Easy meditation – is that even possible? There are many spiritual meditation techniques so why not a quick meditation for a busy life? Alannah Jantzen, an Inner Focus Coach and author of the book, The One Minute Active Meditation Technique – How to Unclutter your Mind and Connect with Your Zest (click book image for more info), has offered her tips below on how to receive the benefits of meditation in a minute. It only takes 60 seconds of focused awareness to calm the mind and re-tune to your eternal self.

“Through meditation and by giving full attention to one thing at a time, we can learn to direct attention where we choose.” ~ Eknath Easwaran

Take Time for a Quick Meditation

Have you ever thought, “Wow, I could really benefit from a quick meditation to clear my mind and help me focus?” Too often our busy, often stressful lives, filled with chaotic change, work and life issues leaves us . . . breathless and with a mind roaring like a freight train. Doing an easy meditation can help you to get that calm, connected, energized feeling – in a minute.

3 Easy Meditation Tips for a Busy Life

1. Check your beliefs. People know the benefits of meditation, but tell themselves, “I just don’t have time in the day.” This is an old belief in a mind being scrambled with too much information. Ask yourself; “Do I have time to … go to the bathroom, brush my teeth, sit in traffic, walk to work, sit through a boring meeting, go to the water cooler, wait on hold on the telephone, replay the same old conversation in my head, and the big ones – watch TV or surf the internet?” The answer of “Yes” to any of those questions means you have time in your busy life to meditate from 30 seconds to 5 or 10 minutes – several times throughout your day. So change your belief. There is always time in the day for a quick, easy meditation, it only takes a minute!

2. Listen to what your mind is saying. Paying attention to your thoughts is a meditation technique and it only takes a minute. Researchers say that we have between 10,000 to 60,000 thoughts per day – and most of them are the same thoughts! They estimate that 80% of those thoughts are negative. Yikes! When do we ever give ourselves time to clean out those old thoughts and make room for what is new? An easy meditation tip is to begin listening to what you keep repeating in your mind. What are you saying to yourself? Is it kind? Is it some old emotional issue which was never resolved? Is it the grocery list? Once you are willing to listen and become aware of your thought patterns, you begin to gain control. The monkey mind will stop jumping from thought to thought.

3. Use your breath to live. We often forget how important breathing is, yet to breathe is to live. The breath of life – how amazing is that. It is the key, the foundation, and the greatest secret of people’s existence. It is also in my opinion the easiest meditation technique of all and holds tremendous healing power. The breath revitalizes the life force, calms the mind, nourishes the soul and is the transmitter of thought energy. AND you can breathe with your eyes open or closed. Here is a simple breathing meditation technique:

• Breathe in through your nose, hold the breath and breathe out through your nose.
• Count a rhythm that works for you. For example, inhale for 4 counts, hold the breath for 4 counts and exhale for 4 counts.
• As you inhale, fill your belly and low back first, then the sides of your ribs and then your upper chest.
• One round of breathing equals 12 seconds. You can do four complete breath cycles in one minute. Feel what happens as you do this.

Throughout your day you have one minute intervals at least once, maybe twice or even 10 times an hour. You can use these for quick meditations on your thoughts or your breath. No matter where you are or what you are doing – mental clarity, calmness and focus is yours in a minute. Enjoy the many benefits of meditation.

Any questions, thoughts or insights on how to do a quick, easy meditation? Please comment below.

Alannah Jantzen is an Inner Focus Coach, Channel, Muse, and the Author of the book, The One Minute Active Meditation Technique – How to Unclutter your Mind and Connect with your Zest.