5 Different Ways to Meditate. They may not be what you think.

Mmmmmm, meditation.

This act of self care has changed my life. If you read the Success Secret, "Our Personal Story on Preparing for Pregnancy," than you know my husband and I started our serious mediation practice a couple years ago in order to help calm my/our mind. I say serious because I always dabbled with it, but never found ways that totally clicked with me until then. I think it was because I put meditation into a box. I thought it meant sitting up straight with crossed legs, your pointer finger and thumb touching, and just existing with silence.

Funny thing is that I do not do that type of meditation at all any more. Not in years in fact.

Here are other ways to calm your mind and find sanity in your everyday life besides that one way of meditating.

1. Active meditation. Have you ever gotten on your bike or thrown on your running shoes, popped ear buds in with a great rhythmic beat and just zoned out.... but absolutely sweat puddles and felt beyond incredible when you were done? That is just the best, isn't it? I remember I used to take a spin class and this male instructor would turn the lights out, put on tribal drums, and tell us to get lost in an open road (mind you we were in an indoor spin class, but he made us visualize an open flat road in front of us). I got so in the zone where the cadence of my legs spinning paired with my calm mind became one with the music. I didn't think about a single thing and felt absolutely amazing leaving that class. I left my stress on that open road. I gave myself time to not think, to not worry and to just release. That is mediation.

2. Chant. Ok, I have to admit, this one took me a while to become comfortable doing and it took me a couple times in a class setting to sit and chant with others. I was gifted a five week free pass to a place called Sit Meditation. One class I fell in love with was called Kundalini Yoga Meditation. The instructor would turn the lights down, have candles lit and would turn the surround sound music up really loud. He encouraged us to chant along with the words to the music, but we did not have to if we didn't want. He would pick songs that were longer than not and lead us by chanting a word or phrase. At first I was a little shy, but after being surrounded with everyone who had their eyes closed and expelling such force from their gut with their words, it became rather contagious. I gave it a go. Little did I know by the end of the class I had tears rolling down my face and my body was buzzing. I had an energetic release of some kind and I knew I was not the only one in the room who felt the same. Now I chant by myself or in a class and just love it!

3. Lying down listening to binaural beats. Binaural beats are basically musical patterns (hertz) made to reprogram your mind and thinking- there are binuaral beats for anything at all (sleep, relaxation, creativity, focus, etc). I like to lie on my bed, put my ear phones in my ears, close my eyes and relax my mind. I almost always put on binaural beats for relaxation or your third eye and just breathe. I will do this anywhere between five to thirty minutes and come out of the meditation with new perspectives on certain situations, clarity, or with less stress.

4. Mala bead meditation. Do you know how some people pray the rosary and they say a prayer one bead at a time? That is a form of mediation. Or you can do this with mala beads as well, but with your breath or a specific thought. There are 108 beads. Sit and focus your fingers on one bead. Inhale slowly, and exhale slowly calming the mind and body with each breath. Then move to the next bead. 108 deep and slow breaths should help you ease your tension and become clearer in your mind and spirit.

5. Guided Meditation- I have an accountability client who loves to listen to guided mediations or personal development while soaking in epsom salt baths. She creates the ambiance she likes and takes time to herself a couple times per week. Guided mediations are great for people who have a hard time getting their mind to stop thinking about their to do list or can not imagine what they want for themselves or life. A teacher can talk you down the road of enlightenment or even ways to dump stress, love yourself more, etc. You can easily find these on YouTube.

Try one or all of them out and see what you fancy. You may be surprised as to what sticks. I certainly was!