So, this article obviously starts with some song lyrics from "Take That" (apologies to the guys!).
For anyone who's read the blog, or been taught by me, you'll know my teaching style is practical, and we often have pretty laid back and amusing sessions. Although I won't ever be singing the above song in sessions (!) it really only does take a minute for this simple meditation & mindfulness exercise. For those of you claiming to be too busy to meditate.....read on...… The "One Minute Time Out" This is great if you're getting started, or for periods when you feel under so much pressure that you feel as if you can't take time out (revising for exams, trying to hit an important work deadline, etc). Set a timer for one minute, or use a watch with a second hand to time this. During the minute, breathe in, breathe out, and count. If you can breathe in & out through your nose, then aim for that, but if you can't, then try in through the nose, out through the mouth. Don't try to control your breath, just let it flow naturally. So, you'll be silently saying "In, Out, One, In, Out, Two" and so on. At the end of the minute you'll have the number of breaths you took. This can then be used in 2 ways: 1) As a meditation/mindfulness training tool. Aim to repeat the exercise regularly, relaxing your breath, so you can get the number of breaths per minute down, really lengthening and relaxing your breath. I always tell people to aim for a 'long' breath and not a 'deep' breath, so we can try and breathe from where we should. Don't forget to breathe from right under your tummy button as you breathe in, really gently pushing the breath up and through your body (think "ribs, chest, throat, nose"), then the same on the 'out' breath - we start to breathe from our chest or our throat if we're anxious, so getting your breath to come from the right place is a good start! NOTE: I've only known anyone get down to 4 breaths per minute, so do be careful with this one! If you have any breathing difficulties, then please do go steady, and make sure you're happy with the length and duration of each breath - listen to your body. 2) At times of crisis If you feel stressed, or like things are getting out of control, then set a timer and see what your number of breaths per minute is. If you're usually on around 8, for example, but are now on 12 breaths per minute, using your breath to see whether things are calm or not is a great way to check in & be present. We take shorter and quicker breaths usually at times of stress, as the "fight or flight" response starts to kick in. You can then choose to sit quietly and try and get the number of breaths down if you need to (per the above). I've even known people break out of stressful meetings for a minute to do this! Whilst locking yourself in the toilet to do this may not be a great option, if you're really at a crisis point & need a few minutes to calm down, it might feel like something you can do quickly, and makes it easy for you to excuse yourself for a short time, no matter what situation you're in. So, no excuses, as honestly, "It only takes a minute"! With practice, you will get the number of breaths down, and so many of my students have given positive feedback on this one that I just had to share it.
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Modern Meditation
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