5 minute mindfulness meditation: How to get started? 

A Quick Guide

Do you find it difficult to find a few moments of peace in your hectic day? Is the present or the future taking over your thoughts? Bring your attention carefully back to the present. Are you aware of any negative self- or other-talk going on inside your head? Just be kind and curious about it as you observe it. You only need to practice mindfulness meditation for five minutes. You can experience the advantages of decreased stress and improved mental clarity with only a few moments of concentrated breathing. In this article, we’ll walk you through a straightforward 5-minute mindfulness meditation technique that you can easily work into your everyday schedule.

This type of mindfulness practice is a tool you can use whenever you have a few minutes, such as on a bus or in a waiting room. It will also help you comprehend yourself additionally provide you with a little more time to consider before you act. Many mindfulness exercises, such as a quick body scan or breath meditation, can be completed in just five minutes. The meditation that we’ll cover here is a breath-based technique that leads you to an inner sanctuary of calm that is always present and offers you opportunities for rejuvenation.

The basics of mindfulness meditation

What is meditation?

The goal of meditation is to increase present-moment awareness. Meditation comes in a wide variety of forms, including mindfulness, mantra, loving-kindness, RAIN, transcendental, and others. You could concentrate on your breath or a phrase, scan your body, or take in your surroundings. One point needs to be made clear: meditation does not involve complete thought absence. During meditation, your thoughts may stray.

The purpose of meditation is to become aware of distractions and then gently bring your attention back to whatever it was that you were concentrating on, such as your breath or the sound of birds. It can occasionally be beneficial to begin by practicing a five-minute guided meditation in which a guide walks you through the stages, either in person, on video or recording, or through an app.

What is Mindfulness meditation? 

Mindfulness Meditation is a mental workout that trains you to calm your body and mind down, let go of negative emotions, and slow down your racing thoughts. It combines meditation with mindfulness, which is a mental state that entails being totally present in “the now” in order to accept and recognize your thoughts, emotions, and sensations without criticism.

Although methods can differ, mindfulness meditation generally entails deep breathing and consciousness of one’s body and mind. There are no tools or preparations needed to practice awareness meditation. (no need for candles, essential oils, or mantras, unless you enjoy them). All you need to get started is a relaxed spot to sit, anywhere from three to five minutes of leisure time, and an attitude free of judgment.

The goal of mindfulness meditation

A great method to start the day and get ready for the day is to meditate. It’s comparable to making yourself a hot cup of tea on a chilly morning or dressing slowly while everyone else hurries by. You can train your mind to become calmer and more focused by practicing meditation. By bringing relaxation into the way you live and increasing your awareness of yourself, other people, and the outside world, it aids in your personal development. Numerous studies have been done on the advantages of meditation, which include improved sleep, increased productivity, and increased creativity, to mention a few.

Mindfulness Meditation and Religion

Any connection to the divine or a religious sect deters many people from attempting meditation. The practice of mindfulness meditation is simply “the open-minded unbiased awareness of one’s situations in the present moment” and does not require belief or religion. As time goes on, we are realizing how beneficial it is for our health and our relationships when we pay attention to the present.

Can music help me meditate?

You can use sound to guide your 5-minute meditation. Music has the power to calm you down, help you concentrate, or set the right atmosphere for meditation. You can repeatedly listen to the same track to calm your thoughts if you’re feeling overwhelmed until doing so becomes instinctual. Giving your thoughts purpose rather than allowing them to wander idly will make you feel like you’re in control of them. Whitenoise can be excellent music for a 5-minute meditation session if you want to induce restful sleep. Simply search for “white noise” on Spotify or YouTube.

Benefits of 5 minute mindfulness practice

Your physical and mental well-being will profit from regular mindfulness meditation practice. It has been proven that healthy people who practice mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), a standardized therapeutic method of meditation, experience fewer signs and symptoms of stress. Anxiety, depression, and chronic pain are just a few of the physical and emotional challenges for which the practice has been found to be helpful.

Studies show that mindfulness may be good for your heart, which is one of the leading reasons for death in the United States. In a particular study, participants had a choice of joining an online program for mindfulness meditation or being placed on a waiting list for standard heart disease therapy. Participants in mindfulness meditation showed substantially lower heart rates and improved cardiovascular performance.

According to research, practicing mindfulness may increase your body’s capacity for resisting disease. In one research, the effects of exercise and mindfulness on immune function were compared. They discovered that participants in an eight-week mindfulness program improved their immune systems more than those in the fitness group. Research has suggested that engaging in mindfulness meditation can help with sleep quality and may even be effective in treating some sleep disorders. According to a 2019 study, mindfulness meditation greatly increased the quality of sleep.

Learn more about How Being Mindful Can Benefit You? 

How to prepare for a 5-minute mindfulness meditation?

These are just some things you need to keep in mind when starting a 5-minute mindfulness meditation practice as a beginner. It will help you set an intention and continue to engage in meditation. 

Search for a calm, comfy spot

Make sure to choose a location free from excessive noise when beginning this type of meditation just starting out. Bear in mind that it will be simpler for you to concentrate on how you’re breathing and be in the moment right now if the environment is peaceful and comfortable.

Choose a clock or timer

To help you unwind and stop worrying about “over-meditating” or missing meetings, set an alarm for five minutes. The standard timer that most phones have is also helpful. Moreover, you can also set an alarm for alternate days when you want to start practicing mindfulness meditation. Sometimes, having a set time to take a breather in your schedule can benefit you more.

Identify your preferred sitting posture

Make sure you’re comfortable; minor irritations like itchy clothing or an uncomfortable sitting posture can distract you from meditation. 

Set an intention for the meditation

To improve your practice, use aromatherapy or sounds designed for meditation. They aren’t required, but if you can easily integrate them, they can enhance your experience. And over time it also becomes habitual in the sense that whenever you hear that certain sound, your brain will automatically be trained to relax and start being in the present moment. 

Step-by-step guide for a 5-minute mindfulness meditation

Here, we’ll go into great detail about each stage so you can easily get started.

Put yourself in a relaxed sitting posture

Straighten your spine while sitting up in the chair. Position your feet flat on the floor beneath your legs. Put your hand’s palms down on your thighs and relax your wrists. Try not to fixate on anything in particular while glancing directly ahead. Instead, take in the entire space all at once.

Inhale deeply, then begin noticing your feet. You can feel them on the ground or the inside of your sneakers. Feel the air’s humidity and warmth, as well as the texture of your socks. From the inside, pay close attention to your ankles. Don’t “think” about them; instead, perceive and feel them. Reduce your focus or close your eyes.

Draw attention to your breathing

Pay attention to how the air you breathe enters and leaves your body. Move your focus to your legs after a few breaths. For a while, you feel and perceive these.

After that, pay attention to different body parts in turn, starting with your legs, moving on to your bottom on the chair, your belly and lower back, your chest and upper back, your shoulders, your arms, your hands, your neck, your face, and finally your head. Then allow your consciousness to simultaneously encompass your entire body. The goal of this mindfulness exercise is to mentally “scan” your body, pausing for a few seconds on each area as you do so. Your ability to focus and maintain your concentration will improve as a result of this practice.

If your thoughts stray, gently direct them back to your breathing

You might observe that as soon as you sit down, you begin to remember things and feel motivated to take action. This is a stage in the procedure. Say to yourself in silence, “Thank you for sharing,” when those thoughts invade your mind and attempt to divert your focus from your body. Then bring it back.

Keep sitting even when you feel uncomfortable or frustrated and want to quit. Be conscious that the feeling of unease you experience is typically caused as you become conscious of your baseline state, not the act of doing itself. The first move towards ending it and reclaiming the energy it uses is to become conscious of this underlying state. For the complete five minutes, keep your attention on your breathing.

Focus Your Thoughts

When trying to empty your mind of thoughts, concentrate on “being” rather than “thinking of nothing,” and when thoughts do arise, gently acknowledge them, let them go, and bring your attention back to the present. The focus changes if you pay attention to how well you are performing this. It will be much simpler to maintain mental calmness if you acknowledge that meditation is the practice of repeatedly returning your attention to the present.

Keep Going

Five minutes later, you can resume your day feeling more at ease and renewed. Simply concentrate on the physical feelings you are experiencing, your breathing, or letting go. Regularly practice this meditation, and you should experience fewer symptoms of stress.

How to consistently maintain mindfulness practice?

Here are some suggestions you can put into practice to make mindfulness meditation a regular and everyday habit.

• Be consistent with the meditation.
• For accountability, practice with another person or in a group.
• Look for strategies to add mindfulness to your daily routine.
• Pick the time of day that suits you best.
• Start with a brief practice and lengthen it over time.

Although practicing mindfulness meditation on a regular basis can have stronger benefits, it’s not necessary to do it every day. Three to four times a week of meditation has been shown to have significant health benefits, and neuroimaging studies have shown that eight weeks of regular meditation can truly change the brain.

Key Takeaways

Regular meditation practice has been shown to lessen tension and anxiety, ease depression, and enhance brain functioning. Additionally, it can lessen thought patterns or links to negative emotions that could actually affect our chemistry and bodily processes.

The constant, unfocused thinking that frequently causes anxiety, concern, and distraction in our daily lives is silenced by mindfulness meditation. Every day for just five minutes, we can practice meditation to help us stay in the present, make better choices, get more out of a cleanse and live our lives to the best.

We hope you found this article useful in learning more about how 5-minute mindfulness meditation can benefit you along with how you can get started.