"Sit, close your eyes, and stay still." For many people, that is torture, not meditation. If you are one of those people, active meditation may be the entry point.
What It Is
Active meditation involves conscious movement -- walking, dancing, intense breathing exercises -- followed by silence. The idea is that the body needs to discharge energy before the mind can settle.
Types of Active Meditation
- Meditative walking -- walking slowly, feeling each step
- Movement meditation -- tai chi, qi gong
- Cathartic meditations -- like Osho's (intense movement followed by silence)
- Yoga as meditation -- āsanas practiced with full attention
Who Is It For
- Very restless people who cannot sit still
- Those with a lot of repressed physical energy
- As an alternative on days when sitting seems impossible
- As preparation for seated meditation
The Principle
The body is like a pressure cooker. If steam has accumulated, it needs to release before opening. Active meditation releases the steam. Then sitting in silence happens naturally.
The Natural Evolution
Use active meditation as a bridge. The goal is to develop the capacity to sit in silence -- because it is in silence that the deepest work happens.
Over time, the need for movement before meditation decreases. The mind learns to settle without the intermediate step.
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