How 2 Minutes of Meditation a Day Can Totally Change Your Life
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Meditation for beginners
Even if you’re not into daily meditation, chances are you know someone who is.
At least one in three Americans has a regular practice, according to a 2020 Morning Consult survey.
The survey was taken pre-pandemic, when millions of people downloaded meditation apps to cope with Covid-19-induced stress and anxiety. The number of Americans practicing meditation is probably higher today.
But what’s stopping the other two-thirds of Americans from practicing? Not enough time, according to 27 percent of people surveyed in 2019 by Mellowed, a mental health and wellness site. Another 33 percent said they didn’t really know how to meditate.
If those are your reasons for avoiding meditation, you’re in luck.
Learning how to meditate is relatively simple. There are plenty of free meditation apps and YouTube tutorials that can get you started.
And lack of time isn’t an excuse either. Amazingly, even five minutes can do wonders for your body, brain, and soul.
We talked to meditation pros to find out the benefits of a five-minute meditation, how to do it, and some simple yet calming meditations to try.
What is meditation?
Meditation is the practice of becoming more aware of the present moment. There are many different types of meditation: mindfulness, mantra, loving kindness, RAIN, transcendental, and more.
You might focus on your breath or a word, scan your body, or observe what’s going on around you.
Let’s get one thing straight: meditation isn’t about stopping your thoughts entirely. Your mind will wander as you meditate.
The goal of meditation is to notice when you get distracted and then gently redirect your mind back to whatever you had been focusing on—your breath, say, or birds singing.
Sometimes it can help to start by practicing a five-minute guided meditation, in which a guide—either in person, on a video or recording, or via an app—takes you through the steps.
The benefits of meditation
Becoming more in tune with the present has many science-backed benefits.
Meditation reduces your tendency to worry about the past or the future, which is good for people with depression or anxiety. It lowers blood pressure and stress.
And in a cool twist, it can beef up the parts of the brain that play a role in memory, attention, and decision-making. In fact, it may be beneficial for people with ADHD.
So how long should you meditate? You might be surprised to learn that longer isn’t necessarily better. The sweet spot may be anywhere from 12 to 20 minutes, according to researchers. Some studies have looked at five-minute practices.
A small study published in the Journal of American College Health in 2020 looked at meditation’s effect on college students and found that five to 12 minutes a day reduced stress and anxiety.
An earlier study, published in the Journal of Psychology & Clinical Psychiatry, found that mental health care pros who meditated for five minutes a day lowered their stress levels. They also reported feeling less angry and overwhelmed and better able to cope.
What a five-minute meditation practice can do for you
It’ll get you started
There’s no drawback to whatever time you spend meditating, whether it’s one minute or one hour, says Tatyana Souza, a meditation and yoga teacher and the owner of Coolidge Yoga in Brookline, Massachusetts.
“Any time you take is great,” she says. “The best thing is to start.”
It gets you in the meditation groove
“Five minutes—even two minutes or three minutes—is a great way to begin to build that habit, especially if you’re wanting to make a daily habit,” says Chel Hamilton, creator and host of the podcast “Meditation Minis.”
And even a short bout of mindfulness can help.
“It’s like brushing your teeth,” Hamilton says. “Thirty seconds of brushing your teeth is better than no seconds of brushing your teeth.”
The key is consistency.
“It is far better to practice five minutes every day rather than for an hour once a week,” says Meryl Arnett, a meditation teacher based in Atlanta and head of meditation for the meditation app Shoreline. “Even just five minutes is enough time to land in the present moment, to establish how you are feeling and how you would like to move forward with your day.”
Just remember that you can define what consistency means to you, notes Arnett. Maybe it’s a five-minute practice three times a week.
“Gradually, you can grow both the number of days and the duration of your practice as it feels right for you,” she adds.
It may lead to longer meditation sessions
“In my own experience, five minutes on a consistent basis quickly turns to 10 minutes and even 20. Because the truth is, meditating is such a lovely luxury in our otherwise busy days,” says Arnett, who’s also the host of the podcast “Mindful Minute.”
Souza agrees.
“What most people notice after a while of doing five minutes is they wish they could be there longer,” she says. “So you’ll kind of feel this natural pull, like, ‘Oh, I feel so peaceful. Can’t I stay here a little bit longer?’ And then that feeling of peace will you reprioritize your day, so you’re like, ‘You know what? I think I can carve out 10 minutes,’ and then 15.”
But it’s totally fine if you want to stick with five minutes for many, many months.
That’s what happened to Nikki Gingrich, a meditation and mindfulness coach in Allentown, Pennsylvania, when she started meditating.
“That’s all I could give myself,” she says.
And that’s perfectly OK.
“At the very least, you’re taking a moment to stop and reset your day, which is a very, very powerful tool,” says Hamilton.
It sets you up to be more mindful all day
Even short practices done daily can begin to rewire the brain so you become more aware of your thoughts and emotions—and know when you need to take a few breaths throughout the day to get back to feeling calmer.
“Once you go someplace in yourself, it’s easier to get back and reengage your relaxation response—and get back there more quickly,” says Hamilton. “So just because it’s five minutes once doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re not stepping back into that moment throughout your day.”
What a five-minute meditation cannot do
It may not be enough if you’re really wired
“In general, it tends to take about 10 minutes for a stimulated mind to quiet down,” says Arnett. “So if you are feeling really anxious or overwhelmed, you will likely feel more benefit if you sit for 10 to 20 minutes rather than just five.”
These longer bouts give your mind a greater chance to settle and find calm.
It’s not enough time for every type of meditation
Most meditations can be tweaked into five-minute practices, including mindfulness meditation, loving kindness, and a body scan.
But guided relaxations and visualizations—where you imagine a place you want to be in the future or a place you feel most calm—need more than five minutes, Arnett says.
Bone up on the different types of meditation to find the right one for you.
How to do a five-minute meditation practice
First off, there’s no right or wrong—or good or bad, says Hamilton.
“It’s just doing and exploring and experiencing for yourself because my experience is going to be different than somebody else’s experience,” she says.
That means a five-minute meditation can be anything that resonates with you.
“Focused attention is beautiful. Walking meditations are beautiful. Breathing techniques are beautiful. Mindfulness, loving kindness—all of these things are very powerful,” Hamilton says.
That said, if you are brand-new to meditation and need help, try a five-minute guided meditation, Hamilton suggests. That way someone can walk you through different types of practice (like loving kindness or mindful breathing).
Guided meditations can introduce you to other techniques until you find something that you really like.
Souza recommends apps with five-minute guided meditations, like Insight Timer, for people who are new to the practice. You can filter these meditations by time, and many of them are free.
But if you want to start right away, here are some five-minute meditations you can try.
Focus on your breath
“The simplest meditation is to simply label your breath,” says Souza.
Every time you inhale, label the action and say it silently: “breathing in.” Do the same every time you exhale, saying “breathing out” in your mind.
That will focus your attention until your mind wanders. And it will wander. Just rein it in (more on how below), refocus on your breathing, and continue until your five minutes are up.
(Here’s how to breathe better.)
Wake up your senses
Arnett recommends this simple but effective meditation, which helps you tap into your surroundings and be more present in the moment.
Sit down wherever you are—your sofa, office chair, or even outside. Close your eyes and spend five minutes waking up each of your senses.
What do you see even with your eyes closed?
What do you hear?
What do you smell?
What do you taste?
What do you feel?
“When our senses are fully awake and functioning, we are fully in the present moment,” Arnett explains.
Have your coffee and meditate too. This twist on waking your senses uses your morning cup of java (or your drink of choice) as a prop.
Arnett does this meditation most mornings. “I pour my cup of coffee and sit in my favorite chair,” she says.
The morning meditation goes something like this:
Take a comfortable seat and hold your mug in both hands.
Breathe in deeply through the nose and then release it with a sigh out your mouth.
Gaze at the mug in your hands. Notice the color and shape of your mug, and the color of the liquid inside.
Rub your fingers over the mug, feeling the texture and noticing how warm it is. See if you feel the warmth go through your palms and up your forearms. Notice how far that warmth travels through your body.
Raise the mug towards you and breathe in deeply, taking in the smell of coffee. See how far you can breathe in the smell.
Slowly take a small sip and hold it in your mouth for just a second, noticing the taste, texture, and temperature. Swallow the sip, and see how far the taste and warmth travel inside your body.
To end the practice, take another deep breath in through the nose and release it with a sigh out of your mouth. Acknowledge this moment with gratitude and go on with your day.
Gratitude practice
“Gratitude practices can take you from feeling pretty crappy to feeling good and being able to look at the world with a different perspective,” says Gingrich.
“You can do a gratitude meditation where you’re saying, ‘I’m so thankful for…’ [and] ‘I’m grateful for…’ as you run through all of those things,” she says. “It allows your body to really feel that gratitude and feel that love, which shifts your emotions and shifts how you feel.”
How to focus as you meditate
Whether you meditate for an hour, five minutes, or 30 seconds, you will get distracted.
“Your brain will wander and try to take flight, which is part of the process. That’s what it’s supposed to do,” says Souza. “And every time you notice it, you are just watching that process and just coming back to paying attention.”
Meditation pros call the act of noticing your wandering mind acknowledging or observing your thoughts and emotions. And you are supposed to do it without judgment.
“I find it most powerful when we acknowledge a thought or feeling with a little love, a little sense of humor, and a little neutrality,” Hamilton explains.
For example, when she gets distracted, she says to herself, “Isn’t that interesting?”
“That’s probably my favorite line: ‘Isn’t that interesting?’ And just breathe and let it be,” she says. “Typically, if you don’t fight a feeling, if you just acknowledge and be with it, studies show it usually passes in less than two minutes.”
Now that you’ve got the basics down, start a five-minute meditation practice. And check out these meditation quotes to keep you grounded.
Build your upper body strength
One of the things gyms don’t want you to know is that building upper body strength doesn’t require tons of equipment or a fancy membership. All you need is a pair of dumbbells for most of these exercises that strengthen your chest, back, shoulders, and arms. Opt for a combination of the following moves that focus on the chest and back so that you can avoid overdeveloping or strengthening one more than the other.
Flat dumbbell bench press
For this classic upper body exercise, lie on your back on a flat bench with your feet firmly on the floor and your arms extended over your chest, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Your palms should face forward.
Slowly bend your arms to lower the dumbbells down and outward until they are on either side of your chest.
Extend your arms straight up and over your chest again, pressing back up to the starting position. Pause briefly at the top before repeating for 8-12 reps.
What it does: Strengthens the muscles in your chest, the front of your shoulders, and the back of your arms.
Form tip: Don’t lower the dumbbells too deep, or you’ll risk injuring your shoulders. You should feel a nice stretch in your chest and still be able to see your knuckles and thumbs in the bottom position. The width between your hands determine if you’re using more chest (wide grip) or triceps (narrow grip)—and this goes for the other chest upper body exercises, too.
How many reps should you do? For all of these moves, it depends on how heavy your weight is. I typically recommend 8-12 per set, 3-4 sets with a 60-90 second rest in between. Once you can easily achieve 12 reps, bump up your weight. You can also switch it up with these chest exercises you can do at home.
Incline dumbbell chest press
Lie on your back on an incline bench set to 45 degrees with your feet firmly on the floor and your arms extended over your chest, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Your palms should face forward.
Slowly bend your arms to lower the dumbbells down and outward until they are on either side of your chest.
Extend your arms straight up and over your chest again, pressing back up to the starting position. Pause briefly at the top before repeating for 8-12 reps.
What it does: Strengthens the muscles in your chest, the front of your shoulders, and the back of your arms.
Form tip: Don’t lower the dumbbells too deep, or you’ll risk injuring your shoulders. You should feel a nice stretch in your chest and still be able to see your knuckles and thumbs. Make sure you know how to use the bench presses at your gym.
Dumbbell crush press
Lie on your back on a flat bench with your feet firmly on the floor and your arms extended over your chest, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Turn your hands in so your palms are facing, to “crush” the dumbbells up against each other.
Pushing the dumbbells together, slowly bend your arms to lower the dumbbells down just to the middle of your chest.
Extend your arms straight up and over your chest again, pressing back up to the starting position. Pause briefly at the top before repeating for 8-12 reps.
What it does: Strengthens the muscles in your chest, the front of your shoulders, and the back of your arms.
Form tip: Make sure you keep pushing the dumbbells together during both the lowering and lifting phases, as this increases the demand on the target muscles.
Incline dumbbell chest fly
Lie on your back on an incline bench set to 45 degrees, with your feet firmly on the floor and your arms extended over your chest, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Your palms should face forward.
Keeping your palms facing forward and your elbows soft, slowly lower the dumbbells down in an arching motion until you feel a gentle stretch in your chest muscles.
Smoothly raise the dumbbells back to the starting position in the reverse motion, and repeat for 8-12 reps.
What it does: Strengthens the muscles in your chest and shoulders.
Form tip: Keep palms facing forward, rather than facing each other, to better work your chest muscles. Think about hugging a large barrel or beach ball sitting on your chest during the lifting phase.
Seated dumbbell shoulder press
Sit on a bench with the back pad angled to a completely upright position at 90 degrees, with your feet planted firmly on the floor. Hold a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder level with your elbows out and your palms facing forward.
Press the dumbbells upward until they are directly overhead and your arms are fully extended.
Pause for a full second in the overhead position before lowering the dumbbells back down to the starting position. Repeat for 8-12 reps.
What it does: Strengthens the muscles in the front of your shoulders and the back of your arms.
Form tip: If you find this exercise causes any shoulder discomfort, bring your elbows in and allow your palms to face each other. There could be other reasons for your shoulder pain as well.
Dumbbell push press
Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Hold a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder level, with elbows out and palms facing forward.
Bend your knees and lower yourself down about 6 inches into a quarter squat.
Explosively—with as much force as possible—press the dumbbells overhead by extending your arms, pushing your feet down into the floor, pushing your hips forward, and straightening your legs.
Pause in the overhead position for a full second before lowering the dumbbells slowly back down to shoulder level.
Take a full second to check your form before repeating for 8-12 reps.
What it does: Strengthens the muscles in the front of your shoulders and the back of your arms while building total-body power and explosiveness. Resistance bands can also build explosiveness.
Form tip: Focus on snapping your hips explosively—with as much force as possible—during the lifting phase.
Single-arm dumbbell push press
Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Hold a dumbbell in your right hand at shoulder level, with your elbow out and your palm facing in. Let your left arm hang by your side.
Bend your knees and lower yourself down about 6 inches into a quarter squat.
Explosively—with as much force as possible—press the dumbbell overhead by extending your arms, pushing your feet hard into the floor, pushing your hips forward, and straightening your legs.
Pause in the overhead position for a full second before lowering the dumbbell slowly back down to shoulder level.
Take a full second to check your form before repeating for 8-12 reps, and then switch to the left side.
What it does: Strengthens the muscles in the front of your shoulders and the back of your arms, while building total-body power and explosiveness.
Form tip: Keep your core tight, and do not allow the weight of the dumbbell to bend you laterally to the side. If it helps your balance, you can put your left arm out to your side.
Dumbbell thruster
Stand with your feet about hip-width apart. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, resting the dumbbells lightly on your shoulders as if in a rack, with your elbows pointed slightly up and your palms facing in.
Keeping an upright posture and not allowing the dumbbells to tip down, bend your knees and lower yourself down into a full squat, with your thighs below parallel to the floor, as low as you can comfortably go.
Explosively—with as much force as possible—stand back up and press the dumbbells over your head until your arms are fully extended, keeping your palms facing in.
Return the dumbbells to the starting position. Take a full second to check your form before repeating for8-12 reps.
What it does: This upper body exercise strengthens the muscles in the front of your shoulders, the back of your arms, and your hips and thighs, while building total-body power and explosiveness. Working your upper and lower body at the same time is an effective calorie-burner; add in some cardio throughout your week to bump up your results.
Form tip: You may have heard that in a full squat, the back of your thighs should touch your calves, but this often causes too much pressure on the knees. Don’t force it; just go as low as you comfortably can and make sure your knees don’t extend past your toes (you should be able to see your toes).
Dumbbell iron cross
Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand at your sides with the palms facing forward.
Raise your arms out to the sides to shoulder level, creating a cross with your body. Your palms should remain facing forward.
Hold this position for one second, then slowly return to start position. Repeat for 8-12 reps.
What it does: This upper body exercise strengthens the muscles in the sides of your shoulders and upper back. (While you’ve got dumbbells in hand, you might want to try the farmer’s walk for an extra burn.)
Form tip: Start with a light dumbbell weight on this exercise to ensure you’re not straining your shoulders. Be sure to check out these other shoulder exercises you can do at home too.
Power dumbbell front raise
Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart while holding a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing in toward your thighs.
Bend your knees, leaning slightly forward, and lower yourself down about 6 inches into a quarter squat.
Explosively—with as much force as possible—push your hips forward, straighten your legs, and raise the dumbbells in front of you until they are completely over your head, keeping your elbows straight and palms facing in.
Pause for a full second in the overhead position before lowering the dumbbells back slowly to the starting position and immediately lowering yourself back into the quarter squat. Repeat for 8-12 reps.
What it does: This upper body exercise strengthens the muscles in the front of your shoulders, while building total-body power and explosiveness. Working your total body in one move is an excellent calorie-torcher; to supplement your upper body strength, try a daily 10-minute lower-body workout to boost your results.
Form tip: Except when you pause in the overhead position, you should be moving constantly through this exercise; find a rhythm to keep the movement fluid.
Chest-supported dumbbell row
Set an incline bench to about a 45-degree angle and lie face-down with your head and upper chest hanging off the end of the bench. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and let your arms hang straight down with your palms facing each other.
Keeping your chest firmly on the bench pad, pull through your shoulder blades and elbows, and bend your arms to row the dumbbells up until they meet the bench.
Extend your arms to lower the dumbbells back down to the starting position, and repeat for 8-12 reps.
What it does: This upper-body exercise strengthens the muscles in your upper back and the front of your arms.
Form tip: Make sure your chest stays flat and secure against the bench, and ensure that you’re not straining your back.
3-point dumbbell row
Stand alongside a flat bench with your feet about hip-width apart. Bend from the waist and plant your right hand on the bench. Your right hand and two feet from the 3 points. Hold a dumbbell in your left hand and let your arm hang straight down. Your back should be flat, and your neck should form a straight line with your back.
Draw your left shoulder blade toward the middle of your back as you simultaneously bend your elbow and row the weight to your rib cage.
Pause for a full second in this position. Then slowly lower the weight back down to the starting position. Complete 8-12 reps with the left arm before switching sides.
What it does: Strengthens the muscles in your upper back and the front of your arms.
Form tip: Do not rotate your torso during the lifting phase of this exercise; if you cannot keep your back and core still, lower your weight. Work on strengthening your abs with a 10-minute, everyday workout.
Bent-over dumbbell rear-deltoid raise
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Push your hips back and bend over until your upper body is parallel to the floor, with your arms hanging straight down, palms facing each other and elbows straight.
Using the upper-back muscles, slowly raise the dumbbells out to your sides until your arms are parallel to the floor. Make sure to keep your neck in a straight line with your back. Pause for a full second in this position before lowering the dumbbells back to the starting position, and repeat for 8-12 reps.
What it does: Strengthens the muscles in your upper back and rear shoulders.
Form tip: Be careful that you’re not using momentum to raise dumbbells up to the sides. Use a conservative weight in order to keep the movement slow and controlled. (Limber up or recover after with these deltoid stretches.)
Dumbbell pullover
Lie on your back on a flat bench with your feet pressed firmly into the floor. Make a “diamond” out of your hands, with one hand on top of the other, and place the head of a dumbbell between your hands.
Raise your arms above your chest with the dumbbell hanging down from above. Keeping your arms straight, slowly lower the dumbbell back behind your head until you feel a comfortable stretch in your rib cage.
Once you reach this position, immediately raise the dumbbell back to the starting position, and repeat for 8-12 reps.
What it does: Strengthens the large muscles in your back that run along the sides of your spine, as well as the muscles in the back of your arms and your chest.
Form tip: To engage your core and protect your lower back, push your lower back into the bench during the lowering phase of the exercise. Don’t bend your elbows to lower the dumbbells; keeping your arms straight recruits the target muscles more effectively.
For more expert workout plans to help you at home or at the gym
My book 60 Second Sweat uses HIIT and metabolic resistance training (MRT) to help you burn fat and build muscle in less time.
16/16 SLIDES
The post How to Do a Quick 5-Minute Meditation appeared first on The Healthy.
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