My friend was excitedly telling me that meditation is the hot new trend of 2016. There’s lots of good reasons why sitting still, letting go, and focusing on your breath is the new rage.

Just what makes meditation so powerful? What is it about doing nothing that heals the mind? And, for many of us the question is, how long do we need to meditate to tap into those benefits?

I’ve had many clients who insisted they can’t meditate. They try and sit and their thoughts keep running. But most of the time we give in way too quickly. The mind’s job is to think, after all, and your mind is just doing its job. Instead of trying to change your mind, focus on your breath.

Simply bringing awareness to your breath lets you start your mindfulness training. Practice letting go of your thoughts and bring your attention to the breath, again and again. Over time you create a pathway that helps lower your blood pressure, heart rate and stress hormones.

Practice. Experts say twenty minutes of practice delivers meditation’s benefits. But if you’ve got a busy schedule, take heart, even a few minutes of daily meditation add up. Reluishing all your mental activity lets you re-set your mind and provides a taste of how it feels to let go.

Inner peace exists outside of time. When you take time to meditate you’ll find more clarity for the tasks in front of you. Just breathe…let go…breathe…let go…breathe…let go…