Meditation techniques can feel hard to start, but once you do, you often feel so good that you wonder why you waited so long.

That is how I found meditation to be. For years, I made reasons not to practice it on a regular basis, while knowing that even five minutes a day might make me feel more at ease, less anxious, and more present.

I would persuade myself that five minutes was insufficient. Why bother? I truly needed thirty or more, and I did not have the time.

Ironically, given that I understood meditation helped reduce my anxiety, I would complain that I was too nervous to sit still.

Ironically, while meditation eventually improves our ability to focus and manage distractions, I would moan that my surroundings were too distracting.

Then came my go-to justification: “It just does not work for me.”

Naturally, it did not “work.” I was not consistently meditating. And instead of settling into the experience, I became impatient with my own active mind, like watching the proverbial pot that would not boil.

I was approaching it with a perfectionist perspective, as though in order to be “excellent at it,” I would eventually need to have a fully clear mind.

When I discovered that there were numerous techniques to meditate that might accommodate my requirements, schedule, and moods, and that the main objective was to just show up, consciously watch my inner life, and practice detaching from my thoughts.

If I never got total mental clarity, that was fine. The exercise itself was the way to greater clarity in my day-to-day existence, despite its mental messiness and wandering.

Furthermore, mental clarity is not the only factor. Even five minutes a day of meditation can help you sleep better, control your emotions, become more resilient, and prevent and treat a variety of physical illnesses.

No other habit has such a profoundly positive effect on so many aspects of your life at once. Meditation benefits many aspects of your life, including your job, relationships, and hobbies, by lowering anxiety, depression, tension, and anger while also enhancing your physical health, focus, and presence.

With just five minutes a day, literally everything can change over time.

One or more of my favorite techniques, whether you are new to meditation or simply searching for different methods to incorporate mindfulness into your everyday life, including

1. Alternate Nostril Breathing

Inhale through your right nostril while holding your left nose down with your left thumb. Next, use your left index finger to seal both of your nostrils, then hold your breath. Exhale exclusively from your left nostril.

Inhale via your left nostril while keeping your right closed. Hold your breath while you use your thumb to close your left nostril, closing both of them. Exhale after releasing your index finger from your right nostril.

This is a single set. To balance the left and right hemispheres of your brain, soothe your nervous system, and induce a feeling of comfort and relaxation, perform at least five sets.

2. The 100-Breaths Technique

Shut your eyes. With your feet planted firmly on the floor and your back against your chair, gently pull yourself into the present. Inhale “and,” exhale “one,” and exhale “two” when you begin breathing through your nostrils and counting as you go. Think “and” for each inhale and the number for each exhale.

As you count yourself into a deeper state of relaxation, allow your breaths to slow and feel your belly rise with each inhalation. Move your fingers and toes, open your eyes, and bow your head in appreciation for the mental space you made after you have reached 100.

3. Full Body Breath Scan

Begin by counting to five, opening your stomach, and taking a breath through your nose. Imagine calming, warm light filling your feet as you inhale, and then, for a count of five, release any tension you may have been holding there by exhaling through your lips.

Repeat this process for your ankles, your shins, your knees, and so on, all the way up to your head. You will probably feel lighter, more relaxed, and at ease after you have finished scanning your entire body.

4. Lip-Touching Breathing

You are put on high alert when your sympathetic nervous system is activated; this is the “fight-or-flight” terror that alerts you to danger. The opposite sensation—a sense of ease and relaxation—is produced when your parasympathetic nervous system is activated.

The easiest method to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, according to Rick Hanson’s book Buddha’s Brain, is to touch your lip with two fingers.

Because parasympathetic nerve fibers are found in the lips, this is an easy way to induce calm that you can apply anytime, anywhere. Simply contact your lips, take a deep breath, and tell yourself, “I am safe,” to experience the benefits.

5. Walking Meditation

Even though you can do this whenever you go for a walk, you might want to look for a quiet area in the outdoors to walk. Walking barefoot will make you feel closer to the ground if it is safe to do so.

Take a few deep breaths to release tension and inhale soothing energy while standing with your arms and shoulders relaxed and your spine straight.

Now start walking gently and synchronize your breathing with your steps by inhaling with your right foot and exhaling with your left. To completely appreciate your surroundings, use all of your senses, including the gentle sound of the wind rustling leaves on trees and the warm sensation of the sun on your face. The objective is to just be present during the walking experience, not to reach a certain location.

6. Meditative Shower

Standing beneath a stream of water that is just the right temperature for you makes it simple to forget about everything else.

Spend some time focusing on your senses. To ensure that the aroma is enticing, pick a soap that you enjoy. Savor the how the water feels against your skin as it runs down your heels, calves, and back.

Take note of when you start to consider the day that lies ahead of you or behind you. Do not criticize yourself or the thoughts you are having. Rather, see them washing away, and then return your attention to the process of purifying your body and mind.

(You may read my new Mindfulness Kit, How to Make Your Shower Mindful, Blissful, and Rejuvenating, for a comprehensive tutorial on this very subject.)

7. Chore Meditation

If you focus entirely on the task at hand, whether it is dusting, vacuuming, or dishwashing, it can become your meditation.

For instance, doing the dishes may be both gratifying and energizing. Enjoy the sensation of cleaning something filthy again when you feel the warm water on your fingertips. Put completion and your plans for once you are done out of your mind. If you can do it slowly and well, try finding a sense of presence and acceptance by concentrating only on the action.

8. Mindful Eating

Make meals a meditation rather than a fast-paced dining session where you focus on your food while using your iPhone. Why not set everything aside and take this time for yourself? Eating does not take long. When you are finished, your emails, texts, and social media accounts will remain accessible.

Take a deep breath and attempt to detect the many subtleties of fragrance in each dish. Breathe deeply in between bites when eating, and consider your food like a foodie would, savoring the various flavors and textures.

Focus on the sensation of the fork in your palm if you find your mind straying to things you have done or need to accomplish. After that, take a big breath, bite into the dish, and concentrate on enjoying it.

To start enjoying the advantages, you can apply any of these methods to your daily routine. Although you might be tempted to do more once you get going, it actually only takes five minutes. It feels so lovely to be mindful. Nothing is quite as relaxing as a few seconds of pure presence in a world where it is all too easy to become sidetracked and enmeshed in your thoughts and anxieties.a