The Most Simple Meditation: 1 Minute Meditation

Have you been wanting to begin a meditation practice but don’t know where to start?

Think meditation doesn’t come naturally to you?

We understand.

Grab our hand and we will guide you through a basic understanding of what meditation is, why you should practice it, and give you a one minute simple meditation you can literally do anywhere.

If you search online for meditation resources, you will find list upon lists of how to sit, how to breathe, how your hands should lay, how long to do it, and so much more. It can be flat out overwhelming.

Meditation is one of those things that many people wish to do, but can’t figure out where on to earth to start.

People are often interested in the practice because they wish to find more peace, so having to weed through what feels like a million differing perspectives on the “right way” to meditate can be counter productive and exhausting to say the least.

Meditation is simply what you need it to be.

It is a practice that allows you to strip away the noise of everyday life and find the grounded part of you that already exists (yes, it’s in there!).

The goal of meditation is not the impossible task of stopping thoughts. The goal of meditation is to cultivate your awareness so you can start to observe these thoughts. When you begin to observe your thoughts, you can watch them occur without becoming attached to them.

Attaching to your thoughts happens when you follow your thoughts and dwell on them. This is harmful because it causes you to believe that who you are is what you think. For example, you may think “I feel terrible today. My body hates me.” This thought isn’t a truth. It is noise your mind creates to keep itself busy. This thought will not bring you suffering unless you choose to attach to it and believe that it is true.

By practicing observing your thoughts in meditation, you can begin to question whether these thoughts are true and if you wish to keep them or let them go. No, this won’t seem easy at first. It may even feel contradictory to how you live your entire life. But we promise it is worth it and it can change your life if you stick with it.

You may be thinking “okay, attaching to my thoughts isn’t beneficial. Got it, but how do I prevent this from happening?” The answer is awareness + practice, practice, practice. When you find yourself following your thoughts, you bring yourself back to something that anchors you to the present moment. This can be your body. A sound you’re hearing. Or, like we will guide you through below, your breath.

Drop Your Expectations

If you are just starting out with your meditation practice, it may be uncomfortable. That’s okay. Give yourself permission to feel whatever comes up and not need to define these feelings as good or bad.

There’s a good chance your mind is used to running the show and creating pure chaos most of the time (hello, stress & anxiety). If your mind has spent years being in charge, don’t expect it to surrender immediately into stillness or silence. Over time, your practice will become easier and more comfortable. Don’t be surprised if you even begin to crave longer periods of this connection with yourself.

So, drop your expectations and promise yourself that you’ll keep an open mind.

Remember, meditation isn’t a mountain to conquer. It’s a river of practice that will never stop flowing and evolving.

Reasons to meditate:

• reduces stress and anxiety

• improves focus, creativity, and productivity

• beneficial for processing emotions

• fights memory loss

• improves sleep

• boosts immune system

• enhances overall quality of life

One Minute Breath Meditation

• Set a timer. This will keep you from checking the clock or using energy to try to guess how long a minute is.

• Find your position. Find a comfortable seated position, or lay all the way down on your back. Eyes can be open, focused on one spot, or you can let them close if that is more comfortable.

• Notice your breath. Allow yourself to trace the path of your breath, noticing how it moves through your body.

• Count your breath. As you continue to follow the path of your breath, begin to count to yourself. One with the inhale. Two with the exhale. Three with the inhale. Four with the exhale. And so on until you get to ten, and then start over at one.

• Notice the thoughts:Without pushing them away, notice the thoughts that come up.

• Call yourself back.When your attention drifts with these thoughts, and it will, don’t beat yourself up. This is what the practice is about. Just continually remind yourself to come back to your anchor: your breath.