The Basic Minute

7th March 2011

Although the purpose of One-Moment Meditation is to help you to experience deep peace in just a moment, we start with a minute because a moment goes by so quickly that you’d have to be a master to notice one. A minute, however, is like a moment with handles on it. You know where it begins and ends, so it’s easier to grasp. So the first exercise is called the Basic Minute. Try to do the Basic Minute in a quiet place, once a day. The only equipment you will need is a timer. You can do it several times a day, but please don’t do the Basic Minute for longer than a minute. The point of this exercise is to learn that you can truly tap a deep experience of peacefulness in a very short amount of time, so if you do it longer, you’re cheating.

Instructions

1. Find a place of relative solitude.
2. Sit down.
3. Place your legs in a relaxed but fixed position.
4. Sit up.
5. Set your alarm for exactly one minute.
6. Place your hands in a relaxed but fixed position.
7. Close your eyes.
8. Allow your mind to settle into your breathing.
9. When the alarm sounds, stop.

Once you’ve practiced the Basic Minute, you can find out more about One-Moment Meditation by reading the book or trying the online course. You will learn how to deepen your experience of the Minute and how to make it more flexible and useful, with exercises such as the Portable Minute, the Emergency Minute, the Bonus Minute, and the Surprise Minute.

You will then learn how to reduce the length of the Minute gradually, until you can get the same sense of equanimity in just a moment. With One-Moment Meditation, you can experience peacefulness wherever you are, and stillness even when you’re on the go.