It Only Takes A Minute

“Someone asked me recently: What is it that haunts you? I said, ‘I can tell you exactly; it is the sense of time slipping through my fingers like fine sand. And there is nothing I can do to slow it.’ …From time immemorial it has been one of the deepest longings of the human heart to strain against the erosion of one’s life, to find a way of living and being that manages to find some stable ground within time, a place from where something eternal can be harvested from our disappearance.”

John O’Donohue in To Bless the Space Between Us (Doubleday, 2008)

(Adapted from Deep Medicine: Harnessing the Source of Your Healing Power, New Harbinger Publications, 2009)

As August draws to a close, school terms resume and Labor Day draws near. The memories of the lazy days of summer will fade as we return from summer holidays and resume our daily work. With that transition, time will take on a different quality. John O’Donohue is one of the most articulate voices at the interface of the seen and unseen, of the inner and outer human landscapes, and of the understood and mysterious in our lives. The transience of our lives and our relationship to time are compelling challenges in finding our way and deciding what to do and what really matters to us.

Contemporary life these days is confronting a new challenge, actually what has been called a “new poverty”. It is the poverty of time, i.e. too much to do and not enough time to do it. How can we replenish ourselves as the time keeps ticking away? Are there ways to slow the passage of time? One thing that is possible is to bring conscious awareness to our selves in the course of our busy daily lives.

Many techniques and practices have been proposed and taught to this end – from affirmations to meditation to prayer to yoga. One practical way to practice this is with the use of what I call the “Deep Minute”. Literally a 60 second minute during which you slow down, get quiet, pay attention and go inward. A “deep minute” provides a moment to experience awareness and assess what you are thinking, feeling and doing. It requires no special setting, beliefs, protocol or intermediary.  It can be a time to reflect, contemplate, meditate, or pray. During a “deep minute” you can give gratitude, acknowledgement, and forgiveness to your self or others. It is an opportunity for relaxation, setting intention, anger management, stress reduction, and replenishment. A “deep minute” is about taking a deep breath and simply catching your own breath.

I first began using the practice of the “Deep Minute” many years ago when lecturing to young doctors in surgical training. These talks usually occurred at the end of a long and busy day. This generally was not a group particularly open to a definitive meditation or similar practice. Nonetheless, to begin our time together and prior to any formal lecture, we would share one minute of quiet to help each of us arrive at the present moment and release what had come before and what was yet to come in our day, or in this case our night. For some the minute seemed very short. For others it felt much longer than a mere 60 seconds. During those “deep minutes”, it was apparent how powerful this simple technique could be for one’s personal and collective sense of well-being.

You can engage in a “deep minute” any time, any place, and for any reason. Entering a “deep minute” can be done on the job, in doors or outside, alone or in a group, with eyes open or closed. All that is necessary is your full attention. In the process your pulse and breathing rate are likely to slow and your blood pressure decrease. You will relax, gain equanimity, and foster longer periods of non-reactivity and balance in your daily life. A “deep minute” can be done standing up, lying down, sitting in a chair or on the floor/ground in a cross-legged or knees-bent-on-your-heels position. If on a chair, and it is comfortable and possible for you, align yourself so that your ears are over your shoulders (that is, your head is not jutting forward), your shoulders over your hips, your knees over your ankles, and your feet flat on the floor (removing your shoes is very helpful), parallel and pointing straight ahead. Elevate your sternum (breast bone) and lower rib cage, soften your belly, relax your shoulders away from your ears. Allow your hands to rest comfortably on your thighs with palms up or down, or cupped on top of each other or with fingertips lightly touching in front of your belly. Before achieving your final chosen positioning, be sure to turn of your personal communications devices. They are fully capable of taking a message during an uninterrupted “deep minute”!

Close your eyes gently or softly defocus them, looking slightly downward. Relax your jaw. Then simply sit quietly for a minute. Breathe through your nose deeply, slowly, and without force or strain. Allow your breath to breathe you. Let your exhalation be slightly longer than your inhalation. Pause briefly after you inhale and exhale. At first you may need to check your watch or a clock. As your practice with the “deep minute” matures, you will probably choose to spend more than just one minute in this restful, restorative practice which can slow your inner metronome, change your mind, improve your emotional state, refresh your body, and renew your energy — even as time continues to march on.

Every minute is a new creative experience, never lived before, never to be lived again. Living in the moment, minute by minute, is a wisdom practice and will provide deep medicine for your body, mind and spirit.