How to Get a Beach Vacation Out of a 2 Minute Brain Break
“How can I possibly get a beach vacation out of a 2 minute brain break?” you may be wondering.
Yoga teaches us to use both our power to become and to be. In Western society we are generally familiar with becoming, doing and acting. We have less practice with simply being.
I came across a wonderful tool that helps you practice simply being by taking a 2 minute brain break. It’s a website called Do Nothing for 2 Minutes. The premise is to load the website, which has a timer that automatically starts counting down a 2 minute period, and simply do nothing for 2 minutes. If you touch the keyboard or move your mouse, the timer will start over again.
As you sit or stand in front of the screen for your 2 minute brain break there is a beautiful image of the ocean set to the sound of waves crashing against the shore. I like to think of it as a 2 minute beach vacation.
How to Get a Beach Vacation Out of a 2 Minute Brain Break
1.) Turn your phone off or to airport mode.
2.) Open Do Nothing for 2 Minutes on your computer.
3.) Take a 2 minute brain break by doing absolutely nothing!
Having trouble doing nothing?
Try shifting your attention with one of these techniques:
A.) Look at the image of the beautiful beach on your screen and use your mind to transport yourself to your favorite beach. Remember how relaxed you are by the water. Listen to the waves crashing and just be as if you were at the beach. Interestingly, your brain processes visualization almost identically to actually doing something. You may have heard of the experiment of how just thinking of eating a lemon makes your salivary glands respond. Thinking of relaxing on the beach sounds much more appealing to me.
B.) Close your eyes and remember what it feels like to be lying on the sand or in a hammock with nothing to do. Let the sounds of the waves take your tension with it, leaving you light and breezy. As you breath in focus on drawing energy into your body through your breath, as you breath out feel as if the waves are carrying all of your worries and tension out to sea.
4.) Once you’ve completed the 2 minute brain break reflect on how quickly you were drawn to click on the screen or move your attention to some other activity. Were you able to make it through the full 2 minutes? How did it feel? Were you counting down the seconds with the timer or wishing your break would last longer? Did you accept the moment and simply be?
Want more of this serene feeling to flow into your daily routine? It takes practice, but it’s totally possible. As a life coach using the tools of yoga, mindfulness and personal development I help my clients uncover what’s blocking their natural state of confidence and ease. By designing a customized routine that empowers their growth, I guide them to build their capacity to connect to the happiness and fulfillment that already exists within them.
How do you calm the chaos of life? Do you use yoga or other tools? Leave your comments and questions below. I love helping people become the most powerful version of themselves on and off their yoga mats!
Photo Credit: screen shot of donothingfor2minutes.com