication is required by the activity?
Hight 1 2 3 4 5 Low
 7. What degree of noise is generated by the activity?
Much 1 2 3 4 5 Little
COGNITIVE ASPECTS
1. How many rules are required in the activity?
Many 1 2 3 4 5 Few
2. How complex are the rules to understand?
Complex 1 2 3 4 5 Simple
3. What degree of strategy is required in the activity?
Much 1 2 3 4 5 Little
4. What degree of complexity is involved in scoring?
Much 1 2 3 4 5 Little
5. What degree of long-term memory is required in the activity?
Much 1 2 3 4 5 Little
6. What degree of short term or immediate recall is required in the activity?
Much 1 2 3 4 5 Little
7. What degree of verbalization of thought process is required in this activity?
Much 1 2 3 4 5 Little
8. What degree of concentration is required in the activity?
Much 1 2 3 4 5 Little
9. What degree of concrete thinking is required by the activity?
Much 1 2 3 4 5 Little
10. What degree of abstract thinking is required by the activity?
Much 1 2 3 4 5 Little
11. To what degree are each of the following skills used in the activity?
Reading Much 1 2 3 4 5 Little
Writing Much 1 2 3 4 5 Little
Math Much 1 2 3 4 5 Little
Spelling Much 1 2 3 4 5 Little
12. To what degree does the participant need to identify or use the following?
Form & shape Much 1 2 3 4 5 Little
Colors Much 1 2 3 4 5 Little
Size Much 1 2 3 4 5 Little
Numbers Much 1 2 3 4 5 Little
Body parts Much 1 2 3 4 5 Little
Directionality Much 1 2 3 4 5 Little
AFFECRIVE ASPECTS
 1. To what degree does the participant have the opportunity or outlet to express the
following?
Joy Much 1 2 3 4 5 Little
Guilt Much 1 2 3 4 5 Little
Pain Much 1 2 3 4 5 Little
Anger Much 1 2 3 4 5 Little
Fear Much 1 2 3 4 5 Little
Frustration Much 1 2 3 4 5 Little

2. To what degree must the participant control or inhibit the expression of the
following?
Joy Much 1 2 3 4 5 Little
Guilt Much 1 2 3 4 5 Little
Pain Much 1 2 3 4 5 Little
Anger Much 1 2 3 4 5 Little
Fear Much 1 2 3 4 5 Little
Frustration Much 1 2 3 4 5 Little
ADMINISTRATIVE ASPECTS
1. What type of leadership style is required by the activity?
____specific activity-skill expertise __x__supervisory
____general activity skill expertise ____no specific leadership style needed
2. What type of equipment is needed for the activity?
__x__specific commercial product (specify: _Just paper and a writing utensil___)
____can be made (specify: ____)
____no equipment required
3. What type of facility is required by the activity?
____specific natural environment (specify: ____)
____specific created environment (specify: ____)
__x__no specific environment required
4. What is the duration of the activity?
__x__set time
____natural end
____continuous
5. What is the number of participants required for the activity?
__x__any number can participate
____fixed number or multiple (specify: ____)
From:

Peterson, C. A., & Stumbo, N. J. (2009). Therapeutic recreation program design: Principles and

procedures(5th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Pearson Benjamin Cummings.