I cannot tell you how many people tell me they can’t meditate and how difficult is to quiet the mind.
Science is proving how meditation lowers stress levels, decreases depression and even boosts our immune system.
So you really should be doing it.
Here’s a little secret. I can’t meditate either, not in the traditional “om”-ing sense. In yoga class when we go into savasana my mind starts wandering instantaneously into all the things I should be doing besides yoga. Cleaning, grocery shopping, writing blogs etc… That was until I learned the secret of meditation through writing my book series The All of Everything, A Spiritual Guide to Inner World Domination.
You don’t have to be still to reap the benefits of stillness.
Stillness, or as I would call it quieting the mind, does not have to involve laying down or sitting and not thinking. Wherever you are at peace and able to toss away the garbage thoughts about yourself and the world you see around you is quieting the mind. Thoughts like, “I am not good enough.” “No one will follow me.” “My boss is a jerk.” “I’ll never be respected in my career, find love or make enough money.”
These are our everyday untruths which keep us stuck creating the same old life day after day. So get meditating, but in a way that works for you. Anything that shuts your mind down enough to not think about all the things you have to do and instead experience joy, happiness or laughter.
Below are 20 ideas for you to try that may help bring you peace.
Whatever you do make sure you give it a solid 20 minutes of your time. It will be the most important 20 minutes you spend of your 24 hours. If you can go into your “zone” at places like the gym or the beach it’s fine to be around other people but if you get distracted by others make sure you are alone and no talking out loud (unless it’s to that quiet voice in your head which knows the truth of who you are – aka the soul).
- Singing in the shower.
- Writing in a journal.
- Dancing alone in your house when no one is watching or listening.
- Running without music.
- Turning the radio off in the car and focusing on the road ahead.
- Visualizing in your mind the life you want to create.
- Taking a walk in nature.
- Bird watching.
- Photographing things you love.
- Looking at old photos and lovingly laughing at your old hairstyles.
- Listening to guided meditations. (I love Oprah Winfrey and Deepak Chopra’s meditation app.)
- Creating art.
- Working with clay (or even your kids Playdoh).
- Lifting weights.
- Sitting and looking at the ocean, lake or a pond.
- Walking on a beach.
- Writing a letter to yourself about the great life you have.
- Hitting golf balls at the driving range.
- Swimming laps.
- Going for a hike.
It’s so simple, right? I could come up with hundreds more. Parasailing, zip lining or kite surfing, if that entices you. The point is that meditation is simply about feeling good and clearing your mind of untruths by doing something YOU enjoy which raises your energetic vibration and puts you -body, mind and soul at peace. What works for you may not work for someone else. Do what makes you happy, calm and contemplative and please don’t get hung up on societal norms of what “meditation” is.
Happy meditating.
Laura Saltman is an author, inner guidance coach and lifestyle host appearing on Designing Spaces and The Balancing Act on Lifetime TV.
Her books The All of Everything, The All of the All are available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Her next book The All That Is is due out in January 2019.
Follow me @laurasaltman on Instagram and Twitter. @laurasaltmanmedia on FB