Meditation can be done anywhere and anytime for a mental refocus. We can find five minutes in the day in our car, on a train or even at work. There are no requirements to be in a quiet or isolated place from the busy world. All that is needed is our conscious attention and our breath, the two most powerful tools we have and can use anywhere at any time. Our mind might protest, “I can’t do much in five minutes.” Yet, by giving just five minutes of our attention to our breath, we can discover the way from a painful path to a joyous one.

The ancient teaching of meditation begins with moving the attention to our conscious breath and into stillness. This is easy to do when we feel good, but difficult if we are feeling anger or fear, or are caught in an addictive pattern.

Our attention will unfold our reality. Where we place our attention becomes our life experience. If it is occupied with negative thoughts or addictive patterns and guilt, our life experience will be magnified as that. Yet by moving our attention to discover what the vibration is behind these feelings, we can begin the observation of the new world—a place that allows vibrational feelings, rather than emotional feelings.

For example, if we are feeling anger, in the old understanding we would label it as anger and respond to it with angry thought patterns. In the new world and through meditation, anger is now a great heat in the body, even an explosive life energy arising. Anger has now been transformed into life power.

When sadness is felt, it is often labeled by the mind as bad, and as something that needs to be changed into happiness. Yet going into the core of our sadness, we may find a soft vibration and a time to be tender. How beautiful is that? In Thailand, people ask each other, “How is your heart today?” The answer could be a cold heart, a warm heart, an expansive heart and so on.

When we go within and incorporate our attention with our breath, a natural transformation of harmony is experienced. We meet our natural self, a presence of joy. Practicing these five easy steps at any time of day, even in a tense situation, works—and others will feel it, too. Life will open up to a new world of infinite possibilities.

Maytawee spent personal time with Eckhart Tolle in 1998, becoming his event coordinator, then studied with spiritual master Mooji and Monk Phra Bhasakorn. In 2011, while in northern Thailand, Maytawee took the steps to become ordained as a monk/nun, dedicating her life in service to others to awaken their soul wisdom. She has 25 years of experience as a mindful life coach, writer and inspirational speaker incorporating her doctorate of divinity and ministry into her healing arts: Fast Track Release, Ajna Light Therapy and Mandala Sacred Movement.

Try This Five-Step, Five-Minute Meditation

Embrace your within, now.

1. Attention: Become aware of your ability to move your attention where you choose.
2. Breath: Notice your breath. Try counting 10 conscious breaths. The gateway to infinite possibilities is transforming pain into pleasure.
3. Experience: Become aware of putting your full attention on the energy of the emotion in your body, whether it is labeled as anger or sadness. Simply feel, with no story. Notice how anger becomes energy and sadness becomes a vibration.
4. Release: Allow the breath to gather these feelings or energies and release them. Feel how the energies become lighter on your exhale.

Be still: Observe the body moving back to a natural state of being in peace, love and joy