If you don’t have the luxury of sitting for hours to contemplate the meaning of life, or the solitude to sneak in an hour or two of quiet time to realign your soul’s intention for being alive, you are not alone. In this day and age, American’s are hard pressed to chill out and enjoy the simple pleasures of being mindful.
We all know meditation offers many health benefits. If it didn’t, Medicare would not cover it under their insurance plan, nor would people like Donna Karan spearhead a movement to offer it to cancer patients in hospitals. The problem most people have is finding the time to practice.
It may not be a full-scale meditative program, but the following three-minute “time-out” can at least help you eliminate some stress and tension from your day at the office. Practice once a day to begin, and then if time permits, add another session when needed.
Minute One
While seated at your desk, begin to deepen and lengthen your breath. With every inhale, draw your shoulders up towards your ears and then pull them back. With every exhale, press your shoulders down and away from your ears to squeeze out tension that might be lingering between your shoulder blades.
Minute Two
The age-old yogic practice called alternate nostril breathing is said to be beneficial in balancing out the right and left hemispheres of your brain. If you use the analytical left side of your brain at work, you will have an opportunity to refresh the creative, open-minded right side of your brain, and vice versa.
Place the thumb of your right hand across your right nostril to close it off, and exhale completely through the left nostril. Inhale through the left nostril, and then place your fourth finger of your right hand to close it off as you exhale through your right nostril. Inhale through your right nostril, and then use your thumb to close if off, and repeat.
Minute Three
This is the time to tune out your day at the office, and tune into your own feelings, sensations, and inner wakefulness. Even if it is just a minute, a little bit will go a long way.
Rub both palms together vigorously for about ten seconds to create a bit of warmth between them. Close your eyes and place your warm palms softly over your eyelids. Let the quiet din of your workspace melt into a soft and gooey afterthought.
Also Read:
3 Yogic Breathing Techniques that Diffuse Anger
Oprah’s Great Brain Grocery List
Meditation is Fitness for Your Brain
white collar woman meditating image via BigStockPhoto.com