Just five minutes—for more compassion towards yourself and others, for relieving stress and anxiety, for empowering clarity and focus. How to tackle these often insurmountable hurdles in just five minutes? Through a daily practice of meditation, you can cultivate a powerful practice to confidently navigate challenges and boost your mind-body wellbeing.  

Check out these five meditation routines you can start now. If you’d like, grab a blanket, yoga mat, and/or headphones to accompany your practice.

5-Minute Meditations for Self-Love

Try these quick meditation sessions when you need to give yourself some extra kindness.

1. Held w/ Ally M.

Held w/ Ally M. was created in order to relax your mood and bring you to a place of calm after an intense day or a moment of frustration. 

When preparing for your meditation, choose a place that is quiet, peaceful, and conducive to relaxation. Try to avoid loud public places, as this will be distracting to your practice. Situate yourself in a comfortable seat or in a lying position. Then, follow these steps:

• Sit up nice and tall
• Wrap left arm across the chest and place left hand under the right armpit, then wrap your right arm around the body and place a right hand around the left side of the neck 
• Draw elbows closer into you, which creates a “held” sensation
• Deepen your breath
• Pay attention to what it feels like to be held
• As you inhale, feel the expansion of your chest
• Feel the settling of your body as you exhale and continue bringing your elbows towards you

If you feel your mind wandering during the activity, draw your attention back to your breath. While you inhale, remind yourself that you are loved and safe. While you exhale, feel yourself soften. 

Continue to observe your breath as you continue this motion of inhaling and exhaling and bring your focus back each time it begins to wander.

End by releasing your hands into your lap. Take a breath in through your nose and out through your mouth. Take some time to feel love and appreciation for yourself simply for showing up.

2. Love for Yourself w/ Erin G.

Love for Yourself w/ Erin G. is a meditation technique that teaches you to sit in silence while appreciating and loving yourself exactly how you are. Here’s how to practice this quick meditation:

• Find a comfortable seated or lying position
• Close your eyes if preferred
• Breathe in and out several times and notice how your body handles the breaths

As you engage in conscious breathing, try not to force it. Give yourself silence as if you were sitting next to someone who loves you just the way you are and accepts you as is. Let your body relax and take in the silence.

You can choose to stay still or can turn palms up. Breathe in and out one last time and show yourself gratitude for engaging in this exercise.  

3. Meditation Can Help You Manage Your Feelings

If you struggle with feelings of stress, sadness, or anxiety, consider how Open can play a part in guiding your new meditation routine.

5-Minute Meditations for a Calm Mind

These are our favorite quick meditation sessions for when you’re stressed.

1. Observe Your Breath With Manoj D.

Observe Your Breath With Manoj D. is a meditation technique that’s perfect for any position—seated, lying down, or slowly walking.

• Pay attention to the parts of your body connected with the earth, whether this is your feet on the ground as you walk, your body lying on a surface, or another feeling. Consider the weight of your body and how you are grounded to the earth. 
• Pay attention to your breath as you inhale and exhale. There is slight expansion and contraction as you breathe in and out. The breathing should come effortlessly and easily. 

You can mentally say “in” and “out” with each breath completed if you find this helpful in staying focused. Be sure not to force or control the breath, but rather pay attention to each one as it happens.   

1. Witness the Mind w/ Mel M.

Witness the Mind w/ Mel M. is helpful in detaching from your thoughts and becoming a “silent watcher” of your mind in order to see how quickly your thoughts can change. Here’s how to practice this transformative meditation:

• Close your eyes
• Straighten your spine
• Lengthen the crown of your head to the sky
• Relax your body 
• Breathe in slowly for four counts, then breathe out slowly for the same four counts. Continue to repeat this motion for several more rounds. 
• Slowing the breath has a positive effect on slowing the mind. If you notice your thoughts wandering to places other than your breath, make sure to bring it back.
• Imagine a train station, the temperature around you, the clothes you have on, and the location of the station you are in. 
• Imagine a train pulling up and consider how each car on the train is a representation of each thought you think. 
• As the cars go by, imagine how each thought is quickly coming and going.
• Allow your current thoughts to be released as you picture this.   
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Meditating for Mental Clarity

Need some extra mental clarity? Try the practice listed below.

1. Mental Clearing w/ Ally M.

Mental Clearing w/ Ally M. is a special type of breathing technique of guiding your attention by using your nostrils as a focus point. Here’s how to start:

2. First Steps

Get started with this breathwork practice by following these simple steps:

• Choose a quiet location
• Pick a comfortable position of sitting or standing and place your hands on your thighs or belly
• Close your eyes and deeply inhale through your nose followed by an exhale through your mouth
• Allow your body to relax and pay attention to your breath
• Think about bringing the breath in through your right nostril while you breathe in. 
• Hold this breath, and picture the breath going out through the left nostril as you breathe out. 

3. Finishing Up

Conclude your breathwork practice using the instructions below:

• Switch your nostrils — inhale through the left nostril and exhale through the right. 
• Continue this routine while paying attention to the breath and relaxing your body, and refocus yourself when you find your mind wandering to other things.
• Next, you should inhale through both nostrils and exhale through both nostrils for several rounds before finishing out the activity.   
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5 5-Minute Meditation Practices To Get You Started

If you’re interested in a few more short meditation sessions, give these five practices a try.

• Holding Grief w/ Allison S.: Take a few minutes to care for yourself and process your grief (5 Minutes).
• Morning Tone w/ Manoj D.: Set the tone for the day with this short visualization session (5 Minutes).
• In Nature w/ George R.: Visualize your favorite nature spot with this quick calming meditation (5 Minutes).
• Breath Counting w/ Manoj D.: Pay attention to your breathing for a calmer mind and body (5 Minutes).
• Journaling To Let Go w/ Ally M.: Practice journaling and meditation to let go of stress, anxiety, and overwhelm (5 Minutes).

The benefits of meditation will be optimized by becoming consistent with a practice and incorporating it into your daily routine, even by starting with five minutes each day. Try morning meditation so you can set the tone and intention for the day on a positive note and rooted in the present moment. 

Many of us struggle with negative feelings while few of us know how to handle them in a healthy way. These classes will assist you in beginning a daily meditation practice, where you’ll notice an immediate difference. 

If you’re ready to dive deeper, sign up for our newsletter and download the Open app to get started.

Sources:

Which Type of Meditation Is Right for You? | Healthline 

Meditation: Take a stress-reduction break wherever you are | Mayo Clinic 

Meditation: Definition, Benefits, and How to Do It | Insider