If you have been practicing meditation for an extended period of time, you might be interested in how you can deepen your practice. It’s also possible you just feel like you would like to try something different. It’s important to remember there is no right or wrong way to meditate. I will be sharing three of my favorite ways to enhance the meditation experience. I encourage you to experiment with different types of meditation.
Mala Beads:
Mala beads can be a great complement to your meditation practice. Mala means “garland” and traditionally includes 108 beads strung together and one larger “guru” bead. Malas can be made out of wood, seeds, stones, crystals and pearls. The guru bead is used as a marker for your fingers to feel the end or the beginning of the necklace. There are various ways to use mala beads in your meditation practice. Two of my favorites are to use the beads as cues for breathing or to recite a mantra or sound with each bead.
To focus on the breath, hold the mala in one hand and allow it to dangle. Find the guru bead and touch it with your opposite hand. As you move your fingers to the next bead, take an inhale and an exhale. Each bead gets its own breath in and breath out, until you make your way back to the guru bead again.
You can also try this with a mantra or sound. Mantra means “a tool for the mind.” Examples of mantras are, “I am exactly where I am supposed to be” or “I am enough” – you can repeat it out loud or silently in your mind. Some suggestions for sounds include “om,” “so hum,” and “om shanti shanti shanti.” If you like practicing with a sound, you might also like to learn the meaning of the sound. Eventually, the mantras or sounds will stop being words and sounds but will become more of a flow of energy.
Crystals:
Opening your heart and mind to the power of crystal healing can take your meditation practice to the next level. Crystals connect us to the Earth because they are physical forms that give off vibrations. Crystals can assist you in bringing more specific intentions into your practice. Prior to your meditation, check in with yourself and determine your needs and what it is you want to achieve. Once you determine this, choose the crystal that best aligns with your intention. For example, if you need to feel empowered and want to transform negative energy into positive energy, then black tourmaline is an excellent choice. Rose quartz stands out as helpful if your focus is emotional well-being. If this method does not seem to work for you, there are other options. You can try this the other way around, you can look at your crystals and see which crystals stand out to you.
You do not need to have a large crystal collection. If you are unsure which crystals to use or just want to start with one, I suggest you try amethyst or clear quartz. Amethyst is known to help calm the mind and can assist you in feeling grounded and present in your meditation practice. Clear quartz is also an excellent choice for beginners because it will amplify your intention. It is also the most versatile stone because it magnifies the vibrations of the stones that surround it.
You can hold the crystals in your hands, have them near you in your meditation space, or place them on or around different areas of your body. I prefer to hold my crystals in my hands and focus my awareness on them. I like to close my eyes and picture myself breathing in healing energies from the crystals, sometimes seeing the energy as a specific color. Then, I visualize the intention I set.
Create an Altar:
An altar is a sacred space that can assist you in building a stronger relationship with yourself. An altar can serve as a focal point for your meditation and can be used as a comfortable space to recharge.
Choose a place that is quiet and private. It is important to first clear a dedicated space for your altar. Clean the area and consider burning sage to clear the energy of the area. It does not need to be a large area but ideally, it should be separated from other items not included in your altar. You might like to choose a theme for your altar. Select items that are important to you whether or not they are related to a theme. There are no wrong items to put on your altar. You might enjoy crystals but you might also enjoy seashells from a memorable trip to the beach. You can include pictures or statues. There are various ways to arrange your altar, you might enjoy researching this. You could simply place things on your altar in whatever way you like. Whether or not you arrange things in a specific style or not, place everything with intention.
Try to keep your altar clean and not place random items there. For example, if your altar is on a table, it might be tempting to use it as a catch-all. The idea is that your altar acts as a reflection of your spiritual life and you don’t want it to be cluttered. I do enjoy mindfully placing fresh flowers on my altar. I do this with intention, not because I don’t have anywhere else to put them.
Feel free to change it up, just make sure it feels like your own.
The only way to determine if these will be helpful to you, is to practice, and it will likely take some time. If the above suggestions aren’t for you, you might want to consider going back to meditations you have already tried previously. If you’ve been focused on a particular type of meditation for a while, you might find the way to deepen your practice is to actually revisit a different kind of meditation. For example, if you have been practicing primarily breathing techniques or visualizations, maybe go back and revisit progressive muscle relaxation. It is likely your experience will be very different than it was when you initially started your practice.
Written by: Julie Christy - Julie is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Registered Yoga Teacher. You can find her leading yoga classes for the Gateway Region YMCA at the Downtown MX and South City branches.