Got a minute? It's all you need!

I've been ranting on about different ways to cope with SAD or general winter glumness for the past few days and thought, well why not just keep ranting?!

I mentioned in my post regarding ayurveda that meditation can help balance your kapha during winter, when kapha is notably out of sorts. Regardless of the season, I think we can all agree that taking time to relax your mind and meditate is always beneficial. Long days at the office or in class, crowded malls, tensions with loved ones, Whole Foods running out of cilantro, all of these things frustrate us year-round. The exciting thing {yes, really} about frustrating events is that they provide us with an opportunity to hone our stress-relieving skills and come out the other end brighter and calmer. Conversely, if we let minor frustrations rule our lives, they can make us truly yicky people. Let's avoid the latter option, shall we?

Over the years, I hope that we've all found ways to cope with an irritating day. Exercise is an obvious option, as is a nice glass of wine at the end of the day -- hey, sometimes, you need it! Another option that is a little more difficult to tackle in our busy, crazy, noisy world, is meditation.

I, for one, have historically been terrible at meditation. I've tried it on my lonesome periodically since high school, I've tried it in yoga classes, I've tried it in health class at the bequest of my instructor, I've even tried it with friends and for years, always failed.

Maybe you're like me and could use some serious help quieting your mind and chilling the heck out. Maybe you're like my old roommate in New York, who could get totally zen on the West Side Highway running path listening to chanting on her iPod. {I know, I'm jealous too}

Either way, you probably struggle to find time to truly relax and let go. Enter One-Moment Meditation from Martin Boronson, who has also written a book on meditation and has created a series for Oprah.com and you know Oprah doesn't mess around. His website features a darling little animated video which will guide you through a quick, one-minute, period of meditation.

And can I be honest with you? For the first time I can recall, I was able to actually only focus on my breath, let go of my worries and my to-do list, my past and my future, and meditate. For a whole minute! I was so excited I've now become a meditation junkie. Can't stop, won't stop.

Have you ever attempted meditation? Any success/failure stories?
What are some other methods you employ to relax?

*disclaimer: no one asked me to praise one-moment meditation, because really, why would anyone?! I just happened upon it and love it.