The holiday season is often portrayed as a time of pure joy, but the reality is that can feel a lot stressful. Between to-do lists, crowded stores, family gatherings, and financial pressures, the constant rush can leave you feeling overwhelmed. But what if you could reclaim your sense of calm in 20 minutes or less?
Finding peace amidst the chaos doesn’t have to be another item on your checklist. You can effectively reset your mind and body in small, manageable pockets of time. With options that ranging from two minutes to 20, seated breathing to shake-it-out movement, we rounded up several possibilities available to you in the Life Time app.
If you have 2 minutes . . .
Transition to Peace With David Freeman
This short meditation can help you regulate and reset as you prepare to wind down from your day. Let the guided cues help calm your nervous system and allow your body to settle.
If you have 5 minutes . . .
Meditation Story Time With Kenny Ferrer
A narrated story time meditation encourages you to focus on your breath and feel into the emotions that arise as you hear it. The goal after five minutes is to help you believe in your ability to improve and better yourself.
Find it under Meditation > Calm in the Life Time app
4-7-8 Breathing With Marcus Bradley
Master the well-established 4-7-8 breathing technique to activate your parasympathetic nervous system and slow down your heart rate (and your mind). The 4-7-8 breathing technique involves inhaling for four counts, holding for seven counts, then slowing exhaling for eight counts.
Find it under Meditation > Calm in the Life Time app
Nature Sound Bath With Tory Shaefer
Sound can be therapeutic for both the body and mind. This is a listening experience that combines the sounds of instruments like singing bowls with intentional breathwork and body observation for a meditative and relaxing session.
Find it under Meditation > Sound in the Life Time app
Moving Meditation with Jeimy Bueno
Discover mindfulness through motion with a guided moving meditation that uses gentle, intentional movement to cultivate present-moment awareness. This is great for those who find a traditional seated meditation practice challenging.
If you have 10 minutes . . .
Return to Kindness Meditation With Tory Schaefer
Take a moment to cultivate appreciation for yourself and the world around you. This session helps you find gratitude and opens your body and mind to the possibilities that it offers.
Find it under Meditation > Calm in the Life Time app
HIIT with Danica Osborn
Need a quick full-body shakeout? Take a mental break and get moving with this quick cardio session. Feel your mood lift by the time 10 minutes is up.
If you have 15 minutes . . .
Wim Hof Breathing With Marcus Bradley
Experience the transformative power of the Wim Hof method. This breathwork session is designed to energize and enhance mental clarity. It is comprised of three parts: the charge up (in which you’ll take 40 deep belly breaths with nice, easy exhaling), retention (you’ll take a deep breath in, exhale, and then take another in and hold it), and recovery (you’ll take a deep breath in and hold it at the top before exhaling). You’re in control throughout the session and will receive guidance if you need to adjust any of the breathwork to your capabilities.
Find it under Meditation > Calm in the Life Time app
MB360 Evening Cool Down With Jessie Syfko
Unwind and restore balance with this quick mind-body training session followed by a grounding meditation. It’s designed to help you end your day even better than it started and process whatever is being held in your body so you can find calm and contentment.
If you have 20 minutes . . .
Stretched and Balanced With Danny King
Release muscle tension and promote physical relaxation with these guided stretching exercises that also promote range of motion, flexibility, and mobility. This stretching sequence is ideal after a tough day that leaves you feeling stiff.
Find it under On Demand > Stretching in the Life Time app
Slow Flow With Lindsay Payne
Feel more grounded and centered with this slower-paced yoga session. Slow flow helps activate the body’s “rest-and-digest” response, lowering cortisol levels and calming the mind through movement and breath.
Find it under On Demand > Yoga in the Life Time app
HIIT with Emma Graves
If working up a sweat is more your speed when it comes to stress relief, this fact-paced and efficient HIIT workout will leave you feeling accomplished and energized.
