Sitting cross-legged with your hands resting lightly on your knees, you close your eyes, quiet your mind and hold still — the image many people have when they think of meditation.
Most of us picture meditation as long stretches of sitting and intense focus. Experts say that’s a misconception. Meditation doesn’t require a set method, location or schedule. You can practice it anywhere, anytime simply by calming your mind and tuning your breath.
That means busy employees, buffeted by the daily grind and pressure to perform, can carve out brief moments throughout the day to meditate.
The Associated Press spoke with meditation teacher Kathryn Remati and wellness coach Michelle Beyer about simple techniques suited to the workplace. Beyer said meditation is often stigmatized — “that it must be done in total silence or in a special space” — but added, “there are one-minute meditations that no one will notice.”
◆ One-minute meditation before work can set a positive tone
If you need some calm, spend one to two minutes meditating before you leave for work. You can do a short, focused session sitting in your car or while walking from the subway to your office.
Begin with long, slow breaths, filling your belly and lungs. Hold briefly, then exhale slowly, as if blowing out a candle. Use that rhythm to set a simple intention for the day — not a to-do list, but a behavioral aim, such as “Today I’ll listen more closely to my coworkers.”
◆ When deadlines loom: visualize success
If looming tasks are making you anxious, try visualization. Picture yourself completing the work successfully. The clearer and more specific the image, the more effective it is — imagine finishing a task 10 minutes early or leaping for joy after landing a project.
Visualization can also shift how you see colleagues or clients. Consciously replace negative images with positive ones — picture a coworker’s face bathed in soft light or imagine a gentle pink bubble surrounding them.
◆ Ease a tense, locked-up body with a “body scan”
When stress has left your body tightly wound, try a body-scan meditation. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth as you move your attention slowly from your toes to the top of your head.
If you find a painful or tight spot, focus on relaxing those muscles, then continue moving your awareness upward. The practice helps you check in with your body and release built-up tension.
◆ In an unexpected meeting moment, rely on the “small circle”
If sudden situations at work make you tense or you struggle to stay emotionally steady, practice finger meditation. Each time stress rises, make a small circle between your thumb and another finger, reminding yourself to remain calm and open.
Once you’re comfortable with it, you can use the gesture unnoticed under a conference table. Remati says, “I use this when my mind starts to race.”
◆ If formal meditation feels hard… a hum or a shoulder shrug helps
Experts also recommend small, meditative actions to lower stress. When a formal practice isn’t possible — for example, while driving — soft humming can ease tension.
If you can’t hum because others are nearby, a light shoulder shrug and release or a quick drop of the chin can help let go of physical tightness.
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