Authenticity Through Meditation: It Only Takes a Minute

Every Sunday morning millions of people tune in to listen to Oprah Winfrey interview various people on her Super Soul Sunday.  Her stated goal is to help people discover their authenticity.  So what is authenticity?  Webster’s Dictionary defines the work authentic to mean genuine, real, having an origin supported by unquestionable evidence.

When interviewed by Oprah, Panache Desai expressed that we can only be who we are, and at some point that has to be enough.  We must accept ourselves, and only when we learn to accept ourselves as we are will we be comfortable; authentic.

Oprah herself defines authentic as the things that really matter.  But what does matter?

Chasing the Equivalent of Our “Human Tail”
We’ve all watched a dog spin around in circles pursuing his ever elusive tail trying over and over again to catch it.  In this crazy 21^st Century we are all moving at what seems to approach the speed of light chasing after our own “human tail,” hungrily seeking something.  But what are we seeking?  For most of us, we appear to be running in circles in pursuit of an elusive dream. We want more.  We want better.  We want.  But many of us have no clue what it is that we want.  We have not invested the time to stop, look around us and really see what we have.  We haven’t or cannot articulate what we want in addition to what we already have or instead of it.  Rather than living our chosen life, we are allowing life to happen for us.

 What is it that you really want in this moment?  Do you have an answer for this question? 

 End the Chase by Quieting the Mind
One minute spent in reflection on our wants and desires can lead to a conscious shift toward our individual authenticity…what Panache Desai calls our own frequency, our soul signature.  After all, what is authenticity but the things that really matter.  So rather than continue on your speed of light rotation toward an unknown and undefined destiny of “more,” open yourself to the possibilities that quiet reflection can produce.  Make a conscious choice to tune into your breath, releasing your thoughts to clear a path to mindfulness. 

Too many of us think we have to set aside a block of time to meditate.  We have the best of intentions to allow ourselves 20 minutes during the day to meditate.  Some of us even go as far as scheduling it into our appointment books, only to short change ourselves when a client, the children, our boss, or someone else has a crisis and wants us to fix it, or at least help fix it.  While 20 minutes is a fantastic goal to strive for, you really only need one minute to engage in meaningful meditation.  And that one minute is best taken at the height of chaos, pressure, tension.

 The One-Minute Meditation
When you are feeling stressed, when the pressure to perform, act, do, or answer is upon you, stop.  For one minute just be.  Become one with the surface supporting your body.  Plant your feet if you are standing and cannot sit, resting your hands on your thighs.  If you are sitting, feel the chair underneath you, supporting you, and plant your feet flat, again resting your hands on your thighs. Relax your shoulders by consciously forcing them down toward your hips. Drop your eyelids or, if possible, close your eyes.  Take a deep breath.  Inhale slowly and consciously, expanding your lungs, filling your diaphragm, feeling it expand with the air you are taking in.  Hold your breath for just a moment.  Now, just as consciously, mindfully exhale.  Feel the air escape from your diaphragm as it contracts toward your navel, pushing the air up into your lungs and out through your mouth or nose. 

Repeat. Become one with your breath, inhaling and exhaling consciously for one minute.  Feel yourself become lighter, one with space.  After one minute, about six deep conscious inhales and exhales, slowly open or raise your eyes returning to the present.  Take one more deep breath, and resume where you left off, only more consciously now.  Just one minute of meditation will help to bring the true issue into focus and allow you to take action, rather than to react.

 Next time you are feeling tense, stressed, pressured to do or say something, stop.  Take a minute, literally, to meditate.  Doing so will clear your mind allowing you to make a mindful decision or take conscious action. 

 This is just another tool to place into your Joyful Life Tools toolbox and draw upon as needed.