dream | act | succeed

What sounds like a compromise, doesn’t even need to be that!

When it comes to a regular, maybe even daily meditation practice, sooner or later even the most motivated person on earth might struggle a bit to keep up with the pace.

Sure, twenty minutes are only twenty minutes. But twenty minutes are also twenty minutes less sleep, less fun, or twenty minutes less of something else. Considering the fact, that even I struggle from time to time to keep up with the daily routine, I can clearly imagine how other people must feel out there.

The solution? Reducing the meditation time? Well, that would be too easy!

We are meditating for a reason! For a goal! It’s not just about the time we spend, its also about the quality of our meditation practice. Everybody can spend three hours in the gym, talking with a friend and doing a couple of exercises in between. But that’s not really getting you any closer to Arnold Schwarzeneggers top physique when he was younger. Sure, maybe you do not even want to become the next meditation guru! I can totally understand that! But nevertheless, in life you either do something with your full commitment, or you better do not do it after all!

If you feel like wasting your time with your current meditation practice, by all means, stop doing it! Try something new! Refresh your mind! Get some “pep” into your meditation rhythm! Buy yourself a fancy orange buddhist robe, or some joss sticks! Just kidding of course! This is highly unnecessary! But you understand what I want to say! Try something new! Try something better!

For me! The absolute maximum time for a daily meditation session is ten minutes! Why? Because I always have ten minutes! But twenty minutes? No! Just no! I am not in the mood! Look! I can’t, I have this and that. You already know the game!

It’s funny, but sometimes the number really makes a difference. Sure, that’s just us, with our little monkey minds. But anyways, as Murphys law says, “If it is stupid but it works, it ain’t stupid!” Therefore:

Welcome to the meditation mini’s!

I guess the title of this post is self-explanatory! Meditation mini’s are simply put, miniature versions of classical meditation sessions! But how mini?

10 minutes? 5 minutes? 1 minute? 10 seconds?

I guess we can find the answer in the automotive industry. A mini is a formal British car brand that belongs to BMW Group these days. Looking at their “Mini” production range, well, we can already see the solution!

They make small Mini’s, but they make also bigger Mini’s! It is therefore not really important how you call your meditation session, but how you interpret it! That’s marketing my friend!

From taking a breath or three, to the barefoot mindfulness walk through the garden. From the one minute session before going to sleep until the never ending guided meditation practice on your phone.

If you want to improve your meditation skills then work with meditation min’s! Why? Because you need to perform the act of calming yourself down under any circumstances in life! Therefore, don’t practice it in an safe environment only!

Just imagine you would be a part of the next secret NAVY Seals mission somewhere around the globe! Would you practice in a safe and sterile environment somewhere in a military base? Or do you need to practice in the exact environment your mission will take place? A dessert, an oil rig, a city center? But not only the location is important! It’s also all about your emotions, the stress level and other factors. In war, there might be explosions, gunfire, and whatever! If you haven’t practiced to operate in such an environment, well, the moment it really matters, you will be doomed to fail! You will be overwhelmed by all those events that are taking place at the very same time! Your focus will be absorbed by the sound, the explosions and the fear!

Sure, in your personal life, there are not really explosions going on. At least not caused by TNT! It might be the project that is just not going anywhere, the customer that complains all the time, or the problems the production process is having without any obvious reason!

If you want to improve your behavior under pressure, in fear, or simply put when it really matters, well, then practice your meditation skills under those circumstances!

Just implement a couple of meditation mini’s whenever you feel overwhelmed, stressed out or whatever and try to get this back under control! Believe it or not! But a five minutes mediation session under those circumstances will be much more effective, than a three weeks daily twenty minutes meditation sessions in your comfort zone at home in front of the fire place!

See you next time!