Meditative.. without meditating.

[Childof_theMorrigan]

not sure if this is where my question should be so move as needed. :)

I just got out of the shower and was thinking about how much better I feel (emotionally) after I've been in a shower... even MORE so after a bath. I've been taking more and more baths over the past couple of years but recently started taking them specifically for the emotionally calming experience.

I don't add anything to the water. I don't even try to meditate. I don't say anything special or do anything special. I just started noticing how much more relaxed, focused and optimistic I felt after a bath and so now if I notice I'm getting bogged down in emotional crap I get into some water!

I also have always HATED doing the dishes. It's been the LAST thing I do when I clean the house. I would rather scrub a toilet. Seriously. In the past 6 weeks as my living situation changed and I am living with a whole house of people, I have taken it upon myself as part of my regular chores to do the dishes.

I've actually started LIKING it. It's sort of .. meditative.. I guess. Again, I don't do anything special... it just sort of happens. Of course, there is that water connection again...

So after my lengthy explanation... is there anything YOU do that causes your mental relaxation but isn't active meditation?

[Deerwoman]

is there anything YOU do that causes your mental relaxation but isn't active meditation?

Crafting - when I carve wood or sew, it's one of the only times my mind can empty because it's so focused on what I'm doing. I find myself incredibly relaxed and peaceful when crafting. Traditional forms of meditation don't work for me, so I use my creative time as meditation.

Just because you're not sitting cross-legged chanting "ohm" and trying to "clear your mind of all thought" doesn't mean you aren't meditating in some other way. I have friends who meditate through chanting, drumming, going for a hike... It's whatever gets you the results.

Slainte!

[green aventurine]

"Just because you're not sitting cross-legged chanting "ohm" and trying to "clear your mind of all thought" doesn't mean you aren't meditating in some other way."

Yes, I agree with that. There are probably as many ways to meditate as there are people. Some of my favourite ways of meditation when I'm not watching my breath are playing the guitar, looking at a piece of art, tidying up the flat, or going for a walk in a forest.

[~Nixie]

Certainly...agreed with the last two posters. Looking out the window, painting, observing groups of people, walking, and other things can be meditative to me. Especially washing the dishes--I must admit that I'm not always too excited about it, but when I clean it is cleansing to me emotionally, spiritually. It grounds my energies and helps me think more clearly. I think that some people get addicted to cleaning, and organizing, lol.

I think there might be a difference between say, being in a meditative state and interacting with the world around you vs meditating and exploring your "inner world", which is generally done with your eyes closed. Although it may be the same sort of concept, and ultimently they're connected. Thoughts?

[Clair de la Lune]

I think when I clean I am also removing the "cobwebs" in my brain, especially when I am doing it alone and unbothered/uninterrupted and with no distractions.


I like moving meditations, walking meditations, trance meditations, etc. I hate cleaning but once it starts, it does something beneficial to me. The same with water. I hate it, but once I am in it, I can not seem to want to leave as it is so cleansing, almost painfully so.

[Astara Seague]

Just because you're not sitting cross-legged chanting "ohm" and trying to "clear your mind of all thought" doesn't mean you aren't meditating in some other way. I have friends who meditate through chanting, drumming, going for a hike... It's whatever gets you the results.

Slainte!

:thumbsup:its whatever works best for you

[Laoghaire]

I crochet, I embroider, or a colour my drawings. Most of the time I also sing/hum when I do these things, to add some extra 'power', a bit of me, in the craftwork.

[Childof_theMorrigan]

yesterday i had a really heavy duty brain day... i thought about things.. so hard.. that i ended up with a really bad headache, my eyes hurt and my body buzzed (probably due to adrenaline because of the topic of conversation)

i started to feel sick to my stomach and after being in the trenches of it all day.. i couldn't seem to shut it off.

so i hopped into the bath and lay down in it.. covering my ears. i really like to do that.. and then breathe slowly and deeply.

i can't hear anything but my breathing at that point.. and its much louder under the water.. and i shut my eyes so i can't see anything either.

it really did help. i'm not very good at meditation or meditative like practices and its very difficult for me with bi polar and also not being medicated right now. so i did wander and i just had to bring myself back to the breathing.

[MoonMystSpirit]

There is an article i just read that has to do with this. In other belief systems it is stressed that meditation is, as previously mentioned, more than posture and breathing. It promotes an heightened awareness and mindfulness in everything we do.

I think the lines from the article that sums it up the best is

"Meditation is a cultivation of mindfulness and the application of that mindfulness once cultivated"

-and-

"Meditation is awareness, and it must be applied to each and every activity of one's life"

Here is a link to the article. Let me know your thoughts about it!

http://www.vipassana.com/meditation/mindfulness_in_plain_english_17.php


There is a paragraph from another article that i absolutely love, and try to use this exercise mostly when i'm feeling overwhelmed or stressed.

"A powerful way to open ourselves more deeply to the world we think we know so well is to try to forget everything we think we know. Imagine you just suddenly found yourself in your body and are exploring the possibilities of having arms and legs for the first time. Imagine you have never seen a toothbrush before, or a pen, or a fork. Where did these things come from? The truth is, without even having to pretend, there is a great deal we do not know, and engaging with that mystery can imbue the cyclical tasks of our lives with new life."

from - http://www.dailyom.com/articles/2005/407.html

[Against The Tide]

When I was in HMS armed forces it was polishing my boots, the repetitive physical motions just let my mind wander.. then return.. then empty completely. I used to do it for hours and hours a week, and I had the shiniest boots on parade too :)

Lately its running or aimlessly shuffling tarot cards. Same kind of thing, I fall into a light trance and it feels like I'm sleeping without the effort of closing my eyes and dreaming. I wake up refreshed and vitalized.