For a long time I thought of meditation as a formal thing: sitting with legs crossed in a darkened and quiet room, wearing some kind of pale loose garment, with hands folded just so. This setup was to be accompanied by some formally prescribed breathing, chanting or humming. Maybe a Sanskrit mantra would be good for the chanting portion. Candles and incense are optional, but you get extra points if you can manage to complete the whole operation on the covered porch of a beach house with the surf gently rolling behind you.
There are great benefits to this kind of mediation. I tend to fall back into structured meditations in times of great stress or anxiety, and even have found a mantra that meets my greatest weakness. I am not the most disciplined person, though, and have some minor authority issues, so structured/formalized practices. (I’ll work on that, I promise).
Informal Meditation: focus on what you love
And yet I starting realizing I got similar results by doing things I like doing: listening to music, gardening, or walking. In fact, anything you do in your day that you really focus 100% on doing (being in the moment), helps to clear your mind and ease anxiety. Getting the clutter out of your mind can help you solve problems, come up with creative ideas and feel more at peace.
My Personal Favorite Forms of Informal Meditation
- gardening. I love gardening. A good thing since my yard is 1.5 acres. Weeding, shoveling, cutting the grass all give me the chance to balance myself. When thoughts not about gardening come up, I clear them away. I focus on the flowers, the dirt, the weed, the air, the birds chirping in the trees.
- listening to music. On my ipod, to the radio or one of the music channels on the tv, I lkisten and focus on the music. Sometimes I sing along, or hum along, or dance around like a crazy person. (Tip: I have found this activity is best left for when you are alone.)
- going to a concert. I have a subscription to the Philadelphia Orchestra and go a little over a dozen times a year. Focusing on the music (and not being able to be distracted) always makes me feel terrific and balanced. (Any music concert, a play or movie could also work.)
- taking a walk. Focus on your feet on the ground, on the fresh air, on the sights around you. Watch out for traffic or other walkers/bikers/people on mobile phones, please, but just focus all of your energy on the experience. This may be my favorite because it can be done anywhere, anytime and doesn’t cost anything.
Find Your Way of Centering
Of course any activity in life can become an informal meditation. All you have to do is really give all of your focus on doing the thing. Washing dishes, ironing, vacuuming, sewing, crafting, woodworking, filing, grocery shopping to name eight possibilities. When you are doing something routine, just focus on it; I remind myself of this whenever I have to clean the bathrooms (which I hate doing), but admitting it has to be done and then focusing on it until it is finished makes the process go faster, I do a better job, and I am able to balance myself.