Meditations For Busy People

Even in the midst of a full and demanding business or personal life, moments of stillness are always available. Meditations for Busy People offers gentle, accessible, easy to follow short practices that can be done anywhere, anytime — between meetings, on a walk, even while waiting for a coffee — to restore calm, clarity, intuition, creativity, discernment and presence. Each short session, 18 in total, is designed to help you reconnect with your breath, quieten the mind, come back to centre, and return to balance, even when time is limited. These are not lengthy retreats, but brief, transformative pauses that remind you of the clarity already within.

Transcript

Welcome to Meditations for Busy People.

In this meditation we explore how one's calm and balanced presence can be lived in the midst of the busiest of days.

Even when time is short,

One's awareness is never far.

It is the grounded presence within each breath,

In each movement and in the small pauses of stillness.

Remember,

You don't need perfect conditions to meditate.

For meditation is not something you do.

It becomes what you inseparably become.

You simply begin with one breath,

One conscious moment,

Right here where you are,

Whatever is happening around you.

Let this time be a reminder that your natural clarity,

Calmness,

Intelligence and inseparable awareness is always present.

If time does not allow you to meditate formally,

That's okay.

You can be very creative.

There are alternate ways to remain inspired,

Present and calm,

Even in the midst of a busy or hectic day.

All it takes is one moment.

Returning to the ever-present awareness of one's clear seeing is effortlessly possible.

Behind all the doing,

Thinking,

Planning or travelling,

One is only one quiet breath away from returning to one's natural grounded awareness.

Let me share here with you some direct,

Effective and practical ways where you can maintain meditative focus in all your daily activities,

Especially when you are away from your normal practice.

Walking Meditation Wherever you may be walking,

Through a shopping centre,

From your desk through the office,

Walking to and standing in the escalator,

Standing in line waiting for a coffee,

Or walking around your home.

Let each step become a conscious process of grounding,

Realigning and returning to one's meditative clarity,

Focus,

Inspiration,

Decisiveness and intelligence.

Let the feet meet the ground with conscious intent.

Feel your feet placement.

Maintain this direct awareness and balance,

One step after another.

Align your breath with your walking pace and stride.

Notice the breath moving freely throughout the body.

Feel the body's relaxed rhythm while walking.

Let your breath guide your pace.

Feel the aliveness of the energy flowing up from your feet into your body.

Step and breathe.

Step and breathe.

Each step centres your energies,

Your clarity.

Your focus is the breath and the flow of energy into the body,

With this fresh focus bringing an overall calmness.

This is a direct practice.

Body,

Breath,

Intention and movement.

It grounds the body,

Centres the energetic forces and stills the mind,

Returning one to clarity and positivity with inspired thinking.

Even in the busiest moment,

Between tasks,

Before opening an email,

Waiting for a webpage to upload,

Waiting in line for your coffee,

All it takes are one or two focused deep breaths.

This micropause can reset the nervous system,

Bringing clarity and a return to one's alert awareness.

Focusing on an image or a photo.

In a frame on your desk or workspace,

In your wallet or pinned to your computer,

Place a photo of someone you love or whatever inspires you or invokes a particular calming or uplifting feeling.

Perhaps what is centring for you,

That which brings focus,

A sense of calmness or peace,

That which motivates or draws you deeper.

When you feel scattered,

Confused,

Tense,

Uncertain or needing inspiration or to keep the flow of connection ever present,

Take a long deep breath and simply look at the image,

Sensing from the centre of your chest,

Without wanting more,

Feeling in your heart what feeling,

What sensation it evokes in you and how it touches and brings you to a sense of deeper stillness,

Clarity,

Love,

Appreciation,

Motivation,

Inspiration or creativity.

Draw this feeling into your being through your incoming breath.

Repeat it.

Hold that feeling for a moment.

Remain mentally still and see what arises within you.

What does this inner stillness bring in a way of overall calmness,

Clarity,

Understanding or refined purpose or a deeper understanding or appreciation,

Perhaps a fresh approach to a situation.

Whatever it is,

Hold this awareness foremost in your mind and your heart and follow what arises in and around from this awareness.

Gratitude.

When you notice something simple,

A kind word,

A genuine smile,

A meaningful connection,

A kind gesture or a ray of sunlight touching a flower,

Allow yourself to stop even if only just a second and take a breath and silently say,

Thank you,

I am grateful for this in my life.

Holding or repeating gratitude is a meditation in itself.

A soft return to the heart.

Music.

Music can guide the busy mind back into stillness,

Calmness,

Connection and presence.

Whether you're at the gym or on public transport,

Walking or taking a break in the park,

Put on some gentle music,

Sounds of nature,

Soothing melody or a favourite instrumental.

Let the music float throughout you.

Let it calm your breath.

Let it hold your awareness,

Opening,

Inspiring and bringing lightness to the mind and to the body.

Body scan.

While you're waiting in line or sitting in traffic or standing in an elevator,

Gently bring awareness down through your body,

From the top of your head,

Down through the face,

Through the neck,

Down to the shoulders,

Down through the arms,

Into the chest and stomach and legs and arms.

Each release of this scan is a small meditation,

An act of immediate presence within the body.

Deep breathing.

Deep breathing.

No matter where you are,

You can always return to your breath.

Inhale slowly through the nose.

Hold,

Then pause for a moment.

Then exhale fully and gently through the nose,

Keeping your mouth closed.

Feel the breath move down into your belly and rise up into your chest.

Rest in the natural rhythm of your breathing.

With each breath out,

Release tensions,

Concerns,

Stress or anxiety.

With each breath in,

Receive calmness,

Positivity,

Discernment,

Wisdom and understanding.

In these few moments,

These few breaths,

You've come back to the centre,

The calm centre within yourself.

Hand to heart centering.

Simply place a hand on your heart.

Feel the warmth.

Feel the devotion.

Feel the connection.

Let the gesture itself bring you back into a state of wholeness,

Into a living reminder of one's presence.

Add a visualisation.

Now bring in a soft visualisation.

Perhaps a warm light fills your body.

A quiet sunrise in nature.

A gentle stream flowing through a forest.

A field of swaying flowers.

A smile on a child's face.

Let your imagination lift.

Expand,

Open and allow whatever is,

Is perfect in the moment.

Be open,

Resist nothing.

Welcome the wholeness of all.

All will assist you in one's openness to change,

To healing,

To clarity,

To personal empowerment.

This is the power of one's inner vision,

Of one's intuitive voice when one is present,

As pure,

Inseparable awareness.

Aphorism cards.

Carry a few small cards with short,

Meaningful aphorisms,

Three or four line poems.

Carry them with you,

In your wallet.

Perhaps something like,

I am peace,

All is well,

Nothing needs to change in the presence of now.

I am grateful for my life.

Place these on a mirror,

On your desk,

On a sticky note on your computer,

Or as a screensaver.

They can be gentle reminders of one's inseparable,

Formless presence,

Keeping your awareness focused throughout the day.

Inspirational reading.

One page,

One line,

One poem,

One quote that uplifts,

Manifests,

Centres,

Inspires,

Connects.

Let the words nourish your spirit.

It only takes a moment to be present,

Focused and still.

Kick off your shoes.

Let your bare feet meet the soft cool grass.

Let the soles of your feet connect with the living earth.

Healing energy can flow into the body through your feet,

Opening,

Balancing and nourishing.

Perhaps during a lunch break,

Step outside,

Go to the park,

Take your shoes and socks off and feel the softness of the grass beneath your feet.

Feel the aliveness of the energy of the earth beneath you,

Rising up into your body.

This is very grounding.

This is returning one to immediate presence.

Do something playful.

Swing a golf club,

Go for a run,

Do some yoga,

Throw a frisbee,

Eat some ice cream.

You'll be amazed how the body positively responds to the energy,

The playful,

The carefree,

The joyful and spontaneity of simply having fun,

Where all is whole,

Fully present and embracing.

Laughter and movement can break tension and return one to absolute focus and presence.

The sky practice.

Look up at the sky,

Even for a moment.

Notice its vastness,

Its openness,

Its stillness.

Breathe this awareness into your heart centre.

Let that vastness remind you of the same openness and freedom within yourself.

Stay in the now.

When your mind pulls you into the past or rushes ahead into the future,

Pause.

Keep to the now,

To the present.

Be still,

Be here.

Feel the breath,

Feel the body.

This moment is all there is.

It is full of infinite potential and infinite possibilities,

Opportunities and,

As always,

Presence.

You are here now and here is the stillness of potentiality.

Here is the fullness of one's undisturbed presence.

Mindfulness triggers.

Leave small reminders for yourself on sticky notes,

On your phone lock screen,

Computer,

Fridge,

In your car.

Smile before you answer the phone.

Come into the presence of now.

Breathe calmly before replying to a message.

Remain here,

Present,

Aware and discerning.

Even a simple smile sends signals of joy and calm throughout the nervous system and this is experienced in others.

One's presence is unmoving,

The eternal witness of clarity and knowing.

Conscious eating.

Slow down,

Taste.

Savour the flavours,

Be still.

Eat without distraction.

Give thanks to the earth,

To the hands that prepared your food,

To the life-sustaining energy that food brings to your body.

In silence we feel the sacredness of nourishment.

Mantra practice.

Choose a word or phrase that speaks to your heart.

Peace.

Let go.

I am here.

I am light.

I am confident.

Gratitude.

Repeat these inwardly with each incoming breath.

The mantra becomes a rhythm.

Your anchor.

A quiet refuge.

Presence doesn't require perfect conditions.

It simply asks for a moment of your attention.

Begin with what is here.

A breath.

A pause.

A smile.

A step.

Meditation is not something to achieve.

It's something to remember,

Wherever one may be.

Meditation is life.

Life is meditation.

Conclusion.

Awareness doesn't belong to special moments.

It breathes through them all.

Whether walking,

Speaking,

Working or resting,

Each breath can return you home.

Let this practice remind you,

Meditation is not apart from life.

Meditation is life,

Lived consciously,

One moment at a time.

You might like to be interested in other meditations that I have within the Insight Timer app.

There are many choices,

As well as my original music,

Affirmations,

Prayers,

Courses.

There is a lot to choose from.

Feel free to visit any time for as long as you wish.

And you may have a friend you feel would be interested in.

Or would benefit from some of these.

So please share my link to Insight Timer.