We’ve heard it all before. You don’t have time to meditate, you don’t know how and it really just isn’t your thing. Trust me, meditation is essential if you are a small business owner, a solopreneur, or someone who is a master of juggling tasks, teams and assignments (just like a virtual assistant!).
What if I told you there was a super easy way to meditate and get the benefits from it in only 5 minutes? Changes things doesn’t it? Meditation doesn’t have to be an hour long activity for hippies and Buddhists. It can be for everyone who needs a little bit of relaxation in their life, for anyone who want to unwind a little bit in the middle of all the stress life throws your way. Below is a minute by minute breakdown of how you can meditate and get all those nice feelings from it in only 5 minutes.
Minute 1: Take Deep Breaths
While sitting in a comfortable chair, place gently place your hands on top of your thighs. Your legs should be hip-width apart and your feet should be completely flat on the floor. You can do this with either your eyes open or closed, if you leave them open you should be at a resting gaze, not focusing on anything in particular, but looking at something a few feet in front of you to reduce the strain of trying to focus on something far away. If your eyes are closed, relax them. Take a moment to think of how your feet feel resting on the floor. Maybe they tingle a little, maybe you just notice how the floor feels under them. Now, begin taking slow deep breaths. Breathe in and count slowly to four, breathe out and count slowly to six.
Minute 2: Find Your Own Pace of Breath
You can stop counting now and allow your breathing to happen naturally in its own rhythm. You don’t want them to be too deep or too shallow, not too fast or too slow. They should be similar to how you normally breathe. You shouldn’t feel like you’re taking labored breathes at all Focus now on the rising and falling of your body. You should be feeling it in your upper body.
Minute 3: Keep Your Focus
Keep the awareness of your body and breathing. If you keep having thoughts in your head, picture them as drifting away on clouds or petals of a flower floating away in the wind. This will allow you o acknowledge the thoughts you’re having without taking the time to dwell on it, offering perspective to what is really important at the moment. If there is a persistent thought, quickly write it down on a notepad for later and get back to your meditation.
Minute 4: Relax Your Mind and Body
You can stop focusing on your breathing now and just sit. Remind yourself that there isn’t anything you need to do right now except sit and relax.
Minute 5: Be Thankful
Start by thinking of something you are thankful for, maybe something small like the time you had to meditate. After you’ve done this, you can slowly start to think about how your body feels relaxed and how your breathing is even and calm. If your eyes were closed, you can now open them and stand up. You’re ready to get back to your day.