For many, meditation has this airy-fairy, elusive vibe, like only yogis and monks and the enlightened can participate. 

 

Well, I’m here to tell you otherwise.  Meditation is the most incredible tool: it’s free, it’s simple, you need no supplies, it can be done absolutley anywhere, it’s extremely effective, and I’ve never once met/ heard of/ read about someone who committed to daily meditation and stopped because they felt worse than they did before.  

 

I urge you to try this. Start meditating. Become a meditator.  For your body. For your family.  For your mental health.  

 

All of the sudden, even though you thought you’d be spending 20 minutes doing nothing, time will open up.  Creative ideas, solutions and passions will flow.  The patience fuse will get longer.  Stress becomes less and less of an issue.  Maybe (like me) one day you’ll forget to meditate, and have this mind-blowing thought that you really, deeply, truly missed hanging out with yourself for a bit yesterday and can’t wait to do it today, maybe for an extra 10 minutes.

 

Here are 9 ways to meditate.  None are right, none are wrong, they are all wonderful.  Try one, try them all.  And have fun!

 

1. Guided Meditation

There is an abundance of guided meditations out there, from apps to memberships, to Youtube videos, it is as easy as a Google search to access (often free) meditations of any style.  When you go this route, don’t be discouraged if you don’t like a certain meditation.  There are SO many ways to do this!  Some may seem annoying, some may put you right to sleep, and some may have your mind all over the place. This is all normal, and perfect.  Keep trying new ones until you get one that feels good. 

2. Movement as Meditation

Yoga is moving meditation.  Dance is moving meditation.  Running is meditation.  Any movement that changes your focus, uses your breath, and gets you out of your head is meditation.  A consistent yoga/ movement practice is not only extremely beneficial for your body’s health, flexibility and strength, but also strengthens the mind and focus.  

 3. Let Mother Nature Help You Out

Let Mother Nature Help You Out-  Being outdoors can be incredibly grounding.  A sitting meditation in your bedroom can be antsy, boring and restless, but a sitting meditation on a blanket in the grass by the river is  a completely different sensory experience.  Even hiking, running, dancing, when done mindfully outdoors, will connect you to the deeper levels that meditation accesses.

 4. Try Mindfulness

Mindfulness- The beauty of Mindfulness Meditation is that it is so incredibly forgiving.  When you meditate, unless you are a monk with thousands of hours on the cushion, your thoughts will wander.  Nothing you can do about it, folks, we’re all human here.  Mindfulness is a beautiful tool: whenever you notice your mind wandering, just gently, lovingly bring your thoughts back to right now.  Here I am, in this room, sitting on this surface, with my eyes closed, meditating.  Rinse and repeat.  

 5. Give a Mantra a Shot

By using a word, phrase, or sound each time you meditate, you train your brain and body to drop deep into meditation quickly and easily when you begin reciting your mantra.  I was trained in mantra-based meditation over 10 years ago and this has been my go-to meditation style since.  I can find myself calm and grounded in a matter of minutes and enjoy the deeper states of meditation for the remainder of my available time. 

 6. Use Your Breath

Can’t live without it but so universally neglected!  Any type of breathwork will bring you into your body and calm your mind.  Whether it is slow, deep abdominal breathing, counting your inhales and exhales, or a more intense breathwork practice like the one taught at PAUSE Breathwork, this method is great for high energy, high emotion-types that need to release energy in order to relax.

 

 

 

7. Find a Facilitator

Having a healer, friend, or even stranger hold space while you meditate can be an incredibly healing experience.  I find it much easier to access deep states when I have Acupuncture needles placed on my body, or when someone is doing energy healing or body work.  Having someone else hold space and create an environment of energy flow can be amazingly helpful in deep meditation.  

8. Attend a Group Meditation

Meditation gatherings are amazing for many reasons.  One, a group of likeminded souls in one room rarely feels bad. Two, when groupthink kicks in, it is much easier to sit still and resist the urge to jump up and look at your phone when 10 other people are sitting in silence, and three, committing to a group once a week, once a month, or every day guarantees that you will show up and do it.  And that’s what matters most here! 

9. Just DO It!

Just do it.  Just sit your ass down, set a timer on your phone, close your eyes, and don’t move until the timer goes off.   Then do it again tomorrow.  

 

Xoxo

 

Danielle