Do you recognize the value of meditation BUT struggle to make it work? I’m going to share three different approaches that may change the game for you.
As a bit of background, I spent years (okay, decades) sucking at meditation. Starting. Stopping. Feeling like part of my brain was broken. I think that part of the problem is that the more conventional approaches to meditation don’t work for everyone. Especially if you have ADHD or are otherwise neurodiverse.
Here are three different frames to look at things through:
Not everyone is at their mental best when they’re still. I’m not sure that any of us are—but some of us will be more sensitive to that fact.
There are myriad reasons that movement works so well. Take anxiety. It can be thought of as a call to action—to run away from (or sometimes into) danger. The call comes and we move. Your neocortex—AKA thinky brain—is powerful. However, not every problem is best solved with thinking. In stressful moments, movement help you break down circulating stress hormones. It’s as simple as heeding the call.
There’s something else that happens with movement. It connects us to the present. Sensations from your body—pressure, temperature, stretch, etc all tell us what’s happening right now. Not in the future; not in the past. Right now. Movement is meditation.
Perform a short bout of exercise instead of seated meditation
Instead of sitting for 15 minutes, try exercising for 10 minutes and seated meditation for 5. Or skip seated meditation fully in favour of 15 minutes of movement. It doesn’t have to look like meditation to be meditation.
Example 1: Check in with your body—take your shoulders and hips through a full range of motion. See what movements feel good—and what positions need some extra love.
Example 2: Engage in exercise that you can perform safely at high-intensity—incline push-ups to failure, stationary bike intervals, etc.