You Can Start Meditating Today

Craig and Devon Hase teach a simple five-minute mindfulness practice you can do right now.

Craig Hase  •  Devon Hase
25 October 2021
Photo by Daniel Mingook Kim.

There are approximately one bajillion reasons why you should probably be meditating right now. Leaving aside any particularly Buddhist ones—like enlightenment, or nirvana, or complete liberation from the endless cycle of suffering— there are some totally legit, immediately beneficial ways mindfulness and meditation can be good for you starting today.

In a nutshell, we can say that meditation refers to a broad range of practices designed to help human beings suffer less and live with greater ease and well-being. Mindfulness is both the capacity of the mind to know and the development of that capacity. It is both an ingredient in all meditation practices and a type of meditation all by itself.

The ancient Buddhist word for mindfulness is sati. Sati, it turns out, is a richly complex signifier, and its meaning has been debated for centuries. For our purposes, however, we can define sati as “awareness.” It is the capacity of the mind to know. Awareness knows the five senses, it knows thoughts, it knows feeling tone and emotional valence. And when that capacity to know is developed, we can call it mindfulness. Or, as Jon Kabat-Zinn says, “Mindfulness is the awareness that arises through paying attention on purpose in the present moment—non-judgmentally.”

Here’s a five-minute exercise you can do to start your mindfulness practice today. Five minutes is just enough time to let the mind drop into the body. And letting the mind drop into the body is a great way to release some of the spinning, storming thoughts that make us unhappy for no great reason.

So let’s start by getting comfy. When we’re meditating, it’s nice to be relaxed and at ease, but it’s also helpful to be energized and alert in your body. You can try sitting on a cushion on the floor, or in a chair, or on your couch. Your posture can vary—the point is just to make sure your body feels supported but also awake. Close your eyes if you like, or keep a soft, downward gaze.

Now, take a few deep breaths. As you exhale, let go of any thoughts or worries or plans you might have running through your head. Allow your breath to return to a natural rhythm, and simply feel your body from the inside out.

Explore your inner weather patterns. Is it sunny inside? Or stormy? Or maybe you can’t feel anything at all. That’s okay. Just stay curious about this experience of having a body. Do you feel tension or ease in different parts of your body? Do you feel warm or cool? Do you feel pressure where you’re sitting? Use your awareness to feel all your bodily sensations as they come and go.

Of course, your mind will wander and get lost in thoughts as you do this. This is normal and natural and supposed to happen. When you notice that you’re distracted, that’s okay. You haven’t failed at meditation. This recognition of your wandering mind is actually a moment of sati, of remembering to be aware. Just come back to feeling your body in the present moment.

Congrats! You just meditated! You were cultivating mindfulness, or present moment awareness. You can also do this mental practice throughout your day. Whenever you remember, come back to your body and feel its sensations, posture, temperature.

 

Adapted from How Not to Be a Hot Mess: A Survival Guide for Modern Life, by Devon & Craig Hase © 2020 by Devon Hase and Craig Hase. Reprinted in arrangement with Shambhala Publications.

Craig Hase

Craig Hase

Craig Hase mentors dharma practitioners online, leads meditation retreats throughout North America and Europe, and teaches meditation on the Simple Habit app. Over the years, Craig has studied the teachings and practices of three different lineages – Insight, Zen and Vajrayana. He spent six years in a Zen monastery and completed a PhD in counseling psychology before making his topsy-turvy transition into teaching mindfulness, meditation, and dharma full time. These days he lives with his partner Devon in urban retreat in Ashland, Oregon, splitting each week between teaching and practice. Also, he co-wrote this crazy book with Devon called How Not to Be a Hot Mess: A Survival Guide for Modern Life, which offers six really good pieces of semi-Buddhist advice to keep you anchored and steady amidst the chaos of modern life. To learn more, visit www.devonandcraighase.com.
Devon Hase

Devon Hase

Devon Hase teaches meditation on retreat teams at the Insight Meditation Society, Spirit Rock, and throughout North America and Europe. She supports practitioners with online personal dharma mentoring, is a mentor in Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach’s Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certifcation Program, and teaches on the Ten Percent Happier and Simple Habit apps. Along with her life partner Craig Hase, Devon co-authored their first book, How Not to Be a Hot Mess: A Survival Guide for Modern Life. Devon has spent years in meditation retreat in the Insight and Vajrayana traditions, and now lives together with Craig in urban retreat in her hometown of Ashland, Oregon, splitting each week between teaching and practice. For more info visit www.devonandcraighase.com.