Hello and welcome to this guided five-minute mindfulness meditation, an exercise designed to increase your focus and awareness in the workplace. It will help you to create a space in your mind, free from clutter, and increase your productivity. With this practice, you will be able to reduce your stress levels and improve relationships with your colleagues.
You can practice this at your desk, with your eyes open or closed. If you cannot find any privacy and do not want to draw attention to yourself, you can listen with earphones and simply direct your eyes down towards your desk, keeping them open.
You can begin by focussing all of your attention on your breathing. Breathe deeply, in through your nose and out through your mouth. Count up to ten deep breaths, silently saying the word relax on every out-breath.
Give yourself permission to just be with this moment, you can forget about your colleagues and any work for the next five minutes, as this is your own special time that you deserve.
Set your intention to clear and revitalise your mind. Don’t worry if any unwanted thoughts arise, just acknowledge them without judgment, and refocus your awareness into the present moment.
If you do find your attention wandering from your breathing, just say thank you to your mind for recognising these thoughts, and gently move your attention back to your breath. Being mindful means that you are present and ok with where you are at. Over time, this will become easier and easier.
Move your attention to the feeling of the air gently brushing past the tip of your nose as you inhale. Notice how your stomach moves in and out as you breathe and become more and more relaxed.
For this next part, I want you to direct that focus towards your body. As you sit in your work chair, notice how your arms and legs and are positioned. Your legs may be crossed, your arms may be rested on your desk, or in your lap. Notice any points of contact with your body. Can you feel your feet touching the floor? Can you feel the weight of your body, as you sit in the chair?
As you tune in further, you may notice your clothing touching your skin. The softness of the cotton touching on your neck, or the movement of your clothes on your back as you breathe in and out. There may even be a nice gentle breeze, that you notice moving past the parts of your body that are unclothed.
As you look deeper within yourself, you may notice feelings and emotions arising. Do you feel bored at work today? Are you feeling tension or stress in your mind? Accept these with curiosity, open-heartedness, and preparedness to experience what is here and now.
Now that you are calm and focused, you can look forward to resuming the rest of your working day, remembering these techniques will allow you to move your awareness into the present moment at any time. Mindfulness will enable you to experience situations at hand, rather than judging them, giving you the space and concentration that is needed to boost your productivity and improve your working relationships with your colleagues.