So a couple of weeks ago I wrote an article talking about how we often don’t make time to meditate because we have other priorities. That simply means that we have a higher preference than the deep fulfilment that comes from meditation.
Usually it’s the case that we have the time to meditate but it’s just not a high-enough-priority as some of the other things that we are choosing to do.
However, there are circumstances that crop up from time to time when we literally do not have the time to meditate. So, today I will share with you some tips and suggestions on how to meditate when you literally have no time to meditate.
This was inspired by an inquiry I had from one of my students (thank you Beth) who has a newborn child and is really struggling to find time to meditate.
This is common now for many people as we take on more demands than ever before and there will be days where sitting in a chair and closing your eyes for 20 minutes to do a meditation just isn’t possible. Hence, we need to be adaptable and look at alternatives for a meditation practice.
Meditation doesn’t always have to be an eyes-closed, withdrawing-the-senses-from-the-outer-world experience.
We can incorporate a meditation practice with eyes open whilst we are driving the car, while we are pushing the trolley in the supermarket aisle, while we are preparing dinner, and while we are at kid’s sport.
It just takes a little practice and a little tweaking as to what our understanding of meditation is.
Yes, sitting in a chair, closing our eyes and transcending deeply into the quiet inner world beyond thought and the senses is a very powerful and effective form of meditation. One that I highly recommend we do on a daily basis.
There are other ways.
Being present in an eyes open state, and being completely in the moment without the fluctuations of the mind traversing into the future and the past is also an effective meditation practice.
Being present and mindful of being the embodiment of love in each moment regardless of your environment is also a meditation practice.
Freedom from emotional fluctuations in the feeling body, experiencing the subtle and blissful state of Being is also a meditation.
This can all be done throughout your day regardless of how busy you are. So yes you might have a lot of things on, and you might have no time at all throughout your day to sit in a chair and close your eyes and dive deep into meditation, however that doesn’t mean that you’re unable to be blissfully present in each and every moment.
That is your meditation on those days.
So here are some tips to meditate when there is no time to meditate:
- In the shower, pick up the soap, smell it, assess what fragrance is in the soap, feel the warm drops on your skin, and have gratitude that you are able to shower with clean warm hygienic water. There are many people in the world right now that this is not possible.
- While on the way to work, either on the public transport or while driving, take time out from listening to the radio or a podcast, don’t go on social media and don’t read the paper. All of that is mind wandering into other people’s thoughts. Sit and be present. Can you be there, and empty the mind of thoughts. This won’t be easy, but with practice you will have glimpses into a space with no thought, just Being present.
- While at the supermarket, take in the sounds around you, what do you hear? Be aware of the smells around you, what do you smell? What do you feel on your skin, is it cold or warm in there? Come to your senses and just experience that.
- When cooking dinner, prepare your meals with love and do it slowly. Be aware that the food you are preparing is to be consumed by you, your family or friends. Be mindful that the energy that you are preparing and cooking with will go into that food. Ask yourself, “Am I the embodiment of love now?”
- Before bed, turn off your phone, turn off your wifi, turn off your TV and anything that is bright or noisy, and then sit at the foot of your bed on the floor. Just for a few minutes close your eyes, place your hands over your heart and repeat slowly five times: “I Am The Expression Of Love.”
So there you have some very simple suggestions to help you meditate when you have no time to meditate.
