Did you know you can lower your heart rate and calm your mind in just 60 seconds?

Here’s how:

Close your eyes. Inhale deeply, exhale fully.

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Inhale deeply, and send your attention to something you can hear. Focus on nothing else. Exhale fully.

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Inhale deeply, what do you smell? Exhale fully.

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Inhale deeply, what can you taste? (Hopefully you brushed your teeth this morning.) Exhale fully.

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Inhale deeply, notice what you feel on your skin. Exhale fully.

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Blink your eyes open as you inhale, and send all your attention to the first thing you see. Exhale fully.

This is what I like to call a “mindfulness minute,” but of course you can give each sense a full minute of its own if you’d like. And if you’d like to hear my sultry, soothing voice guide you through this, check out the Guided Meditations playlist on Birth & Beyond. (Or get a taste of these guided meditations in Preparing for Birth & First Six Weeks!) I’ve got everything from “A Meditation for Your Walk Home” to “Compassion for the Whole Body” waiting for you.