Passive Meditation
Picture this, you come home from the busiest day of your life, you’re stressed, you’re exhausted, you still have hours of work to do that you can’t stop thinking about, but instead of cracking open your favorite bottle of wine, you decompress with something even more relaxing.
Passive meditation or mindfulness meditation allows you to remain aware and present in the current moment, without passing any judgement or opinions of the thoughts crossing your mind. It can help improve focus, memory, reactions, and emotions.
The best part about passive meditation is that you can practice it anywhere. For example, if you’re waiting in line to be seated at a restaurant, you can acknowledge that you’re waiting without placing any feelings on it like annoyance or irritation (but don’t get yourself down if you let a negative thought or two slip through!) You can also do this as you walk through nature. Notice your surroundings like the scent, sound, and colors without passing judgment or feelings on any of it.
Though, like any other type of meditation, you can schedule time to improve your practice as well. So get comfy, pick a point of focus (like your breathing, or sit in front of your drift sand table and meditate with your favorite pattern!), and let’s get started.
While mindfulness sounds easy, it’s not that simple. Make sure to start small with your practice. Set an alarm for 45 seconds to a minute to start and build from there. If you’ve never practiced before, you might notice your mind start to wander away from your point of focus within the first 5 or 10 seconds (this just happened to me, so don’t fret!). Just reset the timer, refocus, and try again– after all only practice makes perfect.
Bonus tip! Sister Satsuma, who has been practicing sacred meditation for 7 years, recommends putting your hand on your heart to ground you throughout your meditation.
If you aren’t comfortable setting your own breath cadence, check out this blog post for a few simple breathing exercises. Positive Psychology recommends using the Mindfulness Daily App, Headspace, and 10% Happier: Meditation.
Medical Disclaimer: This content is provided for informational purposes only and not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
SOURCES
Active Vs Passive Meditation; Sister Satsuma: https://satsumadiaries.com/2020/03/20/active-vs-passive-meditation/
Top 14 Apps for Meditation and Mindfulness, Positive Psychology: https://positivepsychology.com/mindfulness-apps/
