How to make 10 minute meditation fit to your schedule

With your hectic schedule,  you tend to feel stressed, overwhelmed and confused a lot of times. With all the demands and responsibilities to fulfil, it can be easy to push self-care activities to the bottom of your to-do list.

Intentionally spending 10 minutes with your mind after a long day doesn’t seem worthy at all. In reality, a 10 minute meditation everyday can bring a huge difference to your life.

When you devote just 10 minutes a day to sit down and meditate, you become more aware of your thoughts and feelings. You learn to stay in the present moment instead of being caught up in the loop of overwhelming and unhelpful thoughts.

Eventually, it brings out a calmer, relaxed version of you coupled with improved focus and clarity which helps you to be more consciously aware of your thoughts in daily life.

If you’re not willing to spend 10 minutes right now, then you can start with less than 5-minute breathing exercises to get started. Level Supermind has a series named ‘21 days challenge’ with 4-minute meditations to help you get started and incorporate it as a habit into your daily, hectic schedule.

What can 10 minutes of meditation do?

Our mind is habituated to think all the time. That’s why it’s so necessary to sit with it and relax. With just 10 minutes of meditation, you can notice a big difference within yourself- increased focus, improved memory, better clarity, enhanced creativity and a greater sense of empathy.

But you can’t expect to reap the benefits of meditation when you’re just starting out. Like any other thing, give yourself some time to build a habit of meditation practice.

Starting your day off on the right foot with a 10-minute meditation is a great idea. It can provide you a sense of peace and clarity as well as help you set the tone for the rest of the day. Many people find that starting their day with a short meditation helps them to feel more focused and energized.

Initially, you might feel restless, sleepy, distracted or even anxious while meditating. But the truth is that over a period of time, it will make your mind stronger leaving you with the room to focus better on the world around yourself.

Many people believe that meditation means clearing your mind of all ideas. Because of this misunderstanding, newcomers may feel that they are "bad" meditators. As your heart beats and your breath flows in and out, your mind thinks. Mindfulness meditation is not about emptying the mind. Although it's impossible to stop your thoughts, mindfulness does provide an entirely new perspective on how to relate to them, allowing you to take control of your mind rather than being a slave to it.

And there’s no right or wrong way to meditate. All you need to do is be as compassionate to yourself as you can. Let go of negative thoughts and be as kind to your mind during the 10 minute meditation as you can, without being carried away by your thoughts.

Why does meditation seem so hard to do?

It’s just 10 minutes! Then, why is it so difficult to do?

Wondering the same? Well,  here are a few common reasons why you may find it hard to meditate for 10 minutes:

Difficulty concentrating

During meditation, it might be challenging to silence the mind and concentrate on a single thing. Focusing for the entire ten minutes may be difficult as a result of this. However, with practice, it becomes easier to focus and to stay present during meditation.

Difficulty sitting still

It can be physically uncomfortable to sit still for a long amount of time for some people, which might make it challenging to practice meditation for 10 minutes.

To make meditation more comfortable, find a comfortable position and use a cushion or blanket to support the body.

Getting distracted

It can be easy to get distracted by external stimuli or inner thoughts during meditation, which can make it hard to stay present and focused.

To minimize distractions, find a quiet, peaceful place to meditate and set aside a dedicated time for your practice.

Lack of motivation

It might be challenging to maintain a daily meditation practice when you simply do not feel motivated to meditate.

To stay motivated, set achievable goals for your meditation practice, such as starting with just a few minutes a day and gradually increasing the length of your practice over time.

One of the best ways to make it easier to meditate for 10 minutes? Try a guided meditation. Guided meditations are an easy fix to help you start meditating until you can learn how to meditate properly. They can help you stay focused and provide structure to your meditation practice.

Remember that it's okay if your mind wanders during meditation – this is completely normal. Just gently redirect your focus back to your breath or the present moment. With time and practice, it should become easier to meditate for longer periods of time.

How to find 10 minutes to meditate?

In previous blog posts, we covered the basics of meditation for beginners, as well as strategies for addressing common challenges during the practice.

You may find it difficult to find 10 minutes of time to meditate amongst your busy schedule. But this makes it even more important to sit down, meditate and relax your mind. Here’s how you can find 10 minutes to meditate everyday:

There’s no fixed time of the day to mediate

Meditate whenever you can- in the morning to set a tone for your day and start with a clear mind or at night before bed. You can meditate before doing something important or to relax yourself when you feel overwhelmed.

If you’re finding trouble taking out time, try waking up 10 minutes earlier to get enough time to meditate.

Incorporate it in your routine

The best way to start and stick to meditation is to make it a part of your routine. Set an aim for yourself to meditate after brushing your teeth, taking a shower or before leaving home for work. You can also do it while taking breaks during the day. It may be during lunch time or any other time that suits you the best.

Find little pockets of time in your day

If you don't have a solid 10 minutes time throughout the day, try breaking the time down into shorter sessions of 2-3 minutes throughout the day. Taking public transport? Meditate. Mid day break? Meditate. Set reminders on the calendar to hold yourself accountable when you think about skipping it.

Prioritize

If you’re not able to allocate just a few minutes to meditation everyday, it’s mostly because you’re not prioritizing your work properly. Select the most important tasks from your to do list and try to squeeze out the time from the less important ones.

How to make 10-minute meditation a daily habit?

Even though it’s just 10 minutes, taking out time to meditate doesn’t seem to be easy. Here’s what you can do to make meditation a part of your daily routine.

Don’t think. Just do it

Most of the time, you’re stuck in a loop of overthinking- How do I start? What’s the best way to meditate? What if I’m distracted? After all this, you’re right where you started, without taking any actual conscious step to meditate.

You can meditate anywhere- while travelling, walking or taking a break. To establish a routine, set a specific time of the day to make it easier to remember to meditate. For instance, either make it a point to meditate for 10 minutes every morning before getting out of bed, or every evening before going to bed.

Don’t be rigid

The best thing about meditation is that you don’t have to pick a specific place to do it and there’s no right or wrong way to do it. You could do it anywhere. So, if you’re not able to stick to a particular place or time, don’t stop. Do it whenever you get time. This way you’ll build a better sense of discipline and will not lose out on motivation.

Keep it simple

Meditation doesn’t need to be complicated. No special equipment, nothing. All you need is a comfortable place to sit or lie down where you don’t get disturbed. You can also couple it with lighting a candle and playing soft music to create a relaxing atmosphere. Simply lie down in a comfortable posture and focus on your breath.

Go for a guided meditation

As mentioned above, guided meditations help you stay focused for a longer period of time without causing your mind to wander easily. Especially if you’re a beginner, you should try out guided meditations from apps like Level Supermind which provide an entire structure to your meditation experience and guide you throughout.

Be patient

Remember, “When the going gets tough, the tough gets going.

It takes time and practice to build a meditation habit. So, if you miss a day or two, don’t be hard on yourself. Keep in mind every step counts and all that matters at the end is to show up for yourself.

Meditate for 10 minutes with Level Supermind

Level Supermind has hundreds of meditations to choose from. If you’re thinking about getting started with meditation, then search for these meditations on the app:

21 days challenge: Are you having trouble building a consistent daily meditation practice? Don’t worry , we have the 21-day meditation challenge for you. The goal of this challenge is to help you establish a daily meditation habit by guiding you through quick 4-minute meditation sessions each day amidst your busy schedule. By following this, you will be on your way to developing a sustainable and consistent meditation practice.

Beginners series: Learn the basics of meditation and be more focused, self aware and confident with this 7-day meditation series with each session of 10 minutes or less.

Additionally, we are planning on bringing a series of meditation for the entire year so that you can practice meditation consistently and with greater sense of direction.

Final thoughts

There’s no right or wrong way to meditate. All you need to do is start small. Try out different meditation techniques and find the one that works for you. Start devoting just 10 minutes a day to meditation. Don’t expect changes to happen overnight. Just show up for yourself with an open mind and you’ll soon see a big difference within yourself