Five to Ten Minutes That Could Change Your Life
This is not theory or a trend. This is my personal practice. It is how I slow myself down, clear my head, regulate my nervous system, and stay grounded while building FARMERSTRENGTH® as a coach, business owner, partner, and father. I am not interested in perfect meditation or rigid rules. I am interested in something real, repeatable, and honest that actually carries over into how I train, coach, lead, and live.
Meditation does not require hours of stillness or a complete lifestyle overhaul. Five to ten minutes a day, practiced consistently, compounds in the same way strength training does. Small daily inputs, repeated over time, change how you show up in every area of life.
Setting the Space
I begin by finding a quiet, comfortable place where I will not be interrupted. Sometimes that is a corner of my home or the gym before anyone arrives. When weather allows, it is outdoors. The location matters less than the intention to pause and be present.
I sit tall with my spine long, chest open, and shoulders relaxed. My posture reflects alertness without tension. I am aiming for comfort without collapse, present without forcing anything.
How I Sit and Why
I usually sit cross legged (quarter lotus), not out of tradition but because it works for my body. This position supports an upright spine, reduces lower back tension, and allows the breath to move freely.
To find proper alignment, I allow my glutes to relax outward slightly so my sit bones connect with the ground. Once I feel that contact, everything else softens naturally. The body feels supported rather than stiff, stable rather than rigid.
When I Practice
When possible, I practice at sunrise. There is a stillness in the early morning that cannot be recreated later in the day, and even a few minutes in that quiet changes how the day unfolds. My nervous system feels calmer, my thoughts feel clearer, and my reactions slow down.
I also practice at night, often under the moon. Evening meditation helps me release the day, process what has happened, and reconnect with gratitude. Full or near full moon nights naturally invite reflection and letting go, making them a powerful time to slow the system down before sleep.
There is no perfect time. What matters is returning to the practice consistently.
Music Sound and Guidance
Some days I sit in silence, and other days I use sound to support the process. I will search Spotify or YouTube for a five to ten minute guided meditation, calm instrumental music, or binaural beats. When possible, I choose ad free options so I am not pulled out of the moment.
Binaural beats have been discussed extensively by Tom Campbell, a former NASA physicist, consciousness researcher, and author of My Big TOE. Campbell has spoken publicly about meditation, altered states of awareness, and how sound frequencies can help quiet mental noise and influence brainwave states. His long form conversations, including appearances on The Joe Rogan Experience, helped bring these ideas into wider awareness.
Used lightly, binaural beats can help the mind settle without effort. Once the music begins, I let it act as a timer and keep my eyes closed until it ends.
Where I Place My Attention
With my eyes closed, I bring awareness inward. Often this is to the center of my head, the space behind the forehead, or the point between the eyebrows. This gently pulls attention away from the external world and into the present moment.
Thoughts always arise. I do not fight them. I imagine each one like a child’s bubble floating up and popping. I notice it, then let it dissolve. Over time, this practice made me aware of how many thoughts pass through my mind and how few actually deserve my energy.
Breath Stillness and Calm
As awareness settles, I connect with my breath. I do not force it or control it. I simply notice it moving in and out on its own.
Calm does not come from effort. It comes from allowing.
Cold Weather Nature and Grounding
The weather in Danbury is cold this time of year, but nature still plays an important role in grounding the nervous system. If I can find a quiet outdoor location, even briefly, the benefits multiply.
I feel the weight of my body through my feet or sit bones, notice the temperature of the air, and take in the stillness around me. This pulls me out of my head and back into my body quickly.
My Morning Practice
In the morning, the goal is alignment rather than hype. I sit tall and inhale gently through my nose for four seconds, then exhale for four seconds. On the final exhale, I soften my face completely.
I place a hand on my chest or abdomen and ask what energy I want to carry today. I choose one task that must get done and decide who I will be when challenges arise. This sets my character before the day has a chance to set it for me.
I then bring my attention to one anchor. This might be my breath, the sensation of my feet on the floor, the space in front of my face, or a single word such as strength, clarity, or forward. When the mind drifts, I gently return.
I close the practice by saying, today I move with purpose.
My Night Practice
At night, I use a simple three phase structure that helps clear the day before sleep. I begin by inhaling through my nose for four seconds and exhaling slowly for six seconds. After a few rounds, I allow the breath to move naturally on its own.
When thoughts arise, I quietly say not now and let them pass. I am not chasing silence, only less noise. This creates space rather than pressure.
After a few minutes, I choose one point of focus. This might be my breath, my heartbeat, the space between my eyebrows, or the feeling of the ground beneath me. When my mind wanders, I return to that point. This repetition builds mental strength the same way consistent training builds physical strength.
In the final minutes, I reflect. I ask myself what drained me today that I can release, what I did well even if it was small, and one thing I will do tomorrow that moves me forward. I end by quietly saying, I am ready to grow tomorrow.
Let the Practice Evolve
This is not something to copy perfectly or turn into a rigid routine. Over time, you naturally find your own rhythm, anchors, and techniques that work best for you, and that evolution is part of the practice itself.
The practice should support your life rather than restrict it. What matters most is showing up, noticing, and returning.
What I notice when I stay consistent
When I stay consistent with this practice, mental noise decreases, sleep improves, and emotional control strengthens. Decisions become clearer, mornings feel lighter, and stress becomes easier to handle.
But beyond the practical benefits, something else becomes noticeable.
Whatever your beliefs, most of us can agree on this. Something bigger than us is unfolding. It is so vast and complex that many of us do not even have the language to explain it. Some point to the miracle of the Big Bang. Others look to figures like Jesus, Buddha, Muhammad, or to the creator beyond form. Different paths, same sense of awe.
Meditation does not require you to define that mystery. It simply asks you to sit quietly long enough to notice it.
If meditation helps you feel more connected to your values, your faith, your sense of purpose, or simply to the present moment, then it is doing its job. And even if it does nothing more than slow you down and soften your reactions, it costs very little and asks nothing in return. At worst, it does no harm. At best, it helps you remember that you are part of something far larger than your daily stress.
This is inner strength. The kind that supports everything we are building with FARMERSTRENGTH®.
Train the body. Train the breath. Train the mind. Everything compounds.
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