Meditation hard? Find a meditation practice that suits you!

Finding Meditation Difficult? Try these different styles and find a practice that suits you!

Part 1 of 5

I have noticed over the years of teaching meditation that so many people came to me before class and told me they couldn’t meditate. We seem to have so many ideas about what meditation is and should look like. But in the end, it is fairly simple: Meditation is a quieting and finding more stillness in the mind and body.

More than 1 way

Of course, we can debate for hours about the best way to meditate (and some do), but I find that different practices suit different people in different times of their lives. There are many routes you can take to the same place. And, if there ever was a time to look at meditation again with a fresh eye it would be now!

For some people quieting their mind comes quite easily, and they can just sit and be blissed out, and that’s that. If that is not you, you are not alone. Most people don’t have this embedded talent. And if you have ever gone to a silent sitting meditation and felt nothing but frustration, when everyone around you looked like perfect Buddha’s dwelling in their own personal nirvana, again, you are not alone. To get to the silence within you need to find your way in. And that may take some different trials of practices.

Movement meditation

 

For people with very busy minds and those who have a lot of energy, I find that movement mediations can be the key. Osho, whatever your opinions about him, has some great meditations that work wonders. The stages for most of them are the same. First trough movement, or movement and breath you get rid of any excess or stagnant energies. This can be in 1 or more phases. And in later stages the silence just comes, sometimes you can lie down or sit down. Most people feel they can slip into stillness with no effort at all after the dynamic phases.

Move into silence with ease

It is like shaking or stirring up a glass filled with dirt, and then letting it settle, everything just sinks to the bottom of the glass and you are left with a glass of crystal clear water. The water of course represents the mind and body. Osho has more vigorous meditations like the Kundalini meditation or the Dynamic meditation. But also softer ones, like No Dimension or Nadabrahma. A practice from the Sufi tradition is Zikr, but is probably less accessible to most. And finally, Ecstatic Dance can also be a beautiful way in. Ecstatic dance has a guided phase in the first part and then at a later stage you go into a free flow. There is no talking, no alcohol and no shoes.

What to wear to your movement meditation?

Needless to say that for these kinds of practices you need comfortable clothing that gives you all the freedom of movement you need. Yoga clothes are perfect. You can opt for loose fitting yoga wear, or something that is more snug depending on your personal preference. Layering your clothes is also smart. As in the active parts of the meditation you would be more hot, so a yoga tank top paired with some hip flared yoga pants or yoga leggings would be a great combo. But then having a longsleeve yoga top on hand for the later stages of stillness when your body will cool off significantly.

Also having socks on hand can be great to prevent cold feet! Or one of Urban Goddess extra long yoga leggings that you pull over your feet, like Gaia of Bhaktified yoga leggings. And note that as you sweat, your pores open and my definite recommendation would be to wear clothes that are made of natural and, if possible organic materials. This way you avoid absorbing toxic chemicals into your body after such a beautiful experience. Of course if you are wearing Urban Goddess yoga wear you’ll not have to worry about this, our entire range is made with organic and natural certified materials.

 

Integration

If you are new to these kinds of practices they can shake you a little. Especially afterwards when you continue with your day, you may feel that you perspective has shifted a little or even a lot. I would recommend that after your practice you make sure to re-hydrate properly. Maybe with some coconut water or lemon water. Also, take time to eat a wholesome grounding meal, to nourish your body. And it could help a great deal to journal after your practice, putting your emotions, epiphanies and insights on paper can have tremendous value.

If you feel a little ungrounded after the practice go for a walk in nature, maybe do a (short) yin yoga practice and have an early night. For some people the practice has such an impact that they will need more time to integrate. So don’t push yourself to go to a next practice if you feel that the previous one hasn’t settled yet.