Moving toward inner peace: the power of active meditation

What is active meditation?

Active meditation is not just for those who lead busy lives or cannot sit still. Anyone can benefit from active meditation. It lets you focus on the activity you are doing, bringing more mindfulness into your day.

You may be wondering how active meditation differs from the traditional form of meditation you're used to. In traditional meditation, the focus is on your mind. You sit or lie in a meditation position and focus, for example, on your breathing, the emotions you are feeling at the time or a meditation mantra. Active meditation has a different focus: namely, the body.

Active meditation is meant to get out of your head, back into your body. This way of meditating teaches you to trust your intuition. Because no matter how you look at it, we all have a gut feeling. And 9 times out of 10, this feeling was right. Active meditation helps you get in touch with your body, strengthening your intuition. This form of meditation is also enormously helpful in the busy society we live in.

The benefits of active meditation

The biggest benefit of dynamic meditation is that you can get into a meditative state without having to sit still. But that's not all: the movement itself also provides tremendous benefits. Active meditation can dissolve tension or stress in your body by shaking. And beyond physical tension, you can also shake off your mental worries during a dynamic meditation.

Active meditation also helps improve your sleep. As you release tension, stress and worry, you fall asleep more easily.

How do you practice active meditation?

There are an awful lot of ways to actively meditate. We'll start by giving you two ways, after which you can discover for yourself what works for you.

1. Walking

That which turns a normal activity into active meditation is mindfulness. So how can you practice mindfulness? You are mindful when you are consciously present in the here and now. And you can actually practice this in any moment. When you are walking, eating or standing in line for the checkout.

We are all busy - which makes walking the perfect way to actively meditate. What do you feel, hear, smell and see while walking? Focus on one specific sense, then the next. In this way, go through all your senses. In this way, you will make your walk an experience for your whole body.

We understand that your mind may wander. In this case, it may be nice to listen to a guided meditation while walking. In the Meditation Moments app you will find guided walking meditations that allow you to consciously stop and think about all the beauty around you.

2. Shower ritual

Why not turn your daily shower into a meditation moment? If you shower in the morning, this is the perfect way to kickstart your day. And if you're someone who prefers to shower in the evening, you can use this time to let go of your worries of the day. Take a few deep breaths and visualize the warm water washing all your worries away.

While showering, use all your senses. Feel the warm water on your skin, hear the drops and smell the scent of your shampoo and conditioner. Perhaps you visualize yourself on a tropical beach as soon as you smell the scent of coconut and tangerine. Use this moment to reconnect with your own body.