Today we live in a world where it is hard to find time to breath.  Finding the time to meditate can seem next to impossible.  However, when we look at our schedule, we can usually find a few minutes here and there to work in some much-needed personal time.  Here are five ways to work meditation into your busy schedule.  Each suggestion is longer in duration and helps you form a consistent meditation routine.

Motion Meditations

As the name suggests these meditations are done while you are moving.  These are very quick and can be done when you have a moment to focus.  This is a very surface level mediation.  The goal is to focus your mind so you can gather your thoughts.  A few of these and you will notice the results over the course of the day.  An example is drinking a glass of water.  Focus on how you hold the glass in your hand.  How heavy does the weight of the glass feel in your hand?  Think about what it feels like to take a sip of the water.  Notice how cool the temperature of the water is.  Concentrate on how it feels to swallow the water.  In the time it has taken you to take a sip of water you have done a meditation.

Spot Meditations

The only difference between these meditations and motion meditations is you are not moving when you do them.  The goal is the same as motion meditations; to focus your mind so you can collect your thoughts.  An example is while you are in line at the grocery store focus on your breathing.  This will help you stay calm instead of getting frustrated the people in front of you aren’t moving fast enough.

Micro Meditations

These meditations take you a little deeper into meditation than the two previous types.  They are perfect for when you have about five minutes to relax.  The goal is to quiet your mind so you can achieve a deeper level of calm.  A couple of examples are when you are taking the bus home from work, or you are waiting on a cake to finish baking.  These are also great for calming your mind to help you fall asleep.

Maintenance Mediations

These are the more traditional type of meditation.  They are more intentional because you are setting aside time to do them.  All you need is about 20 minutes to do them.  The goal is to attain an even deeper level of calm and relaxation.  These are best done in the morning or at night before bed.  Doing them in the morning will help set the tone for the kind of day you want to have.  Doing them at night will relax you so you can fall asleep easier and have a better night sleep.

Deep Meditations

Deep mediations are the deepest level of meditating.  They allow you to focus on self-growth and improvement.  These take around 45 minutes to an hour to do.  You can use them to improve mindfulness, change bad habits, and deal with negative emotions and mind sets.  It is very easy to forget about your body.  These are the types of meditations spiritualists and other gurus like to do because they give you that out of body feeling.

My main purpose for sharing these types of meditation is help you realize that you do have time to meditate.  Even if it is just a few moments here and there.  A few moments can add up to a whole lot of benefit over time.  Also, I hope you can use them to build a consistent meditation habit in your life.  You don’t have to do it every day.  Two or three times a week is more than enough to reap the benefits of meditation.