Let’s face it, we can’t always sit to meditate every day. So, what’s a person to do?
On those hectic days, I do mini “standing” meditations. Yes, just the simple act of remaining quietly in one place becomes a chance for mindfulness meditation. No, you don’t have to remain there forever to experience the special balancing effects. Even 30 seconds standing in the lunch line, waiting in line at the airport, checking out at the grocery store, or waiting for an elevator all provide you with opportunities for mindfulness meditation. It’s fast, simple, and does wonders for centering the body, mind, and psyche.
I put the word “standing” in quotations because I want readers to know that if standing is difficult for you or not an option, you can still do this meditation sitting in a dentist’s reception, sitting on a walker while taking a shopping break, or sitting in your wheelchair in your living room. What’s important is not whether you’re balancing on your legs, your butt, or even lying on your back, what’s important is you’re focusing your mind in that moment.
As defined in a previous post, mindfulness is: Being right here, right now in each moment with non-judgmental awareness. So, “standing” meditation means you:
- Are “standing” quietly, eyes open, aware of your body in space, positions of your head, hands, arms, legs, feet, etc.
- Remain conscious of the visual things you see and auditory sounds you hear
- Become aware of your breath where ever you feel it the strongest.
- Tune into the thoughts flitting through your mind giving you a running commentary of all that data entering your senses.
And that’s it. Nothing else to do for those seconds or minutes that you bring awareness to where and how you are. You’re just observing the flow of never-ending stimuli appearing and disappearing.
The next time you’re in a line, watch the people who are also in line with you. Long lines in airports can become your laboratory for observing the stress, anxiety, mindlessness, and agitation of those around you. Individuals begin shifting from foot to foot, sighing, frantically texting, scratching and rubbing different body parts, constantly looking around, making comments to nobody in particular. As time goes by, people naturally feed into and intensify each other’s discomfort.
As soon as I catch myself beginning that same dance of impatience, I immediately stand still (stop moving), focus on the breath, and begin simply observing all the activity within me (zipping energy, frustration, and irritation), as well as all the external activity around me. Sometimes, the internal tension becomes so great that I have this overwhelming desire to move. If I remain mindfully still, not reinforcing the agitation by moving around, then balance and calm naturally return.
Doing this also keeps me from getting caught up in the spiraling anxiety and stress of the people around me. Who knows, my calmness might even help someone nearby also relax.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
i will definitely do this soon thanks!
Jon, please let me know how this goes for you & if you have questions. Warmly, Beth
Do you think standing is more effective than sitting? Is it not tiring?
Anna, I see standing meditation as a bridge between a formal sitting meditation practice and daily living.
If a person can sit comfortably for a period of time, sitting meditation provides the better platform for:
*Training the mind with mindfulness,
*Creating concentration,
*Strengthening the “observer” that helps us remain more skillful in life.
Standing meditation, usually, acts as a vehicle of bring mindfulness into “real” life such as standing in lines or waiting for an elevator.
That being said, for people with back pain who have trouble sitting then standing meditation becomes their main mindfulness meditation practice. Using standing meditation, however, it becomes almost impossible to develop deep concentration where the mind becomes one-pointed and moves into special meditation areas. For safety when standing (so you don’t fall over), the mind seems focused on both maintaining balance as well as remaining mindful. The mind doesn’t have the freedom to concentrate all of its energy into the deeper concentration work.
And you are right, standing for long periods gets tiring. Where, if one is comfortable, we can sit in meditation for long periods.