Learn to Meditate

When we face challenges such as health crises or troubling world events, it can cause us to put our usual routines on hold. It’s a good opportunity to pause and intentionally navigate one moment at a time.

Meditation is one of the the most commonly studied skills for doing just that. It’s been shown to lower stress and even change the way our genes are expressed.

The Gaples Institute put together a 2-minute animated guide to help you get started with a super easy-to-do mindfulness practice. Ready to use, right now, in front of your computer or on your phone, no props needed.

View this on Vimeo

Video Transcript:

Sometimes when we go through hard things, like global health problems and concerns about money, our thoughts can spiral into a dark place.

It’s common to hear well-meaning advice, like “calm your mind,” and “try meditation.”

But if you’ve never really meditated before, or if it feels kind of “out there” to you, you might not know how to start. And if you have tried it but it didn’t feel like this [dreamy bliss] … or like this [relaxing beach vibe] … you might think you’re doing it wrong if your actual experience looked more like this [thoughts circling overhead, such as “How many minutes have gone by? Did I turn the iron off? My nose itches. I wonder how tall Abraham Lincoln was?”].

So let’s take the mystery out of it and try a super simple approach that anyone can do. 

Choose a time and place where you can safely close your eyes for about 60 seconds. Get as comfortable as you can, and then take a full, deep breath in, and exhale it all out. Then let your breath go back to normal.

Now, find the place in your body where you notice your breath the most. Maybe it’s at the tip of your nose, where the air comes in, or the rise and fall of your chest or your belly. Maybe it’s the feeling of your rib cage expanding. There’s no wrong answer here, so just choose the spot that’s most noticeable for you, and let your attention come in for a landing right there.

As you breathe, try to keep your attention resting gently on that same spot in your body for your whole inbreath, and your whole outbreath. Be curious about how it feels at the top of your breath, that little space before your inhale turns to exhale. And also at the bottom of your breath, that little pause before a new breath starts.

Keep doing this for about 5 full breaths – or even longer if you want! And when you find your mind has wandered off, it doesn’t mean you’re a bad meditator – it just means you’re normal! In fact, when you notice your mind has wandered it means you’re doing it right! That skill of noticing is part of the practice.

So when it happens, gently guide your attention back to the place where you feel your breath the most, and pick up where you left off – no judgment.

Now you know a quick & easy meditation that you can do anytime you feel tense or overwhelmed, or when your thoughts are racing and you just need a break. You can do this with your friends and family – even kids! And even if you only have time to do it for one full breath, that can be enough for a healthy mental reset.