Unconventional Meditation

“Make the NOW the primary focus of your life.”
Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment

Meditation is about getting to know that quiet place inside you, and allowing it to expand more and more in your life. It is about fully focusing in this present moment of here and now and resting in that stillness within.

Is meditation difficult to do? It can be, at least for me. I’ve done the twenty minute meditations, the hour-long meditations, the three hour meditations. I admire those who are able to do this on a regular basis, and know there is great benefit to be gained. Yet I find it easier to attain and maintain that quiet, present moment place inside myself in active ways.

Almost anything you do can become a form of meditation if your focus is one-pointed. That means your attention is fully focused upon what you are doing. For example, you are washing the dishes. You focus your attention upon the feel of the warm water and the slipperiness of soap on slick surfaces, but your mind drifts and thoughts of yesterday’s events intrude. You take a deep breath, let those thoughts go on the out-breath and refocus your attention upon the feel of the dish in your hand, the warmth of the water and swishy, soap bubbles. You keep yourself focused in this way throughout the clean-up, always bringing your thoughts back into the here and now when they wander.

My experience has been that it is easier to keep my active mind focused when I am physically engaged in an activity. When my hands, body, eyes, ears, and nose are busy interacting with the present moment it gives me a one-pointed focus for my attention, here and now. It gives me a specific place to return my attention to.

Can washing dishes be spiritual practice? You bet. What we are talking about here is a form of the Buddhist concept of Mindfulness.

​There are numerous resources available on-line if you are interested in pursuing this topic. You can easily find them by searching on Buddhism and Mindfulness. A great place to start is with the website, Lion’s Roar, Buddhist Wisdom for Our Time.


Photo by Catt Liu on Unsplash

Your Spiritual Toolbox

Today, choose one activity to do in which you will focus your mind and be fully present with what you are doing.

Choose an activity that you are doing by yourself and in which you won’t have to be interacting with others for a time.

Some of my favorite active (and not so active) meditations are walking in the woods, weeding, cleaning, washing dishes, knitting, crafting, watching the birds at the feeder, and sitting quietly just looking out the window watching the light on the leaves of the trees. You probably already have your own favorites.

​If you find it too difficult to quiet your mind you can add in the repetition of a positive affirmation, short prayer or mantra, spoken out loud or internally. This is calming to a busy mind and soothing to an anxious one. Focus your attention on the words you are repeating to yourself as you continue to engage in whatever meditative activity you have chosen to do. ​