How to Meditate Anytime, Anywhere
Dying to get back to your meditation cushion and shed off those work stress? Pick up these handy ninja meditation methods to nirvana
So you’ve learned how to meditate through some books or articles found on the Internet (like the How to Meditate guide on this website) and have been enjoying your new found state of peace and serenity. This is all good and well except that when your stress level escalates, you find yourself knocked out of balanced again and again, and fall back into old modes of fear and panic. That’s when you wish you could retreat to your meditation cushion and reclaim your peace.
Don’t feel discouraged, my dear friend. If you have been meditating conscientiously everyday, you’d find your ‘appetite’ for stress becoming larger and larger over time. That means, things which will usually send you into an anxious or high-stress mode will gradually lose their grip on you. You’d stress or panic less, and even when you do lost your balance, you will be able to retain a pair of watchful eyes that witness yourself going through the emotional turbulence without fueling it and making it worse.
But inevitably, there will be times when we wish we could bring our meditation cushion wherever we go so that we can meditate whenever we are and let our thoughts and worries settle down. This is especially so if you’re working in a highly stressful environment. There are in fact some practical ways in which you can meditate in your workplace without looking like you’re meditating at all! Here are some ninja meditation techniques to use anytime, anywhere:
Ninja Meditation Techniques
1. The Unwavering Gaze
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Choose a point of focus — an icon on your minimalist computer desktop, a paper clip on the table, a crack on the wall, or anything static — and gently rest your gaze on it. Soften your gaze by relaxing your eye muscles while still mindfully looking at your selected object. Now take a slow, deep breath. Feel your lungs expanding gradually. Hold the air inside you for a second or two, then exhale it slowly and completely. As you breathe out, imagine your tension, both physical and mental, leaving your body with the air you’ve just exhaled. All the while, keep your focus on your selected object. If you find that your attention has wandered off, just bring it back to the chosen object. Repeat the breathing as many times as you like.
2. Nifty Guided Meditation
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Audio guided meditations can be brilliant tool to use in the office especially when you don’t want people to know you’re meditating. Using a combination of beautiful background music and specially written narration, guided meditations can help you to relax quickly by engaging your senses and painting vivid mental pictures that calm you down in no time. And they’re convenient and discreet too. Simply plugged into your favorite guided meditation with a MP3 player and a pair of earphones, and you’re on your way to a safe haven right where you are. If you’re new to guided meditation, listen to a short segment from The Healing Waterfall II to get a taste of how one works:
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If you’re interested to find out more, check out these guided meditations to relieve stress and anxiety »
3. Watching the Mind Movie
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Turn your focus inward and pay attention to the content of your mind as if you’re watching a movie. What do you see? But here’s one more rule: you are required to observe your thoughts without muddling or getting involved in them. In other words, just watch and be mindful of them. If you find yourself entangled in some past memories, gently hit your left hand with your right to remind yourself to stay in the present. But if you’re worrying about something in the future instead, hit your right hand with your left. The aim here is to train yourself to be able to keep a conscious, watchful eye on the content of your mind.
4. Clear Blue Sky Visualization
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Nothing liberates the mind like an endless stretch of blue sky with fluffy white clouds. Close your eyes and retrieve the image of a clear blue sky from your memories. Can you see it? If you can’t, just visualize the perfect blue sky in your mind — the joyful blue sky that is associated with lots of vibrant life energies. ‘See’ cotton-like clouds floating slowly towards you in the horizon. And the occasional birds that chirp and fly across the sky. Rest and relax completely in this vast blue sky. Stay in it as long as you like. When you’re ready to emerge from it, visualize yourself being more relaxed and more confident to accept and face any challenge that might come your way. Open your eyes and apply your increased level of awareness to your work.
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Another “on-the-spot” meditation technique that I’ve found is, in a moment where I’m feeling stressed or negative, I think STOP and give myself about 30 seconds to hold something for which I’m grateful in my mind. It’s amazing how quickly this can change negativity to positivity.
I am a beginner .I found it to be very helpful to do meditation. thanku
You’re welcome! You may like to sign up for The Conscious Life Digest to keep updated with the latest articles on meditation and more. Cheers.
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Hi A D Littles, Thank you for signing up! The Conscious Life Digest is a monthly e-newsletter. Once you’ve signed up, your subscription will begin with the next issue. The August 2011 issue will be out in a few days time.
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i find that my eyes tend to try and open am i doing something wrong?
Hello crux, If your eyes prefer to open during meditation, then perhaps don’t try to force them to close. Most people find it easier to concentrate on their meditation when the eyes are closed. But that doesn’t mean you can’t meditate with open eyes. If you find it more natural to open your eyes, try directing your gaze downwards a few inches in front of you during your practice. And soften your gaze so that your focus is not on what you see, but on your breaths. Hope this helps.
Is there a certain age limit or something for people to meditate?
Hi Ali, Thanks for writing. There’s no age limit to meditate as long as one is able to follow simple instructions and carry out the simple steps. But children should be guided and supervised to make sure they are doing it correctly. Hope this answers your question.
i am doing meditation daily
and i am realized that it’s really work
Glad to hear that meditation is working for you, Jaskaran! Keep it up!