Reclaiming your lunchtime through meditation

Carving out time in the day that is just for you is imperative. No matter what job we are in or how busy our day is we can all find 5 minutes for ourselves, and in actual fact we need to.

I have put together a post that lays out the steps you can take for a lunchtime meditation, which can be anything from 1 minute – as long as you want!

This is broken down into three parts: breath, affirmation, mudra.

Part one: Breathe

While it may seem simple to breathe in and out, it is all about how we do it that has a neurological effect on our body. I always like to visualise that I am breathing in deeply through the throat, chest then into the belly. We want to imagine that we are creating as much space as we can when breathing in and then slowly exhale by pushing all the breath out of the body.

When the exhale is longer than the inhale it has an effect on the parasympathetic nervous system where the mind sends a signal for your body to relax. This is such a powerful exercise that is 100% in your own control.

Part two: Affirmation

If you can take one thing for this article, it is that daily affirmations can be truly life-changing. I recently watched a fascinating TedTalk from Dr David Vago about Self-Transformation Through Mindfulness which I highly recommend watching.

The brain is sculpted and can be trained through our everyday moment-to-moment perceptions and emotions. What I love about this TedTalk is that when Dr Vago was studying, he was encouraged not to pursue the interest in mindfulness originally as it was not scientifically recognised. He has gone on to find groundbreaking results as part of the Harvard faculty and is recognised as a game- changer in his field.

My perception of this and how I try to train my mind daily is through affirmations. I wake up and think of one that helps me power up for my day: I AM ENOUGH, or I AM HAPPY. If you tell yourself over an over that you are happy it’s hard not to end up smiling as result. It is phenomenal!

Part three: Mudra

A mudra is a symbolic sign we make mostly with our hands and our fingers. It allows us to channel the energy flow within the body and provides comfort while meditating. Harvard research provides information that our mind wanders 47% of the time! That is almost half of our lives that we are not present in the moment.

Giving yourself this focus of even trying out a mudra is something for the mind to focus on in this time of stillness. The picture above is the gyan mudra which is my go-to when I meditate; it creates a loop of energy and comfort that is easy to work with.

I really do hope that you try these and can find comfort in meditation as I truly believe it can be one the greatest gift you can give to yourself.