How To: Not HATE Meditating!
How To: Tips for living!
By now you’ve heard the multitude of reasons you should take time every day to meditate, so I won’t go into those in details here.
What I want to talk about, is what to do if you think you hate meditating! If you are like me, anything that involves “quieting” your mind not only feels daunting, but damn near impossible. That is one of the many reasons, I had to reframe the way I think of meditation. I had to push aside the images of svelte woman in ohm position on deserted beaches, in forest glens or on mountain tops. Give me a break… meditation needs to be real, practical and attainable. Sometimes clearing your mind of thoughts is none of those things.
To combat the runaway thoughts and subsequent emotions, I’ve integrated a variety of mindfulness practices. While meditation is the awareness of “no-thing”, mindfulness is a hyper focused awareness of “some-thing”.
Brushing your teeth, drinking coffee, folding laundry, doing dishes and showering (bathing kids) are perfect examples of daily opportunities to practice mindfulness. Concentrate on the senses. The way the water feels on your skin, the bristles on your teeth, the warmth of the cup in your hand the smells of the soap or aroma of the coffee. You can integrate mindfulness into almost any daily activity.
For actual meditations there are several guided meditations that work for me as well. Body scan mediations, loving kindness meditations and the Seed Meditation. I have grown to like a number of guided visualizations. The key is trying a few different types until you find the one that works best for you.
To expand on those practices, I integrate practices of EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique or “Tapping”) Tapping is great for me when I am feeling particularly anxious or have situational stressors. While you can learn to self facilitate, I find it easiest to use guided tapping sessions. I love Tapping with Brad Yates. You can find him on You Tube and he has a multitude of free tapping videos on just about any topic. Be sure to check out “Why Are They SO Stupid” during election season.
Walking in Nature is my all time favorite way to meditate. Even if I can not afford the time for a trip to a local trail, I can always set off in my own backyard. You do not need a bunch of space if you do the Speed Exercise. This process was shared by Paulo Coehlo in The Pilgrimage. Simply walk at a fraction of the speed you normally would and pay close attention to details and surroundings. When. I do that particular practice, I like to journal my experiences afterwards.
Please share your favorite way to get through meditation for the rest of us or feel free to reach out to me with any particular struggles.
Blessings and hugs, ~Beth
