Fuck Meditating
Fuck meditating. That’s right. A personal trainer and wellness consultant that doesn’t want to meditate.
I won’t argue against the plethora of benefits that meditating offers, but I’m tired of fighting my nature in an effort to get my mind right. I’ve tried mediation hundreds of times and have seen some minor benefits of the practice, but it just isn’t in my nature to sit still quietly.
As a person with trouble focusing who is constantly moving even when driving a car or chilling on the couch, I have finally given up on the goal of being able to sit still quietly and find my center. It just isn’t in the cards for me. And that is ok.
None of us need to live by other people’s standards of health. Until the late 60s, Americans weren’t even aware of meditation as a beneficial practice, and suddenly it is one of the pinnacles of a healthy lifestyle.
That is bullshit.
Remember, even though they help thousands of people, companies that promote mediation are for profit. Headspace and Calm are great tools for helping you fall asleep, lower anxiety, and quiet the mind…but they are also multimillion-dollar businesses. They aren’t necessary tools.
The goal of meditation is twofold to help you be present in the moment and quiet your mind, but it’s not the only way to receive those benefits. There is also active meditation.
What is active meditation?
There are many styles of mediation that call themselves active meditation, but active meditation is more than that. Active meditation is an umbrella term covering any activity that quiets the mind and helps you achieve a flow state.
A flow state is simply the mental environment created when you are so focused on the task at hand or so engaged that everything else falls away. The flow state accomplishes the same goals as meditation, it brings you into the moment and quiets your mind.
You can achieve this state by doing anything that brings you peace of mind, any activity that gets you out of your head and into your breath or your body.
How do you achieve a flow state?
The flow state is something that everyone from athletes to fry cooks are aware of. However, it is almost esoteric due to its elusive nature.
You cannot will yourself into a flow state, nor can you achieve it 100% of the time you do any given activity. There are only a few ways to inspire a flow state, and some are more practical than others:
A task that involves your complete focus
Slacklining, surfing, sex, and yoga come to mind. If your full attention is on what you are doing and doing it well, it is unlikely for your mind to wander. To do any of the previously mentioned activities well requires your full attention. These activities also benefit from regulated breathing, which happens to be the basic tentpole of meditation.
Inherent risk or danger
Some people think that the feeling of being in the zone is the reason people become addicted to extreme sports. Sports or activities with an element of risk or danger are more likely to put you into a flow state because you have no choice but to focus. Snowboarding, skydiving, onewheeling, rock climbing, white water rafting, and mountain biking are all examples of tasks that would result in death or serious injury if your mind was to wander too far.
I’m not suggesting putting yourself in danger to quiet your mind, but it is an effective way to achieve that end. The downside of risk as a catalyst for the flow state is that it has diminishing returns. Just ask Alex Honnold. Free soloing is a form of rock climbing that forces you into a flow state because there is no room for failure.
However, once that danger becomes commonplace, you have to continue pushing the envelope to achieve that same feeling. Which results in putting yourself in increasing amounts of danger, which is bound to end badly at some point.
Competition
This one is a double edge sword because it affects people differently. Some people find competition to be something that pulls them in and instantly engages their whole being. In contrast, others aren’t motivated by competition. Instead, they see competition as stressful and unnecessary.
Although if you view competition as a way to amplify focus, it is why people can find a flow state from any number of activities as well.
For example, an NFL player during the Super Bowl probably has 100% of his focus and energy on winning that game. They aren’t thinking about some shitty conversation they had with their friend. They are thinking about the task at hand. However, playing a pick-up game of two-hand touch on thanksgiving, that same player probably isn’t as focused.
This phenomenon might be why gambling problems are more prevalent in professional athletes than in the general public. They need something on the line to feel fully engaged.
On the bright side, competition can turn any activity into a flow state activity. For instance, chess, video games, and darts can all become activities that quiet your mind in the right circumstance. However, it must be challenging enough to require your full attention.
That could be anything, right?
Basically, if you can groove to it, you can enter the zone. Musicians and casual runners achieve their flow state simply from falling into a groove.
In this way, any activity that you enjoy can become a form of active meditation. The thing about quieting your mind is that it is YOUR mind.
It responds to the stimulus that YOU enjoy. Getting an ADHD kid to sit and meditate isn’t going to benefit him as much as having him play a sport. At the same time, an anxious adult might find traditional meditation to be a godsend.
Lean in to what makes you, you. Not what other people think is good for you. You can regulate your breathing and quiet your mind while doing any activity. So do the activities that bring you joy.
There is no reason to sit quietly in the corner like a school kid being punished if you don’t get the advertised benefits.
Although, nothing beats intentional breathing for helping you fall asleep.
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