It’s no secret that Technalink strongly believes in the power of meditation and how it can improve daily work and life when it is regularly practiced. However, very few of us have a “perfect schedule” where we can slot in a substantial, traditional meditation session whenever convenient. While it may be possible for some to create a few minutes at home or the workplace and practice traditional meditation, with tools like mala prayer beads, this isn’t always feasible for everyone. Some workplaces are hectic; some don’t have a quiet office or other spaces to use, and some schedules may not allow for this.
However, it’s important to recognize that traditional meditation is a formal, optimized form of self-improvement to achieve a sense of mindfulness. And even in this case, it may not work for everyone. There are other ways to practice mindfulness and get the same benefits of meditation that don’t involve traditional methods, and here are a few to consider.
Exercise
It’s good for health to get in some regular exercise, whether it is for cardiovascular or muscular purposes. However, rather than just playing music or listening to a podcast, it’s possible to take the same repeating patterns of exercise and the emphasis on good breathing and put them toward meditative purposes.
If you find it’s hard to set aside some time for still meditation, combine your meditative practices with exercise and get two kinds of self-improvement for the price of one. Mindfulness and paying attention to your body, breathing, thoughts, and exercise also benefit the exercise, not just the meditation.
Chores
Effective meditation is about a structured pattern of action that repeats. While many people may not like to think of this, chores at home or work also fit this definition. Whether it is washing the dishes by hand, shoveling snow, or even carrying heavy freight from one location to another, the repetitive nature of these chores means that you can adapt meditative practices to them and get in a little bit of self-improvement while you work.
Like exercise, bringing a sense of mindfulness to chores is a good way to combine the productivity of the chore itself with personal wellness. Mindfulness is not just useful when sitting still; it can be used to monitor chores themselves, as well as what a person is thinking and feeling during chores.
Walking
Breathing is an important component of both meditation and walking, so for people that take walks for recreational or health purposes, it’s possible to combine both. For a unique experience, try only taking a step with every breath.
However, if you’d rather keep up a normal walking pace, set a regular interval for breaths and steps, such as breathing in with every fourth step and exhaling with every eighth. While this may seem unconventional to some, walking as a form of meditation is actually an ancient practice in some cultures. Vietnam, for example, has had a tradition of using steps and breaths in rhythm as a method of focus for generations.
Commitment Is Key
It’s important to remember that a good meditation session with no distractions is still the best circumstance to strive for. It can be difficult to attain that sometimes, but these alternatives provide ways to seek what traditional meditation offers. It’s always better to get in a little bit of meditation than none at all. But it’s equally important to aim for proper meditation sessions when feasible.
This is the key to a more balanced life. There should be more flexibility and an understanding that the obligations, unexpected moments, and life problems will happen and must be dealt with. But after that, striving for mindfulness is something that can always be squeezed in.
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