For our last less traditional meditation we are going to look at a wandering meditation. Make sure that you also check out the art and tea meditation posts while you are here. Wandering meditationSome of you might be familiar with the concept of forest bathing, if you are this will feel similar to you ... but a little bit different as well.
For a simple wandering meditation you can go anywhere ... a forest, meadow, garden, park, your neighbourhood, anywhere you have space to move around and maybe a little quiet as well. The key to this type of meditation is moving slowly ... this is not a race ... this is a slow meander ... an aimless wander.
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Tea MeditationContinuing my series of blogs highlighting non-traditional meditations, let's look at a tea meditation.
Tea is a drink that has been enjoyed in various forms since as early as 3rd century AD in China, however most of us mindlessly make and drink it. We have lost the ritual and the sacredness of enjoying a perfect cup of tea from start to finish. I know that I am bad for making a cup and then walking away, relying on my family to jump when the timer goes off ... yes I set a timer when I brew a cup of tea lol ... or reheating a cup over and over because I have gotten distracted with another task and waked away from a cup completely. All is not lost though ... what if we brought back the ritual, the mindfulness, the sacredness of a beautiful cup of tea ... what if we tried a tea meditation, even if it is only with one cup a day? What if we slowed down and enjoyed the process from start to finish, from a meditative sense? Meditation is something that I come back to again and again ... I have not always been able to create a constant practice, but I know that it is always there when I need it. In an effort to inspire others to give it I try, and to set myself down the right path with meditating regularly again, I decided to look at some less traditional meditations over a series of blog posts. And by less traditional I basically mean anything other than the image most have of sitting cross legged, eyes closed, just being there, with a quiet mind for a Long time. I will let you in on a little secret ... it actually takes a LOT of practice to get to that point, realistically probably years of practice, so comparing your attempts to that is like expecting a grade 9 kid to write a forth year university level paper. So lets set aside what we have always assumed qualifies as meditation and open our minds to the possibilities ... Art meditationLast year my Mom and I came across a painting meditation workshop. 8 weeks, 8 sessions, 8 different layers, all coming together to create a beautiful, unique piece of art (see below). The process started me thinking ... Is painting meditative for me? Does it reduce stress? Can it benefit general wellness? Could it help others too? The answer is .... YES! ... and there is research to back it up too. In a systematic review of 37 studies, 81.1% reported a significant reduction of stress with creative art interventions. Studies showed lower stress levels; a reduction in anxiety, increase in bleed flow to the reward centre of the brain (the medial prefrontal cortex); lower cortisol levels with 45 minutes spent creating art; and enhanced brain function - impacting brain wave patterns, emotions, the nervous system and art can even raise serotonin levels (the hormone that helps to stabilize mood and bring feelings of wellbeing and happiness). There is something soothing about putting brush to canvas, creating nothing in particular, just choosing colours that you are drawn to in that moment and just going with it ... seeing what happens. No judgement. No critique. Just the simple act of creation, relaxation and pleasure. Now I know for some of you out there, the thought of just going with it and painting nothing and everything actually causes stress rather than reducing it ... maybe even makes you a little twitchy. But what if, just for a few minutes every week, you could set aside your expectations of what is a beautiful piece of art ... what is "good" or "bad"... what you are "supposed" to do ... and just simply focus on covering the canvas with colour? What could it hurt to try? Simple Meditation Painting
Want to add another layer to your painting? Grab a paint pen & try your hand at drawing a mandala on top ... once the paint is dry of course ... taking a deep breath and expanding out from a centre circle one shape at a time ... one ring at a time. How did you feel? The most important parts of this type of exercise ... how you feel when you are done ... be proud of what you have created ... Love what you have created ... and if you are comfortable, share what you have created with others ... if you share on social make sure to tag @bacmassagetherapy, I would LOVE to see what you all create! So what do you do now if you really hated the process of created art, it didn't relax you, or it made you feel a little twitchy to just go for it with no "right" way to do it? Try meditating looking at others art ... pull some up online, grab a book from the library or a book store, hit up an art gallery (when they are open again) ... taking a deep breath, observe the colours, the brush strokes, the minute details, and the painting as a whole. What does it make you feel when you look at the art? Does it trigger an emotion, a memory, or a gut reaction? Marvel at what was created ... you may just find your new favourite artist in the process. I challenge you now to head out, grab some supplies (if you don't already have some kicking around the house), take a deep breath and enjoy the benefits that can be had from creating and art meditation. *Note that the colours on some shown here didn't quite photograph well in the lighting I had.
Set up for Meditation SuccessBefore we delve into all of the wonderful ways to meditate, I think we need to hit pause for a minute ... step back ... and look at how to set yourself up for meditation success right from the start. Let's imagine, just for a second ... sitting down in the middle of Main St USA Disney World just after the evening fireworks have ended, the park is approaching close, and you are trying to meditate for the very first time ... no tools ... no recording ... no guidance ... just you sitting. Now if you have been in Disney World after the fireworks, you know that it is full of people, literally shoulder to shoulder people. It's loud, overcrowded, and not at all peaceful ... not at all the place to try meditation. So instead of setting yourself up for meditation not to work ... let's set you up so that it can
Troubleshooting your meditation challenges
Ok ... so you have put some thought into planning for success, and you have some ideas for troubleshooting common meditation challenges ... what's next?
Try different forms until you find one you love ... or until you come up with a collection of ideas that all work for you and give you options. In the coming weeks I will be sharing ideas for different ways to meditate, I hope you will follow along with me on a journey to embracing meditation. My journey with essential oils began about 8 years ago, in the fall of 2015, when my daughter was in junior kindergarten. Like most 4 year olds, she caught every cold out there ... then proceeded to bring it home to me. It was never ending! Thankfully, a goddess named Renee told me about an essential oil diffuser blend that changed everything. And I wanted to know more ... I needed to know more! So, in the spring of 2016 ... I spend 2 amazing days taking an intro to essential oils course at Alypsis here in Peterborough ... I pretty much wanted all the oils they taught us about! In the following years I played, and learned, and played some more ... creating blends for myself and my family. People told me I should sell my blends ... but I just wasn't quite ready. Until last spring, when I had an idea ... find a way to expand my business to include all of the things that I feel are essential to living a holistic life ... Essentials by BAC. Part of that dream was to share my love of essential oils with people ... and maybe even some of the awesome blends I had made for myself since taking that intro course all those years ago. Little did I know how truly complicated that can be. After encountering stumbling block after stumbling block after stumbling block, and even a minor temper tantrum in my kitchen, someone finally gave me a door to open … Get trained and certified as a Clinical Aromatherapist. What I didn’t know was that it was a calling I should have pursued years ago. But then again, I have always trusted that the universe will wait to present an opportunity until you are ready for it. And I fell in LOVE all over again! So … 6 months, 475 hours +++ of studying, multiple assignments (including a trip back to organic chemistry), case studies, a research paper, and a national certification exam later … I can proudly say that I am now a |
Brien-anne RMT, CAI am passionate not only about Massage Therapy & Aromatherapy, but also living a holistic lifestyle and empowering & inspiring others to do the same! Categories
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