5 Ways to Meditate in Less Than 7 Minutes
One thing is true, we would all like to be less stressed.
With lives busier than ever, trying to juggle it all while adapting to new workplace environments, can seem even more stressful. I’m a big fan of meditation but I realize that sitting down, closing your eyes, and practicing with an app or a guided meditation class can be challenging to do during a busy day so I wanted to share some of my favorite ways to de-stress through short meditations and some you can actually do while you work!
Don’t worry, this doesn’t pull you away from all that you have to do, in fact, by practicing these tips, you can work through a challenging email, a tough business call, or any other situation that typically causes you more stress and effectively decompress.
Let’s get started!
Box Breathing - Begin by counting up to 6 on your inhale, then hold at the top for 6 seconds and then exhale for a count of 6. Repeat this slowly for a couple of rounds until you can actually feel your body and mind relax. I recommend starting with 3 cycles. I particularly love this exercise during a while on a conference call or before/ after a social situation to calm or reset the body.
2. Guided Meditation - Try a quick guided meditation to help you keep track of time. Click here to try this 6 minutes guided meditation.
3. Focused Breath - Send breath to one specific part of the body at a time. I like to breathe into places where I hold the most tension first.
For example, if your shoulders are feeling pinched or tense, you can take a deep inhale and as you exhale send your breath to your shoulders and allow your belly to empty slowly as your shoulders soften and release tension.
You can do this for a few rounds until you notice a softening or a release in the focused area.
4. Focused Tasks - Focus on one particular task and that task only before moving onto anything else. Multitasking can feel productive but pulls our minds in so many directions that we feel more stressed with the work. Instead, give yourself a set amount of time to work on one specific task, and only when that is up, or when the task is complete you can move on to something else.
This is done best if you remove all distractions, including notifications, so if possible put your phone and other computer notifications on do not disturb mode until your timer or task is complete.
5. Alternate Nostril Breathing - For this, you can place one palm up, while gently pressing your right thumb to your right nostril. Take a breath in through your left nostril then press your right pinky to your left nostril to seal your inhale and remove your thumb to exhale out your right nostril.
Continue the cycle by inhaling through your right nostril with your pinkly sealing your left nostril and then press your thumb to your right nostril to exhale out of your left nostril. Continue this cycle of inhaling one side, seal, exhale the other side, seal. Repeat for a few cycles until you become more comfortable with the process.