Meditation is not something that requires special conditions. You don’t need a cave or complete solitude. You can meditate, even in line at the checkout counter, even on the subway and while playing at a casino online in Canada. What if your whole life became a meditation? And these techniques can help you do just that.
Breath Meditation
Once we pay attention to our breath, we move from the hustle and bustle of the mind to the here and now. Breathing brings us back into the body without having to spread out a yoga mat. Wherever you are, as soon as you have a moment, shift your attention to your breath. Start observing how your breath comes in and how it transitions into an exhalation. Already this will calm your thoughts, lower your anxiety, and create a space of relaxation. And if you have more time, you can start experimenting with controlling your breathing, like breathing with your lower abdomen and making your breaths equal in duration to your exhalations.
Mantra Meditation
The sound and vibration of mantras are often used in yoga as a tool to change the body and mind. Here are some kundalini yoga mantras that you can use to meditate on their sounds. Sing them if you’re ready, and if you’re not, just listen and say them mentally within yourself. But, remember that if you say the mantras out loud, it has an additional effect! Touching the tongue to the active points on the upper palate while saying the sounds stimulates different parts of the hypothalamus, which in turn stimulates the pituitary gland and the pineal gland. The secretion of the pituitary gland and the pineal gland radiation results in a change in brain chemistry, resulting in a more balanced state of mind and balancing of the endocrine system.
Dynamic Meditation
If sitting meditations are difficult for you, try moving meditations. The easiest way to do this is to dance. You can go to dance-meditation practice, if in your city there are such, or arrange their own at home. To do this, turn on incendiary dynamic music and dance, shaking to it for at least 15 minutes. If you allow yourself to become obsessed with the dance, your thinking is interrupted.
Laughter Meditation
Have you ever noticed that when you’re really having fun, for a few seconds it’s like you’re in a deep meditative state? It’s impossible to laugh and think at the same time. As Osho said, “Laughter and thinking are diametrically opposed: you are either laughing or thinking. If you laugh for real, thinking is interrupted.
When you wake up in the morning, before you open your eyes, stretch every part of your body. After a couple of minutes, still staying in bed with your eyes closed, start laughing. At first you will force yourself, most likely thoughts will fly in, “This is weird. I might be disturbing someone right now,” but soon the sound of your effort will produce genuine laughter. It may not work right away, because you’re not used to starting the day with genuine laughter. But soon that laughter will give you a meditative state, become spontaneous, and completely change your state for the day.
Meditation During Meals
Another convenient and accessible meditation practice is to meditate on daily activities, such as eating. As the kundalini yoga master Yogi Bhajan said, “If you ceremoniously eat the food that you normally swallow in fifteen minutes, it will become your best friend, your best strength and your best self. Eating slowly is one of the best meditations on this Earth.”
When the food is in front of you, instead of taking a picture of it, give yourself a moment to thank those who made it appear on your table, then begin to consume each bite of food consciously, chewing it thoroughly and dripping with your own saliva. Eat so that all your mental energy is in the food. This will not only calm your mind, but also improve your digestion.