Traditional meditation is difficult for many individuals, yet it still has advantages. Here are some simple techniques for finding serenity, from pottery and singing to writing and drawing. Not everyone should practice meditation. Or at least not when your brain is soup from being so far removed from quiet by life.
Joy Rains, a mindfulness practitioner and the author of Meditation Illuminated: Simple Ways to Manage Your Busy Mind, asserts that it is in the nature of the mind to carry on a constant discussion in the background. “This is what I refer to as ‘Stuff,’ an abbreviation for tales, thoughts, cravings, frustrations, and feelings.
When you’re meditating, you’re present at the moment and letting go of your stuff. You’re not ensnared by opinions, memories of the past, or concerns about the future. A growing corpus of research shows that “releasing our Stuff” in this way is a powerful antidote to modern living, improving our focus, memory, and self-awareness while lowering anxiety, depression, and stress. The good news is that we don’t need to be experts at remaining still and paying attention to our breathing to reap the healing rewards of meditation, according to psychologist Suzy Reading.
Reading, a yoga instructor as well acknowledges that she has difficulty with conventional meditation techniques since “they are inaccessible for a lot of people. But that does not imply that they cannot benefit from meditation. Rains concur that applying mindfulness to a variety of tasks can have similar benefits to traditional seated meditation. The main goal of mindfulness, according to her, is to train your brain.
“By being purposefully mindful throughout the day, you can accomplish this just as well. There is no right or wrong approach, and it’s crucial to follow techniques that speak to you.
1. Spend Some Time In HouseHold Work
According to Reading, folding laundry is sometimes a kind of meditation. Don’t rush things, breathe in the aroma of freshly laundered clothes, take in the textiles’ textures, focus on working satisfyingly cleanly, and, if it helps, pretend you’re in an ASMR film. It should take you no longer than if you were hurrying because you’ll be practising mindfulness and relaxing a little (more haste, less speed). If you find yourself asking, “What, people fold laundry?” Reading advises using mindfulness when vacuuming or preparing food instead. “Or how you consume your meals. By paying close attention to your senses, you may make almost any activity into a form of meditation.
2. Take Some Interest in Writing
According to Reading, there are moments when we may need to go away from our thoughts and emotions, but there are other occasions when we must bear witness to them. “Writing introspectively or simply sitting with our emotions may be meditation.” Rains asserts, in part based on personal experience: “People frequently write with judgement and their opinions getting in the way of their voice.” Accordingly, the objective is “to put all judgements aside and write what’s real in the here and now, without becoming sidetracked by other things that need to be done,” as she puts it. Scheduling a certain time window is beneficial.
3. Walking Reduced Stress and Anxiety
Rains advises individuals to walk mindfully, in part “because when we’re walking, we’re not doing much else other than maybe getting caught up in our things,” according to the book. Instead, there is a fantastic time to focus on your feet when they make contact with the ground. This is where self-awareness raising comes in, since when you become aware that your thoughts have strayed, you may examine them before gently bringing them back to your feet. The sensation of your feet contacting the ground can be enhanced by donning thin-soled or “barefoot” shoes.
“Notice the dog’s tail wagging, the sound of the dog’s feet clicking on the pavement, and the clouds of breath coming out of your dog’s mouth on a chilly day,” advises Rains for dog owners. It is difficult to resist, which is maybe one advantage of pet ownership.
4. Focusing On The Window
Reading states that there are certain myths about meditation that need to be dispelled. “Most individuals who come to me with the intention of developing a meditation practise think of it as a way to calm their minds. People frequently tell me as a psychologist, “I want to get rid of this thinking, I don’t want to have this sensation. However, making an effort to silence the mind just makes it louder. By keeping our attention on actual objects, we may take a mental break and learn to observe and accept our active thoughts rather than trying to push them away. This can entail pausing for five minutes to study a candle flame or look out a window. “Sit on a park seat and observe people walking by, “Look for interactions of kindness between people.”
5. Show Some Interest in Art & Drawing
A friend has found that the flow she has in her weekly life-drawing class benefits her more than just her colouring abilities. According to Rains, this is when you are completely focused on what you are doing. “This sort of action may be calming and rejuvenating because you can truly flow in the present… and your concentration is here and now.” You may incorporate cleaning the house into your meditation routine.
6. Make Your Self Curios To Trying New Things
Reading is sure that rest and meditation can both be “moving, it can be connection, it can be something that is a little bit mentally elastic.” Her most recent book is called Rest to Reset. The thing that really makes you feel alive can be acquiring a new creative talent, like preparing a new food. A creative endeavour or any other talent, according to Rains, “is going to educate us because it is working our brain in a different manner,” as opposed to doing something that is purely comfortable and familiar. People may likely be surprised by it because they typically equate relaxation and meditation with turning off.
Rains asserts that there is no such thing as poor meditation. “If you’ve noticed that your thoughts have wandered, that’s part of it,” she said. “You’re growing proficient at directing your thoughts” each time you pay attention to and renew your concentration on a passing street scene or flickering flame.
7. Inspiration from Nature
A well-established aspect of mindfulness training is experiencing wonder. We may feel awe’s euphoric sense of transcendent connection in as short as 15 seconds, according to a lot of study, writes Reading. That really lifts my spirits. To achieve that, all you have to do is watch the dawn while gazing up at the trees and the sky.
Many birdwatchers and anglers will tell you that their pastime is really about spending hours in nature. According to Reading, “we participate in a panoramic look when we are in nature, which is totally different than when you are on a Zoom call or concentrating on a screen. The panoramic look is comforting because it invites peripheral vision in.
Other activities, such as admiring art or taking in a fantastic performance, can also inspire awe. We might feel anchored by these things in a sense of belonging to something greater than ourselves.
8. Taking part in a choir
There is no denying the distracting flow of singing with others, yet it is not the sole option for meditation. 95-year-old Rains’ mother participates in the choir at her assisted living facility. She occasionally finds learning a new song unpleasant since she worries about her memory. The first step in dealing with a difficult situation is to become aware of what is happening in your thoughts. ‘Can you let go of that mind-talk and remain with the experience, focusing on what it feels like to be in this community, to feel my voice box vibrate and hear sound coming out of my mouth?’ is the second step, she instructs. Are my feet securely rooted to the ground? Am I feeling centred? Can I feel my chest rising and falling as I sing?”
9. Watch Movies For Bettering Your Mood
You may counter that this is a too passive endeavour, as it is being controlled. But when you’re engrossed, you could take a mental break, which presents opportunities to develop self-awareness and learn to refocus your thoughts. It’s possible that you’ll start predicting the future, which, according to Rains, “takes you out of the present and away from seeing the tale evolve as it was written.” Keep reading the narrative and wondering what will happen next instead.
Disclaimer
The Information mentioned in the article is not medical advice. The purpose of the article is just to provide information.
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