Meditation usually makes me think of a bald bronze-painted monk sitting cross-legged with a huge sword strapped to his back and a few leaves whirling in the wind. Anyways, it’s almost too un-real for me. But as I learn more about mindfulness and meditation, I realize that it isn’t so mystical and … well, boring.
There are people who do sit cross-legged and try not to think, i.e. empty their minds. But there are also many ways you can achieve that inner peace. If you can’t sit for so long (like me), then there’s walking meditation. You focus on walking and on the present moment and nothing else.
I like to think that there are many activities we do that helps us to achieve that inner peace. For example, I like to run. When I run, my mind blanks out and I just focus on my breathing. Well, I’m a terrible runner nonetheless but it makes me feel good. I am oddly one of those people who prefer a treadmill over outdoors - solely because I always get lost or run into bikers and all that. Treadmill is just hassle free and I know I won’t fall (treadmills usually won’t have holes that suddenly appear) so I can just run and not care about anything else. And I don’t have to stop for traffic lights. On a side note - how is it that some girls can run so beautifully and gracefully and…bouncily a la Bay Watch? And me, I run so awkward you’d think I was running with my arms instead. *sigh*
Cooking is another type of meditation for me. I love to cook and I love the whole process of going to the markets and deciding what I want and choosing the freshest ingredients. I love chopping up vegetables and the smell of garlic and olive oil. And I love having a glass of wine whilst I cook. It relaxes me.
There are about a million things one could do to clear one’s mind and focus on one’s well-being. What kind of things do you do to make yourself calmer and more peaceful?
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