Alternatives to meditation
We all know we should meditate, but for some, this is easier said than done. Meditation has shown time and time again to benefit your mind and life overall, but most of us still don’t do it. Why is that? For a lot of people, they feel like they don’t know what they are doing and don’t have the patience to sit there and focus on their breathing for 15 minutes, or even 2 minutes. So, how do we get the benefits of meditation without meditating? Here are a few ideas.
Take a walk
Many great thinkers have recommended taking a long walk. It gives you something to do as well as a non-pressured way to think. Take a walk and just enjoy it, don’t have expectations, walk and look at the things around you. If you are not in a good area to walk, then you can always visit a local park, but walking is one of the easiest ways to get in touch with yourself and meditate.
Go for a run
If you are more athletically inclined, you can always go for a run. Most runners already know that running is like meditation, they just focus on their breathing and the beat of their feet. This is what meditation is. Just like the person that sits there motionless for 15 minutes, going for a 15-minute run will give you the same benefits, and probably add a few cardio ones to the list.
Coloring books
This has been a fairly recent addition to the meditation line. There are many adult coloring books with varieties of complexity out there. Giving yourself a simple focus to occupy your active mind by coloring, can give you all the benefits of meditation. Just relax and let the book be your world for 15 minutes. Over a few weeks you will see changes in your mental attitude. Almost any type of art will work as well, such as drawing or sculpture. The coloring book is the easiest though as you will never worry about skills, there are none, just color.
Yoga
Yoga is another one that is body and mind. It is time to spend with yourself and feel your body and relax your mind. It has the benefits of strengthening you and making you more flexible, but it also has a large meditation aspect. Just move and be mindful of your body, experience it and that will take you there. Some forms of martial arts, such as Tai Chi, are also great examples of this.
Cooking
This one is pretty old school, but it offers a great opportunity for mindfulness. You could just cook and not think much about it, or you can cook and take part in everything you do, being mindful of all the ingredients, the textures, and the smells. Focus on what you are doing, and experience it. You also have the advantage of continuing the mindful part and experiencing the food after you have made it.
Take a bath
When you take a bath, there is nowhere you have to go. You set aside time to just lay in hot water and relax. You can add oils for the scent, or candles and flowers for the experience, I am sure you have all seen that in movies. A bath can be simple or complex, but as you lay there, it is also meditation. Just relax and experience it, no hurry, just feel it. This has always been our favorite place to meditate, with the added benefit of getting clean, and that’s hard to beat.
There are many other things you can do instead of meditative that will give you the same benefits. The object is to focus and relax your mind at the same time. Experience what you are doing with no hurry. The time is yours. You might have a hard time with traditional meditation, but we are sure you can find something that is just as beneficial to replace it. Mindful meditation has been around for thousands of years, the benefits are scientific and proven. You don’t have to follow a yoga or master; you just have to find what works for you. Just use your imagination and you will find the right path for you.