2 Minute Meditations

One of the beautiful things about yoga is that it incorporates not only the physical body, but our mind and soul as well. Practicing yoga for meditation can help us relieve stress and get in touch with our spirit. Meditation can help us cope with our everyday difficulties, from being stuck in traffic to serious roadblocks on our life's path. It can enlighten us with solutions to these problems discovered through meditation, or simply grant us the serenity to navigate our difficulties with grace.

But because our lives often are so hectic, it can be difficult to find time to set aside for meditation. Although time for ourselves is perhaps the most valuable time of all, and thus should be a high priority, the realities of everyday life can make scheduling a large block of time for meditation a pragmatic impossibility. But that does not mean that we have to sacrifice our spiritual side to the reality of living in an ever more time crunched world. Taking a few moments while in the midst of any activity to calm ourselves, breathe deeply, and connect our mind and our body can greatly enhance our ability to cope with all that we have to do. The following are suggestions for "mini-meditations" that can be done anytime, anywhere, to keep us in touch with our true inner self even when the pace gets hectic:

1. Go to the nearest window and look up at the sky. Simply gaze at the vastness of the heavens above us. No matter how far the eye gazes, the sky is still there. Visualize the task you have at hand held up against this immense sky. Realize how small it really is in comparison, and take a moment to reorganize your perspective.

2. Keep a photograph of your loved ones on your desk, in your wallet, or clipped to your sunvisor of your car. When caught in a situation where you feel you are about to lose your temper with another person, take a minute to glance at that photograph. Imagine the words you are about to say being said to someone you love dearly. Remember that no matter how rude or unintelligent the person you are dealing with may seem to you, they, too, have people who love them. Try to treat them as you would have those you love be treated.

3. If you do not have a photograph when you feel yourself losing your cool, take a moment to remember the last time you had a REALLY bad day - and how you treated others on that day. It is a basic psychological principle that we tend to attribute angry words we say based on our feelings at the time (which are always changing), but we tend to judge other's anger or foolishness as a basic trait of their character. Remember that every one of us is human, and that the person you are dealing with may be having a day that is even worse than yours. Instead of making it worse, try to make their day better by treating them with civility and respect. Chances are, doing this will make your day improve as well.

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