Active Meditation

I have never been a big fan of meditation—I can’t seem to stand still or manage a mantra. What I have found to work for me is active meditation. I started off with body-focused meditation through deep breathing. Close your eyes and sit comfortably in a chair with both feet on the ground and breathe deeply through your nose for 5 minutes. The deep breaths allow your muscles in your chest and diaphragm to tell your mind that you are ready to relax. You can use the same strategy when doing your stretching at the end of a workout. Once I found I could do this consistently, I moved on to more active tasks (such as walking the dog) and used the same process to bring my thoughts back to the present task (rather than making my shopping list in my head). In this way, my meditative state was based on my strides and my breathing. By doing so, I directed my energy which in turn becomes relaxing. Give it a try!