WEBVTT - Try bite-sized meditation

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is to try bite sized meditations. Little three

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<v Speaker 1>minute spurts of mindfulness can change how we see the day.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip, like some others this week, comes from Melissa

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<v Speaker 1>Staginess's new book, Everyday Mindfulness. This book features over one

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<v Speaker 1>practices for building mindfulness into everyday life. Tip number fifty

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<v Speaker 1>one is to meditate in small doses. Often people assume

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<v Speaker 1>that meditation requires sitting still and monk like for hours,

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<v Speaker 1>which for most of us is not going to happen.

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<v Speaker 1>By the time I have any extended period of quiet

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<v Speaker 1>in my house, it's nighttime, and if I try to

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<v Speaker 1>close my eyes and sit in stillness, I will fall asleep.

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<v Speaker 1>But Melissa suggests that looking for three moments for a

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<v Speaker 1>three minute mini meditation can work too. To help you

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<v Speaker 1>do this, she writes, set three alarms, one at each meal.

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<v Speaker 1>If that's easiest to act as reminders, then she writes,

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<v Speaker 1>at each alarm, do a three minute awareness exercise. During

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<v Speaker 1>minute one, focus on your breath, practicing some deep breathing

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<v Speaker 1>exercises inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth.

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<v Speaker 1>During minute two, focus on your body. Clench your fists

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<v Speaker 1>and then relax them. Clench your feet and relax them,

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<v Speaker 1>and so forth. Then during minute three, focus on the mind,

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<v Speaker 1>she says, close your eyes, sit still, and observe your

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<v Speaker 1>thoughts and feelings. During that last minute, Melissa says, acknowledge

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<v Speaker 1>your thoughts and feelings as they come and go. Imagine

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<v Speaker 1>placing each one on a leaf and setting it afloat

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<v Speaker 1>on the surface of a slow moving river that gently

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<v Speaker 1>carries it away. Rather than judging your thoughts or striving

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<v Speaker 1>for an empty mind, simply notice what comes up. Then

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<v Speaker 1>thank your brain for bringing this to your attention, and

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<v Speaker 1>send the thought on its way. If three minutes at

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<v Speaker 1>a pop seems too long at first, then you could

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<v Speaker 1>probably even compress this. But my guess is that you

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<v Speaker 1>could find three minutes at each meal or around then

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<v Speaker 1>if you tried at breakfast, try a many meditation while

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<v Speaker 1>your coffee is brewing, or even while you're in the

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<v Speaker 1>shower at lunch, you could make the most of the

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<v Speaker 1>three minutes you nuke your leftovers in the microwave in

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<v Speaker 1>the evening. You can find a moment while the oven

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<v Speaker 1>is preheating, or you're waiting for water to boil, or

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<v Speaker 1>some one else's setting the table for dinner. Or here's

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<v Speaker 1>an idea. Next time you pull out your phone to

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<v Speaker 1>check Instagram to fill three minutes while you are bored,

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<v Speaker 1>try focusing on your breath, your body, and then your

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<v Speaker 1>mind instead. Will this work miracles? Well? Probably not, but

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<v Speaker 1>it is something, And when life feels overwhelming and rushed,

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<v Speaker 1>pausing to focus for even three minutes can change the narrative.

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<v Speaker 1>I am not running out of time. I have time.

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<v Speaker 1>I have all the time in the world, or at

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<v Speaker 1>least as much as anyone else. I can watch these

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<v Speaker 1>thoughts float down the river, take a deep breath and

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<v Speaker 1>be tranquil. So today, try pausing for three minutes around

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<v Speaker 1>each meal to do a mini meditation. Maybe it won't work,

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<v Speaker 1>but maybe it might. And if a minutes spent breathing

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<v Speaker 1>deeply rather than feeling tense, is probably time well spent.

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<v Speaker 1>In the meantime, This is Laura. Thanks for listening, and

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<v Speaker 1>here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,

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<v Speaker 1>I'd love to hear from you. You can send me

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<v Speaker 1>your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with me.

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<v Speaker 1>On Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod. That's

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<v Speaker 1>B the number four, then Breakfast p o D. You

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<v Speaker 1>can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>At i heeart media dot com that before Breakfast is

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<v Speaker 1>spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much, I

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<v Speaker 1>look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a

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<v Speaker 1>production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from my

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<v Speaker 1>heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

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<v Speaker 1>or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. H