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Keeping up with a meditation routine can be tough. You may feel as if the free time is just not available or maybe your mind races just a little too much as you try to stay in the present. As Emma Seppälä, the Science Director of Stanford’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research & Education reminds us, meditation requires just a few minutes and those thoughts that inevitably creep in … those are okay. That brings to mind an episode of a sitcom I stumbled upon where one of the characters attempted to teach the group a meditation technique. She began by teaching a technique involving stream visualization, where one imagines all their problems floating away with the stream. Well, one humorous student just couldn’t focus and asked, “Is anyone else’s stream dirty?”
I can definitely see myself asking the same question! But again, don’t focus on the time or your thoughts and make the time spent, all about you. The benefits of mediation are so powerful that it’s definitely worth a shot. Take a peek at 20 of those benefits here.
Using shower time to refresh both your mind and body can be useful for starting or ending the day just right. Nancy O’Hara, Author, Mindful Life Coach, and Meditation Teacher shows us how:
1. Leave all your electronic devices on the other side of the bathroom door, far enough away so that you won’t hear them.
2. Prepare your towel and other necessary items, treating them and yourself with the utmost care. As you undress, silently name each article of clothing and hang or lay them down with deep attention.
3. Bring to your mind the idea that you are about to cleanse yourself for the good health of your body and mind.
4. Feel the water as it hits your body, and take a moment to be grateful that you have hot, running water.
5. Notice if your thoughts turn to dwelling on the past or planning for the future. Keep bringing your attention back to the present and the activity at hand.
6. Wash your body in a different manner than usual. Change this pattern each time you shower.
7. The timing of your shower is not important. All of this can be done quickly or slowly, depending on how much time you have.
The important thing here is “when showering know that you are showering.”
8. Anytime your mind leaves the shower, gently coax it back to this moment with words or a deep breath.
9. When you exit the shower, dry yourself lovingly and apply after shower creams and lotions as if you were doing it for the first time.
10. When finished, leave the bathroom in the same or neater condition than you found it so that it’s ready for the next person, even if, especially if, that person is just you.
Enjoy your next shower!
Yvonne is a researcher, content creator, editor, certified life coach, and certified time management specialist. She is also the founder of Research Grace, an East Coast-based content management firm. www.researchgrace.com