This summer my friends who are also in their autumn years came to visit with their three girls. Though they thought they were finished with parenting years ago, due to unusual family circumstances they are parenting again. We had a marvelous time together and throughout the month they visited we taught the girls several simple meditation practices. In this post I’m going to share one of them. It’s a very simple meditation that anyone can use any place and any time to experience one minute of deep relaxation and peace.
Silence, stillness, and solitude
Silence, stillness, and solitude are the practice of being in the moment instead of allowing our monkey mind to dwell in the past or future. There’s a space for resting in deep peace deep inside you where healing and rejuvenation take place. If you read Eckhart Tolle’s books, The Power of Now and A New Earth, then you are familiar with the concept.
Being in the silent, still and solitary moment is not a new concept. Living in the moment is practiced world over in many cultures across millenia. However, it’s gaining greater recognition as more people realize the physical and mental health benefits that issue from learning how to meditate one minute at a time.
Since ancient times the term awakening has been used as a kind of metaphor that points to the transformation of human consciousness. There are parables in the New Testament that speak of the importance of being awake, of not falling back to sleep. The word Buddha comes from the Sanskrit word Budh, meaning, “to be awake.” So Buddha is not a name and ultimately not a person, but a state of consciousness. All this implies that humans are potentially capable of living in a state of consciousness compared to which normal wakefulness is like sleeping or dreaming. – Eckhart Tolle
You are not in the now — you are the now
In the silence, stillness, and solitude of just being we learn minute by minute to cease our futile our attempts to re-create the world according to our own agendas. We take a much needed rest from managing our relationships and manipulating people with our words and actions. Silence, stillness, and solitude teach us that our own value is not determined by our usefulness to others.
You are not “in the now”; you are the now. That is your essential identity–the only thing that never changes. Life is always now. Now is consciousness. And consciousness is who you are. That’s the equation. — – Eckhart Tolle
Learning how to meditate one minute at a time teaches us how to rest and rejuvenate, so more of our authentic self is available to those whom we are in relationship with.
One Minute Meditation Technique with Ayurvedic Doctor – Dr. John Douillard – Video
This is a wonderful meditation for relief of anxiety. It starts with pumping oxygen into your brain, and it ends with a breathing technique called Ujjayi breathing, which is a kind of nasal breathing, deeply in through the nose and out through the nose after we pump prana, or life force into your nervous system. You start with about 30 seconds of bellows breathing, and follow that with about 30 seconds of silence and calm Ujjayi breathing. Often times this pumps enough energy into your nervous system to give you the ability to be calmer and settle your mind.
Resting the heart and the mind
Your resting heart rate is the number of beats in one minute while you are in a complete rest state. It indicates your basic overall heart health and fitness level. The more conditioned your body is, the less effort it needs to make to pump blood through your body. A normal resting heart rate for an adult ranges from 60 to 100 beats a minute. For a well-trained athlete, a normal resting heart rate may be closer to 40 beats a minute. For healthy adults, a lower heart rate at rest generally implies more efficient heart function and better cardiovascular fitness.
Below are two more excellent little videos I happened upon when reviewing my Twitter stream. (Hat Tip to Melissa Wolfe) I hope my readers will view them and give one minute meditation a place in their lives.
How to meditate 1 single moment anywhere at anytime,
thus advantageously utilizing the waiting time in stores,
on the job, and in the traffic jam with great calm and joy!
A one minute meditation experience of deep peace.
Invitation
Suppose you learned how to do a one minute meditation and then expanded that practice to spending one minute of silence ten times each day. Your body, mind and spirit would benefit from dwelling in silence, stillness and solitude. It’s easy and free medication for what ails us all in this hurry, hurry, hurry and worry world. So why not give it a try?
Related posts found in this blog:
On time, space and the now moment
Exploring Spaciousness: Experiencing Peace
Stillness Speaks
Being yourself: The stillness of pure consciousness
The Simple Life: Present Moment Living
Joanna
October 15, 2011
Quite the loveliest videos! Thank you TiTi Putting off stepping into silence because I’m too busy, how silly of me, you are a great guide along the Way. :D
Lynda Schaffer Lehmann
October 15, 2011
Great resources in this post, Thanks for sharing it, TiTi. I feel better already!
Tweeted and shared!
Nana
October 15, 2011
Last semester in class, I learned about meditation. I think it is good, even if only an minute, because it forces you to have the self-discipline to relax your mind. Apparently, this causes neurological changes in the brain.
Janene Murphy
October 17, 2011
Wow! I feel a little tingly right now and my shoulders have dropped an inch. I’ll have to incorporate that into my day. I really do feel calmer!
timethief
October 17, 2011
Hi Janene,
It’s good to hear from you. I don’t think most of us recognize that our bodies are all tied up in knots until we just sit and be and breathe. Yay! You benefited from my post. That makes me so happy. :)
sprigblossoms
October 17, 2011
Greatly enjoyed your post. I especially liked the third video that began by saying “…it is about framing the silence…” I feel so relaxed after meditating for how ever long as is possible for me, and surprisingly some of my body pains are alleviated too in the process :)
timethief
October 17, 2011
Hello there,
I hope your week is off to a good start. I particularly like that video myself and I’m so glad you like it too. We don’t need to strive to learn how to meditate. In the silence, stillness, and solitude of just being we rest in peace. In that state our bodies experience relaxation and healing. Over time when we repeat these one minute meditations we make a smooth tranistion into the meditative state with ease and the duration of the “min-vacations” from stress and strife extend. Thanks so much for the positive feedback.
Team Oyeniyi
October 28, 2011
This is definitely something I could try – dip my toes in the water, so to speak, in small chunks!
timethief
November 1, 2011
Hi Robyn,
Try this — I guarantee you will be glad you did. :)
nothingprofound
October 29, 2011
TT, thanks for sharing these excellent videos. It only takes a minute to throw the whole weight of the world off one’s shoulders.
timethief
November 1, 2011
Hi Marty,
I’m also delighted to hear that you liked the videos. I’m so sorry you had to wait for me to approve your comment. I’ve been going through a fibro flare-up while working for a living. In my “free time” I have been resting. I had to let blogging slide until I recovered my health.
SWrightBoucher ~ Leading With Passion
October 30, 2011
Timethief – you accomplished what I thought was impossible. You got a Type A to meditate. One minute is the perfect way to start. I’ve bookmarked this post to help me form a new habit. Thanks.
Susan
(ps – the first video is my favourite)
timethief
November 1, 2011
Hi Susan,
It’s great to hear you are going to adopt this new habit. :)
P.S. I apologize for the wait for comment approval. I’ve been away from this blog for too long. Fibromylagia flare-ups aren’t conducive to writing and now I’m experiencing less pain I’ll begin to write again.