If you regularly circumvent meditation in favour of just about anything other than, well, meditation, here’s some great news: There’s no need to sit with rigid spine, in due diligence, paying penance for all the sits you’ve missed. Here are six easy– and enjoyable–ways to meditate without even trying.
- ENJOY BEING–THEN DOING. Rather than doing a hike, be in nature with air, trees, sun and stream. Rather than doing a concert, be with the artistry and sounds. Over time, too much doing can hijack the central nervous system. You may even find yourself overwhelmed by some false identities. Being, however, creates harmony, inspiration and balanced awareness–that’s mindfulness! If you are a classic Type A, no need to fret: When we are being, we do not lose the ability to do. Rather, we gain more creative inspiration upon which to act.
- SAVOUR AHA MOMENTS, the unexpected glimmers of insight, the creative inspiration and moments of upliftment that arrive of their own accord. These times of seeming transcendence are just that: You have journeyed to a meditative part of your self, where your authenticity and talents make themselves known.
- GAZE UPON THE MOON. Soak in moonlight as you would bathe in sunlight. Sit in silence and bask. Moonlight lessens the grip of the mind and supports intuitive wisdom. Go ahead, get stars in your eyes.
- LOVE THAT WHICH YOU LOVE. Fully immerse yourself in a captivating short story, be mesmerized through dance, fall in love during stirring conversation with a friend. Become so engaged as to lose sense of space and time. You’re actually meditating while participating in your world. A-maz-ing! Do it often until falling in love is the natural extension of all you are.
- RELAX AND SHIFT BRAINWAVES. Listen to binaural beats, skip flow yoga in favour of a restorative class or try flotation therapy. As a non-dogmatic practice, floating may elicit fewer triggers for the mind than some spiritual practices that follow exotic and elaborate protocol. If float therapy isn’t exactly around the corner from your flat, just pause, feel your breath, its natural rhythm, waves and undulations.
- LOOK FOR SIMPLICITY. Simplicity is soothing, reassuring and balancing–just like meditation. Amid apparent complexity, stand in awe of an underlying effortlessness. No need to wait for 108 sun salutations in your next yoga class to work it all out. Instead, simply feel the hands in a simple prayer position now. When in tangled forest or overgrown garden, notice how seed grows to sprout, to trunk or stalk, to branch and leaf, and fruit or flower and all then dissolves to nourish earth–time and time again. Amid apparent chaos, all is well, as simple order becomes apparent and seedling always grows from darkness to light.
You can also experience Karuna’s guided meditations on her YouTube Channel.