5 Mindfulness Alternatives to Meditation
Struggling with meditation? Here are 5 activities you can try instead.
If you’re new to a meditation practice or just feeling intimidated by the idea of meditation, these mindfulness-focused activities are great ways to either ease you into meditation or act as a replacement.
Because, let’s face it, we’ve all been there. You’re sitting down ready to meditate and your mind just won’t stop wandering. Or every time you go to sit down you keep fidgeting because you hate sitting still.
Whatever your reason, meditation — although simple-sounding — can actually be incredibly intimidating to start and hard to know when you’re doing it right. Luckily, there are plenty of great alternatives to meditation to help you focus on the present moment:
1. Yoga
Yoga is often described as moving meditation because you enter each pose with breath and intention. As you move, you’re focusing on breathing in and out and finding more space in your body.
This focuses you on the present moment and how your body is moving on the mat. This is mindfulness in motion, where you can tune out your everyday stressors and tune in to the movement of your muscles.
2. Audio Journaling
Audio journaling is just like written journaling, only instead of a blank piece of paper you hit record and start talking through your thoughts. Taking time to reflect on your current experience focuses your attention on the current moment. This helps get thoughts out of your head and into the world.
Many people find audio journaling before meditating a helpful way to clear the air before entering into a place where meditation is possible. And even if you aren’t meditating, you mind find yourself feeling calmer after reflecting on your day than you did before.
3. Walking
You don’t need to be sitting down to be meditating. Many people prefer walking meditation to sitting meditation. It’s often easier to focus on the current moment by taking a stroll around the block or on a trail and enjoying the beauty of nature around you.
4. Dance
Don’t worry if you’re not a good dancer because you don’t need to be to experience the benefits of dance. You just need to be able to move your body to the music.
Turn on your favorite song and dance like no one is watching. This allows you to tune out whatever you are feeling in that moment and just focus on moving your body in whatever way feels right.
5. Listening to music
If you don’t have it in you to dance, listening to music can be a great way to practice mindfulness. The key is to only listen to music, not be multitasking as you listen. Find a comfortable place, put your headphones in, close your eyes, and concentrate on the music.
Focus on how the music makes you feel and what you’re experiencing as you listen. This puts you in a state of meditation, only the music makes it easier to tune out all that noise inside your head.
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