We know that meditation is good for us.
- On a physical level, meditation can reduce your blood pressure, boost your immune system, diminish chronic pain, and that’s just for starts.
- Emotionally, meditation brings greater calm, a feeling of spaciousness and a sense of humor about the vagaries of life.
- Spiritually, meditation is the path to become truly human: loving, patient, understanding, forgiving, clear yet relaxed and playful.
Yet, we resist. We moan and groan, “There’s not enough time.”
We keep putting meditation off until tomorrow, next week, next month. Until illness or death arrives and we’re twisted by fear, wracked with regret.
How can we die peacefully if we haven’t tasted peace of mind in life?
There’s one simple and immediate solution to the problem of no time: Meditate Right Now.
You Can Meditate Right Now
You don’t need elaborate preparations, the right space, incense, or even a meditation cushion.
Wherever you happen to be, STOP.
For a single moment. Relax. Sit comfortably with your back reasonably straight. Bring your mind home. Turn your mind inwardly. Drop all the thoughts, emotions, projects, and projections. Release and rest in relaxed awareness.
You can use a sensation in your body, the sounds around you, a picture hanging on the wall in front of you, your thoughts or your emotions as an object of meditation. Whatever conveniently appears in your physical or mental environment, simply keep your attention lightly placed on the object. When your mind wanders, bring it back to the object. Again and again.
But, just for one minute!
Yes, start with one minute and rerun the process several times a day. You can use the beep of a watch, timer, or phone to remind you once an hour or as often as you wish to return to the present moment.
Best Times to Sneak In Moments of Meditation
One of the best times to meditate is when things don’t turn out as you planned or your mood suddenly changes. Stop for one moment, look at your mind, and rest in awareness instead of being entrapped by disappointment, depression, anxiety, or another beguiling emotion.
Countless empty moments exist during any day, which can easily be turned into meditation as well. For example:
- When you are standing in line at a shop, put on hold on the phone, waiting for a slow website to load, or impatiently anticipating your takeout order. Use those moments to bring your mind back to the present moment instead of churning up a thousand new thoughts.
- When you’re in a boring meeting, pay attention to the speaker’s words as the object of your meditation instead of getting entangled in frustration.
- When you have a disagreement, take a one minute timeout and look at your own mind.
- When your kids are playing in the park, observe them with bare awareness.
Meditation isn’t about packing your bags and heading for a Himalayan cave. It’s not about creating or clinging to an artificial state of peace. It’s about being mindful and aware in the present moment in the face of whatever arises – internally or externally.
Trying to create a state of peace in meditation will just make you more tense. But peace will naturally arrive on its own when you practice repeatedly returning your mind to the present moment, allowing thoughts to pass by like clouds moving against a vast blue sky.
You see, all our suffering comes from wandering into the past or future. Whereas, anxiety, worry, fear, irritation, and other untoward emotions will – with time and practice – melt away when we train in returning to the present moment again and again.
What About Formal Meditation Practice?
“But isn’t it important to have a formal meditation practice?” you might wonder.
Yes, it is! As a beginner, it’s far easier to establish a strong practice if you have a quiet spot and dedicate time to formal meditation every day.
But, if the resistance is so strong or the busyness so overwhelming that you can’t even get started, try meditating right now in any moment.
And, you can also use the one minute approach to establish a formal meditation practice. As soon as you wake up, sit up, and look at your mind for just one minute. Be lightly aware of whatever is passing through your mind. Then get on with your day.
As you acclimate to the habit of meditating for one minute every morning, it will be easy to bump it up to two minutes, then three, then four and so on. Ultimately, the best way to grow a healthy daily practice is by starting small and gradually building up from there.
Many Short Moments of Meditation
Many people assume a longer meditation is a better meditation. But that’s not necessarily the case. It’s easy to slip into dullness, tension, or distraction and lose your awake, fresh state of awareness in a lengthy meditation. That’s why, in my tradition, many short moments of meditation are recommended throughout the day.
Especially as a beginner, it’s not how long you can meditate, but how often you can bring your mind back from distraction into the present moment that counts.
Like perforating a piece of paper with a needle, the more you puncture the page, the more space created. In the same way, short moments of meditation in formal sessions and throughout the day, will help you to build a stable continuity of mindfulness and awareness.
Sandra Pawula helps authors, entrepreneurs, and bloggers infuse their words with clarity, elegance, and power. In addition to editing, she writes about personal development at Always Well Within and helps people learn to make friends with their own mind through meditation.
I like this idea Sandra, and heaven knows I need it! I’ve been trying to adopt some form of meditation for some time now. Several moments – and those “countless empty moments” – something to think about as we head into 2013! Thanks!
Lori
Lori It’s this same wisdom that got me meditating, and I began with 10-15 minutes. Love Sandra’s idea even more because we all have those ’empty moments’ and they’re a perfect place to begin!
Sandi Amorim Lori Yes, no more letting your mind wander down dark or unhappy paths in those moments – stop and go within! I like it a lot <3
Lori It’s so nourishing to have a regular meditation practice, but it can be so challenging in these busy modern times to actually get to the cushion. I’m glad you like this idea and hope you give it a try. It can be a helpful way to ease into meditation and to simply enjoy life more fully in all its richness. Wishing you a great 2013.
Sandra Pawula Lori I didn’t meditate for ages because I thought I had no time. When someone suggested I start with 10-15 minutes instead of an hour I let go of that belief and began. It was a huge breakthrough back then, and some days it still is to find those 15 minutes. I love chunking it down even further, which is why I love this suggestion so much!
Sandra, I loved your idea to use a sudden mood change or when things don’t work out as an opportunity to meditate. It brings an awareness and mindfulness to those times that is sure to keep it all in perspective. Who doesn’t need that at challenging moments?
Carol Hess Those are the best times aren’t they, Carol! The moments that can really sweep us away and get us into trouble, so to speak. Thanks for underlining that part of the post for all of us.
Sandra Pawula Carol Hess Oh yes, I’ve been swept away a few too many times so I love the idea of bringing mindfulness to those same moments!
I used to think I needed an hour to meditate properly, but realized, thanks to a hectic pace, that just a few moments are enough with the right strategy. I find that if I sit quietly, I tend to sleep off, probably because my body assumes I am catching up with sleep. So I found a new technique for myself. I have a few favorite songs. I close my eyes and consciously sing one of them fully – it takes five minutes. At the end of it, I am clam, refreshed and rejuvenated. Another method I enjoy is taking a large bowl, adding wheat flour to it and kneading it into a dough. Oh, it is so therapeutic (and it also takes me forward in the preparation for the next or the next meal). The trick is to focus completely on the task at hand – and not be thinking of something while the hand mechanically kneads. 😀 It works for me.
I love the way you’ve explained this, Sandra. But then, I always adore your writing. Thank you! Hugs and happy 2013.
Sandi, thank you for posting this today instead of next week. You were absolutely right about today being the right time! Love you!
Vidya Sury So glad! I just couldn’t wait till next week especially because I know so many people have the desire to meditate but feel challenged by the time. Sandra Pawula really put things in perspective with this post, a perfect way to end 2012 and begin 2013!
Vidya Sury It’s wonderful if you have an hour to meditate, especially if you can keep this sense of freshness during the meditation by incorporating many short moments. But it can be hard to find such a big chunk of time to meditate and, as you point out, drowsiness is one of the two main obstacles in meditation. I love your example of kneading the wheat flour. It’s a perfect illustration of how we can bring mindfulness into almost any activity in life. I agree with you full – it’s important to stay mindful of the task at hand and to bring our mind back when it starts to wander into thoughts. At the same time, I encourage people to do so with a light awareness and sense of relaxation. Otherwise, if we are over-focused or too tightly focused, it can bring tension into our practice.
Thanks for your kind words, Vidya! I send you a big hug and happy 2013 too!
This is wonderfully freeing! I’ve been wondering what everyone thought was so great about meditation as I had it that I needed to sit still for at least 15 mins and have some sort of epiphany. Seems this is another area where I get to play without getting it right. Woohoo!! Love love love.
Jill Prescott I’m glad you found these ideas freeing! There’s a great deal of benefit in being able to sit still for 15 minutes, but there’s no designated perfect time for meditation. One of the problems is that we bring all our neurosis into how we think our meditation should be. So in the end, the 15 minutes can be more like torture than peacefulness. Meditation does bring insight, but not necessarily with every sitting. Learning to meditate is more like an ongoing journey and our mind can be quite different from one day to the next. The main point is be aware, whether mind happens to be quiet or feisty. Through awareness it will learn to settle naturally. Have fun playing and not worrying about getting it right!
Sandra Pawula Jill Prescott Did someone mention neurosis? 😉
And oh yes, can I relate to 15 minutes of torture. Although I have gotten much better at allowing myself to be however I am when I sit now! I think that’s why they call it a practice, right?
Jill Prescott That’s how I used to feel, and yet I so desperately wanted to meditate! Wasn’t until I gave up that it had to be a certain way that I started to feel the benefits. Now I fit it in wherever I can 🙂
What a gift this is to those of us who struggle with meditation. While I have learned to sit for up to 20-minutes and can feel the benefits of doing so, I struggle every day to fit in the time for a “real” meditation. Getting “permission” from such a soulful, experienced meditator to make one and two minute meditations part of a “real” meditation practice makes the whole thing feels lighter and more possible (even the part about adding in more of the 20-minute ones, too.) Thank you. Happy new year to you each.
michellebfranco ~ It’s fabulous to be able to sit for 20-minutes when you can. I’m happy this post frees you from any sense of struggle when you can’t, which itself can be an obstacle to meditation. Even if we can sit for 20-minutes, it’s still beneficial to bring out mind back home throughout the day. And, on the days when it’s not possible to do a formal practice, we have the option too. Happy New Year! Much love to you.
What a gift this is to those of us who struggle with meditation. While I have learned to sit for up to 20-minutes and can feel the benefits of doing so, I struggle every day to fit in the time for a “real” meditation. Getting “permission” from such a soulful, experienced meditator to make one and two minute meditations part of a “real” meditation practice makes the whole thing feels lighter and more possible (even the part about adding in more of the 20-minute ones, too.) Thank you. Happy new year to you each.
What a wonderful message, thank you! For so long, I hesitated to meditate..for me, it was more about I knew consistent practice would bring a depth or some kind of expansion to my life, and I wasn’t feeling ready/enough to embrace the newness. Consistent practice is enriching in so many ways…I keep it simple, and I am now learning to meditate with others, which is a fun energy. I love your advice to meditate in this moment; sometimes I “think” I don’t have time, but then I meditate as I’m walking the beach, or waiting in the car at school pick up (for my children). I know for me it’s about releasing the idea of perfection and allowing my practice to be as it is!
JoyChristin You’ve really hit the nail on the head when you point out how important it is to release our ideas of “perfection” in meditation! I agree there’s an incredible richness to a consistent practice and I would never discourage that at all. The main point though is being awake in the moment whether we’re in formal practice or in life. Thanks for your thoughts. I love the way you capture those moments of meditation.
Meditating in the moment – especially free moments is a good practice Sandra. I’ve been incorporating that into my life more often in addition to a more regular practice. Meditation like any habit takes a long time to form. But I think looking at the benefits of meditation and feeling the benefits of meditation in my life has inspired me to meditate regularly. Not for a long time every day but a few minutes, at the same time, every day.
The one time to not practice in the moment, I’ve noticed, is .08 seconds before falling asleep! That meditation usually becomes a 7 hour slumber and although I awake refreshed, I’m certain my mind wasn’t the most mindful.
Vishnu’s Virtues I’m so happy to see that you’ve been incorporating mindfulness in your life more in addition to regular practice. I know it can be challenging to practice when we feel sleepy. Actually though that’s a great time to practice. If we can maintain our awareness when we fall asleep, we can slowly train ourselves to be aware in our dreams, which can be very helpful in the after death state. This is called “dream yoga” but it’s a little different than modern dream practices. Thanks for adding your experience!
I like what you say about meditation being available at any time — I’ve definitely found it to be true that, no matter where I am, I can focus on the sensations arising in my body, just like in Vipassana meditation, and thus get more familiar with myself and let go of my reactive behaviors.
acordaamor Exactly! You’ve got it. Thanks for the example.
Great post, Sandra on meditation. As you said, it is wonderful to have a regular practice, but anyone can meditate for one minute. This is a good reminder for those times when the morning gets away from me. Thanks for the reminder.
Cathy Taughinbaugh You’re welcome, Cathy. When we realize that we can start meditating with just one minute at a time, it opens up the possibility even for those of us who are really busy. Or, like you say, when the morning gets away from us. Thanks for this helpful example.
Holy mother, Sandi you NAILED it. Yes, there is never a better time than the NOW to meditate in whatever way feels right in that moment! Sometimes for me that’s days on end of just checking in with my breath…and on other days it means a more formal “sit” and tuning in. Neither is “better” than the other – they simply are :). I love you Sandi and love how you’ve put this together to spread the good word of mindful living!
Sabrina at MyMiBoSo So happy this post resonate so strongly for you and mirrors exactly how you practice. Mindful living is really the key to true happiness, in my mind! Be well!
Sandra Pawula Sandra, I just realized that you wrote this – beautifully done! Lucky for me Sandra could be Sandi just as easily – covers my faux pas a bit 😉
Sabrina at MyMiBoSo So happy this post resonate so strongly for you and mirrors exactly how you practice. Mindful living is really the key to true happiness, in my mind! Be well!
Sandra, thank you for sharing. Two months ago, I was ready to – once again – try meditation. I was going to buy books, etc. Then I told myself I should just sit and get started. I am only sitting for five to seven minutes now, but I am going to add this shorter meditation session to my day. By giving myself permission to be flexible and meditate when I can I will not create angst around being able to find time. Counterproductive to say the least. Thank you so much!
tammyrenzi That’s terrific, Tammy. 5-7 minutes is a great way to get started on meditation. I like your approach of being flexible and moving around the angst instead of amplifying it. I find this gentle approach usually is more successful than trying to push ourselves too hard. Thanks for sharing your experience. I’m sure it will encourage others.
Sandra,
So awesome to see you here. Love this! Yes, start with one minute and rerun the process several times a day. ACIM has helped me so much over the years with this type of mediation. I wouldn’t be who I am without.
Sandi, Love the photo! Love it!!
TessMarshall So awesome to see you here too! ACIM is incredible. I’m happy it has helped you so much. Wishing you a bold and bright 2013.
“Like perforating a piece of paper with a needle, the more you puncture the page, the more space created.” This is a REALLY powerful image for me! Like Jill Prescott , I can tend to worry too much about “getting it right” — and this image is delightful and freeing. Thank you, Sandra! (And Sandi!)
LynnHess You’re welcome! It’s easy to bring worry and stress into meditation, when meditation is really about a balance of relaxed alertness. It really helps to be able to let go of the worry, be gentle with ourselves, and do the best we can.
I love this idea. We sometimes think that conditions have to be a certain way or that we need a certain amount of time. We keep putting it off until our conditions are met. Your suggestions make it easy to weave meditation into our everyday lives, no matter how busy. I’m going to close the computer now and follow your advice!
galenpearl Fantastic! It’s so true, Galen. We keep waiting for the conditions to be “right”, but it’s actually better to get started and make use of every moment that we can. I appreciate your enthusiasm.
Hi Sandra,
Thanks for reassuring me that small moments of meditation are important. I sometimes feel guilty for not devoting consistent and sustained time to meditation.
By clarifying that meditation is really mindfulness, I realize that I do bring my mind back to the present frequently. Your analogy of the needle puncturing the paper is brilliant.
Flora M Brown It’s impressivethat you can bring your mind back to the present frequently! Guilt arises for many of us in mediation. It’s another arising emotions that we can be aware and also allow it to float by without getting hooked. Challenging sometimes, but the heart of the practice. That analogy comes from Tsoknyi Rinpoche. The brilliance is fully his!
In meditation, it is really important that you know what you are doing and what do you want to achieve. Concentration is very important so that you can achieve your goals. http://www.thestillplace.com/-