Many of us spend a good portion of our waking hours behind our desks, in meetings, commuting and trying to earn a solid living to put food on the table and a watertight roof over our heads.

The office environment is often fast paced, demanding, and sometimes stressful. Meditation is a workplace practice that we can implement with very little effort to reduce any negative impact on our peace of mind, mental stability, and calm. One of the main benefits of meditation is that we can basically do it anywhere, and it can fit into whatever work day we need it to.

So, whether you add some silence into your lunchtime walk, calm to your commute, develop a habit of mindful eating, meditate at the desk, or while you have 5 minutes of peace and quiet on the loo, meditation can mould to fit your time, needs, and restraints.

Here are a few different ways to show you how to meditate at work:

MID WORK WALKING MEDITATION:

Regardless of how busy we are at work, we normally walk at some point during the day. You may have to walk from one meeting to the next, walk to work, or take a walk to relax during your lunch break. Whatever work walk you do, you can practice mindfulness meditation while you do it.

Meditation is simply the practice of shifting your awareness from the stresses of the past and the future, and focusing them without judgement on the present. Simply becoming aware of our surroundings and ourselves.

  • Begin your walk by focusing on your breathing

  • Count “1” on the in-breath, “2” on the out-breath, and so on, until you get to 10

  • When you reach 10, begin again.

  • If you find yourself lost in thought at any point, simply start from 1.

After some practice, you can incorporate some sensations of the body into your walking meditation. Notice the feeling of your feet, ankles, and knees after each step, whether the ground crunches or is soft, or the feel of your arms swinging. You can also notice how many moving parts are needed to take each step, which muscles need to work in unison to step one foot in front of the next.

If at any point you find yourself distracted, just start from 1.

SITTING MEDITATION:

Sitting meditation is very similar to walking meditation…….but you’re sitting.

The majority of meditation practices are performed in the sitting position, there are less distractions, you can close your eyes, and it’s easier to begin. There is also the added benefit of being able to perform this meditation wherever you are sat. This could be on a plane, a bus, a train, at work, on your commute, or in a boardroom.

To begin:

  • Sit comfortably in your chair, with your back straight

  • Close your eyes

  • Begin to notice your breath (don’t force a pattern, just observe it without judgement)

  • Count “1” on the in-breath, “2” on the out-breath, and so on, until you get to 10

  • When you reach 10, begin again.

  • If you find yourself lost in thought at any point, simply start from 1.

As you practice this meditation more often, you will find that you are more able to fall into the patterns of focus and attention, and your sources of distractions and thought become less intrusive.

Begin with 5 minute sessions, you can add more time as you develop the ability to hold your focus for longer.

WORK LUNCH EATING MEDITATION:

This meditation is relatively easy to do because we eat every day. The practice specifically focuses our awareness on the experiences of eating, and uses food to promote mindfulness and draw our attention to the present moment.

While you eat, don’t rush your food and stuff it into your face as quickly as humanly possible:

  • Consciously savour each bite

  • Notice the texture against your teeth and tongue

  • Pay attention to the smell, the warmth and the feel of eating

  • Become aware of the feelings of chewing, swallowing, and getting the next mouthful

  • Allow yourself to be present in the moment while you eat, allowing your awareness to rest in that experience.

If you spend your time eating with other people, you can incorporate them into your practice. Notice the conversations, their expressions, speech, feelings, and emotions. The purpose is to use what’s around you to draw your awareness to the present.

MEDITATE AT WORK TO THE CALL OF NATURE:

This is an easy one. When you have to go, you have to go. And we all have to go.

Going to the bathroom may seem like a strange place to meditate at work, however it can be one of the few times during our work day that we have 5 minutes to ourselves (and we all sneak away to the bathroom every now and then to take a break).

This little oasis of peace and quiet is the perfect place for you to practice some mindfulness. Sit, close your eyes, and focus on the breath (not the noises from the cubicle next to you).

  • Sit comfortably in your chair, with your back straight

  • Close your eyes

  • Begin to notice your breath (don’t force a pattern, just observe it without judgement)

  • Count “1” on the in-breath, “2” on the out-breath, and so on, until you get to 10

  • When you reach 10, begin again.

  • If you find yourself lost in thought at any point, simply start from 1.

BODY SCAN MEDITATION AT YOUR WORK DESK:

This meditation is sometimes called progressive relaxation. The purpose of this kind of meditation is to scan the body from head to toe to find regions of tightness, stress, tension, discomfort, and release these feelings to achieve relaxation.

The meditation begins with the breath. Once you are relaxed you start at the very top of the head and imagine yourself slowly scanning down (like a bar-code scanner). At each new body part you try and notice how it feels, and if there is any tension present. If you find it, simply release and relax before moving on to the next area of the body.

  • Set a 10 minute timer

  • Sit comfortably with a straight back and your hands in your lap

  • Close your eyes

  • Pay attention to the pressure of your body pressing down on the chair and your hands in your lap

  • Starting at the very top of your head imagine a scanning beam is slowly passing down your body.

  • Slowly go from the top of your head, your ears, torso, arms, belly, legs, and feet.

  • Pay attention to how each area of your body feels

  • If you get distracted, just begin again

I hope you found something you can use!

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