27 Jun Meditation is different for everyone. Freestyle and make it your own.

For those who are interested in learning meditation, it may be a difficult task, figuring where to begin because there are so many types of meditation circulated in the market. It can be a daunting task trying to narrow down to a specific type of meditation that is the most suitable for you. Based on the sources found online and offline, the most common types of meditation includes spiritual meditation, mindfulness meditation, movement meditation, zen and transcendental meditation.  All forms of meditation build on the presence of living in the moment and gaining awareness of your body in its entirety. The only difference is the form of techniques that are used. This may seem very overwhelming for beginners especially without any guidance from an experienced mediator. However, do not let the complexity of meditation deter you from trying. The untold truth is that meditation is different for everyone. The beauty is its flexibility to make it your own and meditate to tailor to your needs. This is why meditation can be freestyle.

Freestyle Meditation #1: Let your creativity juice flow with a mix of mindfulness and focused meditation.

Whenever I feel a little under the weather and in search for something more than the original, I usually meditate through cooking. Cooking is my form of meditation whenever I want to try something new while knowing that the success rate of a new dish is relatively high. It helps to cultivate my creativity juices flow without the need to impress others.

Perhaps make my favorite Indian dish, spinach paneer with homemade naans. Or re-create the traditional spaghetti Bolognese with a refreshing twist. It’s my meditation style to stay focused and let the ingredients, tastes, and my culinary skills cultivate a sense of mindfulness to enjoy each moment. Whenever I cook alone, I am a lot more aware of the little moments,  locking into the little acts of joy from chopping different condiments to listening to the sizzling sound of a hot pan-fry, and even to playfully plating each dish much like a Michelin-star restaurant.  I am meditating by focusing on a single thing and being mindful of the surrounding sounds, objects, and flow of thoughts and movement.

The best part is the result of all the hard work and being able to savor every dish. It is fun to be a personal chef and my own judge at the same time. Nothing better than to freestyle meditation each day to make it fun and exciting.

Freestyle Meditation #2: Shake and Dance by free-styling transcendental and movement meditation.

After 8 long hours of work, my body usually become immune to sitting down and acting like a rock-like being. Often times, my body becomes stiff and rough in the edges, I usually freestyle my fatigue by shaking and dancing. I turn on some upbeat 80’s music and jam to the rhythms and beats. The fun part begins when I let my body flow freely and do all the crazy dance moves. For the most parts, most of my dance moves are just free movements, nothing artful or amazing in any means. But the act of “shake it and dance it” is free-spirited and fun. The energy flow is transformed into bliss and joy, letting go all the hostility and resentment from work. And then a glass of wine provides a cherry on the top.

The swaying motions are therapeutic for my entire body to try out different flowing movements. Many times, I incorporate transcendental meditation (TM) into my dance moves by making a series of different noises. Musical notes, such as “fa”, “la”, “te”, are simple sounds I make to release stress without making them into words. This imitates how people uses a mantra or series of Sanskrit words to help practitioner focus on the sounds. TM was the specific type of meditation that Beatles had followed in the 60’s. It was their method of finding a level of pure consciousness.

The state of meditation does not come in one size. It is for you to figure what technique work best.  Meditation is an on-going process that takes time and effort. Each soul is divine and intricate. With meditation, it guides you to understand the deeper levels of consciousness and ultimately your deeper self.