It’s hard to imagine being forced to sit in the same position for any length of time – many of us like to remain constantly active, moving around from place to place as we complete different tasks and refuse to think we need to take a break. However, our bodies might not agree with us, even if we don’t listen to them. High blood pressure, anxiety and more are our bodies’ ways of telling us to give it a little downtime, no matter how much it goes against our nature. For many, meditation is a great way to give the body what it wants but, for those who can’t envision remaining cemented in a particular spot for anything more than a minute, it’s not an option. However, it can be, and there are ways even meditation haters can enjoy the experience.
For most of us, imagining someone meditating means viewing the person sitting down, legs crossed, eyes closed and fingers extended while reciting some chant in a foreign tongue. However, there’s a little-known secret that you should know. Meditation isn’t about sitting uncomfortably for 20, 30 minutes. In fact, it’s all about comfort. You can sit, you can lie down, you can stand on your head to meditate – whatever allows you to be comfortable.
There’s also no law that says you must remain perfectly still during meditation – the meditation police won’t come knocking at your door if you decide to scratch your nose decide to stretch a leg. The idea behind meditation is to relax the body and mind; if you fight these natural urges, you diminish any possibility of enjoying the benefits of the exercise.
The really good news for those who like to stay active all the time is that there is no given amount of time required for it to be considered a successful meditation session. If you only have five minutes and can relax during that time, you’ve accomplished your goal. It’s even possible to meditate for as little as one minute, and there are online guides that can fill you in on all the details.
A common misconception is that it’s necessary to clear the mind completely during meditation – that ain’t gonna happen. While it helps to keep the mind from trying to run a 200-meter dash in the span of a few seconds, you can achieve success by forcing the mind to focus on one thing – anything – at a time. If the mind starts to wander because it is now restless with that thought, focus on something else and repeat.
There’s one unwritten rule about meditation that needs to be written, but in big, bold, mind-pleasing colors. Meditation is about YOU finding the way to relax. Whatever works for you to achieve that goal is meditation.
