Blocked About Meditation? Part 2 of 2

By Amy Scott Grant

Regular meditation brings many benefits, such as: increased brain function, creativity, physical health, and relationships; reduced stress; and a more evolved spiritual life. But for those with an active mind, traditional silent meditation can prove to be challenging. Here are two alternative forms of meditation that provide all the benefits with far fewer hindrances.

Take a Walk, Grasshopper

Nature has a grounding effect that is very powerful to still and center the mind. One form of meditation is as simple as taking a walk. The key is to leave behind your normal distractions (smart phone, MP3 player, bluetooth, etc.) I typically leave my phone at home when going for a walk (much to my husband’s dismay) but otherwise I find it to be too much of a distraction.

Albert Einstein is said to have removed bait from his hook while fishing because whenever the fish nibbled, it disturbed his train of thought. Without my phone, I notice trees and birds, grass and clouds, the sound of wind chimes or nearby pets. I hear my footsteps rise and fall, I experience various smells of the outdoors, and I become more aware of my breathing. This makes it a moving or more active form of meditation.

On these mindful, reflective walks, I have no agenda. I’m not out to get exercise or burn calories, I’m not looking to photograph trees or clear my lungs, and I typically have NO goal or timeframe in mind (for example, to walk five miles or for so many minutes). I just walk.

I spend the first fifteen to twenty minutes of my walk processing through the things I “need” to think about, working through one item at a time inside my head, and once my mind has done its job, it suddenly grows very quiet.

This is when I become more aware of sights and sounds, and as I am noticing the wonder of nature, I spontaneously receive ideas, solutions, creative prompts, and more. Soon, I can’t wait to circle back to my home to get to work (or play or creative time) and start putting these ideas into action.

By the time I return home, I feel refreshed, centered, energized, and excited to move into implementation mode. Of course, you don’t have to do it this way; I’m simply sharing what’s worked for me. You should feel free to do whatever works for you. But if you don’t know what works, then why not try it this way and see what happens? Or, try this third form of alternative meditation.

The Guided Visualization

Do you love movies? If you’re like most people, you really enjoy kicking back and allowing yourself to become absorbed in a good flick. Guided visualization is perfect for movie-lovers because it’s like the story is being narrated to you, as it plays inside your head. Which means you can be the leading star in your film, and you can look however you want to look! You can set the stage, choose the props and play any part.

Guided meditations which are really well done will have a pace and tone that is pleasing to you (have you ever heard a guided audio and thought, “Ick! I can’t listen to this.” Yep, me too! But don’t give up – try some other ones until you find someone you like.). In my experience, the best guided audios are the ones that I could listen to again and again.

Alternatively, you can make your own (although not everyone enjoys listening to the sound of their own voice, and some find it hard not to critique their own performance). Sometimes it’s just easier to relax when someone else is doing the talking.

A guided visualization may have a specific goal in mind (for example, to help you discover some hidden truth or block inside of you and/or to clear that block), to help you to open up to or become more proficient in something (overcoming shyness or procrastination, for example), or the purpose of the audio may be simply for the purposes of relaxation.

These audios are usually in an MP3 format, and can be downloaded to your smart phone or mobile device, so that you can listen whenever and wherever you like. Some folks enjoy listening while lying in bed, just before sleep (as it is helpful to feel relaxed before falling asleep), while others will carve out time during the day or first thing in the morning. What works best for you? Try different times of day to see what you find most enjoyable.

Even young children can enjoy this form of alternative meditation. The Dalai Lama once said, “If every eight-year-old in the world is taught meditation, we will eliminate violence from the world within one generation.”

Which of these alternative meditations methods is your favorite? How can you begin to incorporate meditation into your daily routine, so that it can quickly become a regular habit?