This article focuses on alternative tools to practice mindfulness, beyond various kinds of meditation. It tries to highlight how to transform the seemingly mundane in everyday life into something magical and irresistible. The practices listed are very simple, doable, and can be customized according to individual needs.
"I don’t meditate. It’s a simple fact that often feels like a confession." -Ingrid Fetell Lee
Mediation does not solve all the problems in the world unlike what the recent spike in branding it into a trend portrays. Even if you accidentally search "self-care practices", a huge list of meditative poses, Tai chi, conscious breathing, books to read and very boring articles are shot at you! This discussion, on the contrary, is for those who tried even the most basic form of mediation and found it boring, to the point that it made them yawn! So read on to discover simple and doable alternatives to relaxation in daily life.
There are a huge number of pages propounding the scientifically proven benefits of meditation as a self-care practice. However, these researches, unfortunately, do not take into account that the mind is not an unwaveringly fixed prototype and that the "one size fits all" theory is definitely not applicable to this category. The various nuances in the mind of each individual, in the context of selecting suitable self-care practices, cannot be predetermined through any particular formula. It is a process of self-discovery, the tools of which can be varied ranging from the much-venerated meditation to the seemingly casual cloud gazing!
Ingrid Fetell Lee has a wonderful article that lists out various alternative tools to practice mindfulness, like- visualization, colouring, drumming, cloud gazing, walking, and many more. Apart from these, cleaning and dancing are also listed as effective tools! The primary focus in all practices is to discover the small joys of life, and weave the magical into the mundane. Which activity in your daily life centres you, makes you feel engrossed in ecstasy? If you achieve the feeling of harmony between your body, mind and heart, by watering plants on your balcony- then do that every day, with all your senses alive! Focus on the sensation of the water spraying on your bare fingers, smell the wetness of the soil in the air, observe the leaves almost smiling gleefully, talk to your plants- tell them about the good/bad/normal parts of your day, ask them how their day was as well! Sip some coffee or tea or anything that you like during the whole exercise to engage your tastebuds too. And you will realize, just like that by being yourself, you have added at least ten precious minutes of mindfulness to your day.
If you're starting out on self-care routines, here are a few other tools/exercises which might be of help, either by way of discovering your personal method or by practising the one listed here-
Find your "thing"- it can be writing, painting, sketching, cooking, gardening, cleaning (dusting), clicking photographs, sculpting, knitting, lying on the grass, stargazing- it can literally be anything! The only requirement is you need to kinetically be "doing" it, for example, reading is off the list! If you haven't done anything which you like doing yet, then try doing everything- and document the whole process of self-discovery in a medium of your choice!
Switch off the internet- setting the boundaries for your "offline" time is a priority! In the virtual pandemic world, our senses are constantly exposed to electronic sensations and as a result, are constantly irritated. For example, after a day at online college or work, your eyes will itch, your skin will feel dry, your fingers will ache, your own voice will sound alien to your ears, and you will definitely be less hungry than a normal offline day! So to replenish your sensory reservoir- switch off the internet, and do your "thing". Even if you want to dance to music, have the music downloaded already or sing your own songs!
Find an element that you're most attached to or affected by. If water is your element, then focus on seeing, hearing, feeling water at least 10 minutes in a day.
Focus on what you're doing- the most important part of the whole process is living with all your sensory fervour alive! Focus your eyes on a particular colour/object, observe it closely, make positive affirmations in relation to what you're seeing, and try to create a happy place with good memories.
Smell the air around you! Wearing masks all the time has certainly deprived us of the consciousness of smelling, inhaling the scents of the places and people around us. Make a positive note of how every place smells and associate it with your happy place. Open your tongue to smell the air! Yes, it is cold!
Also try to find a texture that makes you happy when you touch it- for instance, the furry, soft coat of a teddy bear. Feel the emotions and the physical sensations that your mind and body are trying to create and absorb simultaneously. All of it is going to guide your faculties to relax and calm down.
Music helps a lot to recenter one's attention and Indian Classical Ragas, in particular, are the perfect ones to start with. Select any raga and listen to it with your eyes, ears, nose, hands, and all other senses alive. Create your own day-specific 10-20minute playlists for these music sessions.
Lastly, take time out for yourself, every day! There is no substitute for that time, even if you struggle to make a habit out of it initially, keep at it! Also, optic flow is relaxing because it lowers activity in the amygdala. This brain region is the centre of anxiety, fear, and threat detection. And all these tools are a way to momentarily distract the brain from overwhelming activities and redirect attention to less-overwhelming ones. Andrew Huberman, a Stanford University neuroscientist, tells how he injects optic flow into his routine:
“For me, taking a walk each morning is not about exercise or burning calories. It’s about getting into optic flow and reducing amygdala activation. It helps me become alert, without feeling anxious.”
Share your tools to practice mindfulness with us in the comments below!
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About the Author:
Pronita is currently studying English Literature at the University of Delhi. She is an art enthusiast with a love for writing, reading and cinema. She hopes to debunk the multiple stereotypes associated with Humanities Studies and become a worthy English Professor to her future students. She can’t wait to meet them! On most days Pronita chooses sleep over everything else, and on some everything else oversleep.
This is not an average blog on meditation haha, beautifully written Pronita.❤️