A Forty-Five-Second Meditation

By Steve Gillman

No Time For Meditation?

Those who haven't meditated before often think it's too much trouble to learn, and takes too much time as well. Even if you already meditate, you may find it difficult to set aside the time needed for a consistent practice. But is there really a meditation you can learn right now that can be done in a short amount of time? Even in in 45 seconds? Here it is.

Take Three Deep Breaths

Breath through your mouth for a moment and notice how your chest expands, Then try breathing through your nose and you'll notice how your abdomen extends more than the chest. Breathing through the nose causes the diaphragm to pull the air to the bottom of your lungs, which delivers a good dose of oxygen into your bloodstream, and into your brain too. Nose-breathing also tends to relax you.

This is why meditators breath through their noses. It's healthier, and it is the basis of this forty-five-second meditation. You simply close your eyes, let go of your thoughts (to the extent possible), and take three slow, deep breaths through your nose, paying attention to your breathing.

The Rest Of The Story

Now, this won't get you into a deep meditative state, especially if you've never meditated before. Is that a reason not to do it? Not at all. You'll get what you get out of it, and this almost certainly includes a clearer mind and a reduction in stress.

Make it a ritual. For example, each time you get into your car, quietly do your three deep breaths. Develop a regular "trigger" (an event or place) like this to remind you, and you won't procrastinate so often that you forget to meditate altogether (Isn't this typical if we don't make a habit out of the things we want to do?).

Want it to be a deeper experience? There's nothing wrong with just enjoying the relaxation created by three deep breaths, but you can go further, if you wish. Longer meditation will help, of course, but that isn't the only way.

If, when you do have more time, you learn mindfulness, or how to relax more fully, or better ways to let go of distractions in your mind, you can more effectively use that forty-five-seconds. You may even be able to get to that "alpha" state (brain wave frequency of 8 to 12 hertz) during your short meditation.

Some people will say this isn't "real" meditation, but that's okay. We walk before we run, and not everything has to be difficult to be of value. Why not do a forty-five-second meditation right now?

Steve Gillman has meditated and studied meditation for over twenty years. You can visit his website, and subscribe to The Meditation Newsletter at: http://www.TheMeditationSite.com/newsletter.html