The time you sit at a red light may not be more than 30 seconds, but even 30 seconds is enough to bring us back to the present moment.

How to Practice

Notice the sensation of your hands on the steering wheel, your bottom on the seat, your feet on the pedals and floormats,
or notice the breath you draw in and the breath you release,
or notice how relaxed or how tense your shoulders are,
or notice how your thoughts long to reach ahead into the future or towards your destination.

Smile as you notice.

You may think, “This is silly. How can this little thing make my life better?” You’d be surprised then, to discover how powerful it can be to deliberately bring yourself back into your body every now and again through the day. Usually we’re in our head, in the future, in the past or somewhere else. Some of these mental travels can take quite a while to run their course. This little meditation brings back our scattered energies and gives us a fresh start.

Notes

If you spend no time in a car, you can make this a bus-stop or subway-stop meditation.