If you think you always need to be calm in order to meditate, that’s like saying you’re too out of shape to hop on a treadmill. In fact, there are meditation techniques you can use to rebalance certain moods. If you’re feeling pissed at someone, for instance, there’s a meditation for that. Dealing with a heavy loss? There’s a technique for that, too.
So let’s think of meditation as a “treadmill” for becoming more relaxed, especially when you’re feeling emotional. In fact, that’s exactly when you should run to meditate (no pun intended)! Here are four quick and simple meditation techniques for rebalancing common moods we all experience:
Mood: Pensive, worried, or racing thoughts.
Time: 5-10 minutes
How to do it:
- Sit comfortably and close your eyes.
- It’s important not to try to stop your mind from racing, or it may speed up.
- Begin noticing everything about the present moment: What are you feeling? Sensing? Smelling? Tasting? Notice the different sensations without judging them.
- Feel your body from your toes up to your head, again, without judgement.
- If you finish before time is up, simply notice your breathing for the last few minutes.
- Slowly open your eyes and then, from a calmer, more relaxed place, begin to revisit whatever was on your mind.
- Repeat as needed.
Mood: Sad, heartbroken, disappointed, or insecure.
Time: 5-10 minutes
How to do it:
- Sit comfortably with your eyes closed.
- Place your awareness on your heart area.
- Breathe in deeply and trace your awareness from your heart to your nostrils.
- Breathe out and follow your awareness back to your heart, essentially creating an awareness loop from your heart to your head, and back again.
- While that’s happening, remind yourself that who you truly are — beyond the ego, beyond the physical body, beyond life circumstances — is perfect, whole and complete.
- Practice this breathing loop until time is up. Then open your eyes.
- Repeat as needed.
Mood: When you’re so angry you could strangle someone.
Time: 5-10 minutes
How to do it:
- Sit comfortably and close your eyes.
- Slowly fill up your lungs as deeply as you can, and pause briefly at the top.
- Empty the lungs out as much as you can, and pause for a second or two.
- As you breathe deeply, visualize yourself in the shoes of the person who wronged you. Try to understand their perspective. Remind yourself that they are just doing the best they can. Consider that the person who pissed you off could be an angel sent to teach you a valuable life lesson. Focus on what the lesson could be, as opposed to the messenger who delivered it.
- Keep up the deep breathing until the time is up. Then open your eyes.
- Repeat as needed.
Mood: Happy, satisfied and generally feeling pretty good about life.
Time: 5-10 minutes
How to do it:
- Sit comfortably and close your eyes.
- Rest your awareness on the sound, Sat Nam, pronounced “SOT NAAM.”
- Instead of chanting it aggressively, just experience it softly with each exhale, almost as an afterthought.
- Sat Nam is an ancient mantra that means, “Everything is one thing.”
- As you’re sitting there, begin to feel the oneness in your body, in your surroundings, and out through the world, and keep gently repeating Sat Nam to yourself.
- When time is up, let go of saying Sat Nam and begin to slowly open your eyes. After feeling this deep connection inside, you’ll begin to feel it more outside of yourself.
- Repeat a couple of times daily, once in the morning and once at night.
Note: If you already have a meditation practice, any one of these techniques can be added to it as a supplement to what you’re already doing.
Light Watkins is a Santa Monica-based meditation practitioner of 15 years, a meditation teacher of 8 years, an author of The Inner Gym: A 30-Day Workout For Strengthening Happiness, and a TEDx Speaker.
