Reduce stress with just 5 minutes of meditation 😇
5 -20 minutes of meditation practise can help transform those fast thoughts and explosive feelings.
Ever feel as though you are chasing your tail and unable to keep up with the to do list? Feeling as though your precious time and relationships are under siege because you can’t seem to control your stress and anxiety?
Sounds familiar?
As a Relationship coach and yoga teacher, I’ve helped many people overcome the common stress of juggling work, family and time for themselves. Andrea (*pesudo name), worked full time, struggled to pay rising bills and came to me feeling completely lost, overwhelmed and disconnected from her partner. She was missing time for herself, a routine to help manage stress and to release her frustration. She loves socializing but wasn’t feeling up to it as she simply had no energy by the end of the day.
Andrea started meditating- firstly for 5 minutes, then 10 and now routinely meditates 20 minutes a day. She now gets up early in her day to fit in some “me time”- just that extra early to connect with herself to clear her mind. Her day started to flow more smoothly, she reported feeling less reactive to things that common annoyances and feels more in control of her emotions. By simply practising 20 minutes a day (even twice a day) has made significant difference to her wellbeing after her first week of meditation.
Why meditate you ask?
➡️ By practicing 5-20 minutes of meditation daily, it can help you become more present with your own emotions and leave you feeling more self aware and compassionate with yourself and others. It may also be an effective tool for letting go of destructive thoughts and feelings and help you gain clarity of the heart and mind.
➡️ Below I provide a simple breathing meditation to help you slow down, allow whatever stressors or thoughts to surface in the mind and rather than being attached to them, learn to let them go by simply bringing your awareness back to your breathe. The good news is you can do it just about anywhere, in time you will notice a shift in energy, and eventually feel mentally calm and refreshed.
Ready to get started?
Set aside time and space for you to sit - preferably away from all the distractions and allow yourself at least 15-20 mins ( 5 mins for the exercise and time to orient and ground yourself back to the present). Give yourself permission to have some “you” time. When your ready, follow the simple breathe meditation below.
Simple breathe mediation:
1. Focus on your breathe without changing it- take a breathe in through your nostrils and out through the nostrils (or mouth if that is most comfortable for you)
2. Spend time finding the sensation of the breathe as it enters and leaves the nostrils.
3. Focus on this sensation and let of any other sensations or thoughts using your breathe (breathe in, notice a sensation/thought, then let it go with your out breathe..)
4. Allow any thoughts which may arise to surface and as you become aware of them, slowly bring your focus back to the breathe. Repeat for at least 5 mins.
It is common to want to shift, move, or become more aware of other sensations in the body. If you do become distracted, immediately return your awareness to the sensations of the breathe.
By focusing on the breathe with every distractions you may notice, eventually this will subside and you will experience a sense of relaxation. Stay with this state of mental calm for the remainder of the meditation.
When you are ready, slowly open you eyes, orient back to the present moment by noticing what is around around. Take a deep breathe and slowly get on with your day.
Try this mediation for 5 mins and then slowly increase the time. 20 mins twice a day would be ideal, however just taking the time to slow down and start focusing on your breathe is a great beginning.
Keep practicing and notice the shift in energy. Be patient with yourself and be compassionate and enjoy our peace of mind and heart.
🦋 Keep transforming, x Lisa