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Your First Five-Minute Breath Meditation

Follow five simple steps for a breath meditation, try a guided minute, and be ready to practice for five minutes on your own.

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Cover picture for lesson 4: Your First Five-Minute Breath MeditationVideo coming soon
The video is not out yet. The written lesson below has the same content.
THE WRITTEN LESSONFollow along at your pace

In this lesson you learn five simple steps for a breath meditation. A guided minute follows, so you are ready for five minutes on your own. Five minutes is a reasonable start for a beginner, and you can lengthen it later if you want to.

Steps 1 and 2: sit and set a timer

First, sit in the position you chose. Then set a timer for five minutes, and lay your phone face down with notifications silenced. The timer watches the clock, so you don’t have to.

A person on a chair, numbered 1 and labeled Sit, joined by a line to a stopwatch numbered 2 and labeled Set 5 minutes. A phone lies face down under a crossed-out bell. A chip says The timer watches the clock.(opens the full-size picture)
Let the timer watch the clock.

Step 3: find the breath

Let your breath be natural, not long and not short. Notice where you feel it most: the belly, the chest, the throat or the nostrils. Pick one spot, and keep coming back to that same spot. You are feeling the breath, not steering it.

An outline of a person with an orange dot on the belly, labeled Belly. Two chips say One spot and Feel it, don't steer it.(opens the full-size picture)
Choose one spot and stay with it.

Step 4: when you wander

Within a breath or two, you will be thinking about something else. That is normal. Notice it, say thinking softly in your head, and gently bring your attention back to the breath.

A seated person with two thought bubbles, lunch? and email. A speech bubble that says thinking has a dashed arrow pointing to a glowing circle labeled Your breath.(opens the full-size picture)
Say thinking, then return to the breath.

Step 5: finish slowly

When the timer sounds, don’t jump straight up. Open your eyes, then notice the sounds around you, how your body feels, and your mood. Then stand up slowly.

A stopwatch at 0:00 with a bell beside it. Three cards labeled Sounds, Body and Mood show a sound wave, a body outline and a calm face. A chip says Stand up slowly.(opens the full-size picture)
Sounds, body, mood, then stand.

A guided minute you can follow

The video has a guided version of this minute, with real silences between the instructions. If you prefer to read, you can follow the same steps here. Take your time, and pause for a few breaths after each step.

  1. Sit comfortably, and let your eyes close, or rest your gaze on the floor.
  2. Take one slower breath in, and let it go.
  3. Now let your breath be natural.
  4. Find the spot where you feel it most, and rest your attention there.
  5. If your mind has wandered, that is fine. Notice it, and gently come back to the breath.
  6. Stay with this breath, and the next one.
  7. Now notice the sounds around you, and how your body feels.
  8. When you are ready, open your eyes.

YOUR TURN

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Read the full lesson script

In this lesson, you'll learn five simple steps for a breath meditation. Then we'll practice for one minute together, so you're ready for five minutes on your own.

First, sit in the position you chose. Then set a timer for five minutes, and lay your phone face down with notifications silenced. The timer watches the clock, so you don't have to.

Next, let your breath be natural, not long and not short. Notice where you feel it most: the belly, the chest, the throat or the nostrils. Pick one spot, and keep coming back to that same spot. You're feeling the breath, not steering it.

Within a breath or two, you'll be thinking about something else. That's normal. Notice it, say thinking softly in your head, and gently bring your attention back to the breath.

When the timer sounds, don't jump straight up. Open your eyes, then notice the sounds around you, how your body feels, and your mood. Then stand up slowly.

Now let's practice for one minute together. Sit comfortably, and let your eyes close, or rest your gaze on the floor. Take one slower breath in, and let it go. Now let your breath be natural. Find the spot where you feel it most, and rest your attention there. If your mind has wandered, that's fine. Notice it, and gently come back to the breath. Stay with this breath, and the next one. Now notice the sounds around you, and how your body feels. When you're ready, open your eyes.

So remember: set a timer, find the breath, and when you wander, notice and come back. Before the next lesson, do one five-minute session on your own. Next, you'll see why a wandering mind is the practice, not a failure.