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Take Five

Have you heard the expression "Take five", as in to take a five minute break? Maybe you've even heard the jazz song by Dave Brubeck. You may be wondering how just five minutes can be restful. Or, you may be so busy that even five minutes of not working on anything sounds as unrealistic as a ten month vacation.
Either way, I want to share with you a way that you can rest and rejuvenate yourself in just five minutes

 

Meditation and Pandas

Meditation is a great way to focus your mind, and get back to what really matters. The problem is that a lot of people say "I don't know how to meditate!" I have good news for you. I am going to share with you the secret of meditation. First, though, I want to talk about one of my favorite kid movies. I promise this is going somewhere. Kung Fu Panda is one of my favorite kid movies, and not just because my kids also love it and putting it on almost guarantees 90+min free from "daddy, daddy!"

Spoiler alert! If you haven't seen it, I am about to spoil one of the big secrets of the movie.

The protagonist, Po, is a panda who works in his father's noodle restaurant. His father's noodles are very popular because of the special ingredient that he adds. At some point in the movie, Po learns the secret. It's nothing. That's right, nothing; it's just regular noodles. The truth is, the noodles are already good and don't need anything added to them to make them special. This ties in later in the movie, but I'll let you watch it if you're curious. My point is, there is no secret to meditation.

The entire practice of meditation is focusing on the present moment, that's it; that's enough. We use our breath to focus on the moment, because we are breathing now so that reminds us to not focus on the future or the past.
To meditate: sit quietly and focus on your breath for five, ten, twenty, or sixty minutes. The length of time is not as important as doing it. Now here's the catch, if you could call it that. Don't think about what you have to do today, tomorrow, when the rent is due, or anything else except your breath and sitting quietly. This is harder than it seems. Always return to your breath.

Monkey Mind

If you are anything like me, when you sit down to meditate you will inevitably think about other things. That's OK! Don't fight those thoughts, or berate yourself for not being present; for this itself is just another distraction. Senior teachers call this the "Monkey Mind" because our mind is like a hyper monkey jumping around and making noise and causing trouble. The trick is not to chase the monkey. Simply sit quietly and observe.

I'll give you an example: often when I start to meditate I'll find myself thinking "how long has it been, how long is left in my meditation." When that happens, I say to myself either out loud if no one is around or internally "Yes, I am thinking about how much time is left." And then I "Return to the breath" which simply means I remind myself "But right now I am breathing in; right now I am breathing out." That's all there is to it!

Noodle Recipe

If you've read the above, then you are ready to meditate. You can stop reading and go do it. However, some people like lists of instructions or recipes; others just like bullet points for aesthetic reasons. Either way, here is your/my recipe for meditation.
You will need:
  1. A quiet place where you can sit comfortably for at least 5 min
  2. A timer, watch, alarm, or bell to tell you when your time is up

Take Five

  • Sit comfortably. You do not have to be in any particular posture or position, but keep your back straight and relaxed.
  • Set your timer for five, ten, fifteen, thirty minutes (or choose a different length of time)
  • Close your eyes
  • Focus on your breathing until the timer alerts you that your time is finished.
  • Allow thoughts to come and go, but do not dwell on them. Remind yourself "Now I am breathing in; Now I am breathing out."
That's it! That is really all there is to it. So now when someone tells you to "take five" you know what to do!

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