6 Original and Enjoyable Meditation Techniques
We’ve all heard about meditation and its
many advantages geared towards helping us achieve a calmer and more
peaceful life. However, many assume that the only way to practice
meditation is to sit cross-legged and hum to ourselves. But with our
busy schedules, we may think that it's hard to devote time to this.
Fortunately, this assumption is wrong, and you’ll be surprised to
discover that meditation is much more than that. At the same time, its
meaning is simpler than you may have initially thought. Meditation is
about being fully present in the moment without veering off to our to-do
lists and worries. In this way, we learn to live in the moment, while
keeping our anxieties and fears at bay.
The following creative techniques are fun exercises that don’t take more
than 15 minutes. They will also help you learn about meditation in new
and varied ways. Choose one or more of these methods and you’ll be able
to experience positive changes in your life after just a few exercises.
Color meditation
The technique involves coloring a mandala, a symmetrical form
representing detachment from the physical. Coloring mandalas is an
activity with therapeutic effects that many modern psychologists swear
by. It works because while coloring you have to concentrate on the small
details, making it difficult for you to think about other
preoccupations you may have. While coloring may seem like an activity
for children, give it a try and see how it affects you.
How to: Print mandala coloring pages and grab some colored pencils.
Coloring a complete mandala is a long activity, so you don’t have to do
it all at once. However, it is believed that doing this simple activity
for five minutes every day will help you relax. If you're short on time,
spare
Gazing meditation
Have you ever caught yourself staring blankly into space? This usually
occurs during mundane activities, such as riding the bus or waiting in
line. Staring is something that we do unconsciously. But in the process,
we may be thinking about several different things. This form of
meditation focuses on a technique called gazing. Unlike staring, gazing
is practiced with full awareness, ensuring that you remain 100% present.
The real challenge lies in staying focused in a noisy or stressful
environment. After some time of training, however, you’ll be able to use
this method to completely relax before an important meeting or
conversation
How to: Simply find a spot on the wall in front of you, or anywhere in
the room, and concentrate on that spot for as long as you can. You can
set a timer on your smartphone or wristwatch to keep track of how much
time has passed. Don’t be worried if after a few seconds of gazing your
thoughts seem to take over. Once this happens, stop looking at the spot
you have chosen and "come back" to the room. Over time, you will notice
that seconds of gazing turn into minutes. In this way, you are training
your mind to be completely and consciously cleared of outside noises.
Story meditation
One of the things that many of us do to occupy our time is to shut
ourselves off from the world by looking at our smartphones. But, isn't
time being wasted here too? In addition, it is also harmful to our eyes,
neck and finger joints. So, rather than occupying your time on your
phone, open yourself up to the environment around you. This technique
will turn your thoughts into an adventure, which will help you feel more
relaxed and free of worries.
How to: Look at the people around you, and try to invent a story about
who they are, where they’re going, and any additional details you can
think of. This is a great meditation technique because as we concentrate
on the creative development of a story, we work our brains in a complex
way. At the same time, it helps us forget about our own problems and
anxieties, if only for a moment. You can make up stories about people,
places, and even interesting objects. Such as, deciphering how an object
ended up where it is or who the object belongs to. Whenever you feel
stressed, threatened or depressed, look at the world around you and find
in it the things that attract your curiosity.
Maze meditation
Think of hiking trips you’ve gone on while on vacation. This desire to
explore and see is a characteristic of children and is rarely
experienced in adulthood, with the exception of very rare moments. The
purpose of this meditation is to bring exploration back into our lives.
With time, the focus that guides us on getting out of the "maze" that
we’ve trapped ourselves in, will accompany us later in the day and help
us develop a different perspective even when looking at familiar things.
This method is based on unexpected discoveries that we encounter along
the way, alongside the dual activity of both hemispheres of the brain as
we navigate our way to reach our goal. It helps us remain focused on
what we are doing and allows us to pay attention to things that would
otherwise elude us. This is, of course, only true when we are in no
hurry to get to work on time, to pick up our kids from school or to run
errands.
How to: If you need to walk somewhere and
have an extra 10-15 minutes to spend, try to get to where you’re going
using a different and new route. Avoid using maps or navigation devices
that are available on many of our smartphones, and set off knowing just
the general direction in which you need to go.
Another way to do this exercise is to try escaping an actual physical
maze, on paper. There are many special mazes that can help you practice
meditation in this way, and you can challenge yourself by doing them at
home, at your convenience. Print out a maze, take a few minutes, and
look for your way out of it. Click here for a bunch of free printable
mazes, to help you get started on this meditation.
Loving-kindness meditation
This technique is also known as Metta, which in Pali means,
“unconditional love and kindness". This love does not depend on whether
one deserves it and is not restricted to friends and family. this
meditation is suitable for those who feel they don’t get along with the
people around them, are accused of being too self-centered or are
dissatisfied with how they behave with others. The technique reinforces
our ability to identify with others and accept them, as well as
appreciate their place in our lives.
How to: Turn to this meditation for a few minutes at the end of the day
and think of one good thing you have done today and can take credit for,
even if it’s something small - give this thought a minute or two. Then,
in the second step, think of a close friend or family member who
usually makes you happy, even if you have not seen them today. Try to
think of something nice this person has recently done for you and how he
or she takes up a big part of your life.
After giving them a few minutes, think of a "neutral" person. It could
be someone from work you do not know enough, a salesman in the store you
visit regularly, and more. In the last circle of thought, think of a
person you've had difficulty with recently. It could be someone from
work, a family member, a friend and so on. In the final step, think
again about the list of people.
The connection you've created between a
loved one and a person you do not like for one reason or another will
eventually lead you to realize that one problematic relationship is not
indicative of all your relationships. This practice will also condition
you to have positive feelings toward someone you are used to thinking of
only in a negative context. It is this conditioning that helps develop
compassion in one who does this type of meditation and teaches them to
look at troubled relationships with less anger. You can repeat the same
names the next time, or think of different people depending on the level
of closeness or distance from them at that moment.
Laughter meditation
Many people may find it difficult to think of laughter as a form of
meditation, but laughter meditation is one of the most effective and
influential methods on our bodies and how we are affected by the events
of the day. Laughter creates a combination of body, emotion, and soul,
and when we laugh, we can transcend stressful moments, see irritating
situations differently and make life less serious. Many of us may think
laughter is something that can make us look ridiculous, but
incorporating laughter meditation at the beginning or end of the day
will allow you to laugh with yourself and at yourself, which is
necessary if you want to be more optimistic about life.
How to: There are three main steps to this meditation, each of which may
take 5 minutes (if you’re having a busy day), but feel free to spend
extra time one each. The first step involves stretching your body and
performing deep breathing. Stretch your arms and legs: straighten your
arms and feet, lift your hands above your head, and stretch your legs
forward. Stay in this position for a few seconds. Next, stretch the
facial muscles by exaggerating a yawn, making a fish face, or sticking
out your tongue. In the third step, think of situations that made you
laugh, jokes that you know or even watch a short sitcom that you like.
If you’re at home, you don’t have to be content with just a smile, let
yourself giggle and turn it into a heartfelt laugh without feeling
silly, childish or subject to criticism. In the last step, take a few
breaths and think about how well you felt in those moments.
The bottom line is if you have a lot of
time to devote to meditation, this is, of course, great, but many of us
may feel bothered by the fact that instead of solving our problems we’ve
just added another errand to our to-do list. The techniques you have
learned will allow you to avoid unnecessary stress and use meditation as
an effective time management solution by clearing your head and making
room for new ideas.