Meditation & Mindfulness…
I often suggest that people consider Meditation.
To that folks frequently respond that they just don’t have good associations with meditating!
“Not for me. My body just can’t sit still for long in one position.”
“Don’t judge me, but secretly I’ve always thought it seems pretty woo-woo…!”
“It sounds soooo boring!”
Others have been discouraged by previous efforts:
“I’m not very good at it. I tried…I just didn’t get it!”
“That hard little cushion that they had us sit on on the floor? My legs fell asleep. Torture.”
“I have really tried, and a lot more than once! But always I ended up feeling like a failure the whole time because my mind wandered constantly.”
“Honestly, I felt so antsy and anxious, I couldn’t wait for it to end.”
Of course most of us know that scientists, doctors and brain researchers are always finding more and more health and life benefits from mindfulness.
What many of us don’t know is how many forms of meditation we can choose from!
Below are listed just a few of the surprisingly large variety of ways of “meditating” – far beyond the common conception of sitting still your legs crossed and your eyes closed for long periods.
Perhaps it might spur ideas for what kind of meditation might best suit you…
… Ranging from moving 🚶🏼♀️🚶🏽🚶🏽♂️ meditation during our day-to-day activities … to a form of meditation called “Laughter 😂🤣Yoga” (see below)! And more.
Cultivating mindfulness is mostly just making a conscious decision to direct our attention to the present moment, the here and now. One goal is to, “Get out of our heads.” To do this, we focus on the present moment: When worries or thoughts pop up, interfering with our focus on the present moment, we just notice them — then gently bring our focus back to the now. We let go of criticism or judgment and just let everything be as it is in this moment. It’s a little like being on a mini-mind-vacation; You keep chasing away thoughts of work or the urge to check your emails – and by the end of the vacation, you’ve gotten pretty good at that!
Mindfulness and meditation, like anything else we want to get good at, take time and practice. But you can start to accrue benefits EVEN DOING IT VERRRRY imperfectly.” Humans can’t be perfect anyway – we are “human!” What can put some blocks in your road is when we criticize ourselves for not doing it perfectly!
Below are lots of ideas about how to cultivate mindfulness and with it, more balance, health and serenity in your life.
- So first, about more “classic” meditation.
- Then below are other forms of meditation that might be more suited to you individually.
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First, classic meditation…🧘🏼♀️🧘🏾♂️🧘🏼🧘🏼♂️🧘🏽
Many forms of meditation and contemplation have been practiced in every culture and religion for millenia. We usually think of meditation as a practice of concentrated focus upon a sound, object, visualization, the breath, movement, or attention itself in order to increase awareness of the present moment, reduce stress, promote relaxation, and enhance personal and spiritual growth. And in our Western “yang”-oriented culture, it’s important to create balance so that our lives aren’t all stress and “go-go-go!” Nurturing peace and serenity can help provide that balance.
There are a multitude of forms of meditation: Buddhist-mindful, Christian, Transcendental, Zen and Vipassana meditation as well as Biofeedback are just a few of a range of possibilities. There’s no “better” or “right” way to meditate. The important thing is that the way feel right to you. And you don’t have to meditate for hours to enjoy the benefits – even 2-5 minutes of meditation can be very helpful when you don’t have 20 minutes or a half hour to spare. And daily practice is best, but any practice is much better than none.
Example: Instructions for a classic self-guided breath meditation
This is one classic technique that you could try out on your own.
Important Note: Sometimes, especially when you first start meditating, it may seem like nothing is happening! Some days you may feel frustrated at the difficulty of such a seemingly easy process or when your mind wanders. You may berate yourself when you have trouble even making yourself meditate, especially when it’s so nice when you finally do it. Do NOT berate yourself. Have patience! Go easy on yourself. No self-criticism. You will experience benefits – even if you do it “less than perfectly” – I promise! It’s the process that counts – basically bringing back your attention each time it wanders – that’s it.
- Get into a comfortable position in a quiet, peaceful environment (OK to use earphones or white noise if environment is too noisy) with your back straight if possible.
- If you wish, you can set a timer for the time you wish to meditation: You may choose to start at 5 or 15 or even 30 minutes.
- Close your eyes and focus on your breathing as your abdomen rises and falls.
- When your your mind wanders and you realize you’re thinking about other things, notice where your mind went, then gently bring your focus back to your breath. It’s the process of meditating that will help you – so don’t worry if your mind wanders repeatedly during some sessions. Some days you may have to bring your attention back many, many times during a meditation session – and that is just fine.
That’s it! That’s all there is to it.
See below for more ideas and resources…🧘🏼♀️🧘🏾♂️🧘🏼🧘🏼♂️🧘🏽**
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And then there’s…
Moving Meditation!
Not everyone likes to sit still – or stay in one spot!🚶🏼♀️🚶🏽🚶🏽♂️
There are alternatives that are more active. (Check with your doctor first before starting a new exercise or movement activity.)
Here are a few ideas:
- Integrate meditation and mindfulness into everything you do throughout your day . This book will help: The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation, Thich Nhat Hanh, 1999.
- A walking meditation – whenever possible, in nature and away from traffic! Nature can be very healing to body and soul. Letting our thoughts fade into the background, and focusing on the moment and the sounds and sights of trees, birds, flowers, clouds, sunlight, water – as well as our own inner and outer awareness of our body sensations and feelings – “counts” as meditation 😉!
- Being “in the moment” in everyday activities: Focus on all the sights and sounds and feelings in your environment, your body and your activities. Give your thinking and judging mind a break and keep bringing your awareness back to the present moment. As in meditation, when you find yourself thinking about something in the past or future, notice the thought, and gently bring your mind back to the present moment. For example, if you’re doing the dishes, bring your awareness to all five senses: watch the movements of your hands and fingers, feel the warmth of the water, listen to the gentle splashing, smell the scent of the soap, become aware of your body supporting you….
- If you don’t have time to attend a class, check out websites like MyYogaOnline, at http://www.myyogaonline.com/home, which offers has a nice 19-minute Gentle Hatha Yoga Class that is easy, mindful and relaxing – as well as providing a warm-up and stretch for your body and muscles. You can join up for a moderate monthly charge to use all their offerings, or purchase a single download for a low cost. They also offer guided meditations, Feldenkrais, and dance classes on their site.
- Really immerse yourself in a wonderful, inspiring experience – with a friend or loved one or by yourself – such as a sunset or ocean waves or ducks on a lake…. Laying under a tree and focusing on the clouds and the birds and the sound of the leaves and branches in the wind…. Let the noisy chatter and worries in your brain fade away for awhile.
- Active practices include Yoga, Feldenkrais, Tai Chi Chuan (Tai Chi), Qi Gong, Gyrotonics and Continuum and more. It doesn’t have to be expenses: Check out your local community college or your city recreation department.
- Focus on a musical piece. Enjoying a concert in the park.
- Do a Body Scan Meditation: Closing your eyes, starting at your toes, and moving up your body, and focus on the sensations and feelings in each part of your body. This can be extremely relaxing. (Both Shinzen Young and Jon Kabat-Zinn and have wonderful body scan meditations – check out their CDs.)
- My own personal favorite I call the Body Squeez3 Meditation! It’s great to help you go to sleep: as you move your focus up your body, just add squeezing each muscle group tightly, then release, tighten, release…starting at your feet and moving up. Repeat until you fall asleep!
- Dancing, sports, walking, painting, sculpting, arts & crafts, playing an instrument, singing, chanting, Pilates, gardening, surfing, swimming, sailing, taking a bath – in short, any activity performed mindfully, staying in the experience and the present moment. Let go of any critical voices telling you that you “should” be performing better!
- Making love to yourself or another. Holding hands, self-hugs, hugging, cuddling, spooning, rocking, massage – while letting go of extraneous thoughts while staying connected to the moment and accepting present experience. Let go of any performance anxiety – and just enjoy the moment. For more ideas about meditating with your partner, Google “meditations for lovers” or “tantric meditation.”
- You may have heard that researchers are finding more and more health and life benefits of laughing. E.g. the Mayo Clinic all but calls laughter a miracle drug – just kidding, but not 😂! https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-relief/art-20044456 I had no idea that, around the world, people are getting together just to laugh together! That there are free meeting alls over the globe – many on Zoom – almost 24/7/365? https://laughteryoga.org/prozone/ Try it! It’s free!.
- Contemplate: An inspirational message, a candle, a campfire. Notice the stability AND the movement…at the same time…. all around you and inside of you too … all the time.
Word to the Wise:
Focusing on the present moment won’t necessarily be all pleasant. When pain 😣 or feelings 😠😥 come up, relax and meet them with calm compassion and curiosity. Don’t fight pain or chase feelings away, stay present and aware as they unfold evolve, transform … move on.
You can have fun with this!
You can find lots of different ways to practice meditation and become more mindful. Just google! I just used the search words “unusual ways to meditate.” Now I am not endorsing or condoning any of the following websites, sponsors, their practices, approaches or ads**. I am just noting that there is variety out there: https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/meditation/in-depth/meditation/art-20045858
https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/types-of-meditation
https://greatist.com/happiness/unexpected-ways-to-meditate#1
I hope you can eventually find ways that work for you and that you like!
** And of course consult with your physician when are considering anew practice or activity
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Resources for Classic Meditation *
- There are free guided meditations online. For example, UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center, MARC, in Los Angeles, offers free guided meditations at http://marc.ucla.edu/body.cfm?id=22
- The public library is a great free resource for guided practices. Check out their books, CD, and DVD collections.
- Group classes, workshops and retreats – depending on where you live, your local recreation department, community college or spiritual or religious center may training and support at a reasonable price, such as MARC at: http://marc.ucla.edu/. Some spiritual organizations offer free classes. Meditating in a group creates considerable power. .
- If you prefer to purchase your own copies of guided meditations, try going to a music store or bookstore first to listen to an audio clip before you buy it – to make sure you like the voices. Also, some online websites that sell CDs, DVDs, or audio downloads allow you to listen or view a snippet.
- Check out guided meditation videos. Many enjoy the music and visuals.
- There are many wonderful teachers who come from different backgrounds and cultural and religious traditions, augmented by science, technology and research. Look for ones that appeal to you personally.
Here are just a few of the greats to get you started on your path toward finding your teachers: Jon Kabat-Zinn, Shinzen Young, Jack Kornfield, Deepak Chopra, Thich Nhat Hanh, Eckhard Tolle, Lawrence LeShan Ph.D., Tara Brach, Pema Chodron, Louise Hay, the Dalai Lama, Emmet Fox (Christian), James Finley (Christian), Shakti Gawain, and Elisha Goldstein, Ph.D.
Audio:
- Guided Mindfulness Meditation Series 1 Audio CD, Jon Kabat-Zinn, 2005
- Stress-Proof Your Brain: Meditations to Rewire Neural Pathways for Stress Relief and Unconditional Happiness Audio CD, Rick Hanson, 2010
- Beginner’s Guide to Meditation Audio CD, Shinzen Young, 2010
Book or Workbook + Audio CD:
- Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation: A 28-Day Program, Sharon Salzberg, 2010
Book, Kindle, Audio & Audible:
- Wherever You Go, There You Are, Jon Kabat-Zinn, 2005
- Meditation for Beginners, Jack Kornfield, 2008
