Use this short and simple meditation practice to bring more peace into your everyday life. (Not for beginners)

As we read ancient stories, we find that life was a slow-paced phenomenon and meditation was part of the lifestyle. But after the inventions that contributed to today’s fast lifestyle, people are struggling to find time for themselves, let alone time for meditation. If you are one of those people who wants to practice meditation daily to balance the inner and outer world, this article will benefit you. After years of practice, I’ve come to realise that it’s not easy to sit silently even for ten minutes when you have so much to do and your mind is completely occupied with thoughts, tasks, and worries.

So, when you are busy doing activities essential to sustain your life, how can you even think about something like meditation, which seems to have no direct, visible impact?

From this perspective, meditation seems like a trivial thing, and most people ignore it.

Some people start meditation practice forcefully because they are convinced that meditation can free them from physical or mental pain.

So this is the most important thing to keep in mind.

Let’s not start meditation practice with such expectations.

Otherwise, you’ll feel disheartened when you don’t get the expected results quickly. It is not something that cures you; it simply makes you watchful, without judgement, without labels. If you really want to see what meditation can do, just start practising. Meditation can only be experienced; it cannot be explained in words. Someone can share their journey with you, but to truly know it, you have to walk it yourself. And here lies the paradox: you want to see the path before you take the first step. But the path only reveals itself once you’ve already started. No one can show it to you in advance. Meditation is simply stepping into the unknown, without knowing or expecting where it leads.

One minute practice

Always remember that you don’t have to take giant leaps to begin, just keep taking baby steps. For starters, here’s how you can meditate while running nonstop through your day-to-day life.

Take a pause every now and then

When you’re working, doing household chores, about to attend a meeting, or just relaxing at home, take a sudden pause for a minute or two.

Be still and silent

whether you are standing or sitting. Become like a statue. Remember the childhood game where someone would call ‘statue’ and you’d instantly stop moving? In this practice, you command yourself to stop, become still, and remain silent.

Close your eyes and take deep breaths

Breathe from your stomach – diaphragmatic breathing. Watch the breath coming in and going out. You don’t have to focus on it. Just become aware of it.

Loosen up your body

Free your body from any stress – your shoulders, face, eyes, arms, wrists, fingers, feet. Let the energy flow freely inside. You’ll realise how much tension you were holding without noticing. We create tension in our muscles during any activity or emotion, and later forget to release it.

Become watchful of every passing breath

Don’t think too much about the time duration. Detach yourself from the activities around you. Your main focus should NOT be completing this activity of meditation. You just have to sneak out of what you’re doing at that moment. This sudden sneaking will let you step back from your thoughts. Watch whatever is happening in your body – the silence, the movement, the breathing, a feeling, a thought, or whatever it is.

Go deep inside

and you will get a glimpse of silence in those moments. Meditation can happen to anyone, anywhere, anytime. It’s “happening,” not “doing.” You are not meditating – you are simply giving it a chance to happen, by shifting your attention from the outer world to the inner one. It’s like going deep into the ocean, leaving the waves behind on the surface.

Observe that all the chaos outside is separate from your inner silence

After some days of practice, you’ll notice that the hustle is outside of you, while you remain peaceful, silent, and stable at your centre. Outside hustle has nothing to do with your inner peace. The problem arises when you convince yourself that you are one with every activity around you. Once you realise your centre is still, you will start entering the state of meditation. Do this practice every day, and you’ll start feeling that stillness all day long, even while working.

Be conscious of the present moment

The sudden shock of this pause will make you more aware of the present. Most of the time, your body is awake, but you are sleeping inside. Practice being present in this moment of pause, and don’t get pulled into thoughts of the past. The present moment is the only part of life you’re actually living; everything else is memory or imagination.

Come back

After a minute or two, open your eyes and return to whatever you were doing. You will feel relaxed, energetic, and calm inside.

Things to keep in mind when you do practice

Practice regularly

You may feel childish when you start; let these thoughts pass, don’t stop the practice. You can do it anytime – while working, eating, running, or walking. Just stop for a while and look inside yourself.

Carry this feeling all day long

Once you get a taste of silence, carry it with you throughout the day. Now that you know your routine life is separate from your inner stillness, you’ll start feeling that stability show up in your routine life too.

Feel the joy

These momentary pauses will bring back the same state of mind you had as a child — playful, present, alive to the moment. Can you feel that same joy now? You will, during these pauses. Don’t make it a serious practice. Be playful, and enjoy these seconds of your life as if this were the only moment you’re alive.

To reach a state of meditation, you don’t have to take an hour out of your daily life. If you can, that’s great. But if you can’t, just start with a few seconds.

Sitting silently for an hour seems more difficult than taking silent moments out while working. These silent moments will lead you and show you the path to total awareness.

Also read these Meditation Tips before you start doing this one minute practice.

These small sessions of meditation practice are a need for this hour. Don’t just wait until you get hours of free time. Start practising and take pauses.

Remember “State of nothingness is meditation.“

Frequently Asked Questions

Is one-minute meditation actually effective?
Yes. Short, frequent pauses can be more sustainable than long sessions, especially for beginners or people with busy schedules. Consistency matters more than duration.

Can beginners do this practice?
This particular practice assumes some familiarity with meditation basics like breath awareness. If you’re completely new, it may help to start with a short guided session first.

How often should I practice one-minute meditation?
As often as you can – ideally several times a day, whenever you notice tension or feel pulled into your thoughts. The goal is to make these pauses a natural part of your routine, not a scheduled task.

Do I need to sit down to meditate for one minute?
No. This practice works standing, sitting, or even mid-task – the goal is a brief pause and shift in awareness, not a specific posture.

These small sessions of practice are the need of the hour. Don’t wait for hours of free time. Start practising. Take pauses.