Here are some quick meditations (or awareness experiments) you can grab throughout the day. Each one takes a minute or less and can be done almost anywhere. A minute can make a huge difference in how you feel. Find the ones that work best for you, and adapt them freely to your needs. In so doing, you will build skills that help you with longer meditations. Or you can start out with one or more of these when you are beginning a longer meditation session and then just extend the time. You can practice the skills you need to ride your rhythms, and get used to just letting your nervous system shift a little bit into healing mode.
It takes about 15 seconds for the body to start to shift into a different mode. That is the basic periodicity of mind/body rhythms. Any meditation, even one lasting an hour, is made up of these little 15 second increments. So you can get used to meditating 15 seconds at a time.
Take a conscious breath: Take a breather. Put your attention on the flow of breath as it comes in through the nose, swirls around in the sinuses, glides down the throat, and fills the lungs. The whole torso expands and contracts with each breath. Each time you do this you can find new sensations to enjoy.
Attitude of gratitude: Call to mind something you are grateful for, then take one conscious breath to savor the feeling while you touch your fingertips to the center of your chest.
Listen with your whole body: If someone is talking to you, give them all the attention they are asking for. Let them be the center of the universe.
The instant mental vacation: Imagine yourself anywhere you’d rather be right now: in Tahiti, at a ballgame, in bed with your lover, wherever. What colors do you see, what sounds do you hear, how does the air smell in that place? Take a few conscious breaths in the spirit of that enjoyment. Savor the feeling of being away from it all. Notice the relief you feel, how your muscles relax, your skin feels soothed, your eyes can stop squinting.
Tai chi breath: Let your hands float in front of you. Inhale slowly, drawing your palms inward toward your chest. As you exhale, turn the palms and let them glide back out. The slower the movement, the more relaxing this is.
Passion: Anytime you find yourself in a moment of passion, pause, take a breath and savor the feeling, and say to yourself, I am.
Energizer breath: Sit or stand and breathe rapidly in and out through the nose, the way you would when walking at a brisk clip. Or you can pant as during sex. Do this for 30 seconds, then pause. If you enjoy the sensations, then do another 30 seconds.
The instant nap: Close your eyes and pretend you are taking a nap. Let your muscles start to relax—they know how—in the same way as when you fall asleep. This is a power nap, and even a couple of minutes are restorative. You may daydream, fantasize, or nod off for a minute. When you open your eyes, move slowly for about 10 seconds in order to reorient yourself.
The slump: Sitting comfortably, let your head droop forward slightly. Feel how gravity pulls you down. Let your chin drop toward your chest and then continue downward however far is comfortable. In the process, relax the shoulders and let them slump. Move slowly enough that you can enjoy the sensations of stretching. Then very slowly straighten your spine and let your head come to the vertical position. Notice any pleasurable sensations.
Exhale slowly: Take a deep breath and exhale as slowly as you can, letting the breath make a whispered whoo, whew, or hoo sound.
Inhale and hold a breath: Inhale in an easy, natural way, then pause to enjoy the sensation of fullness before exhaling. This can create an almost instant sense of relaxation. Play with the length of time you pause, from a second to several seconds.
Tense and relax: Gently tense any area of your body—your face, shoulders, arms, legs, or butt—and hold the contraction for a few seconds. Then let go and savor the feeling of relaxation. If you have more time, go through your entire body, tensing and letting go and witnessing the luxurious sensations that result.
Center yourself: Standing or sitting, lean slightly to one side and then the other. Then sway forward and back. Notice the pleasure of swaying, then of being upright and still. The movements do not have to be visually apparent to other people. You can literally feel your center of gravity.
Discover slow: When walking, slow down a bit and notice what happens to your sensory experience. Let all your senses open up—look around, use your peripheral vision, listen, smell the air (unless it’s filled with exhaust fumes), notice the temperature and humidity of the air. Just by adding a bit of leisure to your gait, you may find that you learn things about your world you didn’t notice before.
Give yourself space: As you move through the world, give yourself little bits of extra space wherever you are. Keep your distance physically from other people. If you are in line at an ATM or at the market checkout, stand farther back. Even if it is only a couple of inches, you are taking control of the space around you. If you are driving, allow more space between your car and those around you. If you are going to the movies, pick a seat away from the crowd. If you are indoors and circumstances permit, go outdoors and let your attention expand. Focus on the far horizon.
Lost in space: Go somewhere that you can lie on your back and look at the sky, day or at night. It could be on a rooftop, at the beach, on a hill, in your backyard, or in the bed of a pickup truck. Look up and let yourself dissolve into infinity. If you can’t lie down, at least look up.
Just say no: Occasionally you may have the feeling of being invaded by the world. Despite your best efforts at work or home, the pressure just won’t let up. Sometimes this irritation can trigger the stress response and lead to a skin rash; the skin is a boundary, and the feeling is that your boundaries are being invaded. Wherever you are when you become aware of feeling itchy and irritated, say No! inside of yourself, and even out loud. Give yourself the right to say no to the world and to everything that bothers you. At first, do this for 5 to 10 seconds, just one breath, to see if you can get away with it.
To hell with everyone: Due to the incessant needs and demands of everyday life, your own inner needs are often pushed to the background, sometimes for a long, long time. This creates a feeling of resentment or anger, which then has to be suppressed, and thus you are at war with yourself—a drain to the body and the soul.
There are times, however, when you can take your own side, and this may feel extremely antisocial. Usually the only time responsible people will be in the to-hell-with-everyone state is when they are drunk. But in meditation, you can enter this feeling for just long enough to let your body revel in it. Sometime when you have a minute, close your eyes and think the words inside yourself: to hell with everyone. It may feel horrible at first, but then you may see some humor in it. Or, if you want, you may change the words to say something similar.