Does the thought of sitting down for 20 minutes of meditation overwhelm you or keep you from even starting?  If so, this might be just the trick you need to get started.  That’s the very reason I started this practice, because I just couldn’t bear the thought of getting up any earlier in the morning, and I wasn’t sure that even if I did that I wouldn’t fall back asleep being still and quiet for that long, that early!

I call this my “Two Minutes More” meditation because that’s exactly what it is. Before I get into the details of it, let me ask you – is there a time in the morning, as you’re bustling about getting ready for the day and before you head out the door, that you sit down?  Do you sit to eat breakfast? Drink Coffee? Put on your shoes? Watch news or read the paper?  Put on makeup?  Or any other reason?  If so, this may be for you.  This won’t work for everyone, but if you fit the “sit” qualifications, why not give it a try?

This practice evolved the way it did because I knew as I sat at my makeup table, when the dog or cats would start to pester me to be fed or let out, I would just tell them they’d have to wait until I was done and so they became used to leaving me alone.  But when I would try to sit somewhere else to meditate they would disregard any boundaries and pester me nonstop. So I just extended my makeup time a little more, fooled them!

So, Two Minutes More was born.   When you’ve finished with your sitting activity, instead of rushing up and around right away, sit for just two more minutes.  If you have a smartphone, tell it to set a time for 2 minutes, close your eyes, straighten up a bit, and take a deep breath.  Really feel the air moving into your lungs, feel your lungs expand, then feel them relax as you slowly exhale.  Then also check your feet- are you feeling grounded to the earth?  Feel the bottom of your feet and maybe even feel them sink through all of the materials between you and the core of the earth.  Be grounded in your day to help you stay stable and unshakeable.

The two minutes will pass very quickly, so if at some point you want to increase it to three, five, seven minutes it’s easy to do.  The other beauty of this practice is you don’t need to get up any earlier, the alarm can stay the same because you can always squeeze 2 minutes in!

One gentleman told me he literally does not sit down from the time he gets up until he leaves the house, so this won’t work for everyone.  And if that’s the case, is there another time throughout the day you can try it?  Maybe before you start the car or after you turn it off?  First sit down on the bus? The coffee shop or your office?

I hope you’re able to give this a try.  Starting to establish a spiritual practice starts the shift in your life to allow more great things in, and this is a simple one to start!