When we hear the word meditation, it's hard not to picture some hippie dippie type in a cross-legged posture, spending two hours a day trying not to scratch her nose. Maybe that's our cynicism talking; maybe it's the fact that we read "Eat, Pray, Love" one too many times. Whatever the reason, meditation often seems totally out of reach for us normal, busy people.
Except, according to real-life meditation gurus, it's not. "People mostly think meditation has to be boring and inaccessible," says Micah Mortali, Director of the Schools of Yoga and Ayurveda at the Kripalu Center of Yoga and Health. "The truth is, when you practice meditation, what you are really doing is practicing the art of concentration."
And we can all stand to use more of that. Meditation has been shown to have a slew of practical benefits, like helping us focus better and become smarter decision makers. It can also help us reduce stress, be more present in our interactions (aka, not check out when our husbands and bosses are talking) and straight up enjoy our lives more. Sounds pretty great, no?
And we swear -- meditation doesn't have to be "hard." According to experts, you can start with just five minutes a day. "The cool thing is that you can find things you love and use them as tools to meditate," says Mortali. "If you love to hike in the woods, you can practice meditating while you are hiking. If you love to drink good coffee, you can meditate on coffee."
In other words, "You don't have to be a Buddhist monk who has taken a vow of silence to meditate 'well' or 'right,'" says clinical therapist Ruth Spalding, LMSW.
Let us prove it with this list of simple meditation hacks. These nontraditional tricks prove there's still hope for those of us who'll never reach enlightenment (no matter how many times we reincarnate).
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