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Lynne Everatt
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Do you want to meditate but never seem to be able to find the time? Don’t give up. Meditation’s many benefits are worth pursuing, even if you have to use your time popcorn, those small, random, free moments, such as waiting in line, that pop up randomly throughout the day and make us instinctively reach for a distraction. There are so many reasons to meditate. The workplace has become a breeding ground for an epidemic of SADness—stress, anxiety and depression—three afflictions that meditation can ease. Smartphones have shrunk our attention spans to sub-goldfish levels, and meditation can help us focus at least as well as an amphibian. And meditation can make pain feel less painful, help us sleep better, control impulsive reactions and improve our relationships. But most of all, meditation helps us live our lives as they’re happening, not as background music to thoughts of the past and imaginings of the future. Here are four easy yet powerful meditative moments that anyone, no matter how busy, can fit into their day.
STOPLIGHT = BREATHE + DELIGHT
Do you ever feel the urge to reach for your phone at a stoplight to scan your email? Rather than reach for your phone, take a deep breath and scan your environment for something pleasing to look at, or double-up on the meditative impact by combining it with the next meditative moment.
THE HAPPINESS WISH
This simple practice has resulted in countless cases of “my best day at work in years.” Whenever you encounter someone, say to yourself, “I want this person to be happy.” Not only will you short-circuit a knee-jerk reaction to view others with a critical mind, but with each person you encounter, you’ll be cultivating an aura of kindness that, if they’re attentive, they’ll be able to sense. If you can wish happiness for everyone you see in a day, you will get the same mood-elevating benefits as a formal meditation session in compassion, where you imagine a wider and wider circle of humanity and wish them all well. Compassion meditation always begins with yourself, so while you’re wishing happiness for others, be sure to take a moment to wish for your own happiness.
JUST BREATHE
The simplest and most portable tip, “just breathe” is a meditation that you can do anywhere, anytime. Take a deep breath into your belly, and let your attention follow your breath as you feel your belly rise, and fall as you breathe out. It only takes a few breaths to signal your body to relax, recharge and energize.
SAVOR PLEASURE
Do you remember tasting anything today, or did you scarf down your food and drink while you were busy doing something else? Food is a pleasure that deserves to be savored. You’re eating anyway, so why not take a moment to smell, taste and feel the sensations that your food gives you. Savoring your food counts as meditation.
Try one of these meditative moments, notice how it makes you feel and soon you’ll be seeking out opportunities for more meditative moments that, sown together over the course of a day, will have a positive effect on your well-being. And if you ever decide that you have five minutes or more to sit quietly and just breathe, your meditative moment will have become the bridge to building a meditative habit.
