Five Good Minutes: 100 Morning Practices to Help You Stay Calm and Focused All Day Long

Five Good Minutes

by Jeffrey Brantley, Wendy Millstine

The 100 simple practices found in Five Good Minutes are designed to help even the busiest person start the day right. Using just five minutes of mindfulness, relaxation, or imagery techniques during their morning routines, readers can set their intentions and greet the day feeling calm, centered, and energized.

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Meditation, Spirituality, Psychology, Inspirational, Reference

144 pages, Paperback

First published April 15, 2005

About the author

Jeffrey Brantley, MD, DFAPA, has practiced mindfulness meditation for over thirty years, and his work in medicine and psychiatry has emphasized mindfulness and mindfulness-based interventions to promote individual health and well-being. He is a founding faculty member of Duke Integrative Medicine, and founded the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program at Duke Integrative Medicine in 1998. Brantley is the author of Calming Your Anxious Mind and coauthor of the Five Good Minutes series and Daily Meditations for Calming Your Anxious Mind.

Reviews

[Heidi Wiechert]

Things have been stressful in my neck of the woods, so I picked up Five Good Minutes to help me cope. I'm in the fourth month of having my house on the market and my husband has been looking for employment for over a year. Yeah, I'm feeling it... Five Good Minutes is simple enough for beginners to the mindfulness/meditation practice and filled to the brim with suggestions for ways to focus in the morning and get your day off on the right foot. The best part of this book is that there is something for everyone- it is that broad. The techniques that it uses varies from visualizations to mindfully drinking your morning cuppa. The worst part of the book is that, because it covers so much, that it doesn't really talk about anything in depth. If you're looking for detailed methods of meditation and relaxation, this is not the book for you.

Why the focus on early in the day?: "The morning is the best time to break away from old habits of thinking and feeling and to set a new direction for yourself and how you will be in your day. Any exercise in this book- done in the morning- has the power to impact greatly on your experience throughout the day, if you allow it!" Personally, I've found that I'm at my best in the mornings- well, once I blink the sleep out of my eyes. My mind is clearer and I can focus for longer periods of time. But, if you're more an afternoon/evening type person, don't let the title of this book stop you. I think that these practices could be beneficial at any time of the day.

My favorites were- the Five-Fingered Peace pg 32: In which you use your hands almost as a rosary and remember awesome things that have happened to you. Freedom from Tension pg 58: In which you scan your body and focus your relaxation on the stressed out bits. Your First Sip of Tea pg 94: or coffee, for me. Take your time and mindfully drink your morning pick-me-up. A Shot of Faith pg 186: You use visualization to picture a problem turning out perfectly. And finally, Cultivate Gratitude pg 206: "This practice invites you to turn toward the good in your life and to express gratitude as recognition grows.".

If none of those spoke to you, there are 95 others for you to choose from. Recommended for stressed out people everywhere and those who are interested in bringing a bit of mindfulness or meditation to their day but don't know where to start. Some further reading: Thank & Grow Rich: A 30-Day Experiment in Shameless Gratitude and Unabashed Joy, Meditations for Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself, or 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works. Peace!

[Carol]

This is a very practical little book that you can put in your purse or backpack. I recommend it to everyone.

[QueenAmidala28]

This book is literally a LIST of 100 ways to calm yourself and bring a new perspective to every day. I Loved about 60% of the book. It was a nice reminder that all it takes is 5 MINUTES to breathe, think of someone else, think of yourself in this massive world and set an intention for creating happiness at that moment. I recommend this book to anyone who is "too busy" to do yoga or meditate. You will slowly create more time by using these suggestions.

[Kelli]

Another great little book in the Five Good Minutes series, this was a wonderful book to start the year. It is like a yoga class and a mindfulness class in book form. With sections entitled Establishing Ease and Inner Relaxation, Peaceful Awareness and Connection, Relating to Yourself and Others, and Growing Wiser and Kinder, the book follows the same format as the others in the series: a quick thought to ponder and practice. The reflections are positive without being kooky. What's not to love? As was said by the amazing teacher in my New Years Day yoga class, take from it everything that you need.

[Angie]

I read one chapter of this every morning when I first wake up. Centering, relaxing, and other sorts of mental exercises to prepare you for the day and give you something good to return to throughout the day.

[Dann]

This book contains some effective exercises for purging negative thoughts and becoming in the moment. Life is full of pleasent moments that we should enjoy more.

[Karen]

Devote five minutes each day to your own mental health. It may not help, but it can't hurt!

[Carielyn Mills]

more like 10 things worded differently 100 times

[Cheryl Licata]

Part One is the foundation -- the introduction to Five Good Minutes. These pages need to be read and understood before starting Part Two, The Practices. I found some of the 100 practices more beneficial than others but I tried them all and recommend this book to anyone who wants to start their day feeling relaxed and purposeful -- and it only takes five good minutes!

[Jo Skeffington]

Enjoyed reading this. I think that there is something for everyone in it and doesn’t presume that all of it will apply to your life and what you are going through. I gleaned several practices to incorporate into my life. One of my favorites is the 5 finger peace. Thanks.

[Lori]

I am not really into self-help books anyway but this felt at times repetitive, and also very specific for things that do not apply to me *even though the title to me implies that anyone would find it helpful.

[Em]

I have read from these either at the beginning or ending of some of the yoga classes I taught where I wasn't teaching "gym yoga." I found them to be more accessible and appropriate for a variety of settings. Brantley's Five Minutes are great for beginning meditators. Small and portable.

[Lorna]

Life is happening in this moment. It's good to be reminded of ways to practice mindfulness.

[Kelly]

Wonderful tips for people. All you need to do is spend just 5 minutes with one of these morning practices.

[Rachel]

Saw it at the local bathhouse. It's enhanced but not dramatically improved my practices.

[Teri]

Excellent meditation tool for busy lives.

[Cristian Marrero]

Good book of multiple exercises you can do for yourself or with a group of people.

[Victoria]

This was a handy little book... just a quick inspiration to start the day... looked forward to reading each day’s entry...

[Mr. Wright]

This is a book I am going to start practicing from soon.

[Lucerithoo Znick]

3.5 estrellas ⭐⭐⭐

[Adriana]

A great addition to self care routine.

[Deb]

100 different meditations to change my life . So I tried to do one in the morning and one in the evening to see what slowed this monkey brain.

[Tracy Spain]

Great book for establishing mindful practices for self love. This book helps you to bring attention to establishing intentions for calm, safety, and self-awareness!

[Carin Diaz M]

Five Good Minutes: 100 morning practices to help you stay calm and focused all day long. This book is to energize out mind and body every morning.

I used it for the first two days since I bought it and already love the book. It encourages me to think positively or stir to that direction. I like that each section is short and simple. I can follow it through easily.

My favorite part is on that imaginary button that you make up in your mind. You turn it from stress to calm, you press it to relax you . . . It helped me think as the book says, this difficult moment, too, will pass.

Get this book. I highly recommend it.

[Nesrin saad]

مائة تمرين يساعدك على بداية يومك بنشاط و تركيز يستغرق كل واحد منها 5 دقائق فقط لا غير لتبدء بعدها النضال في معترك الحياة اليومية ومن شأن هذه التمارين أن تكسر الروتين وتمنحك الحيوية و القدرة على الأستمرار على حد قول الكاتب .

[Stephanie]

This book uses pretty fluffy verbiage but it has a nice variety of takeaway exercises/points that everyone should be able to find a few useful things. (Coincidentally this is one of the first self improvement books that openly advocated “titillating sexual moments” ... in two different spots even.) there was absolutely no wrap up or conclusion at all.

[Linda Belmont]

I thought this book would help with my morning meditations, but these are really obvious. I guess it would be helpful if you've never meditated before, but I've always wondered how you can meditate while reading a book? Not for me.

[Emma]

Great little meditation book for centering your morning and keeping your calm, and five minutes is easy to find.

[Colleen]

I've been doing one exercise a day, and it's great. I plan to continue.

[Reemooh]

Very practical and very useful. It is just one of those books I've been looking for for a while. I've been practicing some of those excercises and it really proved its effectiveness.