3 Simple Meditations for Home or Work

When you think of meditation, do you picture sitting in an awkward pose for hours, or chanting nonsense words? Don't let stereotypes keep you from trying meditation. For stress relief and overall health, meditation does not require a devotional practice to be beneficial. The amount of time spent in meditation is entirely up to the individual.

These three meditation techniques are simple and require no special circumstances, other than the commitment to finding a moment of quiet and solitude during the day.

Breathing Meditation

The most basic practice of meditation is awareness of breathing. It is a great place to begin if you have never before practiced meditation.

Sit at your desk, at the kitchen table, in any comfortable chair, or even in your parked car at the beginning or end of the day.

Close your eyes and focus on your breath. Let everything go except breathing. Follow your breath in and out. Be your breath. It may help to count each breath, or visualize a golden light flowing in and out as you breathe, but after your mind is calm, try to let go of the vision or the number and just be the breath.

If a thought appears in your consciousness, acknowledge it, then let it go and return to your breath.

When you are ready, open your eyes and return to your day, peaceful and focused. At various moments of the day, as you go about your work, notice your breathing. Be aware that it is always with you, a calm center in a hectic world.

Tea Meditation

On your next coffee break, or at some quiet moment of the day, try a tea meditation. Create a ceremony of choosing the tea, boiling the water, and pouring it into the cup.

The idea here is to slow down and place awareness on each and every movement, every detail. The warmth of the water. The aroma of the tea. The steam floating up from the cup. The smooth porcelain under your fingertips. The heat of the liquid on your tongue as it travels down your throat into your body. If your thoughts wander, return gently to the present moment.

Return to work refreshed and calm. If you normally spend your breaks at work swigging coffee, smoking a cigarette, or munching snacks from the vending machine, you may notice a dramatic difference in the way you feel after a fifteen minute tea meditation.

Walking Meditation

You do not need a lot of room for a walking meditation. A small corridor will do. Or a backyard or garden. Anywhere you can concentrate for a few moments. Getting somewhere is not the point of a walking meditation. The point is to be aware while in motion.

Begin walking normally for a few steps, then gradually slow down. Feel every movement, every muscle. Notice the ground supporting you, the air cradling you. Keep your eyes open. Smile and breathe deeply.

As with the breathing meditation, acknowledge any thought that passes into your consciousness, then let it go and return focus to the present movement.

Practice these techniques as often as you wish. Remember, meditation is to be experienced and enjoyed in the way it manifests uniquely to you. Do not worry too much about whether you are "doing it right." Simply try these techniques and see where they take you.