This is a one-minute guided practice from Mindfulness Exercises. The recording suggests trying it when you wake up, right before you go to bed, when you start a meditation, or before heading into a challenging situation.
The practice moves from noticing what is happening in your mind and body, to softening the breath, to something you are grateful for, to someone you care about, and ends by bringing those together.
Sponsored by our Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program
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Episode Overview:
What You’ll Learn:
- How to disengage from worried thinking and let go of tension
- A short body-based sequence: notice, soften the breath, release
- Noticing your present state without trying to change it
- How to bring to mind gratitude, a sense of protection, and love in about a minute
- Imagining moving through your day with a responsive mind
When to Use This Practice:
- When you wake up
- Right before you go to bed
- When you start a meditation
- Before heading into a challenging situation
Show Notes:
Why One Minute Matters More Than You Think
There are moments when even the idea of “meditating” can feel like too much, and a minute is easy to fit in. This practice needs no preparation. It begins with simply noticing what is already here, with no instruction to calm down or think positive.
The One Minute Mindfulness Practice (Step-by-Step)
1. Start With Honest Awareness
For one or two breaths, be aware of what is generally happening in your mind and body without trying to change it, finding an intimacy with yourself right now.
2. Soften the Breath
Let your breathing soften and slow. Disengage from any worried thinking and let go of any tension.
3. Orient to Safety
Touch on a sense of strength, and recognize that protections are nearby, like friends or loved ones.
Notice that you’re all right right now, and rest in a growing sense of peace.
4. Invite Gratitude
Bring to mind one or more things you are grateful for or glad about. Think of something that makes you feel happy, and sense the fullness already present in this moment. Rest in a growing contentment.
5. Bring in Love
Bring to mind one or more people, or even a pet, you care deeply about. Let yourself feel appreciated, liked or loved, and be aware of your own warmth and caring for others. Rest in a growing love.
6. Weave It All Together
Sense peace, contentment and love woven together, three aspects of a single experience of ease and homecoming. Rest in the responsive mind.
What You May Notice After
The recording closes by inviting you to imagine moving through your day in this responsive way, and to finish with another breath or two, breathing deeply while you sense peace, contentment and love sinking in.
You can simply notice how you feel afterward.
Making This Practice Part of Your Day
The beauty of this one minute mindfulness practice is its simplicity. You don’t need perfect conditions or extra time. The recording suggests trying it:
- When you wake up
- Right before you go to bed
- When you start a meditation
- Before heading into a challenging situation
A Gentle Reminder
You don’t need to escape your thoughts or force your emotions to change. The practice starts by being aware of them as they are, so there is nothing to fix first.
Final Thoughts
If you are looking for a simple way to pause and reconnect with yourself, this is a short place to start. Press play on the episode and try it for yourself. If it helps, consider sharing it with someone who could use a reset too.
Additional Resources:
- Free Training with Sean Fargo: How to Teach Mindfulness With Confidence & Credibility
- Certification: Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program
- Blog: What I learned from Dr. Dan Siegel (and how you can use it today)
- Blog: Healing, Stillness & Aimless Love
