How to Meditate at Work: 5 Tips for Office Meditation

An office meditation is a practice of meditating in an office space. Workplace environments can be a source of stress for many people, so learning how to meditate at work can be helpful. An office meditation can help you relax and regain perspective throughout the day. Regularly practicing meditation in the workplace can improve your focus, decision-making, and intrapersonal communication.

There are several physical and mental health benefits of meditation. Practicing meditation in an office setting can have the following benefits:

1. 1. Boosts awareness: Meditation can help keep you in the present moment. During a session, you continuously draw attention inward, improving your concentration and awareness of your physical surroundings and mental state.
2. 2. Facilitates healthy reactions and decision-making: Practicing meditation in your work environment can help you relax and make better decisions. It can also improve your ability to communicate calmly with coworkers. Regular office meditation can also help you react to stressful news.
3. 3. Improves sleep quality: You can use meditation to improve sleep quality. Meditation helps reduce stress levels, anxiety, and depression—all of which can cause insomnia. Regular meditation can lower your heart rate, decrease blood pressure, and increase the production of melatonin, a sleep hormone.
4. 4. Increases job satisfaction: Taking time for yourself at work can reduce stress and help you avoid burnout. This is because you have more grace for yourself, better connections with coworkers, and a better daily balance between work and personal needs.
5. 5. Offers mental clarity: The busy nature of your work day can make it challenging to find a moment for yourself. Office meditation slows down racing thoughts and helps rebuff life’s many distractions, giving you more time to focus solely on your own mental and spiritual needs.

To build a meditation practice at work, follow these steps:

1. 1. Find a space and position. Find a quiet, distraction-free area. Then, settle into a comfortable position. If you want to try a classic meditation position, try the lotus position, which involves crossing your legs and then placing your right foot atop your left thigh and your left foot atop your right thigh.
2. 2. Take inventory. A body scan is a popular meditation technique whereby you move your attention from one part of the body to the next, typically in the direction of head to toe (or vice versa). As you’re performing this check-in, take note of any physical sensations. This is especially helpful in identifying where your body carries stress and tension so that you can monitor those areas to identify triggers.
3. 3. Lead with your breath. Breathing is a key component of a mindfulness meditation practice. Take deep breaths, expanding your belly with a rich inhale and exhaling with a slow out-breath as your belly contracts. As you breathe, concentrate on how your lungs expand, and your body relaxes as you exhale. This will help your nervous system relax, so you can move forward with your day in a healthier headspace.
4. 4. Let distractions come and go. It’s entirely normal if your mind wanders during meditation, especially if you’re new to the practice. The purpose of meditation is not to stop your mind from wandering, but to notice when it does, so you can gently redirect those thoughts without any judgment or frustration. You can also schedule meditation on your work calendar to prevent last-minute meetings and interruptions.
5. 5. Close your eyes. Closing your eyes during your session can help improve focus. By shutting off the flow of visual information, your other senses will heighten, and you’ll be more in tune with the sensations inside and around you. Embrace all the sensations with an open heart and mind.

Use these tips to deepen your office meditation practice:

1. 1. Find a consistent, quiet place. Consistency helps you deepen your meditation practice, so using the same space each time may help you get in and out of your meditation headspace quicker. Use a break room or conference room away from busy hallways.
2. 2. Go for a walk. Try a walking meditation if your office is near a park or a walking trail.
3. 3. Schedule your meditation sessions on your calendar. Scheduling your practice will help you prioritize it alongside the rest of your work. Choose a time when you are least likely to have overlapping calls or last-minute meetings. You only need about ten minutes of meditation; you can also practice on your lunch break if you cannot fit it between work tasks.
4. 4. Silence your devices. To help prevent outside distractions, remove your work computer and phone from the space or silence notifications during your mindfulness practice. Simply hearing notifications or emails from coworkers may cause you to lose focus and stress.
5. 5. Use guided meditation to get started. If you’re a beginner, practicing meditation in the office may be challenging, especially if you experience a lot of stress in that environment. Try using simple meditation programs, online meditation classes, or meditation apps to start your practice.

Find something comfortable to sit or lie on, grab a MasterClass Annual Membership, and dial into the present moment with Jon Kabat-Zinn, the father of the Western mindfulness movement. From formal meditation exercises to examinations of the science behind mindfulness, Jon will prepare you for the most important practice of them all: life itself.