What is micro-meditation? How to do short mindfulness against stress

It’s a classic Catch-22: the more overwhelmed we are, the more stress relief we need, but taking time to de-stress can often lead to more overwhelm. It’s an exhausting cycle, especially when the typical advice given is “try yoga!” or “go on vacation!” or “Take a day off!” All fine in theory, but not necessarily possible if you have a demanding job or if you are a full-time caregiver.

So what do you do? You take the advice to heart and you reduce it to bite-sized moments of calm, or micro-meditations. No, a few small breaks throughout the day won’t feel the same as a week-long yoga retreat, but we’re not aiming for ‘big’ here; we aim for small, buildable moments that can help relieve stress, no matter how full your schedule is, without having to block out time in your diary.

What are micro-meditations and how do they differ from longer meditations?

Micro-meditations are basically just shorter meditation sequences. They vary in type and can include breathing exercises, visual meditations, or whatever mindfulness practice you enjoy, just in a fun format. In general, micro-meditations last about one to five minutes, and they are a great way to become more familiar with meditation, especially if you haven’t yet found a method that works best for you.

“There isn’t just one type of meditation,” says Susan Chen, founder of Susan Chen Vedic Meditation in New York, “and these micro-meditations are a really great way to get started.” But when we say micro, we’re not talking about reduced benefits. There are many known physical and psychological benefits of meditation, and even meditating for a few minutes can be enough to reduce stress and increase calmness.

You don’t have to be a meditation expert to reap the benefits either. A 2019 study published in Behavioral brain research found that adults – who were not experienced meditators – reported being in a better mood and feeling more mindful after four weeks of guided 13-minute mindfulness meditations. The study also found that “relatively short” meditation exercises had similar benefits to longer, more intense meditations.

But adding something more into your day is easier said than done, so how do you fit a micro-meditation into a busy schedule? It will sound annoyingly simple, but experts recommend trying a quick meditation whenever you have a few spare minutes to focus. Really, that’s it.

“The key here is quality, not quantity,” says licensed professional counselor Viktoriya Karakcheyeva, MD, director of behavioral services at the Resiliency and Well-Being Center at the George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences. “You can meditate for a long time, and it may not yield results if you don’t really invest in it,” says Dr. Karakcheyeva, “but if you just take a little time and pay full attention, it would be more beneficial.”

5 types of micro meditations to try

Realistically, each An amount of dedicated, focused breathing can help calm your nervous system. But if “just breathing” feels too unstructured, experiment with one of these micro-meditations:

1. Alternate nostril breathing

Chen says she recommends this meditation to her students because it is easy and quick. Also known as nadi shodhanaAlternate nostril breathing is based on a principle called yoga pranayama to control breathing by covering and breathing one nostril at a time. “It literally moves the breath from the left to the right nostril in a systematic way,” says Chen.

With your lips closed and your tongue pressed against the roof of your mouth, use your thumb and index finger to gently pinch your nose closed. To start, close your right nostril slowly inhale through the left, then close the left nostril and slowly exhale through the right. Then inhale through the right and exhale through the left. Repeat this alternating pattern slowly as many times as you have time.

2. Staircase meditation

Breathing meditations can help calm your nervous system, and Dr. Karakcheyeva has a short meditation you can try that she calls “stair meditation.” Imagine stacking your breaths on top of each other—likening them to climbing a flight of stairs: inhale for one count, then exhale for one count. Then inhale for a count of two and then exhale for a count of two. Then it’s – you guessed it – inhale for three seconds, exhale for three seconds.

You can continue to “climb” the stairs with your breathing for as long as you want. However, make sure you don’t burden yourself with this; go slowly and for as long as you feel comfortable. When you reach the top of your stairs (a good starting point is 10 counts), return down by shortening the length of each inhale and exhale by one count until you get back to one.

3. Resonant breathing

This simple breathing technique has been shown to improve mood and reduce anxiety by lowering your heart rate. It’s also almost comically easy to do: “The only requirement is that you exhale longer than you inhale,” says Chen. To start, try inhaling for two seconds and exhaling for four, or inhaling for three seconds and exhaling for five. Repeat as many times as you like.

4. Visualization

This is a simple exercise that Dr. Karakcheyeva can be done by almost anyone. Visual meditations are about visualizing pleasant situations and images. One way Dr. Karakcheyeva herself puts this into practice by assigning images – such as colors, shapes, temperatures and textures – to the physical and mental sensations she feels when she is stressed.

For example, let’s say you’re feeling uncomfortable and notice that your shoulders feel tense and tight. Try assigning some imagery to the tension in your back, which will help you focus on and manipulate the physical sensation, says Dr. Karakcheyeva. “You can say, ‘That tension in my shoulder looks like a red pulsating ball, and I’m going to try changing that color to something less intense, like purple.'” She recommends really focusing on these images to help you give the brain a different direction. away from the stress.

5. Say a helpful mantra

Use positive words of affirmation to reassure you. Think of a simple sentence that suits you, such as: “May I be well, may I be healthy, may I be happy.” If you need to ground yourself during the day, simply take a few (slow) deep breaths and repeat the phrase as you breathe – in your head or out loud. “Maybe you’re having a rough day and you’re not sure when it will be over,” says Dr. Karakcheyeva. “You can pause for a moment, notice what’s going on and say that mantra to give yourself something good.”

Try all the mini meditation methods above to find out which one is right for you. If you’ve never meditated before, don’t expect instant miracles; Part of meditation may require “teaching” your body that resting and breathing is safe (especially if you’ve been living in a state of fight or flight). And remember, you don’t have to wait until you’re overly stressed to use these techniques. Spending a few moments of your day practicing mindfulness can set you up for success later on.