This Blue Dot Helps Me Meditate

Fifteen years ago, if you'd told me I'd be meditating 15 to 20 times a day, I wouldn't have believed you. And yet that's what I do every day — but how?

Morning

There's an awareness of breath as soon as I wake up. Regardless of my environment, I take a moment to focus on my breath just as I'm transitioning to wakefulness. I do this because it's a gift to be given each day. It sounds cliché, but my background was pretty troubled.

I've been shot at and locked up; I've done a lot of terrible things in my life, so finding that turnaround was huge for me. I like to honor that and start the day by saying, "OK, today truly is a gift, so let me take several deep breaths."

Daytime

I am also a huge proponent of moving meditation. How many of us have time to sit in stillness for half an hour? Not many, and I'm a New Yorker, so a lot is happening. I use a blue sticker to find ways to meditate throughout the day.

For example, inside my wallet — a Han Solo carbonite wallet because I'm a huge Star Wars fan — is a small round blue sticker. That same sticker is also on my laptop; it's on several of my journals, my water bottle and the fridge. Every time I see the sticker, I stop and take one breath. It brings me back to this place of presence, and through that practice, I probably meditate 15 to 20 times a day.

Night

At the end of the evening, before I lay down, I have a ritualistic routine to allow myself to arrive. It's a habitual pattern of finding an awareness of breathing — and that's meditation. Meditation is mindful thinking; meditation is not stopping what you're thinking about; it's just slowing down enough to go, "OK, I have a lot happening. How do I take the next steps to handle that right now?"

I'm meditating from my first to last minutes of wakefulness — and plenty of times in between. My practice isn't fancy, but I hope it shows others that you don't necessarily have to clear your calendar to meditate. With a bit of effort, you can create small moments of mindfulness throughout every day.

Learn how you can Meditate on the Go in this guided session with meditation teacher Almeiri Santos. 

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