3-Minute Meditation for Beginners

When was the last time you had 10 minutes of uninterrupted time for yourself, sans cell phone in hand, to close your eyes and tune out the world? We’re guessing it’s been awhile.  

We believe that a balanced lifestyle not only consists of cardio and strength training workouts, fueling your body right, and nourishing your skin, but also—setting aside time to calm your mind

Just like your core muscles, your mind is a muscle that can be trained!  Through meditation, you can learn to reduce stress and anxiety, control negative emotions, and even sharpen your ability to focus--just by focusing your breath.  Studies have even shown positive physical changes in your brain after meditating consistently for several weeks. 

And just like one of our favorites--the HIIT workout—meditation is something you can do literally anytime, anywhere.

You’ll find the effects to be tremendously powerful after mastering the basics of meditation. 

Although there are various types of meditation, here are two basic methods for beginners to try today:

Mindful Breathing – Direct your mind to pay attention to your breath

The goal is to focus on your breath, and nothing else, for 3 to 5 minutes.

1. Find a quiet place to sit down, cross legged.
2. Wear comfortable, relaxed clothes.
3. Set a timer for 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Close your eyes, and pay attention to the inhale and exhale of your breath.
5. Inhale for 4 seconds, and exhale for 5 seconds, repeating several times. Then return to natural breathing.

If your mind wanders, gently bring it back by focusing on your breathing pattern.  Noting the sensation of air through your nostrils, or the rise and fall of your chest, should help bring attention back to your breath.

Body Scan – Reground yourself by focusing on your body

Bring awareness to various parts of your body by noticing the sensations in those areas--starting from the toes up, for 10 minutes.

1. Find a quiet place to lie down in a savasana position.
2. Set a timer for 10 minutes.
3. Close your eyes, and breathe deeply.
4. Pay attention to your body by taking an inventory of each area of your body with each exhale and inhale.
5. Observe any tingling, tightness or changes in temperature, as you scan each area of your body.
6. Focus on the toes first, then moving to the backs of your heels, up your legs to your seat, then the part of the upper back touching the ground, upper shoulders, down to your arms and hands, and finally, the back of your head. Then reverse, slowly scanning down the front side of your body, finding your way back down to your toes.

The Fytt Perspective  Try to practice at a set time every day.  The ideal time for each person varies, but in order to make meditation a habit, carve out 3-5 minutes initially.  Start slowly, and after several weeks of daily practice, you can work your way up to 10 minutes.  Even Oprah meditates daily, 20 minutes a day to be exact—so you can too!

Prefer guided meditation?  Check out popular meditation apps like Calm or Headspace to kickstart your meditation practice.